Your Seat Is Waiting

Look at all the delicious Art Deco-ness of the newly refurbished seats at the Tennessee Theatre. I let the camera choose the setting on auto, using natural light.

Infinity

One of the enormous chandeliers in the lobby of the historic Tennessee Theatre has infinite reflections in one of the enormous mirrors.

Blue on Blue

The impossible blue of the Bijou Theatre's new marquee matches an impossibly blue sky.
Head on over to Sky Watch to view a realm of celestial possibilities.

Bijou Redux

The historic Bijou Theatre has just finished a renovation, and the last touch has been added this week: a replica of the original marqee was hung over the entrance. The theater is celebrating it's 100 Year Jubilee this month. Knoxville is lucky to have two historic theaters downtown.

This building has a long and colorful history. The structure has not changed much on the outside since its completion in 1817 as the Lamar House hotel and tavern. It became a hospital for wounded soldiers during the Civil War. Union Brigadier William P. Sanders died of his wounds in one of the hotel rooms.

The building was transformed into the Bijou Theatre in 1909. George M. Cohen was the featured actor in the first performance of "Little Johnny Jones". Many famous performers graced the stage in subsequent years, including the Marx Brothers and jazz great Dizzy Gillespie.

For years after that the Bijou showed second-run movies, but then its lease expired. The building went into freefall in the 70s when it became an "adult movie" venue. There was talk of tearing it down - probably to build another parking lot, but it was saved at the last minute by the forrunner of our present Knox Heritage organization.

Of course, like every good theater, the Bijou is reported to be haunted. The East Tennessee Paranormal Society's report has photos, sound files, and a video of some suspicious activity.

The renovation of the Bijou has been another wonderful bonus for Knoxville.

Ornate

These are the chandeliers that hang in the lobby of the historic Tennessee Theatre downtown.

You Better Watch Out

Yeah, and you better not cry either if you don't like your seats. Santa is taking tickets at the outside box office of the Tennessee Theatre. Here's the long view:

Now be good girls and boys and enjoy the show.

Rainy Night in Knoxville

Cold November rain has descended on the city. But rain can make things beautiful. Here's an archive shot of the Tennessee Theatre to prove my point. No, I wasn't out wandering about in the rain last night - I was at work.

Between the Devil & the Deep Blue Ceiling

How can I Sky Watch when I have this deep blue dome to watch inside the Historic Tennessee Theatre? It's sliding into view like a single-minded single cell, mitochondria and all.

What do you mean, pay attention to the show? I am ... Ohhhh ... you mean on the stage.

I Get No Kick From Champagne

It's intermission at the Tennessee Theatre. Time to head to the lobby for refreshments. How do they expect me to choose if everything's upside-down?

Addendum: thank you, Hope, for the lovely BFF blog award. I'm afraid I'd have to pass it on to many more than 5 bloggers - you should see my CDP favorites page - that dance card is full! So I send it out at large to all my favorite photobloggers - yes, that means YOU. And YOU. And YOU too, don't be shy.

The Way of Art Deco

Geometrics meet curves on the back stairway to the balcony of the Tennessee Theatre. Perhaps just out of view, there is a slender hand on the rail, a swish of black silk, the scent of rosewater. Louise Brooks?

Blaze of Glory

This is the Grand Lobby of the Historic Tennessee Theatre. Once again, auto setting, natural light, no adjusting. The crystal chandeliers look like they're about to reach critical mass and explode. Oh my. Shiny terrazzo floors, swags of brocade draperies, and huge mirrors along the stairways give this place credibility as an "entertainment palace." The little usher in the red vest is waiting to escort you to your seat. I know I can get to a truer color with manual settings and a bit of fiddling, but I also like the tangerine dream quality of this shot. Yes, it's just a dream, go back to sleep.

All the World's a Stage

The curtain rises at the Historic Tennessee Theatre. Your mission, Photobloggers: Photoshop yourself into that empty spotlight.

Actually, it was a light check, and the show wasn't supposed to go on for a bit. I didn't mind, though. I'm still bedazzled by the 2005 renovation that took this showcase theater back to its 1928 grandeur, and enhanced and expanded the stage to host more types of shows.

Way back in time when I was just a Brand New Knoxville Girl, I sat in this theater and watched the classic film Thunder Road. I bought a bag of popcorn and a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer at the concession stand and climbed the worn staircase to the balcony, choosing a nice seat in the center of the row. The seat had a big hole in it, and I almost fell through. The curtains were shabby, and the walls were dingy with soot. I was absolutely convinced that vampires lived in the projection booth. And I couldn't wait to come back. This place had good bones, if only someone would notice the treasure buried here under all that neglect and dirt.

And finally people did, and it turned into a successful community project. I've been in this theater many times, and hope to visit many more.

I'm also doing a little project. I shot a series of photos inside the theater on my natural light auto setting and took what I got. Maybe I'll show you a few more. The next time I have an opportunity to visit, I'm going to bravely use my manual settings and look at the difference. Of course, if the difference is cruddy, they may never see the light of blog.