The Rivoli Theatre brought Hollywood glitz, stars to Myrtle Beach. Remember Sharon Tate?
Since bursting into the zeitgeist on July 21, the “Barbie” movie has grossed more than $1.4 billion — a figure that continues to rise.
But one of the doll’s most iconic looks, the beach splashed surfer girl, was born out of the 1967 comedy “Don’t Make Waves.” Up and coming starlet Sharon Tate was cast as “Malibu.” Her flowing blond hair and toothy smile is credited as the basis for Barbie’s vacation attire.
Tate and co-star David Draper led a world premiere celebration of the film partially on June 9, 1967 at The Rivoli Theatre on Chester Street in downtown Myrtle Beach — headlining that year’s Sun Fun Festival.
Historian Kathryn Hedgepath, author of “Myrtle Beach Movies,” recounted the scene in a piece she published in July for VisitMyrtleBeach.com.
“There was a welcome message to the two co-stars on the Rivoli’s marquee. In addition, five rows of what appeared to be banner plane banners completely covering the front of building from the roof down to the marquee spelled out the announcement: WORLD PREMIERE / MARTIN RANSOHOFF’S / “DON’T MAKE WAVES” / SHARON TATE / DAVID DRAPER.
Hedgepath recounted a stage set up on the sidewalk in front of the theater’s entrance for pre-screening ceremonies that included all 16 contestants in that season’s Miss Waves’ pageant.
Days earlier, Tate visited the Myrtle Beach Air Force officer’s club, where photographs captured her laying a kiss on the amazed face of First Lt. Ralph E. McGeehan of the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing for his 24th birthday.
Between 1958 and the early 1980s, the 1,078-seat movie house with terrazzo floors and wood paneled walls was a mainstay of Myrtle Beach’s arts and culture scene.
It was constructed for just more than $400,000 and opened on Jan. 19, 1958, running Debbie Reynolds’ “This Happy Feeling” as its first show.
Reynolds visited Myrtle Beach in 2004 and signed a copy of the movie poster.
Kay Brown, of Myrtle Beach, recalls the price of admission for a weekend matinee.
“I’m so Myrtle Beach that I went to the Rivoli every Saturday morning with seven bottle caps to see the movies,” she said.
The theatre also was known for a pair of abstract male and female figures erected under its facade and designed by Gerard Tempest, father of the abstract spiritualism art movement who died in Myrtle Beach in 2009.
The consumer boom of the 1980s that saw major mutliplexes built into malls along with the rise of video stores and widespread availability of VCRS and home entertainment systems contributed to the Rivoli’s demise, but city officials in 1999 purchased the property for $750,000 in the hopes of converting it into a community theater.
Today, it’s home to Christian youth group Ground Zero.
