Bijou Fans Speak Up

Those of us here at The Bijou Blog pay attention to your comments on our posts and appreciate the feedback we have received so far. Meanwhile, we’re also monitoring what’s being said elsewhere in cyberspace. The original Matinee at the Bijou, which aired on PBS more than two decades ago, still has countless fans, many of whom were quite young when they first discovered the show. What follows is a partial sampling of comments from other Web sites by fans of the old show … and the new one.

“I enjoyed Matinee at the Bijou on my local PBS station at the grand old age of eight. It was my first introduction to Bosko cartoons, for which I'll forever be grateful!” - David Gerstion

“I always liked the serials best, both because I just liked the cheesy damn things and because there wasn't any other place to see them in those days … I got the word earlier today that Matinee at the Bijou is coming back. The producers of the new Bijou have a blog and are promising to be back on the airwaves by fall of next year, with Debbie Reynolds (Princess Leia's mom!) as host … This news has really put a smile on my face today... I'll be watching for this one.” - Jason Bennion

“Matinee at the Bijou … This brings back pleasant memories of when I was a kid sick at home, and this was the only decent thing to watch on TV during the afternoon Each episode had a short subject, a serial, a cartoon, and an old movie (which my fever-stupored brain rarely let me see the end of.) If I was really lucky it was a Laurel and Hardy movie (which can do a REAL number on the sickly delirious mind...) Good times.” - "Amethyst" at Agony Booth Forums

“When I was a kid, I absolutely loved Matinee At The Bijou, a program on PBS that showed a theatrical lineup from the middle 20th century, including a newsreel, a cartoon, a short subject, and a movie (sometimes even doing an A Picture and a B Picture). The show is back in 2007 with Debbie Reynolds hosting. I'm particularly excited about getting to see Boris Karloff in British Intelligence.” - Kevin Church

“For a seven- or eight-year old boy, it was like heaven. Nothing was cooler than Zorro or Flash or Buck. Usually I would get bored with the full-length movie, but during the newsreels I would ask my mom questions about FDR or the war or what-have-you, laugh through the cartoon, and watch the adventure stories with excitement. When they showed the original Bela Lugosi "Dracula" around Halloween, I was hooked, and have loved vampires ever since. I miss that show. But! PBS is bring it back. In HD, apparrently. I may have to get HD from DirectTV just for this". "Mattbear" at The Inexcusable

“Ahh, Matinee at the Bijou. If Saturday afternoon was rainy or too cold to enjoy, I was guaranteed to be camped out in front of local PBS affiliate channel 15 for Matinee at the Bijou. I loved it. Matinee at the Bijou was as faithful a recreation of going to a movie theater when movie theaters were worth going to as you could get from television. They always showed a serial -- Flash Gordon, Radar Men from the Moon, old Batman serials where Batman drives a regular sedan and punches out Japanese spies, or the thing where Bela Lugosi bosses around that ugly robot. Phantom Creeps, wasn't it?” -"Keith" at Teleport City

“I think this may have been when I first got a taste of old films, cause I remember watching it when I was but a wee lad enrolled at the hippie elementary school. It was a weekend show on PBS, and it pretty much was a bill of fare as would have been seen at a movie theatre back in the 1930s and 40s. They'd show an episode of a serial, a newsreel, maybe a comedy short, and a feature film. Well, apparently it's coming back next year and Debbie Reynolds will be hosting. That's awesome.” - "derspatchel" at Live Journal

Cartoons At The Bijou

Who can resist a great cartoon? Whether crafted to be hysterically funny or charming cinematic poetry - the cartoon is a unique art form. American cartoonists were at their creative zenith during the 1930s, 40s and 50s, and Matinee at the Bijou is dedicated to bringing back the matinee movie-going experiences of those bygone days.

Bijou Bob and the crew are currently screening and considering many hours of animated gems for inclusion in the sequel series. Savvy fans of the original series know that due to budget constraints, all of the cartoons, shorts, serials and features had to be public domain. The sequel series has a serious budget that permits licensing many of our films from the major studios, as well as independent and private collections. Which means you’ll be able to see some of the best cartoons ever made, and in HD.

Of course, Matinee at the Bijou will continue to feature a selection of rare and rarely seen public domain cartoons. But these will be limited to such classic toons as POOR CINDERELLA, starring Bijou Bob’s favorite vamp, Betty Boop. This is the only Betty Boop cartoon produced in color (the Cinecolor process).

Also new and different with the sequel series, is that fans - as well as the newly initiated - will have the opportunity to contribute to the programming process. When it comes to the cartoons we’ll be showing, Bijou Bob wants to know what *you* want to see. In the weeks and months ahead we will be seeking your participation in the selection process. Tell us about some of your favorite cartoons, cartoon characters, and cartoon directors - Tex Avery or Bob Clampett, for example - and we’ll be listening. Meanwhile, Bijou Bob will soon be posting clips from the sequel series on YouTube as well. So be sure to watch for them in the new year.

Classics From Poverty Row

Any lover of classic movies knows what to expect when the picture begins with a roaring lion, a statuesque lady holding a torch, or a small airplane circumnavigating the globe – that is; big budgets, big stars and guaranteed pleasure. However, in Bijou Bob’s humble opinion, some of the most fascinating films ever made originated not only from the major studios, but also from the dozens of small, less distinguished, independent studios. Most were located near Hollywood’s Gower Street and Sunset Boulevard – and are affectionately known today as the “Poverty Row Studios.”

These low-rent dream factories - with names like Republic, Monogram, Mascot, PRC, Grand National, Chesterfield, Majestic and Tiffany – all had their own logos, often their own sound stages and back lots. And they all had one thing in common; they all operated on a shoestring – with a tiny fraction of major studio budgets. The B in B-movies stands for “Budget,” meaning “low-budget,” and for three decades these studios cranked out hundreds of movies a year on production schedules ranging from a few days to a week.


Through various corporate permutations, Republic and Monogram (later Allied Artists) survived the longest. Republic was known for its bigger stars, its great outdoor sagas - and especially its wonderful and exciting serials. Monogram was best known for its movie series, such as Charlie Chan, The Cisco Kid, The Eastside Kids (later The Bowery Boys), The Range Busters, Mr. Wong, Bomba, the Jungle Boy and many others. Monogram also introduced the world to John Wayne, in an early series of “Lone Star” westerns.

Other Poverty Row studios - such as PRC (Producers Releasing Corporation) delivered a mixed and eccentric bag of cinematic chestnuts. The output ranged from the film noir classic “Detour,” the Oscar™ nominated (for music) “Minstrel Man” -- to a string of horrible horror-movie quickies and comedy non-classics. PRC at one point had to endure the unfortunate alter-acronym Pretty Rotten Crap foisted on the studio by an unappreciative critic.

Then television emerged, which hastened the break up of the studio system and sealed the fate of the “golden age” of Poverty Row. Independent production continued, of course, with studios such as American-International and with visionary producers such as Roger Corman. Matinee at the Bijou will showcase the best of these films.

In future blogs, Bijou Bob will shine the spotlight on other studios with homes on Poverty Row. Meanwhile, the Bijou crew is busy screening many Poverty Row contenders for future seasons, while widening the search for the best and rarest of surviving B-Movie gems.

Bijou Bob Answers Back

We really appreciate the reception you’ve given The Bijou Blog, and all the thoughtful input you’ve provided. Comments left on each of our posts often come with questions, and this is an opportunity to provide some answers.

One fan asks when in 2007 will the new series begin, and another noted that his TIVO has no clue about the show and also wonders when it will start broadcasting. The short and simple answer is that the Matinee at the Bijou team is currently seeking sponsorship. PBS has given the green light to the sequel series and is assisting in the sponsor search. As soon as that task is complete we’ll have a firm date for the series’ debut.

“Robert” wants to know if Matinee will air on KAET in Arizona. KAET is based in Phoenix on the campus of Arizona State University and covers 80% of the great state of Arizona. Once the show is funded and produced, PBS will feed the series each week to virtually all its affiliate stations throughout North America. We’re looking forward to bringing our unique content, including a cartoon, a short subject, a serial chapter, and a feature film, to our friends in Arizona and the rest of the country.

Another enthusiast asks whether we plan to show just public domain stuff or will we be including other material as well. This shows you folks are paying attention out there! The original Matinee at the Bijou which first aired back in the early 1980’s did indeed use only films that were in the public domain. However, the sequel series will be a mix of public domain and non-public domain films from private collections, independent studios, and some from the major studios. This will give viewers the advantage of seeing a much wider variety of entertaining film treats than ever before, and all in HD.

One alert commenter noted that we left Singin’ in the Rain out of the piece on our host Debbie Reynolds. OK, our bad. Certainly it’s one of America’s best-loved movies of all time, and it gave Debbie an illustrious beginning to what turned out to be a legendary (and still busy) career. One interesting item about the 1952 classic is that despite its enduring status as an all-time classic and groundbreaking cinematic masterpiece, it only earned two minor Oscar nominations (for supporting actress Jean Hagen and musical score by Lennie Hayton). More than a half-century later, Singin’ in the Rain is ranked as one of the greatest films ever, higher than all the movies that were nominated for best picture that year. The American Film Institute named it the number one movie musical of all time!

Bijou Bob thanks everyone for the comments and questions. We will continue to monitor the blog and will do our best to answer questions as they come up. Keep ’em coming, folks! With your help, the Matinee at the Bijou buzz is building, and the louder the buzz gets the sooner we’ll find that sponsor we need to get back on the air.

A Bijou Flashback

TV shows are produced mostly in Los Angeles, New York and Canada. So how did a television series from Oregon become one of the most popular shows on PBS? The tale spans a quarter century. Matinee at the Bijou first hit the tube in 1980, when two entrepreneurial film junkies from Oregon pitched the idea to PBS. Their vision was to bring back the pre-1960 movie matinee experience exactly as it was, when the trip included a cartoon, short, serial and feature. PBS embraced the concept and Matinee At The Bijou became one of the network’s top rated series throughout the 80s, sometimes rated among the top ten shows on PBS.

Bob Campbell, one of the creators, acquired the rights from his partner in 1982 and shepherded the series through five consecutive seasons. In the mid 90s, TV Matters, a Netherlands-based company, acquired the broadcast rights to the original episodes, gave the series a makeover, and re-edited the original 80 shows into 52 fresh episodes for a second time around on select PBS stations. Two new serials were added for the new versions and audiences once again raved and returned for more.

Fast forward to 2006. PBS has given the green light to a sequel series and is assisting in the search for show sponsors. Campbell has reunited much of the original team, including the director, editor, and songwriter – and added three distinguished film collectors with substantial film resources and access to rarely seen gems. (There will be more about these gentlemen in a future post.)

Best news of all is that the great Debbie Reynolds, the star of Singin’ in the Rain, is joining Matinee at the Bijou as our host. Ms. Reynolds will also be singing the new Bijou theme song, penned by Rich Mendoza, who wrote the original Rudy Vallee theme. Our fully digital Oregon production house (COBI DIGITAL HD) is geared up with all the latest HD technology and work is underway on the film selection process, production design, and spreading the word that BIJOU IS BACK.