Rialto Theatre

In fact 20th Century Fox DID own the Rialto, I was a projectionist at the Rialto in the late 1960’s and was directly employed by 20th Century Fox Corporation.

I saw the cinema recently (now a Casino) and the interior appears to be intact as I remember it, pity it is not a cinema anymore.

I The 20’s and early thirties The Cinemas was Operated by ABC Cinenas. The Manager that I trained with at The ABC Savoy Walsall. Was assitant Manager at the Commodore Hammersmith and did management relief at Rialto

The seating was removed. and ended up in a short lived cinema in Birmingham called “The Original Cinema” Saltley..

a cinema ad for the Rialto from dec 1979 when it screening The Bitch, and was a Brent Walker Theatre
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/4701030909/

The Rialto Cinema can be seen on the left of this night-time view of Coventry Street in November 1955:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/allhails/2808666144/

The Rialto will shortly be rebranded from a Hard Rock Casino into a ‘G Casino’, following Rank’s sale of its Hard Rock Cafe division.

If you go to:
http://www.hardrock.com/casinos/tour360/london.asp
You can view several interior tours of the casino. Much of the original ornate ceiling and plasterwork appears to be intact, as does the circle.

A view of the side wall of the auditorium block here:–

View link

I attended a film at the Rialto in September 1959 when I was fresh off the old RMS Queen Mary from New York. The film was “Blue Denim”, a movie about teen angst, which was appropriate since I was just out of my teens myself and full of angst. A couple of girls sitting in front of me cried through much of it. It was a week-night screening. I seem to recall that it was necessary to climb a few steps to enter the inner foyer, and that the cinema was in very good condition. However, it seemed larger to me than the 684-seat figure above would sugggest. I believe that it had a balcony or circle.

Where does the arts money in this country go? Nowhere? Recently, I am nearly ashamed to say, but more aptly sick to say, that my simple being wishes to stay away from the arts mostly these days and there are few to be found. And the culture of culture, the culture of art has largely gone. Whose decision was it in the government to let such a great idea turn into a casino? I am now firm in my opinion that whatever the Tories are like, no governing body could ever be worse than the current Labour party. The arts were living and breathing under the conservatives, whatever the constant moans and genuine demands for increased funding, and the arts in the UK was always looking up under a conservative government. Its just straight down to less than nowhere with Blair and Labour. And they don’t display any sign that they would ever be able to give a damn, not that they wouldn’t it’s just that they are completely unable to. I don’t know why. But lets not keep them

Aye it’s a Casino now. I remember the Rialto would show B movies in the 1970s…BLAZING MAGNUMS, THE BITCH, etc. Still it was a nice theatre in a great location.