Rialto Theater
53 Main Street,
Leominster,
MA
01453
53 Main Street,
Leominster,
MA
01453
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The $250,000 theater architects were Funk & Wilcox with a Robert Morgan organ at its launch on January 8, 1923. (Technically, it was built in 1922.)
This is a blog post I wrote regarding the Rialto Theatre in Leominster MA: http://movietheaterhistoryjaboschen.blogspot.com/2013_01_01_archive.html
My aunt who was 90 died last Sept. and I have a Picture of my aunt Lorraine Richardson on the sign with Danny Duggan’s name on top. Can any one tell me about when this picture was taken? Thank you,sweetoldgrandma.
The 1927 Film Daily Yearbook lists a New Rialto Theatre in Leominster, with 1262 seats, open daily. They list 2 other movie theaters in town, the Gem and the Music Hall, both open daily. They list the same seating capacity for both, 826 seats, which seems like an error.
Boxoffice Magazine of Aug. 14, 1948 reports that the Rialto, not used regularly for several years, was being considered for purchase by the Leominster Recreation Center.
Here is a January 1946 article in the Fitchburg Sentinel:
LEOMINSTER, Jan. 10-The McEvoy Amusement Co. has leased the Plymouth theater and the Rialto theater to the P&R Theaters, Inc. The officers of the new corporation are Edward L. McEvoy, president, and William F. Yager, treasurer.
For the past several years the theaters were operated by the Leominster Allied Theater Corp. with Mr. Yager as manager. Of recent years the Rialto has been closed and the corporation operated only the Plymouth theater. The properties leased by the new corporation includes the Rialto on Main street, the Plymouth on Mechanic street and a large tract of land on Mechanic street where a gasoline station is located.
With the announcement of the new corporation the McEvoy family resumes operating control of the two theaters which were built by Mrs. Rosina M. McEvoy and her late husband, Thomas A. McEvoy. Mr. McEvoy, president of the P&R Theaters, Inc. is Mrs. McEvoy’s son and Mr. Yager is her son-in-law. Mr. Yager said today that while there were several possibilities under consideration relative to the reopening of the Rialto, plans were still in the indefinite stage.
The Latchis Th.in Newport,N.H. opened in 1949 with an address on Park St.,sadly it burned down Dec.25,1965.
cine paradis- I typed out the list of Latchis theatres as of 1942-43 in a posting to the Latchis page in Brattleboro, made on March 7, 2007.
There was Latchis and Conistan Theater in Newport,N.H. which I attended as a child with my Family in the summertime during the 1950’s. Don’t know if Latchis ran both of these or not. Try the Keene,N.H. site on Cinema Treasures for more info. Good luck!
Wow – thanks for the update and for the added detail on the Greenfield theatre. trying to piece together a list and information on all the Latchis Theatres in New England. Peter Latchis was my great uncle.
Here is a very belated answer to cine paradis’s question. The Peter D. Latchis theatre circuit of Brattleboro VT is listed in the 1942-43 Motion Picture Almanac. It ran 2 theatres in Leominster: this one, (Rialto); plus the Plymouth Theatre. Their only other Massachusetts theatre was the Lawler Th. in Greenfield (as of 1942).
Does anyone know if the Latchis family ever owned a theatre in Leominster in the 40’s or 50’s?
I seem to remember reading on the menu of Monty’s restaurant in downtown Leominster, that it’s founder, Emanuel Montega, or “Monty” brought the first talking picture show to town. This was The Rialto Theater. I don’t remember ever being in the building when it was still a theater. I do however remember it being the YMCA for many years, and I remember entering the building, and while waiting to speak to someone at the front desk, looking around and realizing that I was in the lobby of a former movie theater. I went down a long hallway which led out of the lobby area to where an olympic sized indoor pool was. My next recollection of this building was in the late 80’s, when the building was put up for sale, and could have been purchased for $125,000. I do have vague memories of seeing a movie at the Metropolitan around the corner, and also being in the Plymouth Theater, actually performing on stage when I was quite young.