I have fond memories of the Rialto as a kid and teenager. In my early years they had “kid” shows every saturday during the summer where the moms could drop off the kids, or you could walk, the moms would have the afternoon to themselves to either shop or just be alone. The theater would be filled from top to bottom, not an empty seat most times. The big leather Lodge seats on the first floor in the back of the theater were the special prize as well as the Balcony seats. The kid shows had an MC and sometimes a live performance or two on the actual stage before the movie started. The organ always played, especially during the silent films of my parents era. Buck Rogers comes to mind. Then we had cartoon after cartoon after cartoon and a movie. If the projectionist did not start the films on time we started thumping our feet until the whole building was shaking. The same thing happend if the film broke and he took too long to slpice it back together again. Everyone felt safe and there were not many fights back then. At intermission everyone ran to the lobby for candy and the bathroom, better get there early! All and all it was a fantastic experience for anyone growing up in the 50’s and 60’s. It was the best air conditioned place to be on a hot summer day if you were not at the “plunge.” For a while, my uncle opend a pizza business right next to the Rialto and in the early years he had a window that opened right on to the street where you could by pizza by the slice before going into the theater. When new movies came to town, like Alfred Hitchcoks' Psycho or The Birds, the people would line up well in advance of the shows and he did a brisk business for many years. Right before they took the organ out they had one last concert and I went to hear that wonderful old instrument played again. When they took out the stage, the decline started, and continued when they took out the organ. I was glad last time i was visiting that the old theatre is still there.
I have fond memories of the Rialto as a kid and teenager. In my early years they had “kid” shows every saturday during the summer where the moms could drop off the kids, or you could walk, the moms would have the afternoon to themselves to either shop or just be alone. The theater would be filled from top to bottom, not an empty seat most times. The big leather Lodge seats on the first floor in the back of the theater were the special prize as well as the Balcony seats. The kid shows had an MC and sometimes a live performance or two on the actual stage before the movie started. The organ always played, especially during the silent films of my parents era. Buck Rogers comes to mind. Then we had cartoon after cartoon after cartoon and a movie. If the projectionist did not start the films on time we started thumping our feet until the whole building was shaking. The same thing happend if the film broke and he took too long to slpice it back together again. Everyone felt safe and there were not many fights back then. At intermission everyone ran to the lobby for candy and the bathroom, better get there early! All and all it was a fantastic experience for anyone growing up in the 50’s and 60’s. It was the best air conditioned place to be on a hot summer day if you were not at the “plunge.” For a while, my uncle opend a pizza business right next to the Rialto and in the early years he had a window that opened right on to the street where you could by pizza by the slice before going into the theater. When new movies came to town, like Alfred Hitchcoks' Psycho or The Birds, the people would line up well in advance of the shows and he did a brisk business for many years. Right before they took the organ out they had one last concert and I went to hear that wonderful old instrument played again. When they took out the stage, the decline started, and continued when they took out the organ. I was glad last time i was visiting that the old theatre is still there.