Victory Theatre

208 E. 2nd Street,
Tilden, NE 68781

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dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters on August 6, 2020 at 1:22 pm

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.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on March 4, 2018 at 9:50 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.