RIALTO MEMORIES

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DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN???  (Compiled  by Mike Richards)  Used with permission.  Sent to Shop Crew by Mike in May, 2010

DO YOU REMEMBER~~~~

·         November 4, 2006…watching the flames break through the red tile roof

·         Watching the firemen give it their all…….all night long

·         Racetrack and Garrison…OH Garrison…the little red engine that could

·         The next day watching the smoke from high on the East Ridge

·         When they said “Tear it down…it can’t be saved

·         January, 2007…we salvaged the bathroom panels, sinks and toilets

·         My truck parked in the Rialto…only I will be able to say that

·         The car wash and the toilets and sinks all breaking

·         Placing the toilet in Steve’s yard…and then having to remove it

·         Lunch 2-16-07 when I was served complaint papers by the County Attorney

·         Where…yes at our weekly Friday Lunch…how dare he

·         Why…cause  I mooned poor Cheryl walking down the alley

·         June, 2007….watching the red panels go  back up on the roof

·         August, 2008 when we took out the ticket booth and marble

·         December, 2008…Sandy  Porter rallied the troops to lay down the sub floor

·         Him telling us it was 3 levels…neither do I

·         Shop Night and Firemen together as one….AHHHHHHHHH

·         Where the elevator shaft was….I didn’t

·         Being called back by Mr. Porter in June, 2009…only the shop crew

·         Why….yep...building and standing walls

·         Thinking how are we going to get these up there

·         One crew member quitting…saying we were nuts and not very safe

·         Those panels….check out the new Elks building

·         Being called back again in January, 2010

·         Not wanting to hit and miss…lets just work straight for say 15 weeks

·         We start at 6 PM…unless it is penny pop time

·         We were to bring our screw guns

·         Cutting out all those stair lights in the balcony

·         Setting all those stairs

·         How much rock we hung

·         All those intricate cuts around the front doors

·         1/13/10…the night I missed with my back

·         the next week…I came back and we hung ceiling rock…ouch

·         The pillars and the scissor lift

·         Touching the ceiling from the step ladder on the scissor lift

·         Scraping the projection booth walls…Cal wear a mask…no, its ok

·         The WING WALLS….No really…remember the inside of the wing walls

·         The stage and all its majestic….height

·         All the good times we had

·         Out last night 4/19/10…call it quits…hanging up our tool belts

·         …1/11/10 to 4/19/10 add up to 15 weeks

·         How much beer we drank during these 15 weeks

·         …speaking of beer drinking…that High School kid that was there week after week

·         High School…what is wrong with that boy

·         to thank Mr. Porter for teaching us all things we only thought we knew

·         all the times we have shared and all that we have given and learned

 DO YOU REMEMBER to thank your wife every week for allowing you to play for 3 hours a week…..OK—6 hours if you participate on Wednesday nights as well

 DO YOU REMEMBER…………………………….SHOP NIGHT ROCKS!!

11/7/2006

• I have one of my best Deer Lodge memories around the Rialto -- the spring night in 1988 when the whole town walked down to see the musical about Charlie Russell; and the folks who live out of town drove in, and we packed the theatre with one of the best audiences I've ever seen.   

Then, after, we walked back home, on a warm night that was fragrant with the first blossoms of spring.  It was like a Norman Rockwell painting come to life.
Well, there are these two things -- no one was in the theatre (imagine if that fire had happened an hour later), and:

Out of the mud grows the lotus.
Or, as T.S. Eliot once wrote:
...to make an end is to make a beginning.
The end is where we start from
With you in heart and spirit,
---Donald M. Scott
former Deer Lodge resident,  frequent visitor, and friend of Deer Lodge.

11/7/2006

11/10/2006

• Spend the money to save the facade, then build from there. The facade is the "face' of the theater and the symbol of hope that all is not lost.

  ---Kevin Giles, PCHS Class of 1970

11/10/2006

• It is with great sadness that I send this message.  The introductory
  scene portrays the emotions of the men standing by, as well as the
  helplessness felt by all the bystanders whether they viewed the
  devastation firsthand, or, like me, on the website.
  
  Memories flooded my mind when I heard the news.  As an elementary school
  teacher of some 26 years in Deer Lodge, I spent some of the earlier
  years chaperoning my classes to programs at the Rialto.  I took my own
  children when they were small to see movies there. I, myself, enjoyed
  movies, the Rotary Club talent show, and other performances there.
  
  My prayers go out to the people of Deer Lodge in their loss, and I know
  that with their determination , they will succeed in rebuilding.
  ---Jean Giles

11/11/2006

• I can’t think of anyone who has lived in Deer Lodge and does not have a memory at the brilliant building. I myself have done Christmas programs, talent shows, plays, and choir concerts on the stage of the Rialto . I have watched many dreams of those close to me blossom on that stage. From watching the movies to the wonderful works of the Cutler Brothers that theater has pushed so many of Deer Lodges young talents forward. I stood there on the street watching it burn only wishing there were something I could do.  It is a great loss to see that beautiful building fall, but I can only pray that the town can pull together to bring this brilliant piece of history back to its home town.

  ---Resident of Deer Lodge

11/11/2006

• Wow!  Where to begin.  When I saw the first email from Jean Steber last weekend with the subject line “Rialto Burns” , my heart just sank.  I fondly recalled all the memories of that theater when I was growing up in Deer Lodge—seeing Old Yeller and Bambi for the first time, Saturday matinees, being the center of our social life in grade school and junior high, holding hands for the first time with a girl in 6^th grade in the darkness of a movie theater, the loges, etc..  And, I thought how sad for the community now, especially with all the work over the past several years to restore it to its glory.  I remembered my last visit there, during our 30^th class reunion in 2000 when Steve Owens gave us a tour.  Memories flooded back of the Rotary Talent Show and Junior Miss pageants that enabled many of us to get “behind the screen”.  The balcony, the beautiful light fixtures, the marquee—sadly, all gone.  I truly hope that there is a way to rebuild.  Deer Lodge needs its Rialto .

   ---Todd Eliason  

  11/13/2006

•  

  11/13/2006

• My sister, Janice Krutar Pittman, sent me the link to the Rialto web site. Truly a sad event
  for Deer Lodge and all who knew that little theatre. I myself remember the Saturday matinees
  for 15¢ in the late 50s and early 60s. My girl friend's father ran the place then so I got to be
  on clean-up after the shows. I saw every corner of that place in the light and the dark. My
  favorite movies there were the Disney movies, but also My State Fair and Oklahoma.
  
  ---Jerry P. Krutar

11/13/2006

• The poignant loss of the Rialto Theatre overwhelmed me when I found out. 

  The Rialto fire is truly an impact to the community. In my heart and memories, it is a minimum three generation community icon.  I performed in pageants in high school, my children performed in theatre and pageants and my granddaughter, the next in line, for her pageants as she starts into the school system.  It is one of the fondest memories and the least changed building, in my eyes, in Deer Lodge.  

  The Rialto is where we went to the movies, learned to flirt, went on dates, shared those first theatre and talent contest experiences.  A taste of what the world "outside" could offer in our small town.  Over the years the facility was always available and commanded the respect and awe of paint, ropes, backdrops, velvet, bright lights, audiences and the latest in cinema. 

  As an employee in the Virginia City Historic Landmark District, and a former resident of Powell county, I can empathize and mourn this impact and all that it will take to save, restore and retain this valuable piece of history and the heart of the community.

  Truly a landmark that hasn't been touched in the "name of progress". 

  ---Julie Johnson Edelen

  11/13/2006

• As I read the submissions by other past and present residents of Deer Lodge, my own memories overloaded my brain.  Watching the "serials" such as Flash Gordon and the cartoons before the feature presentation, trying to convince Jens Hanson that I wasn't 12 yet so I could still get in for a dime instead of a quarter (sorry Jens) and walking around the theatre with Dave Hunt, snapping our fingers to the Pink Panther Theme during the cartoon!  The long lines (by D.L. standards) outside the front of the theatre and reading the posters of coming attractions and talking with our friends.  Attending the talent shows and other live performances.  What a tragic loss of a true landmark.
   

  ---Fred Denton, Former resident

11/13/2006

• First of all, a big 'Thank You' to my fire fighter brother Craig and the entire DLFD and other departments that came to the rescue. Good work for saving what you did! 
   
  Also to Shana Forsman for providing this website.  Excellent work! 
   
  I remember walking out on the stage at the Rialto at age seven to recite a poem in the spring talent show.  I still can recite the poem to this day. In my time growing up in Deer Lodge, I performed on the stage at the Rialto numerous times in plays and concerts.  I also remember that my senior class graduated from that old stage because the gym floor at the high school had been destroyed by the flood that year. 
   
  Going to the show on Saturday afternoons is one of my fondest memories growing up in Deer Lodge.  I can still see Mr. Hansen in the booth taking our quarters in exchange for that magical ticket.  For 50 cents or so, you could go to the show and eat plenty of candy (I always got the little chocolate pieces called "Flicks").  I recall the smell of the popcorn and the walk down the dimly-lit isle to the best set you could find.  The red carpet and velvet wall paper, the mysterious ramp up to the balcony, made the experience fun every time.  Yes, I did get kicked out for sneaking up to the balcony once! 
   
  Deer Lodge needs the Rialto now more than ever!  It is the one building that carries memories for us all and it would be a shame to see it disappear forever.  Deer Lodge is a great town with great people and a proud past.  The Rialto is one of those shinning examples we should all be proud of.  I for one will be getting out my checkbook when things are settled and the rebuilding begins! 
   
  ---Mark Woodward, Class of '81'

11/14/2006

• As I read all of the stories from the residents talk about the Rialto, it hard for me not to remember some fond memories. I remember Mr. Hansen taking your money and handing out your ticket. Walking through the huge wooden doors and smelling the popcorn in the air. I remember going to the shows on Friday or Saturday night watching great movies such as Superman, Jaws and Ghostbusters. I remember going to the talent shows and seeing all of my friends perform on the big stage. As Jean Giles stated in an earlier memory, I remember walking to the Rialto in the Third grade to watch a movie. All of these memories are great and I hope everyone in Deer Lodge can pull together and get this great landmark back to the way it used to be. Thank you Shana Forsman for doing a great job and getting the Rialto's story in the internet. As a fellow fire fighter I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to all of the Firemen from Deer Lodge, and the surrounding areas. You all did a great job, not only keeping the residents safe, but you all went home at the end of the fire unhurt. Deer Lodge is indebted in your honor for saving what you could of the Rialto, and also the surrounding buildings, Again Great Job !!!  Thank you Rialto for all of the great memories, we will miss you.
   

  ---Mark B. Bice (PCHS class of 1991)

11/14/2006

• My grandfather was Harold Hansen and my father is Mark Hansen. I am very sad to hear what happened. I went down that Sunday with my father and could not keep myself from crying. That place was a second home to me when I was little. I was in the Rialto a lot with my grandfather and have to many memories to count. Since he past away I have had a hard time going into the theater, but I wish I would of went more often. I am so glad to hear that the community is going to rebuild. I do however know that it will not be the same. I also want to tell the community thank you for keeping it going.
   

  ---Alynn Hansen ( Mark Hansen's daughter)

   

11/14/2006

• What a sad, sad day for the community of Deer Lodge and the surrounding areas when the Rialto burned!  And sad too that it takes something so tragic to bring the town together – word of mouth travels fast and we drove in 7 miles ourselves just to see if it was really burning.  Like many of the others who shared their memories here, I too remember going to many movies there when I was growing up – it was really the only thing for kids in this small town to do, and at such an affordable price!  I also remember performing in the annual talent show and more recently going to watch my nieces during the Christmas productions.  The last time I was in the theater was for the funeral of my uncle, Ed Newman.  He was loved and respected by so many throughout the valley that the family knew the theater was the only building big enough to hold everyone – and for me, the only one grand enough for my uncle Ed.  I remember glancing out into the seats from our gathering spot back stage before the funeral and seeing the place packed.  You don’t usually think of a theater as a perfect place for a funeral but the Rialto was so much more than just a theater.  It was where you met up with your friends, it was where you first experienced the terror of looking out over the stage lights and seeing all those eyes looking at you, it was where you went for any major event in Deer Lodge.  So much gratitude is due the hard-working firefighters who saved what they could but we also owe so much to the volunteers who put in so much time, money, and hard work to bring the theater to where it was – thank you for dedicating so much of your selves to restore the grandeur the theater once had.  I hope it works out that it can be rebuilt – to whatever extent of its previous splendor possible, but rebuilt.

   ---Cathy Johnson, Deer Lodge

11/15/2006

• I moved away from Deer Lodge in 1966, the summer I turned 11. But I will always remember the Saturday matinee at the Rialto when I was a kid.  And my dad hosting the annual Rotary talent show.  My dream as a young kid was to have had the opportunity to perform in that show (unfortunately a
  lack of talent prevented me from making it). Although I haven't been back to Deer Lodge in 30 years, I still feel a little of the loss of the Rialto.
  ---Ross Rainville, Sacramento, CA

11/15/2006

• As part of my former job as the Executive Director of the Montana Heritage Commission, I attended a preservation meeting last summer in Deer Lodge. I had the pleasure to participate in a behind the stage tour of the theater. I looked down from the balcony, and could only imagine the excitement and enthusiasm, the inspiration and dreams, the thousands of tears and laughs that this building hosted over the years. We are lucky in Montana to have overall “preservation friendly” weather, and foresight to preserve such places of beauty. It was with shock that I read about the loss of the theater. I can only imagine your feelings of sadness as you think about the national treasure that went up in flames.  

   I wanted to say to the community that your efforts to preserve this place of special memories were not in vain. The work that you accomplished in keeping a piece of our history in tact was watched by the entire state of Montana , and in other states around the Union . Your creativity and community spirit enabled a physical memory to rise from despair and become a living time capsule that many were able to enjoy. Your preservation work created many current memories that have joined the decades of time that the theater crossed, and will be an inspiration to others as they embark on similar journeys. Those memories, including the fire, are now a piece of history.

   Our lives change with many twists and turns. Some are unwelcome and some are unexpected. The fire was both, but it is now part of the story.

   I wish you good luck as you decide the future of the Rialto Community Theater.

   Sincerely,

   ---Jeffrey Tiberi , Associate Director , Intermountain (Formerly Intermountain Children's Home & Services)

  11/16/2006

• My brother and I remember the theater from when we were children in Deer
  Lodge.  Even after moving to Butte in 1964, we still came back and saw many
  movies etc. in the theater.  The most recent and rememerable thing for us
  was our father's, (Joseph A. McElwain),  Memorial / Remembrance service there
  in June of 2003.  We remember him saying to us, "When I was a kid it was 5
  cents to get in.  Now it is 25 cents".  We went to many movies with our
  parents or our friends from there.  Not sure where a lot are now but we are
  sure they are feeling like we are.  It is a tragic loss for Deer Lodge.  We
  will always keep a fond memory in our hearts and hopefully will make new
  memories in a refurbished building.
  
  ---Lee McElwain and Lori (McElwain) Good
  Deer Lodge / Billings, Montana
  

11/18/2006

• I have been meaning to send along my own thoughts and memories on the
  fire at the Rialto, and feel enough time and contemplation has passed to
  actually sit down and put words to paper (so to speak, in today's
  computer world).  My memories of the theater are vast and very fond (but
  then really, who that has ever lived in Deer Lodge NOT been affected by
  or have memories of the Grand Ol' Lady that was our beloved Rialto?) for
  a number of reasons.  First, my family owned for many many years the
  building that stands to the right of the theater, the Mitchell Block,
  and so many of my early years were spent down there, and of course with
  the theater as well, just by nature of proximity.  The Hansens and the
  McGillises were good friends in my early years, and one of my earliest
  jobs was hosing off the pigeon poop in front of both of our buildings. 
  Not a typically glorious memory to be sure, but eventually I started
  working for Harold Hanson inside the theater as well, and I know it was
  our family's friendship that allowed me early access to what was for a
  young pre-teen boy a magical and mystical place.
  
  Taking tickets, selling candy, popcorn, and soda, changing the posters
  in the front (remember when they were big enough to fill the entire
  space?  Not those little weenie posters they make now), and of course
  climbing out the window of the second floor office, down onto the
  marquee with a handful of huge heavy (for a young lad) metal letters,
  the title of the next magical movie written out in Harold's neat
  handwriting so the title was not misspelled, which would, of course,
  require a return trip out, which was nasty in the winter.  And of course
  there was only ONE ladder down on the marquee, so we would always have
  to crawl under the sign itself to be able to change the other side. 
  Which, of course, was why young people were always utilized for this
  job.  And of course there was cleaning the theater the day after movies,
  using our giant blower to move all the discarded candy wrappers, spilled
  popcorn and empty pop cups to the front to be swept up.  Make sure all
  the half filled pop cups were picked up, or the blower would leave a
  sticky mess that would have to be mopped.
  
  And as we grew older (I say we because I was fortunate enough that my
  best friend through school, Mike Jensen, was also working there with
  me... how much of a joy is that, to share a job with your best friend?),
  we were eventually allowed to actually run the projectors themselves,
  those big, monstrous machines that threw out light and magic onto the
  screen, noisy, carbon rod run behemoths that spit out movie after movie
  to enchanted audiences.  Don't we all remember hanging out in the lobby,
  waiting for Mr. Hansen (And we all call him "Mr. Hansen", don't we...?
  Not 'Harold') to come out of the ticket booth and enter the little
  projection booth, closing that big bank-vault type door (at least to my
  memory), knowing we better make our purchases because the lights were
  soon to go down and the magic was soon to begin.
  
  My reward?  I was able to enjoy free movies during a time of life when
  movies are the most magical of all... when the scary movies are the
  scariest, when the comedies are the funniest, and when the magic is most
  real.  I was also given free run of that glorious Ol' Lady... all the
  secret nooks and crannies that few even knew existed, the storage closet
  upstairs that held props from a bygone era (as old as vaudeville
  perhaps?) and a collection of old posters that would catch a fair price
  on eBay today from the days of Marilyn and James Dean and Cary Grant and
  etc and etc.  One day finding myself in the highest reaches of that
  palace, actually looking out and down through the lattice work above
  those beautiful chandeliers, the height dizzying, thrilling, enthralling
  for a young lad to be able to look down at an angle that seemed almost
  Godlike, that I knew very very few had ever seen.  I was given free
  access to the balcony when many of my peers were not allowed up there,
  and enjoyed many a movie from that prime location with my best buddy
  Mike.   What a glorious first job it was, and how I so regret growing
  older and moving on to the world of 'real' employment.  I have never had
  a job that paid less, or that I enjoyed more.  It did not add a whit to
  my Social Security, but the growth of my imagination has never been matched.
  
  It was with great pride I learned my mother had helped with the
  restoration of that Grand Ol' Lady over a decade ago, and with extreme
  sadness that I share with all of you the images and stories of what has
  befallen her.  It is certainly true what has been echoed, that even if
  rebuilt it can never ever be the same again, for we all know that things
  just aren't made like that anymore.  Yet I know, based on my knowledge
  of the community of Deer Lodge, that if anyone can even come close to
  restoring our beloved theater to even a fraction of it's previous glory,
  it would be you folks.  You hold history and community pride close to
  your hearts, and having come from that heart I can feel your anguish and
  grief.  And having come out with my own share of grief, I know that
  eventually that does pass, and I have no doubt that a new Rialto will
  eventually exist.  No, it won't be the same Grand Ol' Lady, but we all
  have enough memories of Her to get Her close.  Godspeed Deer Lodge, but
  take your time and do it right.  It took 85 years to build all those
  memories, and there's no need to try to force her reconstruction.  There
  are shoebox complexes everywhere and are a dime a dozen, but there's
  only one Rialto.  Maybe when it's back on it's feet, it should be
  renamed the Rialto-Phoenix Theater.
  
  ---Greg Pomeroy, Buffalo, NY

12/3/2006

• I wrote my Christmas letter this week and sent it in all of my 100 cards to family and friends. I mentioned the Rialto tragedy in my letter and gave them the web site address to check out. If you let family and friends know that a gift to the Rialto fund is tax deductible they may send a donation. I have relatives and friends all over the world, maybe you do too.....so mention the Rialto website in your Holiday letters and cards.
   
  ---Karen Herrin

   

  1/12/2007

  • My brother Joe just sent this email and my heart  sunk. I grew up in Deer Lodge and I have many wonderful memories of that old theater.  My cousin and I would attend the Saturday matinees. Armed with a quarter we could gain admission, a bag of popcorn and a candy bar. Those were the days.  Then we would go home and act out the movie all week long. During high school it was the center of many social events. It was one of the few theaters that popped their own popcorn.  I feel very bad for a very big loss.  I hope that it can be rebuilt.
   ---Ron Morgan - Class of 66 - Seattle

   

If you have pictures or stories that you would like to have included in this website, feel free to contact  Gayle Mizner, 801 St. Mary's Ave., Deer Lodge, MT 59722  or email them to tgmizner@yahoo.com and I will post them as soon as I can get them loaded. 

  Donations will be used to help rebuild Our Rialto Theater!  

Thought, Prayers, Letters and Donation can also be sent to:

Rialto Theater Restoration Fund

PO Box 874 

Deer Lodge, MT 59722

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                                                                                                    Last Updated 07/16/2010 12:34:17 PM