History of the Bijou Theater - New York
The smallest of the Broadway theaters opened by the Shuberts, the Bijou, which
sat a little over 600, was situated between the Morosco and Astor Theatres, and
was designed by the Shubert Brothers' house architect, Herbert J. Krapp.
Designed in refined Louis XVI style inside, featuring an original color scheme
of blue, ivory and gold in its auditorium, the Bijou was planned as the Theatre
Francais, and was to have featured French stage classics, but at the last
moment, that idea was scrapped, though the French-themed decor remained.
The Bijou opened in 1917 and featured legitimate theater, and continued to serve
in this capacity until 1935, when it switched to an all-cartoon movie format,
but only briefly, since by 1936, it had returned to legitimate theater. In 1937,
it once again was a movie house, but by the end of the same year, was closed.
It remained dark until 1943, when it once more hosted legitimate fare. From
1947-53, movies returned again, followed by another six years staging legitimate
theater.
In 1959, when the next-door Astor was being remodeled and enlarged, it required
cutting into the Bijou's auditorium and part of its stage, reducing seating to
around 300.
The smaller theater reopened in 1962 with its first name change in its history,
the D.W. Griffith, which screened art films. A year later, the theater was
renamed again, as the Toho Cinema, and featured Japanese films.
First-run features returned in 1965, along with the theater's original name, and
continued until 1970, when legimate theater once again made a comeback, although
just as quickly, so did movies. During the early-to-mid 70s, both live and
screen entertainment alternated every year or so at the Bijou, until 1977, when
stage shows returned until the Bijou closed in 1981.
A year later, it, along with the Morosco, Astor and a couple other theaters,
were all razed to clear the way for a new hotel.
Contributed by Bryan Krefft