Bijou-Roxy-Ritz Cinemas
2820 Vine Street,
Cincinnati,
OH
45219
2820 Vine Street,
Cincinnati,
OH
45219
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The Bijou Roxy Ritz suffered a famous raid by Cincinnati’s Vice Squad in 1977.
The triple-threat theater specialized in a mix of arthouse films, midnight cult movies, and second-run features. It also featured a bar. Patrons were permitted to carry cocktails into viewing areas, an unusual amenity for its day.
Trouble began after the cinema booked 𝐶𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑎 2000, a sci-fi comedy directed by schlockmeister Al Adamson. Because the movie contained nudity and suggestive themes, it was rated R (or in some markets, self-applied an X-rating for marketing purposes, though it wasn’t a hardcore film).
This led Cincinnati’s Vice Squad to bust the theater under an old ordinance prohibiting adult films being shown where liquor was served. Although the law’s original intent was to prohibit taverns from showing stag films, city officials applied it rigidly to the Bijou Roxy Ritz.
Charges resulted in the theater having to pay a nuisance fine, but the city’s trump card was the future threat to the theater’s liquor license if it continued showing films with “provocative” or softcore content.
Regardless of whether the theater became more circumspect in its bookings as a result, it closed the following year, citing lack of business.
This opened on July 2nd, 1976, and closed in November 1978.
Grand opening ad posted.
Looks like the church has left, and it’s been reconfigured into a nightclub again, and they’re even calling it Top Cats as it was known back in the ‘80s:
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/nightlife/bars-and-clubs/2018/08/02/top-cats-classic-short-vine-music-venue-make-comeback-month/887667002/
I went to these theatres one time to see “Nashville”. The whole experience reminded me of watching a movie in someone’s basement. The theatres were very tunnelish and the screens went from wall to wall. I am glad I saw the film, but wish I had seen it in a better environment.
I remember watching a film there, going out to the lobby because a splice had caused the film to be out of frame, and there was the projectionist playing the video game.
Blue auditorium seating from The Cox Th. on 7th St. were sited or seated here after the Cox was demolished. Blue was Mrs. Cox’s favorite color.
Talked to my old friend Russ, and here’s what he remembered:
“I remember seeing one movie there – A Piece of the Action, one of the three pseudo-blaxploitation pictures Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier did together in the ‘70s.
As I recall, the building, itself, was an attempt at a boutique mini mall, like what the Ludlow Garage tried being. The “theatres” were on the lower level, I believe. I put that in quotes because it was really just a three-screen theatre, with each screening room bearing a different name. I want to say the idea was to give each its own identity, in terms of what was shown, but that could be wrong. I think the top level might have been a club – it certainly became one. There was a record store – I still remember they had one of those stand-up displays, for Queen’s News of the World.
The screening rooms, themselves, were just like the old Studio Cinema, downtown. Long, straight, narrow rooms, canted floor, quarter size screen.
It was art house/revival house/second run, with the second run stuff intended to pay for the other stuff."