Rialto Community Arts Center

History:

Located in the small town of Morrilton, Arkansas, the Rialto Theatre has a rich history stretching over nearly 100 years.

Guy O. Vail opened what is now the Rialto in 1911. The Rialto was the first motion picture theatre in Morrilton and remained Vail's until the spring of 1925 when it was sold to I.W. Nance of nearby Conway. Two years after Nance bought the theatre, Arkansas Amusement Enterprises, Inc purchased the theatre and officially renamed it the Rialto Theatre.

Talking pictures brought new life to the theatre in 1930 when a remodeling took place to acoustically treat the new technology. It was then that United Theatres Corporation purchased the Rialto.