Rialto Theater
320 W. Main Street,
Kenedy,
TX
78119
320 W. Main Street,
Kenedy,
TX
78119
4 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Hall Industries Theaters, Rialto Theatres
Styles: Streamline Moderne
Previous Names: Ken-Tex Theatre
Nearby Theaters
News About This Theater
- Jul 30, 2010 — Rialto Theatre marquee for sale
- Jun 29, 2009 — Rialto Theater for sale
- May 11, 2006 — Historic Texas movie theater for sale on eBay
The Ken-Tex Theater was opened on June 14, 1927. On March 8, 1928 it was taken over by Hall Industries and renamed Rialto Theater. It was closed on March 15, 1982 with Daniel Valdez in “Zoot Suit”.
This theater is in very bad shape. Not sure how old the original building is, but the facade looks like late-1940’s to mid-1950’s. The marquee was falling apart and was removed in 2020. The entry has been boarded up.
In April 2013, it was being converted into office and housing use, but that never happened. By 2024, only the four walls are standing and it is an empty shell.
Contributed by
Seth Gaines
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 55 comments)
Hey All, I am the new owner of the Rialto Theater in Kenedy Texas. Please view my website here that shows how I am raising money and interest in getting the Rialto back up and Running. www.savetherialto.com and our facebook page which is updated daily.
View link
Plus I am selling the old arc projectors if anyone is interested.
We have started the cleanup process of the rialto. Soon we will gutting the lobby area to prepare to roof the front section. If you care to donate to our roof fund please vist us at www.savetherialto.com We will soon be applying for a non profit status and you will be able to get a tax deduction. thanks for the support and for daily updates visit our facebook page Save the Rialto of Kenedy tx.
Non-profit is probably not going to happen anymore. We are starting to gut the lobby to prepare it to be roofed. It wont be roofed soon, but its a start.
Hopefuly someone can save this.I love the Marquee.
Here’s another mention of a theater in Kenedy from the trades, this time from the July 1, 1927, issue of Film Daily:
I’ve been unable to discover if the Kentex Theatre was the house that later became the Rialto, or if the Rialto was the other theater Hall was already operating in Kenedy in 1927, or if it was a third theater.The Rialto is being saved, but not as a theater. According to a San Antonio Express News article, the building is being remodeled into offices and living areas. Houston developer Walter Chance purchased the building.
In this link, photos 16 and 17 show the interior work being done on the Rialto.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/What-wealth-buys-4303665.php#photo-4229776
From Kenedy a photo of the Rialto Theater.
Film executive H. G. McNeese of the Selznick Distributing Corporation of Dallas was also an active small town theatre operator in Texas. In 1927, he acquired the existing Gem Theatre - renaming it the Palace - and built a new theatre in an existing building, the Ken-Tex in downtown Kennedy, Texas. The venue launched on June 14, 1927. McNeese’s plan of buying and selling late silent-era theaters must have worked as a year later, he sold the venue to Hall Industries.
Citing name standardization, they adopted the much less interesting Rialto Theatre on March 8, 1928. They would equip it with sound to remain viable. Hall Indutries also reduced the town to a oner closing its earlier Gem / Palace Theatre. Hall also gave it a widescreen transformation to present CinemaScope titles. Its last advertised show was March 15, 1982 with “Zoot Suit.”
The most unusual item to happen is that the John Wayne, Keenan Wynn, Jeff Chandler, Greer Garson and others Movietime Tour 1951 were forced to make an unscheduled stop when the town blockaded its entry point forcing the tour to either turn around or make an appearance. Photos show Wayne and company in front of the movie theater. Efforts to preserve the venue decades later failed by 2010 as the marquee was offered for sale and removed in 2019. The venue appears to be vacant in the 2020s.
This item is from the December 22, 1927 Kenedy Advance: “Ken Tex Theatre announces as a vaudeville feature tonight The Dancing Demons. The cast is composed of Verne Gibson, Jimmy Bates, Cyril Durette and Frne Barbay. This a clever bunch of dancers and singers, introducing the latest dance crazes throughout the country.”