Bijou Adult Theatre
1651 N. Cahuenga Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90028
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Located a block off of Hollywood Boulevard, the Bijou Adult Theatre was one of the numerous storefront adult cinemas that popped up in Hollywood during the 1970’s. Period photos depict a relatively small corner unit, with a surprisingly formal cinema marquee; reminiscent of the marquees seen on “classic” mainstream theatres. Programming was billed as “All color hits all nite”, triple features running continuously for a $3 admission price.
The theatre first appeared in independent listings circa 1975 and continued to regularly advertise throughout the remainder of the decade. With the arrival of home video in the 1980’s, the Bijou Theatre transitioned away from cinema operations and became a standard adult video/magazine store; replacing the formerly impressive marquee signage with a generic retail lightbox. The site operated as the Cahuenga Video Adult Book Store until it was closed in spring of 2019.
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The adult business closed in the spring of 2019 and the entire block is currently (summer 2019) undergoing a structural gutting/re-purposing.
The 1982 documentary “What Would Your Mother Say” features the Bijou’s marquee in an opening montage of Hollywood area adult theatres, bookstores, and motels. Unfortunately, the theatres (The Cave, X, Pussycat, and Bijou) are only seen in brief passing shots, as the film focuses on sit down interviews with adult actors of the era.
Said documentary.
Bijou marquee at 0:48
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BknwloMiWt0
The former theatre space has been remodeled and now serves as a smoke and vape retail store.