Rialto: 1921

The Rialto was opened in 1918 by Tom Moore. According to Headley, Moore was a competitor of Harry Crandall, whose movie palaces have been imaged here. Despite early successes, the big theatre (ca. 2,000 capacity) was situated too far north of the entertainment district, between 8th & 9th Streets north of G, to do well, and it was soon repurposed for stage shows. Like other theaters, its last function was a convention (of the American League for Peace and Democracy in 1939), and it was razed in 1940.

As Landtuna noted, Rudolph Valentino appeared in this movie, yet is not mentioned in the theater cards or the Washington Post. Ms. Phillips had an illustrious career in bit parts later in life, from "The Postman Always Rings Twice" to "The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit" and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance." Whether she was 89 or 97 when she died, looks like she did not get cheated.

[Dorothy's husband was also her director, according to a profile on the same page as the item cited below. - Dave]

Washington Post, Jan 2, 1921

At the Picture Houses

"Once to Every Woman," the newest Universal production, opens a week's engagement at Moore's Rialto Theater today. Dorothy Phillips, who is featured in the film, first appears as a school girl, the pet of the family, and after many dramatic episodes attains her ambition in grand opera, but forgets her home and family. Then comes climax after climax in a stirring denouement. Prominent in the cast are Robert Anderson, William Ellingford, Emily Chichester, Elinor Field, Mary Wise, Katherine Griffith and others. Director Breeskin, of the Rialto symphony orchestra, promises an exceptional interpretative score. A comedy, the Fox News and other features complete the bill.

A closeup.

Darn.

Wikipedia, Internet Movie Database, and Answer.com offer three different birthdates for Dorothy, ranging over nine years. Regardless, she outlived this movie, dying in 1980 at 89, 90, or 97, depending on who's counting.

It would take more then just a closet to hold all the possible letters and numbers needed! Bonus is that movie title and actors name would have to be short enough to fit that space. Still, it's still an interesting solution to the problem.

Where are all the D's and P's on the posters? I can't tell if that was intentional or not.

[Come closer ... - Dave]

According to the IMdB, this was one of Rudolph Valentino's first films, and has been lost. No negative or print is known to exist.

It looks like it uses interchangeable letter modules with incandescent illumination. Way high tech.

I imagine the supply of letters took up a whole closet.

No matter where these old theaters were located they all seemed to smell the same. Kind of musty with a hint of stale popcorn and smoke (yes, smoking was permitted back in the day).

This image conjures up that smell.