Bijou Theatre (Manhattan, 1917)

Not to be confused with Bijou Theatre (Manhattan, 1878).
"Toho Cinema" redirects here. For the Japanese movie theater company, see Toho Cinemas.
209 West 45th Street
209 W. 45th St.
Interactive map of the 209 West 45th Street area
General information
Location209 West 45th Street (Manhattan), New York City, New York, U.S.
Coordinates40°45′30.5″N 73°59′10.5″W / 40.758472°N 73.986250°W / 40.758472; -73.986250
Opened1917 (1917)
Demolished1982 (1982)

The Bijou Theatre was a former Broadway theater in New York City that opened in 1917 and was demolished in 1982. It was built by the Shubert family in 1917 at 209 West 45th Street, and was the smallest of the houses they operated with a capacity of 603.[1][2] Although it did not keep the planned name of the Theatre Francais, it retained its French decor.[1] It was one of three theaters that hosted the premiere season of the musical Fancy Free—but primarily it presented plays by many writers, including Sacha Guitry, John Galsworthy, A. A. Milne, James M. Barrie, Herman J. Mankiewicz, Leslie Howard, Anton Chekhov, Henrik Ibsen, Luigi Pirandello, Graham Greene, Eugene O'Neill, William Saroyan, and Seán O'Casey.[3]

The Oscar-winning British film The Red Shoes played the Bijou for 107 weeks, from October 21, 1948, to November 13, 1950. Starting on November 16, 1950, as the Bijou, it hosted the film Cyrano de Bergerac, starring José Ferrer.[4]

In 1951, it became a CBS radio studio, then—as the D. W. Griffith Theatre—it presented art films, and was subsequently reduced in size due to the expansion of the adjacent Astor Theatre.[1] From January 22, 1963 until June 7, 1965, it operated as the Toho Cinema, showing Japanese films, the first being Akira Kurosawa's The Bad Sleep Well (1960).[5] It was reinstated as the Bijou Theatre in 1965, and was home to arguably its largest hit—Mummenschanz[6]—but was demolished in 1982 to make room for the Marriott Marquis Hotel.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bijou Theatre (Manhattan, 1917).
  1. ^ a b c "Bijou Theatre in New York, NY - Cinema Treasures". cinematreasures.org. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  2. ^ The New York Times. April 13, 1917
  3. ^ Barrows, Roger E. (June 12, 2019). The Traveling Chautauqua: Caravans of Culture in Early 20th Century America. McFarland. pp. 199–200. ISBN 978-1-4766-3714-3.
  4. ^ The New York Times. November 17, 1950
  5. ^ Weiler, A.H. (May 31, 1965). "TOHO CINEMA ENDS SHOWINGS JUNE 7; Japanese Film Theater Will Close After 28-Month Trial". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522.
  6. ^ Neuner, Allen (September 2, 2021). "Tales of Broadway: One theatre for the price of five". Out In Jersey. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
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