Thursday, September 29, 2011

Encore, Rialto

Rialto fans, join me in the South Pasadena Library Community Room this Sunday, October 2 at 3:00PM for Encore, Rialto, A Revitalization Symposium on The Rialto Theatre. Wonder how other old movie palaces have successfully reopened and found new life? Come hear an enlightening panel discussion with expert speakers from The Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles, The Alex in Glendale and the Pomona Fox: The program also includes music and a short student film about the history of the Rialto by high schooler Miranda Gontz. Speaking of film, I'll be there with my video camera recording your Rialto memories to include in my column for South Pasadena Patch. How do you think the Rialto can be brought back to her former glory? Join other friends of the Rialto Sunday and join the discussion. (Admission is free!) For my Patch column and historical video about the history of the Rialto, click here. For my Patch column highlighting how other theaters have been restored, as well as Part 1 of my video interview compilation The Rialto: Remembered and Imagined, click here. Update: check out today's post from the fabulous Pasadena Adjacent. It's all about another successful movie palace revitalization: Albuquerque's own KiMo Theater. Be sure to check out the documentary.

12 comments:

Judy Williams said...

How exciting to think that this jewel will be polished to its former glory.

Your photo is very noir. One of my favorite styles of black and white.

Mister Earl said...

Freaky!

Pasadena Adjacent said...

Now I know why our favorite Daily Brain Scanner left me this message on my blog post.

"Beautiful post. Your timing is interesting, not that it matters"

We are simpatico and I shall be linking us up. Do visit and watch the 30 minute linked video as I shall yours

Michelle said...

Just saw the patch story about your photo show!

scott said...

Laurie, it's amazing how much you've spread the word about this event - and about the plight of the Rialto. I have to believe it's all going to lead to a grand, red carpet reopening one day . . . the sooner the better!

Arguing Guy said...

Anyone want to share their favorite South Pasadena movie set stories?

In my South Pas days I walked by the sets of John Carpenter's Halloween AND Christine..

I saw a Cagney and Lacey scene being shot and walked by a couple other TV series sets whose names I couldn't catch..

Countless commercials..

But my favorite is a particularly fond memory and I'll share if others step up to the plate..

And it happened after a walk home from the Rialto.. A Landmark Movie theatre in South Pas was the ultimate cat nip for me - spent WAAY too many hours there.

Dixie Jane said...

I'm sitting in the lotus position. I am chanting and it comes out something like R I A L T O. When you have the grand opening I will be there.

Laurie Allee said...

Thanks, everyone!

Scott, a ginormous hat tip to YOU, my friend, for your tireless work toward the Rialto's rebirth.

Arguing Guy, I feel like such a fangirl when I see all the filming done here. You might like my Patch column and slide show about South Pas as a Hollywood backlot. I'm still waiting to stumble upon Mad Men when they're here.

Everyone, run over to Pasadena Adjacent and look at her post about the KiMo Theater. It's one more movie palace I didn't know about.

Anonymous said...

My favorite South Pasadena filming memory is when Old School was here and I saw Will Farrell.

Arguing Guy said...

Ok here's my favorite Rialto story. One of them anyway - there's so many. I was watching "Bound for Glory" with David Carradine - a fond favorite of mine. In those days, you could easily walk into the house without paying. (Yes I paid, 99 percent of the time anyway)..

Well I'm enjoying the movie and a bunch of Hispanic kids walk in through the side trash talking and whatnot drawing a few shhhhhs.. As a teenager I didn't mind that stuff too much as I did it myself from time to time..

Anyway, they sit down and one of them blurts out, "what movie is this?".. The alpha kid of the bunch says, "it's Booound for Gloreee!"..

So, AT THAT MOMENT, the scene comes on where Carradine playing Woody Guthrie is riding a boxcar and one of the hobos in the car says to Woody, "there's gonna be a fight".. Cut and the next thing there's a brawl going on in the boxcar!

The Hispanic kids start calling out their approval, "all right! yeeaah! kick his *ss, hit 'im in the ..!"

Damned if they weren't pretty quiet after that. They seemed to enjoy the movie and I believe got something of a history lesson out of it. As I did. Great movie. Hal Ashby was such a fine director.

Petrea Burchard said...

Laurie, I do believe that when the Rialto is saved we can give a huge portion of the credit to you.

By the way, this photo has got to be the finest one I've seen of the Rialto's glamorous entropy.

Anonymous said...

I would have liked to have had public input at this event and representatives from the owners and tje theater chain that currently has the lease. I don't understand why the city doesn't just go to them first and get answers. Simple is best and the responsibility is theirs.