If I remember correctly those "boxes" had been sealed off in my childhood. I assume that behind that lattice work were where the pipes were to the organ and that was all gone in my era. My sister-in-law should take a gander at this as she worked there during high school....

Would be interesting to know who did the beautiful curtain........I think it was just a plain one there in the '50's.

Charlott on 30th November 2015 @ 7:03am

Wondering if the openings are boxes or just decorative. The angle of the walls does not allow them to face the stage.
I have never seen such a beautiful curtain in a theater, hope it has been preserved.

Kenn on 30th November 2015 @ 7:14am

WOW, lots of memories.....one is that father John L. did some moon lighting counting patrons in either the late 40s or early 50s.....Roger and I still have his hand counters. I think he did that for the movie distributors so that they could either keep the theater honest or audit billings...not sure...maybe movie rental was by attendee count. The original movie The Thing scared the daylights out of me in this theater..........No idea the interior looked so nice back in the 1920s.......

Arlen Sheldrake on 30th November 2015 @ 10:08am

the curtain painting sure looks like a great view of Lost Lake and Mountain Hood

Arlen Sheldrake on 30th November 2015 @ 10:12am

Is that the same theater we went to in the late 50's?

Buzz on 30th November 2015 @ 1:56pm

Ditto on the Mount Hood from Lost Lake painting, Arlen! That would be quite a treasure today if it had survived. What a wonderful rendition!

Tom

Tom Kloster on 30th November 2015 @ 11:55pm

this reminds me of my childhood

tanner whitmore on 1st December 2015 @ 3:09pm

I have several diaries from the mid-20's to the late 30's from both my great-aunt Betty Jones (buried by her sister, my grandmother, at Idlewilde) as well as my mother. One of the things they mention quite a bit was going to the movies at the Rialto. And I think that is Lost Lake and Mt Hood too. We had a similar theater, The Princess, in Edmonds, Washington where I spent Saturday matinees in the balcony during 1946-1954. I went back to Edmonds this summer and went to the theater - hasn't changed a bit!

Jill Stanfprd on 1st December 2015 @ 4:42pm

My late friend, Phyllis Dalleske Mocker worked there selling tickets. I did not see the theater until the 60's and it was pretty run down by then.

Judy on 2nd December 2015 @ 9:09am

Your friend, Phyllis Dalleske Mockler was my mom. She was sitting in the ticket booth when my dad drove by upon his return from the Korean war. My dad leaned over to HIS mom, and said "I'm gonna marry that girl." Next thing you know, Dad was working at the Rialto too, as an usher. Spent every Saturday at that theater as a child.

Jennifer Mockler Ashley on 24th September 2016 @ 7:43pm

The first movie I remember seeing was The Music Man (1961?) with my mom and dad. Baines McSwain (spelling?) was the owner as I recall. Popcorn and Flecks chocolates! More than once I got into trouble for returning late after a matinee.

Robert Barclay on 12th July 2017 @ 9:45am

I remember well the Rialto Theater, and I was very disappointed when they tore it down. The first show I recall seeing was Walt Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea in the late 50's Mr. McSwain would raffle off prizes and my brother won a transistor radio.

Cliff Elliott on 10th February 2018 @ 5:10pm

P. L. Manser painted a curtain for the Rialto in 1922 showing Koberg's Columbia Beach. I couldn't find an article indicating who painted the Mt. Hood scene.

Jeffrey W Bryant on 8th February 2021 @ 5:09pm

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn97071110/1922-11-09/ed-1/seq-9/

Jeffrey W Bryant on 8th February 2021 @ 5:15pm