See six classic movies at Rialto Cinemas Cerrito

The Friends of the Cerrito Theater are sponsoring a week of classic films at Rialto Cinemas Cerrito. From September 9th through 15th, the theater will show six different movies, each one two or three times. They are:

Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

Directed by John Huston

Down-and-outs Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, and Tim Holt try to make their fortunes by digging for gold in the Sierra Madre mountains in Mexico, only to be outdone by their failings. Walter Huston won an Oscar for best supporting actor, and his son John won an Oscar for best direction and another for best screenplay.

Treasure of the Sierra Madre features one of the all-time classic movie quotes (if you don’t know it, you’ll have to watch to find out what it is).

Show times: Sept. 9 4:00, Sept. 11 1:00, Sept 15 7:00

Bullitt (1968)

Directed by Peter Yates

Steve McQueen plays Police Lieutenant Bullitt, who investigates the murder of a witness who was in his protection. This movie has one of the all-time great chase scenes, in which McQueen himself (a world-class race car driver) did some of the stunt driving. Bullitt also features Jacqueline Bissett, Robert Vaughn, and Robert Duvall.

Show times: Sept. 9 7:00, Sept 13 4:00

Sullivan’s Travels (1941)

Directed by Preston Sturges

Joel McCrea plays John L. Sullivan, a high-minded Hollywood director who sets out to live as a tramp to gain experience for the movie he wants to make. On the way, he meets an aspiring actress played by Veronica Lake, and he learns what people really want to see on the big screen.

Show times: Sept. 10 1:30, Sept 14 7:00

The Mummy (1932)

Directed by Kael Freund

Boris Karloff plays Imhotep, a long-dead Egyptian high priest inadvertently brought back to life by a team of archaeologists. He meets a woman whom he believes to be the reincarnation of an ancient princess, and tries to make her his immortal bride.

Show times: Sept 10 4:00, Sept 13 7:00

The Birds (1963)

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) travels to the small town of Bodega Bay to see Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor), whom she’s interested in, but when she arrives the birds there begin to act strangely, attacking people with seemingly no motivation. Why is this happening? Is it somehow caused by Melanie’s presence?

Show times: Sept 10 7:00, Sept 11 4:00, Sept 15 4:00

Touch of Evil (1958)

Directed by Orson Welles

In this film noir set in a Mexican border town, prosecutor Miguel Vargas (Charton Heston) investigates a murder and finds evidence that implicates corrupt Police Captain Hank Quinlan (Orson Welles). Janet Leigh, Dennis Weaver, Marlene Dietrich, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and Joseph Cotten also have roles in this thriller.

Show times: Sept 11 7:00, Sept 14 4:00

How to Buy Tickets

Moviegoers are strongly advised to buy advance tickets at the box office or online, as the movie may sell out. To buy online, click on the desired show time above. All seats are $10.00. Arriving early is a good idea, in order to choose your seat and also order delicious food and wine or beer.

NOTE

Rialto Cinemas Cerrito requires proof of vaccination for all attendees age 12 and up. Please read the details of the policy here, on the Rialto web site.

One week only! September 2-8

To honor Olivia Newton-John, Rialto Cinemas Cerrito is presenting a double feature of Grease and Xanadu.

Grease, the top-grossing musical of all time, follows good girl Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) and bad boy Danny (John Travolta) through a year-long high-school romance, along with their friends the Pink Ladies and the T-Birds. The movie features many memorable songs, including “Summer Nights,” “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” and “You’re the One That I Want.”

In Xanadu, roller disco meets 1940s swing in this kitsch-classic of 1980s Hollywood, featuring Gene Kelly (in his final feature film appearance) as a former big-band sideman who teams up with a down-on-his-luck young artist (Michael Beck) and a beguilingly beautiful Olympian muse (Olivia Newton-John) to turn a decaying theater into a vibrant nightclub. The movie’s song-and-dance numbers include pastiche throwbacks to Kelly’s postwar heyday and glitzy disco-on-wheels set pieces, in which the dizzying mobility of the cinematography becomes integral to the choreography. Said to have inspired the creation of the Golden Raspberry Awards, which celebrate the year’s worst movies, Xanadu has gone down in Hollywood history as a memorably over-the-top genre hybrid, a fantasy-romance-musical with a wildly popular soundtrack performed by Newton-John and Electric Light Orchestra.

Tickets for this double feature will go on sale August 28. You will be able to buy them on line or at the box office. Normal prices will apply.

Note

Rialto Cinemas Cerrito requires proof of vaccination for all attendees age 12 and up. Please read the details of the policy here, on the Rialto web site.

Lori Dair was deservedly pleased to enjoy the 75th anniversary of the Cerrito Theater in 2012. Her leadership made sure the theater was restored. Photo by Dave Weinstein

A Celebration of the Life of Lori Dair
Saturday, August 13, 2022, 10am to Noon
The Cerrito Theater
10070 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito, CA 94530

(The theater does not have its own lot so patrons usually park on San Pablo Ave. or nearby sidestreets.)

Friends of the Cerrito Theater mourns the loss of Lori Dair, one of the founders of our group and the leader of our efforts from 2002 to 2006 to save the theater. Lori’s leadership during those crucial days was inspirational. The theater as we know it today would not exist were it not for her volunteer efforts.

Please come to an informal gathering to celebrate Lori’s life. There will be plenty of photos and a playlist of Lori’s favorite songs, plus some time for people to offer remarks. The celebration is being put on by Lori’s family and close friends.

We appreciate that many of you don’t live in or near El Cerrito, and that you may have scheduling conflicts, so we plan to videotape the event and make it available for viewing afterwards.

We would also welcome donations to the ALS Association in Lori’s honor. To donate, please click here.

You can find Lori’s obituary here.