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 Interactive map of Rialto Theatre | |
| Address | 1481 Broadway Manhattan,New York City United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°45′23″N73°59′14″W / 40.7563°N 73.9871°W /40.7563; -73.9871 |
| Owner | Paramount Pictures |
| Designation | Broadway |
| Type | Broadway |
| Capacity | 1,960 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | April 21, 1916 |
| Closed | 1998 |
| Rebuilt | 1935 |
| Years active | 1916–1935 |
TheRialto Theatre was amovie palace at 1481Broadway, at the northwest corner ofSeventh Avenue and42nd Street, within theTheater District ofManhattan inNew York City.
The 1,960-seat theater, designed byRosario Candela, opened on April 21, 1916, on the former site ofOscar Hammerstein'sVaudeville venue theVictoria Theatre. Together withStrand Theatre, they were the most important movie theatres on Broadway at the time.[1] It exclusively playedTriangle Film Corporation films[1] but beginning in 1919, the Rialto Theatre premiered many releases byParamount Pictures (then known as theFamous Players–Lasky Corporation) until being supplanted by the newly builtParamount Theatre in 1926 as the movie studio's flagship theater in New York City.
When Paramount sold the building in 1935, the Rialto Theatre was demolished and rebuilt on a smaller scale, with the rest of the building dedicated to shops and office space.
By the 1970s, the theater had become anadult movie theater. In February 1980, it abandoned adult films in lieu oflegitimate theater, becoming host to live theatrical productions. The building also contained a TV studio called Times Square Studios (not related tothe studio owned byABC). It was once home todaytimetalk shows hosted byGeraldo Rivera andMontel Williams, and was the production center ofWOR-TV.
The building was torn down in 1998 and3 Times Square, a high-rise office building, was erected in its place.[2]
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The Rialto's predecessor, the Hammerstein vaudeville venue, is featured in the 1948 filmPortrait of Jennie. Jennie's parents are high-wire trapeze artists who perform at Hammerstein's until tragedy strikes. The Rialto itself also makes an appearance in the film, with aMickey Mouse cartoon playing in the background.[3] Box office receipts from the premiere at the Rialto Theatre ofParamount Pictures's 1926 movieOld Ironsides, directed byJames Cruz, went to theUSSConstitution restoration fund. It is also shown inJohn Cassavete'sShadows (1959).