The Rialto Theatre in South Pasadena, Calif., recently announced that its last day of operation will be Aug. 19. The Rialto, built in 1925, is on the Fair Oaks alignment of Route 66.
According to the theater’s MySpace site:
Sadly we have to end with the Simpsons. So if you want to see the Simpsons or simply bid farewell to this wonderful place, please come by and show the Rialto that you appreciated it all these years. If you want to contact Landmark Theatres and tell them how much this sucks and how much you don’t want it to close, here are some avenues to take. I don’t know if it will make a difference but its worth a shot. please pass this on … https://www.landmarktheatres.com/ Landmark Theatres, 2222 South Barrington Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90064, CustomerService@LandmarkTheatres.com, 1-888-7-CINEMA (1-888-724-6362) (310) 473-6701 […] please let them know how you feel! But please keep it clean and professional so that they can actually take your concerns and complaints seriously. If you want something done, do it right and professionally. Thank you.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the Landmark Theatres chain — which had seen its own money problems in recent years — wasn’t doing well with the Rialto.
Mundorff declined to disclose box office or concession counter revenues but said the Rialto was rarely more than half full. Although Landmark installed a new sound system last year, it would cost at least $1 million more to properly restore the theater, Mundorff said.
The seats are in particular need of repair, but the carpets are also frayed, paint is chipped and the place sometimes has a musty odor. In short, the Rialto is the kind of weary aging moviehouse that many people remember fondly but few think to patronize on a night out.
All is not lost, however. There already is interest to keep the Rialto as a moviehouse and as part of a redevelopment in the neighborhood.
One potential suitor is Decoma Developers Inc. Decoma is working on a revitalization project intended to create a more pedestrian-friendly retail, residential and leisure district in the core of South Pasadena, including blocks around the Rialto.
“The theater is a treasure and we are all working on the possibility of keeping the Rialto a single-screen theater,” said Marinel Robinson, principal of Torrance-based Decoma. “One day the theater will be renovated. Everybody needs to be patient.”
If Decoma’s project is approved by the city, it would start work next summer and complete the development in three years, Robinson said. “We will work with whoever ends up controlling the theater.”
Cross your fingers.
(Hat tip to Scott Piotrowski.)
five words:
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
RHPS is kind of a mixed bag. On the one hand, you can make an initial investment to buy the print, then run it every weekend and be sure of having a pretty good audience at least once a week … but on the other hand, Rocky Horror brings its own set of challenges, and if you don’t have a really good, responsible cast to ride herd on things, it can get out of hand in a hurry. (Some theaters have quit showing RHPS because audience members insisted on throwing things that damage the screen, such as lotion, hot dogs, etc.) I think it’s a good idea, but I’d definitely be cautious.
According to a couple of articles I’ve read about the theater, it screened “Rocky Horror Picture Show” regularly. So that idea’s been done.
It’s a film that once was a cult phenomenon, but it’s been ebbing. Based on what I’ve read recently, sing-alongs to “The Sound of Music” and the musical episode of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” have caught on.
There’s also a movie theater in Austin in which you can buy microbrewed beer and pizza while watching a flick. This has done very well. Just a thought for the Rialto’s future owners …