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Victory Drive-In

13037 Victory Blvd. North Hollywood (Los Angeles), CA 91606 | map |

Opened: May 25, 1949 with "My Dream Is Yours" and "Ma & Pa Kettle." It was on the north side of the street just west of Coldwater Canyon Ave. The Victory was owned by Sero Amusement. The 1977 photo by John Margolies is in the Library of Congress collection. "Never a Dull Moment" was a June 1968 release. "The Man Who Skied Down Everest" was out in 1975.

Architect: William Glenn Balch. The mural on the screen tower was painted by Peter Kerasiotis.

Capacity: 650 cars

An item from the May 30, 1949 issue of the Van Nuys News:

"Victory Theater, the Valley’s newest drive-in motion picture house, formally opened Wednesday night after Mayor Fletcher Bowron officiated at ribbon-cutting rites, which featured such radio and screen luminaries as Andy Devine, Joan Leslie, Doris Day, Alan Young, Beryl Davis, Peter Potter and Ken Miles.

"Located on Victory Blvd, just west of Coldwater Canyon Ave., the lavish 12-acre automobile-hosting theater introduced an alert array of employees prepared to take care of every customer need, from car repairing to baby bottle warming. Also housing a snack bar and 400 seats, the Victory featured a preview of 'My Dream Is Yours' with Jack Carson and Doris Day as its opening billing.

"Head of the new enterprise is William Oldknow, 24, whose grandfather erected the third film theater in the nation. Oldknow recently wed Constantina Skouras, niece of Dimitrio Skouras, head of Fox West Coast Theaters." 

Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the article. 

Beginning in 1954 the Victory started appearing in the Pacific Theatres ads. John Rossi comments: 

"My stepfather was the relief manager and assistant manager from 1957 - the closing in 1977. Sero Amusement owned the Victory and the Gilmore in Los Angeles until they closed... they only booked and advertised under Pacific Theatres."

Closing: February 14, 1977. Richard Stegman, Jr. notes that the final films were "Bound For Glory" and "Aloha, Bobby and Rose" as its last features. The latter was a movie about the Valley.

Status: It's been demolished. There's now a shopping center on the site.



1949 - Thanks to contributor Senorsock for finding this early view for a post on Cinema Treasures.  


1949 - The Victory running "Sitting Pretty" from 1948 and "Mother Wore Tights," a 1947 release. The photo is in the Hollywood Historic Photos collection.  

Bruce Kimmel comments: "For those wondering about the date of the photo: this double bill was reissued in June 1949 and theater-hopped for the next four months. It played the Victory Drive-In the first week of August 1949."
 
 

1957 - Cornel Wilde and Jean Wallace arriving at the world premiere in October. It's a photo from Marc Wanamaker's Bison Archives.
 

1957 - Some of the ballyhoo for "Devil's Hairpin." The photo was shared on the webpage of the Mission Tiki Drive-In. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for spotting it there and including it in a post on the Ken's Movie Page Facebook group. 
 

1957 - Another "Devil's Hairpin" shot from the Mission Tiki archives.

 
1964 - A view looking northeast by Howard D. Kelly from the Los Angeles Public Library collection. That's Victory Blvd at the bottom and the Tujunga flood control wash on the left.
 

1973 - A photo taken by Steve Fitch appearing on the site 1st Dibs. Thanks to Michael Kilgore for identifying the photographer.


1977 - A photo by John Margolies from the Library of Congress collection. There's more about the photos of Mr. Margolies on the site Picryl. The LOC also has a page on the John Margolies Roadside America Photograph Archive.  


 
1977 - A post-closing view appearing with an article about the theatre by Karl Gerber on the site Vintage LA.  
 

1978 - A photo by Elisa Leonelli. It's on Calisphere from the Claremont Colleges collection. 

The Victory in the Movies: The drive-in makes an appearance in the musical film "Ski Party" (American International, 1965) in a scene where Frankie Avalon and Dwayne Hickman take their dates to the movies. Thanks to George Haider for the data.

More information: See the Cinema Treasures page about the Victory. 

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3 comments:

  1. AnonymousApril 13, 2024 at 8:16 PM

    The movie on the sign says “Never a Dull Moment”… a 1968 movie…. So why does your post say the photo was a decade later in the 970s?

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    Replies
    1. B CounterApril 13, 2024 at 9:34 PM

      Well, sloppiness. I didn't look up the film title. And the fact that the esteemed institution that has the photo in their collection, the Library of Congress, gave it a 1977 date. It's curious that they had a "new stores for lease" sign out in front so many years before it actually closed, don't you think? Did you figure out that "Everest" title that was the 2nd feature? I fixed up the text a bit. Thanks.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousJuly 4, 2024 at 12:45 PM

    The Victory Theater plays a key role in the 1967 S02E15 episode of "The FBI".
    Considering the era and the subject matter, The Victory turns in a nuanced and evocative performance.

    Also, "The Raid" involves an FBI agent shooting from on top of the giant screen. You have to wonder if Bogdanovich saw this before finishing "Targets"...

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