Victory Theatre

208 E. 2nd Street,
Tilden, NE 68781

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Additional Info

Functions: Bowling Alley

Previous Names: Gem Theatre, Auditorium Theatre, Tilden Theatre

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The Gem Theatre launched November 20, 1912 as a silent motion picture theatre. By 1926 it had been renamed Auditorium Theatre. The theatre transitioned to sound and was refreshed. By 1937 it had been renamed Tilden Theatre. On November 1, 1939, the theatre was badly damaged in a fire. Repairs were carried out and it reopened as the Victory Theatre in 1943. It was closed on June 11, 1957 but reopened on August 15, 1957. It had its final performance on August 27, 1961 when a first gutted the auditorium the following morning. By 1962 it had been converted into a bowling alley.

Contributed by dallasmovietheaters

Recent comments (view all 2 comments)

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on March 4, 2018 at 4:50 pm

There was a theater operating at Tilden in 1944, though this item from the March 4 issue of Motion Picture Herald doesn’t give its name:

“Sells Nebraska House

“Melvin Krouse has sold his theatre at Tilden, Neb., to M. T. Rethwisch, of Tilden.”

This web page has the obituary of Jean Margaret Rethwisch, M. T.’s wife, which says that the Rethwischs operated the Victory Theatre in Tilden from 1943 to 1962. I don’t know if the Victory was the Tilden rebuilt or a new theater opened after the Tilden burned.

The obituary also says that the Rethwischs were partners with another couple in operating the Tilden Bowl from 1962 until 1984, so it’s possible that the Victory was converted into a bowling alley when the theater business declined. Tilden still has a bowling alley, Bob’s Bowling, at 208 E. 2nd Street (the main commercial streets on the map in Tilden are Center Street, running north and south, and 2nd Street, running east and west, but the City of Tilden calls 2nd Street Main Street.) Bob’s has only four lanes, so is probably in a building about the same width as a 200-seat movie house would occupy.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters on August 6, 2020 at 8:22 am

Television challenged the Victory Theatre which had a period of closure when Millard Rethwisch closed it on June 11, 1957. But, apparently, Millard’s wife said she would run the place when it had its relaunch on August 15, 1957. However, the theater’s final show was August 27, 1961 when a fire gutted the auditorium on the morning of August 28, 1961. The Victory was a loss.

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