Opened on 7th October 1927, The Rialto was indeed a ‘super-cinema’, so much so that The Bioscope would produce a supplement dedicated to it. Thanks to Home | Search the archive | British Newspaper Archive we are able to read all about the cinema and its incredible design. The slide-show below makes for great reading.
The Rialto was of course much more than a cinema, and the opening would also feature a ball in aid of the Lord Mayor’s Hospital Fund. Visitors could also take advantage of the Garden Café and Grill. The Liverpool Echo would describe the interior of the Rialto as ‘staggering’, and the opening was clearly a success –
Trying to move with the times, the Rialto presented its, and Merseysides, first 3-D colour presentation on 3rd August 1953, with Paramount’s “Sangaree” starring Arlene Dahl and Fernando Lamas
Enjoy the slides!
After a relatively short period of success the Rialto would close on 29th February 1964, with Doris Day in “The Thrill of it All”. Initially, as many, the building was turned over to Bingo, but the ballroom carried on until 17th July 1965. The building was eventually leased by Swainbanks Ltd in 1972, who converted it into commercial premises selling second-hand and antique furniture. It was as Swainbanks that the building would succumb to the Toxteth Riots in the summer of 1981 – a sad end for a fine building.
Further Reading:
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