Cover Story

By Kimberly Moore
For Weekly Surge

The front page headline was very specific: "Rivoli Theatre Grand Opening Is Set For Thursday Evening - 6:45." Amidst updates from zoning committees, local Jaycee news, and swimming advisories from the Myrtle Beach Rescue Unit - "Avoid horseplay and skylarking on the beach and in the water" - the big story on June 18, 1958 was the opening of the new Rivoli Theatre. Around the corner from Ocean Boulevard and just blocks away from a bustling Main Street, the Rivoli prepared to take its place as the epicenter of art and culture for a town that had yet to make its mark as a major resort destination. Myrtle Beach was still a summer hamlet at that point, and after Labor Day sea oats floated down the Boulevard like tumbleweeds, and locals joked that the last one out of town was to turn off the lights.

This was summer, and Sloppy Joe's was holding court around the clock (their motto: We may doze, but we don't close), and Myrtle Beach Farms was enjoying success with its oceanfront block of carnival rides at the recently opened Pavilion amusement park. Main Street was the core of business, and shoppers flocked to Chapin Department Store, while Nyal's Drugstore mixed ointments and elixirs for everything from upset stomach to sunburn, with root beer sodas to cool you while you waited. Segregation was in effect, and over on Carver Street, the Whispering Pines Nightclub hosted famous black entertainers such as Ella Fitzgerald and Chuck Berry, while the Ocean Forest Hotel beckoned white travelers originally en route to Florida. There were already two movie theaters downtown, Ben's Broadway Theatre across from Chapin's on Main Street, and Gloria's, a stone's throw away on ninth Avenue North and Withers Street.

But Myrtle Beach had seen nothing like the Rivoli.

Rumored to have cost more than $400,000 (ticket prices were considered expensive at 45 cents), the Rivoli may not have been a major movie palace like the elaborate art deco theaters found elsewhere in the South in cities such as Nashville, Tenn. or Atlanta, but it was rather unique as it was only one of two theaters in the country featuring the latest in emerging technology: four channel stereophonic sound. And it was big, with both regular and stadium-style seating that could accommodate more than 1,000 people, as well as a full refreshment counter serving popcorn, candies and soda, a novelty at the time. It opened amid minor controversy, as the genteel ladies of the local garden club, arbiters of the town and wives of local pioneers had gotten up in arms over sculptures of a a male and female figure incorporated into the theater's design, done by a local artist. The figures were abstract, but nude and considered provocative and shocking in an era of etiquette and decorum. The theater opened with a romantic comedy by a young Hollywood director named Blake Edwards, "This Happy Feeling," in which Debbie Reynolds plays a young woman who falls in love with an older man, before finding true love with the boy-next-door more suited to her age. The movie ran the weekend, being supplanted Sunday evening by a family western entitled "The Proud Rebel," featuring Olivia DeHavilland, who had won an Oscar for her portrayal of Melanie in "Gone with the Wind" in 1939, and made a star of its leading man, Alan Ladd.

Local photographer and historian Jack Thompson, whose wife sold tickets at the theater, shot the photographs for The Myrtle Beach Sun and Ocean Beach News announcing the theater opening. He says, "The opening was not pomp and circumstance, no limousines, the governor didn't show up," yet at the same time, it was significant. "The Rivoli was at that time one of the biggest auditoriums in Myrtle Beach," he explains, as he sorts through masses of photographs in his office near Myrtle Beach City Hall, "and as a result, became the place for pageants, town hall meetings and public gatherings." Sun Fun Festival events throughout the 1960s were held at the theater, and in 1967, the Rivoli played host to the world premiere of "Don't Make Waves," another romantic comedy, starring Tony Curtis and featuring a young starlet named Sharon Tate. Tate, her hairdresser and several friends were murdered two years later by Charles Manson and his followers at the home she shared with film director Roman Polanski. The couple had been expecting their first child. Polanski wasn't with the starlet the night of the opening, but Thompson remembers seeing the beauty step off the plane in Myrtle Beach. "Mr. Universe was there, as well as stars like Sue Ann Langdon and Barbara Moore," he remembers. In front of the theater, banners hung proclaiming the world premiere, flatbed trucks set up in the adjoining parking lot gave news cameras a clear shot of the stars' arrivals, and grandstands were set up at which spectators could catch a glimpse of the stars, particularly the ladies in their floor-length organza and chiffon evening gowns, with beehive hairdos and white gloves stretching over their elbows. Suburban sprawl and the evolution of television had hit many movie theaters hard, but in Myrtle Beach, the Rivoli Theatre was at the height of its success.

FAST FORWARD

Today, the Rivoli sits unused and unnoticed by most passersby at 901 Chester Street, in a state of decline among the clutter and chaos of downtown redevelopment. The 50-year-old structure is a shadow of what it once was, and its fate hangs in a delicate balance. Its renovation deemed impractical and too great an expense, the Rivoli Theatre has been abandoned by the city-appointed group that bears its name and put up for sale as surplus city property. Glass cases which had held classic movie posters (It Creeps! It Crawls! It Eats People! It's ....THE BLOB!) contain notice of a plan for renovation of the building to be carried out by the city-appointed group The Rivoli Theatre Corporation, as well as a brief history of the building, including reference to the 1967 movie premiere and the titillating story of the Manson murders. Its doors and windows are covered with dust and the statues that raised eyebrows in the '50s have been removed to the Myrtle Beach Convention Center for safekeeping.

Old theater seats litter the floor at the Rivoli Theater -Courtesy photo.

The old Pavilion parking garage sits ominously across the street, while the His and Hers Pleasure Zone hawks adult novelties and X-rated DVDs next door. In the foyer, visible from the outside through the glass entrance, oblong chandeliers hang from the beamed ceilings and a winged lion, reminiscent of prophetic sea creatures in the biblical book of Daniel, sits perched in the upper left hand corner. Inside, the lobby and its glass-blocked refreshment area remains largely intact and looks as if someone took care to keep this area tidy and free of debris. The walnut paneling was painted over years ago, much of the terrazzo floor has been painted or covered in carpeting and the cushioned red velvet seating has been ripped out. After the theater was sold, it was made first into a children's theatre, then transformed into a nightclub. The owners of the clubs, in making their renovations, ripped out seating to make room for a dance floor and VIP boxes, raising parts of the floor and adding a massive lighting system replete with disco balls and smoke machines. Of the Bas relief, or 3-D, murals that were painted by unknown artists when the theater first opened, only a few have survived intact, and the movie screen itself is long gone. Maybe 100 of the original theater chairs have been preserved, awaiting their own revival while they gather dust in the space in front of what remains of the stadium seating. The area in front of the screen was converted years ago to a dance floor, and a balcony over the refreshment area is almost inaccessible. The floor is littered with black paint that has chipped and fallen from the ceiling, and yellow caution tape is wrapped around metal banisters that line a raised walkway from the front of the theater to the stage. The theater is cool inside, with air conditioners running to prevent mold and decay, and the only light is from muted red lights atop soaring white columns that line the interior of the theater on each side. Historically significant in a town where bulldozers are constantly razing to make room for commercial development, the theater is a relic of another time, before mega-plexes and Blockbuster Video, a reflection of the way America once lived, and the things she enjoyed.

REWIND

Designed by local architect Harold J. Riddle, the theater was state-of-the-art. Stereo surround sound was just making its debut, and Hollywood was taking advantage of the new screen formats, reviving production of epic films such as "Ben Hur" and "Spartacus," and the Rivoli's large screen capabilities and cutting edge sound system could handle the latest the studios had to offer. For the façade, Riddle sought artist Gerard Tempest, who had just returned to Myrtle Beach from living in Rome and had built a house at the newly formed Dunes Club. Tempest was honing what he called "abstract spiritualism," and his minimalist and modernistic style won him critical acclaim. He created the two abstract figures, a man and a woman, for the outside of the Rivoli, where they were placed as if supporting the façade, symbolically suggesting the arts as they are supported by its patrons. He eventually returned to Europe where he became an internationally renowned artist, and his sculptures marked the entrance to the theater for almost 50 years before they were removed to the convention center, their value having increased to more than $250,000.

Throughout the late '50s and early '60s, stars like Humphrey Bogart, Elizabeth Taylor, James Stewart and a young Paul Newman entertained an adoring public from the Rivoli Theatre's big screen, and on weekends, tourists and locals sought escape from the heat in its dark, cool interior. Elvis Presley movies such as "Kid Creole" in 1958 and "Blue Hawaii" in 1961 thrilled the young ladies, while James Bond made his silver screen premiere with "Dr. No" in 1962. Movies at that time were still largely geared to a family audience, and local children could watch a Saturday matinee at the Rivoli for five bottle caps. Musicals such as "My Fair Lady" (1964) and "The Sound of Music" (1965) were among the greatest moneymakers of the decade, enthralling viewers with sweeping panoramas and orchestral soundtracks. By the late '60s, a new generation of young Hollywood directors was rising through the ranks, and their films reflected the societal upheaval of the times. Movies including "Dr. Zhivago" (1965), "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" (1966) and "The Graduate" (1967) challenged social conventions, and in 1969 the movie "Easy Rider," starring Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and a young Jack Nicholson, ushered in the era of new Hollywood and post-classical cinema.

Wayne Aiken is a computer programmer from Raleigh, N.C. and a Myrtle Beach history buff who spent long summers here from 1972 until he graduated college in 1984. He started a website (www.MyrtleBeachRemembered.com) to track the many beloved landmarks that have disappeared at an alarming rate through the years. Aiken remembers going to the Rivoli in the '70s. Business at the theater had started to drop off by then, reflecting a greater trend within the industry, "The beach would be hot as blazes, and the Rivoli had great air-conditioning," he says, adding, "Anytime I went, there were never that many people there, but it was nice, with plush carpeting going up the sides of the wall and comfortable seats. I can remember going through the movie listings in the paper."

STOP, PLAY, SKIP

The evolution of home video and the introduction of the multi-screen mega-plexes in the 1980s spelled the end for many independent theaters, and the Rivoli struggled to keep its doors open. Expansion of the Pavilion had changed the streetscape of Chester Street, and construction of the Pavilion parking garage cut the theater off from view along Kings Highway, where its marquee could entice passerby. According to Aiken, "Once the Pavilion put that parking garage across the street, it killed that location," and by the middle of the '80s, with little fanfare, the Rivoli screen went dark and the building was put up for sale.

Looking through leather-bound volumes of newspapers going back decades, Thompson stops at the issue dated June 18, 1958, the day before the Rivoli opened. Myrtle Beach is a town that often defines itself by its most recent press release, and much of the area's history has been lost through the years. Thompson is a keeper of the flame, through his photographs and his vivid memory. "It was a few years after the Rivoli closed that it reopened as a children's theater group. I had a friend who went totally broke there, before finding his niche with property in Murrells Inlet," says Thompson. "The big money came in with the Palladium, who spent over $250,000 upgrading lighting at the theatre." Throughout the late '80s, the Palladium (what the Rivoli was named after renovations) was a precursor to the House of Blues, and featured concerts by big name acts. "I remember seeing the Allman Brothers Band there, probably in 1987 or '89," says Marvin McHone, who has operated a bar and grill on the downtown boardwalk for more than 35 years. "I don't remember much about the theater, but it was a great show. "The Palladium's lightshow and the big name talent it brought to the beach may have briefly eclipsed the heritage of the theater, but that was not enough to secure its place in history as anything more than a passing phase. "That project died on the vine," Thompson recalls. "They spent lots of money, really did the place up, but the irony of the situation is you have a half million or so people coming and going on the Boulevard, and you can't get them to come up around the corner."

After the Palladium closed, the theater briefly reopened for several years in the late '90s as the Metropolis, a gay nightclub that stirred up the indignation of a young conservative city councilman named Mark McBride, who would eventually serve as mayor. Patrick Evans, a local bartender and resident of Myrtle Beach, remembers the controversy surrounding the club well. "Basically, when it came out that it would be a gay nightclub, McBride made some comments to the effect that there would be people in dog collars and chains going up and down the Boulevard - that was how he depicted the gay community," says Evans. "That statement was what started the controversy that brought the Gay Pride parade here in 1998, "of which Evans was a co-chair. "The club itself was very nice. The lower area was the dance floor, and there was still a stage for performances."

Once again, success didn't last long, and the club folded several months after the parade.

Sculptures by local artist Gerard Tempest that used to be part of the Rivoli Theater -Courtesy photo.

The '90s had been a turbulent time for Myrtle Beach, with huge increases in population, although the economy was good, with speculators buying up property in droves. The city began a strategic planning project called It's TIME - A Vision for the Greater Myrtle Beach Community. In 1999, recommendations from It's TIME were implemented into a comprehensive plan for the city that would be a guide for city planning through the year 2020. The comprehensive plan acknowledged the importance of preserving local neighborhoods and landmarks, and included in its vision cultural and historical resources within downtown Myrtle Beach. Project recommendations supported reassembling the old Myrtle Beach Colored School to use as a museum, as well as plans to renovate the old train depot and the Rivoli Theatre. That same year, the city purchased the theater for $700,000, and appointed a cultural arts advisory committee, which was given three top priority objectives: to establish a performing arts venue, to prepare an ordinance for art in public places, and to facilitate the exchange of information and coordination of activity with the arts community. Through the city's comprehensive plan, making the most of man-made assets was high on the list, and as far as culture, the plan dictated that "a diverse, affordable arts program will be created that provides educational and cultural enrichment, recognition of local artists and regional exposure" (Myrtle Beach Comprehensive Plan, Cultural Resources, Sub Goal: Arts). Amendments to the plan called for city council to establish a 501 c (3) organization to renovate and operate the Rivoli Theatre for use by area arts organizations. By 2002, the Cultural Arts Advisory Committee heard ideas from local architect Steve Usry on how to transform the Rivoli into a cultural arts center. Usry suggested keeping the building's 200 stadium-style seats, plus adding an additional 300 and constructing an orchestra pit. A new wing would be added to create space for rehearsals and dressing rooms for the performers, as well as for an art gallery, which could display both local and national artists. The stage area would need to be enlarged to accommodate scenery and curtains, and that would involve raising the existing roof.

RELOAD, PAUSE

The project costs were estimated at $3.5 million dollars, and the advisory committee presented its idea for its first fundraiser, Carousel Horses on Parade. The City of Chicago had great success with a program called Cows on Parade in 1999, and similar benefits had run in Pittsburgh with dinosaurs, buffalo in New York, and thoroughbreds in Kentucky. City council pledged $150,000 in seed money for the project and 50 fiberglass carousel horses were commissioned. Area businesses, organizations and individuals could sponsor a horse for $5,000, and then choose from more than 150 designs contributed by local artists. Throughout the spring of 2003, the works-in-progress transformed the food court of the now-defunct Myrtle Square Mall, and the public could get an up-close view of both the artist and the horse. When finished, the horses remained at the mall until Sun Fun Festival in 2003, where they were featured as part of the festival parade. Afterward, the horses were auctioned off to both public and private owners. The horses on parade fundraiser netted $350,000 during the summer of 2003, and city council approved the independent Corporation for the Arts as the nonprofit group that would be in charge of fundraising and renovations of the Rivoli. Fundraising efforts continued the next year with the Masterpiece Auction, featuring original artwork by local celebrities. More than $35,000 was raised at Litchfield Country Club through the purchase of the pieces, and private donations and gifts brought the total amount raised to slightly more than $500,000.

The Myrtle Beach Convention where the new Rivoli arts center will be built. -Courtesy photo.

In the spring of 2006, the Corporation for the Arts had its name changed to the Rivoli Theatre Group Corporation, and began moving forward with plans for renovation. The inside of the theater was a mess, and there were problems with asbestos in the building, but as theatre group chairman Robert Pickett says, "That's not uncommon here. We've had that in many buildings, in the Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum. You have it removed." In 2006 amendments to the comprehensive plan, the city was still committed to the Rivoli, but allowed for exploration of commercial theaters and auditoriums for use by non-profit arts groups. Within the year, it became obvious to the city and the theatre group that the old Rivoli building would not be practical for use as a performing arts center, at least not in the scale that the city was thinking. "It's a movie theater. It wasn't built to be a performing arts center, " says Mark Kruea, Public Information Officer for the City of Myrtle Beach. "There are no dressing rooms or rehearsal halls. The work that would have had to be done on the Rivoli, with the stage area and fly loft, they would have had to raise the ceiling to accommodate it." Ironically, lack of adjacent parking is cited as an issue, despite the fact there's a multi-story empty parking garage, owned by Burroughs and Chapin, Co., directly across the street. There would also need to be funding for staffing the theater. As costs to renovate the theater were projected to go higher and higher, the prospects for the Rivoli began to sink. According to Pickett, "We suspected it would be difficult to renovate the old building, and that we would be limited in what we could do. We began to look around at other sites, including the convention center, and the further we got into that, the more we liked it."

City spokesman Kruea says, "The convention center made a lot of sense - it had plenty of space and parking, plus it was already well staffed, and the area could be leased out for money when it wasn't in use for the theater group." The city bailed out the flailing convention center hotel in 2004, refinancing $47.7 million in bonds and taking over its debt. Ever since, the city has paid debt payments out of hospitality funds, money that could be used for projects like the proposed boardwalk. The convention center received a boon with the nationally televised Republican presidential debate in January, and a new performing arts center would only add to its appeal, potentially bringing profits for the hotel. "The fact that swayed it is the city has to expand the convention center, so this, more or less, is a way to do that." says Pickett.

Renovation of the old Rivoli became more of a salvage operation, with the theater group recovering the Tempest statues, whose value had greatly increased, for safekeeping at the new site. According to the theater group's website, the sculptures will be used in the convention center "to continue the atmosphere of the old Rivoli." Summing up the situation, Kruea says, "The location was the catalyst for the idea of a performing arts center. The convention center is the realization of that idea. "The announcement came last month - the theatre group would now concentrate its energies on fundraising for a new, 500-seat, state- of-the-art performing arts center at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, with work expected to be complete by 2010. The Rivoli would be held as surplus city property, with a sell price of $800,000.

What will happen to the half-century-old theater now that the city has taken its plans elsewhere? According to Pickett, "there are people who have shown an interest, but nothing serious yet." While the city waits to begin proceeding with the proposed beachfront boardwalk, all eyes are on what B&C plans to do with the old Pavilion site, which flanks the Rivoli on the left, as well as the old parking garage which stands in front of, almost blocking the theater. According to former B&C spokesperson Pat Dowling, "B&C has no immediate plans to buy the Rivoli."

As for potentially interested parties, Jeff Roberts name continues to come up. He is the owner of Sounds Better music store located across from Cagney's in the Hidden Village Shopping Plaza off Restaurant Row. The concert promoter and community activist is passionate about Myrtle Beach and is a familiar name to many, having achieved significant success with his South By Southeast Music Feasts at the old train depot, raising money for children's music education. "This has absolutely nothing to do with the SXSE project," says Roberts, and any interest he has in the Rivoli would be an entirely separate venture. He and a group of investors have been looking at the old theater, and will be meeting with a theater restoration consultant in the near future. Could there be an announcement of some sorts set to correspond with the 50-year anniversary of the theater on June 19? Roberts was reluctant to discuss the situation or speculate on the type of renovations that might be considered, other than to point out, "you can't take a dog and make it a cat. The Rivoli was a movie theater to begin with."

While the Rivoli might not make for an elaborate arts center, it could be renovated as an art house type theater, showing independent and classic movies, art films and limited run movies and documentaries, and with the success of SXSE, Roberts could be the person to make it a reality. "I really cannot comment on any of that right now. I know the issue of asbestos reared its ugly head. Even if the city tears the building down, it will still cost $250,000 to get rid of it," says Roberts, who has been involved in the local music and art scene for many years, and remembers clearly the theater group's main objective when it formed. He is curious about the money raised to restore the Rivoli, and the propriety of it now being spent at the convention center. Theatre Group chair Pickett responds, "The way we see it, we did the fundraising for the Rivoli, for the sake of preserving it, and we see no reason to change that. The main theater in the new complex will be called The Rivoli Theatre - anyone new would only be buying the building. We will retain rights to the name." The money from the sale would go towards construction at the new site, so the idea of another group's renovation of the theater would mean no help from the city. Though the theater group insists it will retain naming rights at the new site, Kruea asserts, "With no serious interest at this point in the property, the issue with naming has not been finalized," and having another name for the city's performing arts center hasn't been completely ruled out yet. What about the old train depot? With the cities help that project, which began the same year as the Rivoli restoration, has been successful, and the depot is used for concerts and community events, and has been accepted as a Nationally Registered Historic Landmark. Says Kruea, "The city did that, and it cost a tremendous amount of money. While it is a great resource, city council wants to get the value out of the Rivoli building. There are a lot of potential uses for both the building and the site. "

Historic preservation, though worthwhile to the character of the community, is a lengthy and costly endeavor, and at this point, it would seem that the City of Myrtle Beach must pick and choose its battles, having been successful with the Colored School, the Train Depot, and the former Air Force Base (Historical markers have been placed throughout The Market Common, and Warbird Park has been updated). The plight of the Rivoli is no different from that facing similar old time movie houses throughout the country. Some, like the 1939 Varsity Theatre in Honolulu, Hawaii, the 75-year-old Nortown Theater in Chicago and the 65-year-old Belle Meade Theatre in Nashville, Tenn. have already been demolished by implosion or wrecking ball. Others, such as the 80-year-old Screenland Armour Theatre in Kansas City, Mo., or the Bijou Theatre in Lincoln City, Ore. were bought, renovated and refurbished, updated with modern amenities including new sound and video systems and VIP boxes, while maintaining the historical character of the building. The Boyd Theatre in Philadelphia, a dazzling 1928 masterpiece of art deco design and the setting of the world premiere of the Tom Hanks drama "Philadelphia," has seen several revivals through the years, yet its fate still hangs in limbo. Designated as one of America's 11 most-endangered Historical Places, it awaits a buyer, and bids are being accepted from those who would restore it, as well as those whose main objective is its destruction.

Aiken has witnessed the closing and destruction of many Myrtle Beach landmarks since his time here in the '70s. Of places like Sloppy Joes and Castle Dracula, Aiken says, "When I came back in the early '90s, I expected much of it would be gone, but I was still shocked by how much. It has taken some digging and real detective work to assemble some of the information on my site." He is pessimistic at the Rivoli's chances. "I'm sorry to say, but I think within a few years, the theater will be bulldozed like so many other places in town have been," he says.

But photographer/historian Thompson is not so sure. He has been instrumental in the renovation of the train depot, and enthusiastically speaks of the success of SXSE. He photographed the Rivoli the night it opened, just as he has photographed much of Myrtle Beach through the years, documenting the entire evolution of the town from its roots as a seasonal summer getaway to a year round destination. "If the right person came along, it could be done," he says, without any suggestions on whom that person might be. In the meantime, the Rivoli may see bits and pieces of its architecture and history incorporated into the convention center plan as a kind of tribute to the theater, such as happened with the creation of the Pavilion Nostalgia Park at Broadway at the Beach, as well as with the reassembling of the Myrtle Beach Colored School. While the site of the theater may well be demolished, its history would live on, albeit at a different location, and for some, that is good enough. For others, the lack of historical landmarks along the Grand Strand is a disturbing testament to the greed of developers, the short-sightedness of the city's past leadership, and a lack of respect for the community. "These are things that have entertained untold numbers of people for years, yet now they're gone, essentially forgotten,'' says Aiken.