Victory Theater

The name of the theatre was changed to The Victory and was run by The Moses brothers untill it closed sometime in the early 60s. The manager was Josie D. who also worked relief at the Lane another Moses theater. The Victory had no air conditioning but placed large noisy fans in the back of the theater to help move the air around, anyone remember that? They alsp had a projectionist with a drinking problem so many a show was run either out of sequence and even upside down. Ah the good ole days

On another theatre page some of us were discussing poor projection and projectionist with substance abuse problems that ruined shows. I am reminded of a story that took place at the Victory.
In the late 50s I did some projection relief work for the Moses brothers both at the Victory and Lane theatres on Staten Island.
One afternoon, I received a phone call from a very frantic theatre manager at the Victory, while I do not recall her exact words, it went something like this:
“Vito, it’s Josie, Johnny is drunk again and I don’t know what to do. First the news came on, then the cartoon came on and now the news is on again, I don’t know what is coming on next!”
So I rushed down to the theatre to find Josie surrounded by annoyed patrons and trying to give refunds to a Saturday afternoon crowed of mostly kids.
I rushed up to the booth and found Johnny, who was barely able to stand up, I said to him “OK John your relief is here go rest a while in Josie’s office”. Sadly, that was a situation that happened from tome to time in those lonely projection booths, when the only company a man had were his friends Jim Bean and Johnny Walker.
Well I got things going again, Josie bought me dinner, and there was an extra $5 in my pay packet that week.
Hey ...five bucks was a lot in those days.
I just want to tell all of those reading this that Elias Moses, who along with his brother Charles, owned and ran the Victory, Lane and Stand, was a great man to work for; he always looked out for and appreciated loyal employees.

This is a small photo of the Victory Theater.

I remember in the late '50's - early '60's the Victory always showed the same movies as the Lane. My grandmother lived a block away, so whenever i would visit, a trip to the Victory was in order. The one movie I distinctly remember seeing there was "The Magnificent Seven."

Yes larry, the Victory would often play day and date with the lane.
The Moses brothers owned four theates during that time.
Lane, in New Dorp
Victory, in Tompkinsville
Strand, in Great Kills
New Dorp,(which was also called the Staten. or "the Itch")

As a kid in High School I worked as an usher at the Lane,
and did the marquee changes at both the Lane and Victory.
In my senior year, in addition to working for Mr.Moses,I started working for Fabian at the Paramount in Stapelton.
Sadly, all those theatres are gone now.

I remember going to the Victory theater to see my first movies as a kid - "Pinocchio" and "Darby O'Gill and the Little People." We lived in the area than, and we walked to the theater. I still ride by the theater on a bus twice a day.