Friday, March 23, 2012

Sign On

It's official: Landmark wants the Rialto sign to stay exactly where it is!

We still have a long, long, LONG way to go to officially save and revitalize our beloved Rialto Theatre, but as Escott Norton of Friends of the Rialto posted on Facebook, "I would say today's news is a very good 'sign'!"

(Be sure to let Landmark Theaters know that we don't want to stop here. We want more than a secure sign. We want our movie palace back! You can write Landmark by clicking here.)

I want to thank Landmark Theaters for recognizing the importance of this historic piece of South Pas. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I can hear those ghosts of the Rialto screen right now...

Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd are also saying thank you. (We can't hear them, of course, but it's written in lovely font across a silent film card.) Malle, Truffaut and Rohmer are saying merci. Lang, Lubitsch and Fassbinder are saying danke schoen.

Danke schoen?

Heck, with this kind of shake-it-up good news I'll bet it goes something like this.

17 comments:

Judy Williams said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Judy Williams said...

The voices of the people CAN be heard!!! Hurray for all of the squeaky wheels, demanding the grease!!!

Thanks for the early morning chuckle with Ferris pantomiming to Wayne Newton's famous rendition of the German titled thank you song! I'm still laughing.

Green Guy said...

This is great news.

TheChieftess said...

Congratulations Laurie and SoPas!!!

Judy Williams said...

Let's start an "Occupy Rialto" movement.

Michelle said...

This is wonderful! Go Laurie! Go Escott!

Anonymous said...

Now open the place back up Landmark.. Don't you know it's a gold mine in there? Laurie, get in there with your camera and show the world how beautiful it is.

Stefanie Eskander said...

Great news, thanks for the update!

Steve Scauzillo said...

I applaud efforts to save the sign. But that is not enough. I remember the Azusa Drive-In sign being saved several years ago. Now, the sign is deteriorating, and sits on Foothill Boulevard out of place, part of Azusa Pacific College. We need the theater as well as the sign.

Laurie Allee said...

I'm with ya, Steve. Just check out my original letter to Landmark and all my Patch articles.

Laurie Allee said...

Btw, click the link above to tell Landmark how you feel! It couldn't be easier, it's a form to directly email the company.

Arguing Guy said...

Wow. Can't tell you how happy I am to here this news..

Next stop: thanking Landmark - the outfit whose Rialto I blame for a lifelong addiction to movies.

Who cares what I think? said...

I want to thank Laurie for having the courage to say more than "officials are working on it" and other nonsense we have heard from various individuals. Laurie calls a spade a spade and her calling out of Landmark just might make the difference in saving the place or just hoping someone will come along and save it. Way to get news out, Laurie. Good for you for putting Landmark's feet to the fire.

Michelle said...

Ditto what Who cares said.

Laurie Allee said...

Thanks, gang. I do believe Landmark should know how much we want the theater that they control to be back up and running. I, too, have heard a lot of talk about waiting for things to change, I've heard rumors or deals in the works, I've heard ideas and brainstorming all while there is a fantastic company with the lease that might just need a nudge from the community to step up and help restore a treasure. After all, they ran the Rialto for years.

Maybe Landmark isn't interested, but we will never know if we don't ask. And too often people get caught up in the notion that only their plan will work, which usually excludes other ideas and then when their plans don't work, nothing has been done.

I believe in a Multipronged approach to saving this place. It's kinda like when someone is drowning. If a bunch of lifeguards stand around arguing about which rescue method is best, the person ultimately drowns. If everyone tries to save the guy, one of them will probably succeed. My lifeboat is Landmark. Until they absolutely say no, and I'll look for the next one.

In the meanwhile, I encourage everyone to join Friends of the Rialto. It's a great meetiing place for everyone concerned about the fate of our movie palace.

Jason said...

Well said, Laurie. I was at the library event last year and wish you would have spoken to rally the people there. I didn't do an interview with you yet by the way.

Sally said...

Thank you, Laurie.