TALE-8: Missouri Valley’s Nabe
By Lee Zion
Editor
Missouri Valley has something few towns in the surrounding area share — a nabe.
A nabe is an old, slangy term for a neighborhood movie theater. That’s the perfect description for the Rialto Theater, just down the street from the newspaper office. The Rialto began its life as the Palm Theater in 1911. That was 115 years ago.
The nearest movie theater outside of MissouriValley, to the east, is The Phoenix in Neola, about 20 miles away. To the north is The Iowa in Onawa, about 40 miles away. To the south is the AMC 17 in Council Bluffs, about 25 miles away. To the west is the Fremont Theater in Fremont, Neb., which is 40 miles away. You can either spend $11 on gasoline to get there, or you can stay in town. In my case, I walk there, which means I’m not taking up a parking space.
Once upon a time, there was a three-screen theater in Blair, Neb., which is a lot closer than the other four theaters I mentioned. But that closed down about three years ago. Blair, which has a population more than three times the size of Missouri Valley, couldn’t find enough people who care about moviegoing to continue the tradition. Whereas the Rialto remains successful.
The movie running right now is “Spiderman.” And, while I was at the theater, I saw a wide variety of people. Young kids, showing up for the spectacle of Spidey battling red-clad ninjas mind-controlled by Jean Grey. Senior citizens were also there, presumably for the same reason.
The mix in the movie theater crowd fascinated me. Those youngsters will grow up with fond memories of the theater. Despite this modern love for movies delivered over the Internet, people here still value movie theaters, and the communal experience they create. These children will look back, thirty years from now, with fond memories of the Rialto Theater.
And it’s that crowd, along with amazingly reasonable ticket and concession prices, that will keep the theater going well into the 22nd century.
The latest wrinkle in the history of this old theater is it will soon get a new sign. The theater has a Facebook post that promises that new digital signboards will be installed on the marquee. The post notes that installing 2026 fixtures on a 1930s marque will be a challenge.
“Don’t worry, we are KEEPING the neon!” The Facebook post states.
I can only hope that 115 years from now, in 2141, the theater will still be here. I also hope that this current crop of youngsters will bring their children and grandchildren.
