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.
