By Tim Bousquet
April 29, 2004
Due in part to his stewardship of the 84-year-old Rialto Theater in downtown Searcy, Victor Weber was recognized by the Tri-State Independent Theater Owners Association last week as the "exhibitor of the year" in Arkansas.
Weber began his career 50 years ago as owner of the
Kensett Theater, and has been showing films continuously somewhere in Arkansas ever since.
"When I was a little boy I loved movies to the point where I was a little
weird about it," said Weber. "I remember coming home one Saturday afternoon from the movie theater and my father said, 'you love those blankety-blank movies so much, why don't you get yourself one?"'
So he did, and how.
Weber served in the military in Korea, and on his return, on The Daily Citizen March 27, 1954, he purchased the Kensett Theater.
He was 24 years old.
He went on to buy theaters in Lonoke, Beebe, Des Arc, Heber the Tri-State Independent Springs, Bald Knob and Theater Owners Association last McCrory, among other places.
"Television was already year" in Arkansas. beginning to rear its ugly head," he said. "I hit on the idea of years ago as
owner of the buying up closed up theaters,
and I would show movies just on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Kensett Theater, and has been just week as the "exhibitor of the
"Then I had another idea. In Kensett and McCrory I booked religious movies
- I started with 'I Climbed the Highest Mountain' and 'Stars in My Crown'
- and showed them as double features on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday."
Weber laughs when he recalls his "The Heat Meets the Beat" why don't you get yourself double feature of Jayne Mansfield one?"' in 'The Girl Can't Help It" and Elvis Presley in "Jail House Rock."
That was a stroke of genius," he said.
Taking over the management of the Rialto was a recent career move for Weber.
"I had more than I could say grace over," he explained. "And
I sold everything but the Heber Springs theater. But every time I passed the Rialto I thought how lonely it looked, and I would hate to see that old theater come down.
The Rialto was willed to the city of Searcy upon the death of John E. Lightle in the 1980s, and the city continues to own it. But after several failed ventures, the city agreed to lease it to Weber at just $175 a month, with the stipulation that Weber would keep it as a theater and would be responsible for the upkeep of the building.
"We're, trying to make it a clean theater," Weber said. "We put in new bathroom equipment, and some Harding students are coming over to help us clean it up."
Weber hasn't shown R-rated movies at the Rialto "in years and years," but will break his own policy soon when he opens
with "The Passion of The Christ."
"Victor is an honest, Christian guy," said Fred Blank, president of the association. "He's more concerned with the customers than with the bottom line
"He's put quite an investment into his theaters lately. When he knew 'The Passion of The Christ' was coming, he asked me to help him do whatever it takes to make presentation perfect."
"In this business," said Blank, "an operator can be either an exhibitor or a showman who takes real pride in his theaters and his shows. Victor is a showman."