Victory Theatre

909 Sonoma Boulevard,
Vallejo, CA 94590

Unfavorite No one has favorited this theater yet

Showing 3 comments

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES on January 26, 2025 at 5:13 pm

The Victory Theatre opened its doors on December 16, 1942 with Abbott & Costello in “Who Done It?” along with the Walter Lantz cartoon “Boogie Woogie Sioux”, the short “Double Talk Girl”, and a newsreel.

It was renamed the Esquire Theatre on January 22, 1948, and closed later that same year.

Prof David Ducay
Prof David Ducay on December 4, 2013 at 8:06 pm

I believe you are correct, although Syufy started to get into the Drive-In business in the early 1950s.

Rita – Took over this theatre in 1940 (previous owner did not finish building), was located on Solano Ave. at Georgia St. Central, 1 screen, 695 seats – later added to 912 seats. (first theatre Synfy owned)

Victory – Open 1942, 909 Sonoma Blvd and Chestnut, 1 screen, 700 seats.

El Rey – Open 1949, 910 Tennessee St., 1 screen later 3 screens, 575 seats.

Drive-In’s:

Island Auto movie Drive-In, Alameda – Open 1950 Synfy, Closed 1991

El Rancho Drive-In, San Pablo, Richmond – Open 1951 Homer Gray, 1953 by Richmond drive-in Inc. & Syufy

Geneva 4 Drive-In, Daily City – Open 1950 Synfy, Closed

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on October 4, 2013 at 3:34 pm

The January 5, 1943, issue of The Film Daily had this item:

“Vallejo, Calif. — After a four-month delay due to the Government’s construction ban, Ray Syufy’s $30,000 Victory Theater here has been completed and opened. It is Syufy’s second house in this bustling Navy town. Permission to complete the stand was granted by the Government because work had been started prior to the restrictions on building.”
The first Rita Theatre must have been the other Syufy house referred to in the item.