Friends of the Rialto

11/20/2025

One month ago we celebrated the Rialto Theatre’s centennial at the South Pasadena Historical Museum. Almost 1000 people attended, checked out the new permanent museum display on the Rialto Theatre, and enjoyed a 2.5 hour live show co-produced by FotR board member Jeff DePaoli in the park next to the museum. Thank you to the South Pasadena community and Friends of the Rialto Theatre for coming out and showing what the theatre means to so many people. While the current tenant has not let outside groups program the theatre we hope that will change and people will once again be able to see movies in the Rialto, until then we will continue to preserve and share the history of this great historic theatre!

Thanks to the community, the South Pasadena Preservation Foundation, the Chamber, and all of the amazing artists and performers who came together to put on our Rialto 100 Show! We will highlight all of these amazing artists in future posts!

10/24/2025

Rialto 100 was a huge success and a lot of fun! Thanks to all who came and checked out the new Rialto display in the South Pasadena Historical Museum, enjoyed the Arts Crawl, and stayed for our show! We are still recovering and collecting photos from the event and will do more posts to share photos and thank our many supporters. Until then here is a nice article about the event! I think the attendance number is a misprint though, there were WAY more than 100 people, the museum alone counted almost 1000!

Rialto Theater’s 100th birthday loudly celebrates entertainment of the silent-film era

10/13/2025

Our tribute to the 100 years of the Rialto continues at our stage next to the South Pasadena Historical Museum with Janet Klein and her Ukelele!
“Enchanting chanteuse”Janet Klein brings her 1920s musical expertise (and her ukulele) to our stage for a selection of 1920s songs that could well have been performed at the Rialto when they were new!

Janet has played all over the world with her ukulele and with her band The Parlour Boys, and has recorded 13 marvelous CDs full of rare historical treats. As a musical historian, Janet has discovered many lost treasures from the 1920s and 30s from old vaudeville films and sheet music, and has brought them back to life. We are thrilled to have her grace the Rialto100 stage!

The city-wide Arts Crawl starts at 3pm on October 18th, and our show starts at 6:30pm next to the South Pasadena Historical Museum. For more info and a list of performers visit our website: Rialto100.org

10/12/2025

The South Pasadena Library put together a great display from their Rialto Archives! Check it out through the end of October, and don’t forget to joins us at the South Pasadena Historical Museum on Oct 18th to celebrate 100 years of the Rialto!

10/10/2025

Next up on our Rialto 100 program is a real Los Angeles icon, the Bob Baker Marionette Theater! Founded in 1963, Bob Baker and his puppeteers have entertained over a million children (including me!)

Bob was born just a year before the Rialto Theatre opened its doors, so it is likely that he was influenced by early vaudeville as a kid. The format they use for most of their shows is a series of short acts set to music, and much of the theater’s extensive musical library includes novelty songs from the 1920-30s, songs you might have seen performed on the Rialto stage!

Please join us on October 18th to see some classic acts performed by vintage puppets (and their puppeteers!)The Arts Crawl starts at 3pm and our show starts at 6:30 on the stage next to the South Pasadena Historical Museum. For more info and a list of performers visit our website: Rialto100.org

10/09/2025

We are thrilled to announce that our friend Mark Herman will be opening our Rialto 100 show on October 18 at 6:30pm.
Mark is a distinguished American theatre organist who has performed hundreds of solo concerts and silent film presentations across the United States and internationally. He received the prestigious American Theatre Organ Society’s Organist of the Year award in 2012, becoming the youngest recipient in the society’s history.

Mark has been a Friend of the Rialto in many ways for over a decade. He cared for the Rialto’s Might Wurlitzer Organ console for many years, advised us on the potential of someday reinstalling the organ, and also performed in the Rialto Theatre for our 90th Anniversary gala.
In addition to being a wonderful performer, Mark’s company also restores and installed organs and has generously provided the organ he will be performing on for Rialto 100!
Please join us on October 18th from 3-9pm at the South Pasadena Historical Museum to celebrate the history of the Rialto Theatre! For more info and a list of performers visit our website: Rialto100.org.

09/22/2025

Rialto100 is a month away!
On Saturday October 18th from 3-9pm, join us to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Rialto Theatre at the South Pasadena Historical Museum! This free event for all ages will have activities, artisan booths, vintage cars, food and drink vendors, exclusive Rialto merch, and a live show starting at 6:30! Click https://rialto100.org for all the details!

12/16/2024

There isn't much to get excited about over at the Rialto these days, so when a "new" old image surfaces showing the Rialto in its heyday it is VERY EXCITING! Check out this image of the Rialto Theatre when it was just 3-4 years old, showing the original marquee proudly promoting TALKING PICTURES!
Happy Holidays to all of you Friends of the Rialto, I appreciate your interest and support! - Escott O. Norton, Founding Director

The Rialto Theatre, 1023 Fair Oaks Ave., South Pasadena -- A 1929 "Talking Pictures" card. Janet Gaynor was in "Four Devils." It's a new one for our Rialto pages: https://losangelestheatres.blogspot.com/2017/03/rialto-theatre-south-pasadena.html Alas, the poor, poor Rialto.

See the reverse of the card in the comments. It was mailed in 1937. Cold weather in San Gabriel! "Four Devils" was an October 1928 release with a Movietone track that included some talking sequences. Thanks to Kenneth McIntyre for locating the card for his Ken's Movie Page. His post: https://www.facebook.com/groups/429781353760576/posts/27805546799090662

10/31/2024

A great photo of the Rialto Theatre when it was showing MOVIES! Note the marquee is advertising the new stereo sound system! What favorite movie do YOU remember seeing at the Rialto?

[ca.1981] The Rialto Theatre, located at 1023 Fair Oaks Avenue in South Pasadena. (Rob Brown - Herald Examiner Collection) https://buff.ly/3UuqL1v

03/05/2024

Do you want to see the Rialto in all its glory on the big screen of a nearby historic theatre? Our friends will be screening The Player on March 7 at the revitalized Eagle Theatre in Eagle Rock!

10/31/2023

Happy Halloween dear Friends! This is from a few years ago, me as my favorite silent era vampire “Nosferatu” in front of my favorite theatre.
In my 40+ years researching and prowling around the Rialto I have learned of three Rialto ghosts that have been witnessed by multiple people. I’ve not personally witnessed anything in my many nights alone at the theatre, but I have no reason to doubt that the Rialto is haunted, most historic theatres are! I have researched and found who one of the ghosts is, but that story will be told another time, hopefully IN the Rialto. For now, Happy Halloween! Please share any spooky memories you have at the Rialto! I’d love to hear them! -Escott O. Norton- Founder, Friends of the Rialto