Empress Theatre

The Rialto Theatre was located on Main Street opening in downtown Wilson, Oklahoma. The 300 seater launched on July 18, 1921 with Anita Stewart in “In Old Kentucky". Manager Cleland Lysle called the Rialto a “decent” theatre. Ventilation seemed iffy, however, with electronic fans only.

The Rialto Theatre competed with the Dreamland Theatre until May 7, 1923 when Gilliam & Powers of the Dreamland Theatre bought out the Rialto Theatre and changed its name to the Empress Theatre on May 9, 1923. The operators would additionally merge the Hippodrome Theatre with and into the Dreamland Theatre also in 1923 making Wilson a two-theatre, one operator town. Unfortunately, the Dreamland Theatre would then burn down on December 25, 1924.

Less than five months later, Ferris M. Thompson built and opened the Thompson Theatre in May of 1925. He also purchased the Empress Theatre. He downgraded the Empress Theatre to weekend operation only in 1927 and didn’t convert the venue to sound. This dropped the town to one operator and one theatre. If the local accounts are correct, the Empress Theatre was knocked down and houses the newer-build public library.

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