The Ratto Theatre, Sutter Creek, California

John Ratto began construction on the theatre in 1919. Prior to this, he was known to operate a mobile movie showing going back and forth between Jackson, Ione, Sutter Creek, and plymouth. The building was built by S.F. Proto in Italian design. John Ratto opened his first showing here on March 5, 1920 believed to show the silent movie D. W. Griffiths' Hearts of the World, starring Lillian Gish.

Records show that John Ratto was a big topic with the county and city administrators, as he operated his moving shows from town to town.

Excerpt Ledger Dispatch - Dec, 11, 1908
By reference to proceedings of the board of supervisors, published elsewhere in this issue, it will be noticed that a free license for a period of three months was granted to John Ratto. There is no explanation of this action given, and it will undoubtedly call forth considerable adverse comment. Whether the board of supervisors has authority on a simple order, to nullify their own ordinance, for the special benefit of a favored individual, is open to question. But whether they have or have not such power, it is unquestioned that such authority should be exercised only in extreme cases. No legislative body appears to advantage when it undertakes to trifle with laws of its own making. In this particular case the particular license fee annulled was for conducting a show, which under the county ordinance calls for the sum of $2.50 per night, or $10 per week. The party favored is engaged in the show business in Jackson, paying a license of $25 per quarter for conducting a moving picture business.

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Information, photographs courtesy of the Amador County Archives, The Historical Marker Database, and the Chronicling America Database