Rialto Theatre
603 Broadway,
Hannibal,
MO
63401
603 Broadway,
Hannibal,
MO
63401
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One of four theatres built in Hannibal, the Rialto Theatre opened in 1937 just a block from the much larger and more elaborate Orpheum Theatre. The seating for the Rialto Theatre was just under 500. It closed in 1955 from the onslaught of the television era. The building is still standing, today in use as a billiard hall.
Contributed by
Church Van Bibber
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Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
This history of Hannibal theaters puts the Rialto at 503 Broadway, but other sources show 603, so it’s probably a mistake on this site:
http://tinyurl.com/2cdm5f
The 603 address is correct. Function should be pool hall. Here is a recent photo.
This is a June 2008 photo.
1985 photo of the Tom Sawyer AKA Rialto.
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This theatre was originally known as the Tom Sawyer.
This was the Tom Sawyer in 1956.
A survey of new theater construction in the St. Louis area published in Boxoffice of October 16, 1937, lists Eddie Rosecan’s Rialto at Hannibal as one of the projects underway. Two other theaters Rosecan operated in small towns in the area were also called Rialto.
The Rialto was expanded and its front rebuilt in 1946, according to Boxoffice of February 6 that year. The item said the capacity would be enlarged by 50 percent.
If this house was ever called the Tom Sawyer, it must have been after Rosecan sold it to Frisina in 1955, but I’ve been unable to find any evidence that it was renamed. Frisina’s Orpheum was renamed the Tom Sawyer following a 1949 remodeling, according to Boxoffice of July 30 that year.