Bijou Theatre

If anyone has any stories about going to/ working at this threatre in its adult days, I would love to hear them. I am chronicling the histories of adult theatres in the US. Please contact me at Thanks!

It bears mentioning that during the late 90s / early 2000s there was a resident theatre company operating out of the Bijou, which performed such shows as Little Shop of Horrors, Evita, Ain’t Misbehavin', etc. It was a thrill to perform on this historic stage which has seen luminaries such as the Marx Brothers, Lily Pons, JP Sousa, Will Rodgers and more!

As schoolboys in the early 1950s a close pal and I often walked across Gay Street Bridge to see movies at the Bijou. Our all-time favorite was Lure of the Wilderness (1952), starring the always beautiful Jeffrey Hunter (we went back for this one a second time). The Bijou regularly held over films after their initial runs at the majestic Tennessee just up the street. Admissions here were cheaper, and for watching movies we appreciated the Bijou’s comfortable elegance over the Tennessee’s oppressive grandeur. I’ll always remember the sight of that forlorn dark brown stairway climbing up the exterior of the north side to a second balcony reserved for blacks. It was, though, probably the only place in the city where blacks could gain access to Hollywood studio product.

Chuck 1231.I don’t know how you do it. thanks.

As Will mentioned above, the Bijou recently received a new marquee and vertical sign. Both are poor designs. The marquee looks like three commercial retail signs bolted together at the corners. A view of that beautiful entry arch (in the image above) has been obliterated. It’s doubtful any architect was involved, and astonishing that this design made it through what is usually a very demanding downtown historic preservation process. As an architect, I’m sure a fine design could have been produced within the budget, but, alas, it seems like no one tried ..

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Here are comments about the Bijou I recently wrote for the (now defunct) Knoxville Voice:

While the restored Tennessee Theatre, our grand movie palace, has hosted the bigger events, the honor of being the house of choice for music lovers goes to the Bijou. The theater opened its doors in 1909 and, over the years, served as a vaudeville hall, an opera house and movie theater. Its classical interior design was typical of the period, copying the elegant “legitimate” theaters on and near Broadway that were venues for vaudeville as well as dramatic plays and musical productions.

Attending a performance in this 700-seat gem is a visual and aural treat. Sightlines are near-perfect – wherever you sit, you never feel too far off to the side or distant from the stage. At the Tennessee Shines show, I sat in the last row of the balcony, just in front of the gallery seats, and was astonished when, at the prompting of ON THE AIR and APPLAUSE signs, the curtain lifted upward to reveal the stage. It seemed like I was very close to the performers. Because of its size and configuration (it’s practically a cube), the acoustic quality of the place is superb. String quartet or string band, Sweeney Todd or a rock group, everything sounds right, not too loud or soft. By design, the room itself is a fine musical instrument.

What I like most about the Bijou, though, is its mustiness, its not having been over-restored, just modestly renovated (by local architects Brewer Ingram Fuller between 1998 and 2005) to be functional, clean and comfortable. A new roof, fresh paint, clean carpet and upholstery can do wonders. A building whose age and quality is seen and felt, the skill and craftsmanship of its builders and thoughtful good taste and expertise of its unknown architects are embedded in every surface and space.

This theatre was mentioned in today’s New York Times, Arts Section in relation to the Big Ears Festival. This theater it says, has 700 seats and is managed and operated by Mr. Capps’s company, AC Entertainment as well as the nearby Tennessee Theatre. The author says the Bijou is one of the best sounding rooms he’s experienced in the country. Apparently, he hasn’t been elsewhere.

The Bijou just got its new vertical sign and marquee. Looking good!

This is the website for the Bijou Theater.

I hope he flushed when he was finished.

This website has some photos, history and some ectoplasm. :)

Here is a further link with a fairly comprehensive list of pre-1950 theatres in Knoxville. His comments listed as the Auditorium and Bijous are particularly interesting.

http://www.knology.net/~ronallen/Theaters.htm