Video: A Look at South Pasadena's Late, Great Rialto Theatre

South Pasadena High School student Miranda Gontz put together this great short documentary on the Rialto Theatre, which finally closed its doors to the public in early 2010. As shared today by South Pasadena Patch, the video tells the story of the once-grand movie house through use of interviews, historic images, period footage, and artifacts.

Gontz's film has done much more than help her make the grade:

Yet what began as a homework assignment her sophomore year, has now become an ongoing project inspiring many in the community. Gontz says "The Rialto: A Fading Treasure" has gone through many edits; the most recent was shown Sunday night at Encore Rialto.

A group of preservationists, film buffs, and locals are working together to determine how to give new life to the ailing Rialto.

We eulogized the Rialto, once a go-to for weekly costume-d audience participation screenings of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" in 2007, when the theatre showed its last regular-run movie.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@laist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Lindsay William-Ross in Arts & Events on October 3, 2011 3:20 PM

Comments [rss]

Escott Norton

Thanks for the coverage! It was a great event, and it was really good to see people of all ages interested in reviving the beautiful Rialto! The Friends of the Rialto is actively pursuing many options for bringing the theater back to life as a cultural and social center for South Pasadena. We are talking to all interested parties and looking at many alternatives, with the bottom line that it needs to remain a theater as originally built. There are Historic theaters around the country that have been saved from worse fates and are now thriving. We hope to do the same with the Rialto! For further info please join our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/FriendsoftheR...