Rialto Theatre

736 Broadway,
Everett, MA 02149

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Rialto Theatre

The Rialto was one of three movie theatres in Everett, an inner suburb of Boston. The others were the Park and the Capitol. The Rialto was at one time run by Charles Morse theatres of Boston. Further information welcomed.

Contributed by Ron Salters

Recent comments (view all 6 comments)

rsalters (Ron Salters)
rsalters (Ron Salters) on February 28, 2007 at 7:32 am

The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Rialto in Everett has an exterior photo dated March 1941. The theatre had an impressive brick wall, 2-plus stories high with 5 bays seperated by pilasters, each bay having a tall arched window. The entrance was at the left end. There was a rectangular marquee with vertical blade sign above. In the photo, there is a huge crowd of people, mostly women. I assume they are waiting to buy tickets for a matinee. The Report states that the Rialto has been a MGM customer for over 10 years; that it was built about 1920, is in Fair condition, and has 674 seats. It’s listed in the 1942-43 Motion Picture Almanac as being part of Charles Morse theatres of Boston.

samuel
samuel on March 5, 2007 at 7:11 pm

To Ron…..My recollection of the Rialto only goes back TO THE 1950s
I am not familiar with Charles Morse theatres. In the 1950s the theatre was operated by a gentleman named Bob Rappa. At that time it was a second run theatre located in Glendale Square. It was struggling to survive. It had two distinct disadvantages. It never installed Cinemascope so it was limited to showing “flat” films. Also it did not have a sloped floor…..It closed in the late fifties. If memory serves me correct I believe it survived the Capitol…..After it closed the building became a bowling alley.
I dont know what is there now. Sam S

Chiefofservice
Chiefofservice on April 29, 2007 at 4:03 pm

Believe theatre was managed by Jed Prouty in 1950 or thereabouts.Gave out dishes on Wednesday night and also had an occasional old vaudeville act to try to sell tickets. Not much helped as this was the start of the television era and the closing of the small town theatres.

barrygoodkin
barrygoodkin on September 2, 2007 at 11:27 am

The Park and the Rialto, both in Everett, played the same show in both theatres as advertised in the Everett Gazett on November 22, 1929.

rsalters (Ron Salters)
rsalters (Ron Salters) on November 16, 2010 at 12:05 pm

The Rialto is listed in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook as having 750 seats. They have 5 movie theaters listed for Everett: the Capitol, the Modern, the Broadway (850 seats), the Rialto, and the Strand (800) seats. I don’t know how acccurate the list is.

parktheatre
parktheatre on October 6, 2023 at 2:13 pm

My late father, Sam (who commented above and had commented on several other Everett theaters) relayed to me that Everett at one time did indeed have 4 or 5 theaters, and yes, Ron, those are the familiar names. I hope someone may still be around who can tell us the locations of the Modern and the Broadway. The Strand is the former name of the Park–the name change occurred sometime in the late ‘20s/early '30s.

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