1023 Fair Oaks Ave. South Pasadena, CA 91030 | map |
The Rialto pages: history + exterior views | lobby areas | auditorium | stage + basement |
Views from the 1930 to the 1990s:
A 30s view of the Rialto interior appearing in the Historic Rialto photos album on the Friends of the Rialto Facebook page. Linda Hammonds also shared the photo on the SoCal Historic Architecture Facebook page where she credits it to the South Pasadena Public Library.
A photo of undetermined vintage that was used in the 1968 American Theatre Organ Enthusiasts conclave program. Thanks to Bob Alder for posting it on Flickr.
A 1977 house right view by Lin Carriffe. It's part of a set he took for the application to get the Rialto on the National Register, something it achieved in 1978. His set of nine photos appears on the South Pasadena High School Alumni Association Facebook page.
A proscenium shot. Photo: Lin Carriffe - 1977
The rear of the auditorium. Photo: Lin Carriffe - 1977
Another look to the rear of the house. Photo: Lin Carriffe - South Pasadena High School Alumni Association Facebook page - 1977. Thanks, Lin!
A lovely c.1995 look at the auditorium from Berger Conser Architectural
Photography. The photo is from their great 1997 book "The Last Remaining
Seats: Movie Palaces of Tinseltown," available on Amazon. Visit Robert Berger's website for a portfolio of sixteen images from "The Last Remaining Seats."
The building in limbo - views from 2000 to 2017:
A look in from the back of the house during a June 2015 preservation meeting. It's a Walt Mancini photo with the Pasadena Star-News story "Rialto Theatre... built in 1925 opens for one night."
Some of the plasterwork along the house right aisle near the back. Thanks to Gary Simon for the 2016 photo, one appearing on the LAHTF Facebook page.
The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation is actively involved in the study and preservation of the
vintage theatres in the L.A. area. The group frequently supports events
and offers tours of the buildings. www.lahtf.org | on Facebook
One of the strange
sidewall figures. Thanks to Michelle Gerdes for the photo, one in a set of
five she took during the October 2015 90th Birthday Gala. They're
on the LAHTF Facebook page.
A look toward the stage during the 2016 Conundrum Theatre Company production of "Showtune," a benefit for the Friends of the Rialto group. Note the nice view we get of the balcony soffit and the decorative beam. It's a photo Escott O. Norton posted as part of a big album of the event on the Friends of the Rialto Facebook page. He leads the Friends group and is a former Executive Director of the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation.
Another April 2016 "Showtune" photo on the Friends of the Rialto Facebook page.
One of the balcony soffit fixtures and the plasterwork surround. Thanks to Gary Simon for his 2016 photo on the LAHTF Facebook page.
Thanks to Matt Lambros for this 2017 photo. Visit his After the Final Curtain blog and his Facebook page to see what theatres he's been exploring lately. Five additional interior views that Matt had taken in 2017 appear in a 2023 Facebook post.
A centerline view. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - 2014
The beast at the top of the proscenium. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - 2014
Another look at the proscenium's gargoyle. Photo: Wendell Benedetti - LAHTF Facebook page - 2016. Also on the LAHTF page see a 2016 proscenium gargoyle photo by Gary Simon.
A 2017 photo with the asbestos half way in. Thanks to the French team of Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre for this image that appears on page 163 of their gigantic book "Movie Theaters" (Prestel, 2021). It's available on Amazon or from your local bookseller.
A detail from the Marchand and Meffre photo. See the "Theaters (2005-2021)" portfolio on the duo's website for more of their fine work.
A look to house left. Thanks to Hunter Kerhart for this 2014 photo. Keep up with his most recent explorations: on Facebook | HunterKerhart.com | on Flickr |
Along the house left aisle near the back. Photo: Gary Simon - LAHTF Facebook page - 2016
The house left proscenium column and organ grille. Photo: Friends of the Rialto Facebook page - 2012
The view to the stage from house left. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - 2014
The house right wall. Thanks to Mike Hume for his 2017 photo. Visit his Historic Theatre Photography
site for hundreds of great photos he's taken of theatres in the Los
Angeles Area and elsewhere. The site, of course, has a page he's done on the Rialto.
A house right detail. It's a photo by Jeffrey Burke that appeared on the now-vanished website RialtoSouthPasadena.com.
The house right sidewall mural. It's a photo from the Friends of the Rialto Facebook page. Also see a photo album from the May 2015 cleanup day at the theatre. Escott O. Norton commented: "On either side there are these painted scenes that look like windows to a fantastic Moroccan landscape. For decades these were dark and impossible to see. Then in the mid 1980s, the Rialto manager at the time, a great guy by the name of Mark Weber, and I got a ladder and climbed up to these arches. We carefully cleaned off the murals and replaced all of the light bulbs, and Voila!"
The base of the house right proscenium column. Thanks to Jeffrey Burke for the photo.
The lady below the organ grille house right -- not a PG rated attraction. Thanks to Gary Simon for this shot and all the other photos he took that appear on this page. This 2016 photo originally appeared on the LAHTF Facebook page.
This Walt Mancini photo of one of the winged ladies appeared with a June 2015 Pasadena Star-News story "Rialto Theatre... built in 1925 opens for one night"
about a community meeting convened to discuss preservation concerns. Other photos were also included in an album with the article.
A side view of the bottom of the organ grille area house right by Irfan Khan, one of seven photos with "Will South Pasadena's Rialto Theatre Rise Again?," the July 2014 L.A. Times story by Frank Shyong. Some of the same photos from the 2014 article appeared again in a January 2015 story by Mr. Shyong: "South Pasadena's historic Rialto Theatre sold...."
A side view of the bottom of the organ grille area house right by Irfan Khan, one of seven photos with "Will South Pasadena's Rialto Theatre Rise Again?," the July 2014 L.A. Times story by Frank Shyong. Some of the same photos from the 2014 article appeared again in a January 2015 story by Mr. Shyong: "South Pasadena's historic Rialto Theatre sold...."
Some of the original carpet at a front exit. Photo: Mike Hume - 2017
A view to the rear taken by Ken Roe in 2002. It's on Flickr from his wonderful Movie Theatres USA album. He notes: "The theatre was very dark, with practically no interior lighting, so we opened the side exit doors to allow daylight into the auditorium." The occasion was a visit to Los Angeles theatres he organized for the Cinema Theatre Association, a UK group.
Another shot from house left. Photo: Escott O. Norton - LAHTF Facebook page - 2016
A look up toward the booth. Thanks to Jeffrey Burke for the photo.
Plasterwork at the head of a main floor aisle. Photo: Mike Hume - 2017
A view across at balcony level. It's a photo that once appeared on the Friends of the Rialto Facebook page.
A look down to the main floor credited to Lorne Thomas appearing with "For Sale: Who Wants to Buy an Endangered 1920s LA Movie Theatre?," a June 2014 post on the Paris-based blog Messy Nessy Chic. The author got this story together in record time after it was announced that the building was for sale. See the post for many more photos, most of which came from the Friends of the Rialto group.
The vista from the top. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - 2014. Thanks, Hunter!
A gaze over toward that sad organ grille. Photo: Gary Simon - LAHTF Facebook page - 2015
The Rialto stage in action during the revue "Showtune." It's an April 2016 Wendell Benedetti photo on the LAHTF Facebook page. Also on the LAHTF page see a balcony view taken by Don Solosan taken during a rehearsal for the theatre's 90th birthday show.
Across the front of the balcony. Photo: Mike Hume - 2017
A look down to the stage. The platforming we see was going to be used by the church to cover the orchestra pit. Photo: Mike Hume - 2017
A view from the booth. Photo: Mike Hume - 2017. Thanks, Mike!
Thanks to Matt Lambros for this last 2017 pre-church photo. Visit his After the Final Curtain blog and his Facebook page to see what theatres he's been exploring lately.
Early views of the church era:
Churching it at the Rialto. The Mosaic Church signed a 20 year lease in 2017. Thanks to Sean Byron for his November photo, part of a set he posted on the LAHTF Facebook page.
A look to the rear of the house during a service. Photo: Sean Byron - LAHTF Facebook page - November 2017
More church action. Photo: Sean Byron - LAHTF Facebook page - November 2017. Thanks, Sean.
The look after the church's renovations:
A look in from house left after the remodel. The two side aisles retain the original slope but the center portion of the floor was leveled. Photo: Escott O. Norton - August 29, 2021. See 42 photos from the reopening day in the Rialto Theatre Gets a New Look album on the Friends of the Rialto Facebook page. Escott comments on
this shot: "The lobby has new flooring and a new color palette."
A balcony soffit detail. Photo: Escott O. Norton - Friends of the Rialto - August 2021
Across to house right. Photo: Escott O. Norton - Friends of the Rialto - August 2021
The new flat floor. Photo: Escott O. Norton - Friends of the Rialto - August 2021. He comments: "A view from the back row of the folding chairs. There is a pretty good view of the screen and actually a better view of the proscenium. The original back rows were high enough that the top of the proscenium was blocked."
A view from the right aisle. Photo: Escott O. Norton - Friends of the Rialto - August 2021
The house right organ grille area. Many thanks to Mark Herman for this June 2023 photo and the others appearing on these pages. See his Arts Advocate Facebook post for thirteen more Rialto views plus several downtown exterior theatre shots as well as photos of the renovated interior of the Tower Theatre.
The breasts on the winged creatures below the organ grilles are now covered up. Photo: Escott O. Norton - Friends of the Rialto - August 2021
A look across from house left. It's a photo by Libby Cline-Birmingham, one of 26 appearing with "South Pasadena's famed Rialto Theatre makes debut as renovated church," a story in the August 30, 2021 edition of the Pasadena Star-News. Thanks to Chris Nichols for including the shot in a Facebook post about the transformation.
A house right side wall detail. Photo: Mark Herman - June 2023
A look to the rear. Photo: Mark Herman - 2023
Viewing the elegant main floor seating from above. Photo: Mark Herman - 2023
Note the new stage extension that covers the orchestra pit. Photo: Escott O. Norton - Friends of the Rialto - August 2021
The proscenium is now missing its famous beast with the glowing eyes. Photo: Escott O. Norton - Friends of the Rialto - August 2021
An organ grille detail. The murals in the niches adjacent to the grilles have been covered with blank panels saying "Mosaic." Photo: Escott O. Norton - Friends of the Rialto - August 2021
The view across to house left. Note the folding chairs in the lower section. Photo: Escott O. Norton - Friends of the Rialto - August 2021
A ceiling beam detail. Photo: Escott O. Norton - Friends of the Rialto - August 2021
The view back to the booth. Photo: Escott O. Norton - Friends of the Rialto - August 2021. Thanks, Escott!
The 1925 vintage seating, unrestored, remains in the upper section. Photo: Mark Herman - 2023
In the booth:
Checking out the equipment. The event was a tour that was part of the summer 2017 Theatre Historical Society Los Angeles Conclave. Thanks to John Hough and Mark Mulhall for the photo. Check out their great photos of many theatres they've explored on their website OrnateTheatres.com.
Roy H. Wagner, ASC, worked for Parallax Theatre Systems, the company that later became Landmark Theatres, when they took over the theatre in 1976. He comments:
"Parallax never did anything to restore the theater. They
just picked up the lease. The only thing I recall our doing is
purchasing a Xenon 16mm projector to run certain films. I was only a
projectionist there in the very beginning and then turned it over to a
group of projectionists.
"We never had platters (I don't even know if
they existed then). We used Magnarcs and did standard changeovers. The
stage was quite nice. We had three Altec A5's (I think). Only one of
them worked. All of the surround speakers were still there but there was
no stereo. This was way before Dolby."
Looking across the platter toward the Simplex XL. Photo: Bill Counter - 2017
A booth front wall view. Photo: Bill Counter - 2017
A view across the booth from Escott O. Norton appearing in the Friends of the Rialto December 2017 newsletter detailing the group's plan to get the booth functioning again as a two machine installation. Rick Rische comments:
"I was a projectionist at the Rialto from 1981 to '86. We ran two Simplex machines with Magnarc lamphouses, 20 minute reels, doing changeovers etc. That was a really fun, interesting job! No Dolby stereo optical but we did have 4-channel mag stereo using a pre-amp built by Landmark's tech guy, and the sound it put out was magnificent!
"Since we were a repertory/ revival house with 4 new double features each week, we ran many mag prints of big films of the 50's and 60's like 'Camelot.' 'Ben-Hur,' 'My Fair Lady,' '2001: A Space Odyssey' etc., as well as more modern (at the time) fare as 'All That Jazz' and William Friedkin's 'Sorcerer.'
"In 1986, Landmark's projectionists voted to join the union which angered management. They fired us and installed the single projector and platter system seen in the photos, and the manager and assistant manager also ran the shows. So there you have it."
Projection expert Tom Ruff and a helper getting a soundhead on a second base. Many parts were found in the basement. Photo: Escott O. Norton - Friends of the Rialto - December 2017
Working on one of the Simplex XL heads. Photo: Escott O. Norton - Friends of the Rialto - December 2017
Getting a second lamphouse operational. Photo: Escott O. Norton - Friends of the Rialto - December 2017
Tom working on the soundhead of machine #1. Photo: Escott O. Norton - Friends of the Rialto - December 2017
Machine #1 running for the first time in more than a decade. Photo: Escott O. Norton - December 2017. Thanks, Escott! Stay abreast of the Friends of the Rialto's current projects: FriendsOfTheRialto.org | on Facebook
A distribution panel -- and attic access! "Do Not Touch These Switches." Photo: Mark Herman - 2023
Machine #1 in 2023. Thanks to Mark Herman sharing the photos of his visit. See his June Facebook post for more views of the Rialto.
The Rialto Theatre pages: history + exterior views | lobby areas | back to top - auditorium | stage + basement |
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Ugh the church ruined it!!!
ReplyDeleteCertainly no argument with that.
DeleteGotta stop churches from moving into old theaters. White washed right over the character and soul of the place.
ReplyDeleteWell, in this case, all it would have taken was money. No one stepped forward with enough money in the bank who wanted to run it as a theatre. The church was the owner's only option, it seemed. Or leave it vacant.
DeleteThe caption on one of your projection booth photos reads "The single machine plus a platter seen in the photo had been the setup since the late 70s." This in incorrect.
ReplyDeleteI was a projectionist at the Rialto from 1981 to '86. We ran two Simplex machines with Magnarc lamphouses, 20 minute reels, doing changeovers etc. That was a really fun, interesting job! No Dolby stereo optical but we did have 4-channel mag stereo using a pre-amp built by Landmark's tech guy, and the sound it put out was magnificent! Since we were a repertory/ revival house with 4 new double features each week, we ran many mag prints of big films of the 50's and 60's like "Camelot", "Ben-Hur", "My Fair Lady", "2001: A Space Odyssey" etc., as well as more modern (at the time) fare as "All That Jazz" and William Friedkin's "Sorcerer".
In 1986, Landmark's projectionists voted to join the union which angered management. They fired us and installed the single projector and platter system seen in the photos, and the manager and assistant manager also ran the shows. So there you have it.
Thanks for checking out the page, Rick. And great to have your comments. Always nice to get things more accurate. I deleted my erroneous bit in the caption and added your comments to the text. Cheers!
Delete