Ritz Theatre
426 E. Main Street,
Stockton,
CA
95202
426 E. Main Street,
Stockton,
CA
95202
No one has favorited this theater yet
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Fox West Coast Theatres
Architects: Alexander Aimwell Cantin, Alexander Mackenzie Cantin
Functions: Retail
Styles: Streamline Moderne
Previous Names: Colonial Theatre
Nearby Theaters
News About This Theater
- Mar 2, 2010 — Happy 45th, "The Sound Of Music"
The Colonial Theatre was opened in 1913 and operated until 1922 when it went dark. The building was partially rebuilt to the plans of father & son architects Alexander Aimwell Cantin & Alexander MacKenzie Cantin (who later in 1945 would form architectural firm Cantin and Cantin). It reopened as the Ritz Theatre on September 15, 1937 with Kenny Baker in “Mr. Dodd Takes to the Air” & Chester Morris in “Flight from Glory”. The Ritz Theatre is still listed in 1955 with 926 seats.
It has since been demolished and a large office building which houses the San Joaquim County Department of Child Care Services now stands on an extended site.
Contributed by
Lost Memory
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
The first time I was ever in downtown Stockton I drove by the Ritz. This was in late 1986. It looked the same as in the 1982 and ‘86 photos linked above, and was still showing gran estrenos de peliculas Mexicanas. Minutes later I stopped by the Fox California, just down the street, which was getting ready for a concert by '80s teen pop group The Jets. A man who seemed to be a caretaker of the place let me into the Fox for a brief look, and I have yet to go inside since the restoration. By the time I left Stockton, it was getting dark, and the Ritz was lit up. I seem to remember the dominant color of the neon being pink. In the late 1990s I was back in Stockton, and the marquee was off the Ritz building, but I recognized the facade. The building had been converted to some kind of retail use.
The Ritz was a downtown mostly 2nd run film house although Road Show films like El Cid and Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines opened there. An art deco auditorium décor similar to The Stockton Theater helped.
Opened as Colonial on August 10th, 1913 and closed 1922. Reopened as Ritz on September 15th, 1937. Grand opening ads posted.
Ritz theatre opening 14 Sep 1937, Tue Stockton Evening and Sunday Record (Stockton, California) Newspapers.com
another ad:
Reopened September 3rd, 1954 after new seats, screen and sound system is installed.