Rivoli Theater
1755 Park Street,
Hartford,
CT
06106
1755 Park Street,
Hartford,
CT
06106
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The Rivoli’s seating was entirely on one level. There was no balcony.
This opened on August 31st, 1926. Grand opening ad in the photo section and below
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Spent many Saturday afternoons in the 40’s and early 50’s watching cartoons & cowboy movies in a/c comfort.Remember well sneaking a kiss with my first girlfriend Marilyn while watching some of the great movies of those times. Indeed an era to be cherished.
By the 1970’s it was playing X-rated movies like “THE MINX” playing March 24,1970.
Item in Boxoffice magazine, August 14, 1961:
OLDTIME PRICES REVIVED
The Rivoli in Hartford. Conn., turned back the hands of time to the days of the 15-cent admission. The gimmick was used for four consecutive matinees of “The Golden Age of Comedy” and “Gorgo.” The 800-seat house charged 15 cents for children and 25 cents for adults and sold popcorn for only five cents."
I enjoyed this theater and first saw “King of Hearts”, 3 nights running, when it premiered in Hartford in the late 60’s. “KoH” is one of my all time favorites.
I only went there a couple of times in 1965…once to see Ingmar Bergman’s then-new ALL THESE WOMEN on a double bill with TWO-WAY STRETCH. At the time the theatre seemed very dingy. I returned for a revival program of CYRANO DE BERGERAC with OPEN CITY. Strange combo! OPEN CITY was projected as though it were a wide screen film…heads cut off or part of the subtitles. For a wannabee rep house, they clearly didn’t grasp the concept of aspect ratio.
The Rivoli was part of a chain that included the Webster Theatre in Hartford (now a live music venue) and the Plaza Theatre in Windsor (abandoned since 1997 and sitting there empty).