TCL Chinese Theatre
6925 Hollywood Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90028
6925 Hollywood Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90028
159 people
favorited this theater
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If you visit LA or even live there, if you haven’t experienced seeing a movie at Grauman’s then you just aren’t a part of LA history. I was 9yrs old and I knew I was someplace special when I saw the small brass courtesy light on the side aisle that read, -l o g e-
Elegant but, you can wear your walking shorts
if you show a little respect for the grand old dame
Hollywood’s only Royal Pavilion
I thought the trees were especially important to the ambience of the courtyard, the awning I guess can go. Maybe they need more room for the paw prints of stars.
They were removed during the recent renovation a few years ago.
Where are the courtyard trees and awning?
I stand corrected about “Dirty Harry.” You are correct—it was premiered at the Paramount. I did see the “Magnum Force” premiere at the Chinese.
I remember sitting right behind David Caradine and Barbara (Hershey) Seagull when they were in the throes of their big romance. I don’t know what was more entertaining, the movie or their interaction in the theatre!
Great memories of a great historical treasure.
RockDoc
Years ago, after a premiere or the Academy Awards, celebrities were always seen entering but not exiting the Chinese. Reason being, there was an underground tunnel that led accross the street to the Roosevelt Hotel (Sid Grauman had an interest in the hotel also). That way, celebrities could leave anonymously. The tunnel had not been used in the past 30 years. The tunnel is gone, and access to it from either the theatre or hotel was sealed up when the subway between the two building was built under Hollywood Blvd., a couple years ago.
I have several postcards of the theater dating from 1931 to just now, and it’s interesting to see how the facade has changed. In ‘31 the windows with the tent roofs on both 'tower-fronts’ were all clear and clean with decorated arches above them. At some point (Fifties?) the arches were obscured by marquees with the neon dragons. Also, Mann added “Mann’s” signs at the bottem of the window in the top of each tower-front.
I wonder how Kenny, the recently retired chief projectionist there for those 20 years, is doing today?
I was a projectionist there off and on between 1979 (when the two adjacent theaters were built) until 1999 (when the two adjacent theaters were torn down). I started with a 70 mm. print of Superman and ended with a 70mm. print of Titanic. I was there from open to close, seven days a week for three months when Titanic played. It was and is the greatest movie theater in the world. I miss it and the premieres so much…
Click to see a couple photo’s of the large electric sign mentioned above, spanning the forecourt.
1956 – http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater1/00014606.jpg
1953 – http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater1/00014683.jpg
I believe that the two theatres (Chinese 2 & 3) added adjacent to the main house that were subsequently razed, was in 1979, not 1999.
“Magnum Force” played the Chinese Theatre. Like themanwithnoname said “Dirty Harry” played at the Paramount Theatre across the street. And “The Enforcer” played over at the Pantages Theatre.
I thought Paramount and Warner Bros did a nice job restoring the Chinese. I wish they would bring back the neon dragons on the marquee. I heard they are stored on the Paramount Lot. The small movie signs they put up are a little blah and they are not original from any period. Brucec
I saw “Earthquake” at the Chinese Theatre as well as many other first run movies (I especially remember “Dirty Harry”). Does anyone remember if, in addition to the “sensurround” sound, if there were also fake debris that fell from the ceiling during the quake scenes? For some reason I remember that happening.
Where does the time go?
RockDoc
better weblink is http://mann.moviefone.com/services/graumanmain.adp
WOW, such a nice theatre! Great to see it restored
On April 9, 1958 Grauman’s Chinese Theatre had the world premiere of “WINDJAMMER” projected in the CineMiracle process. CineMiracle was almost the same as 3-strip CINERAMA and in fact was shown in many CINERAMA theatres and ended up being owned by CINERAMA.
Grauman’s Chinese was where CinemaScope was introduced in Hollywood with the premier of “The Robe” in 1953, followed by most of the widescreen 20th Century-Fox epics of the period. During the peak Cinemascope years a hugh electric sign/marquee spanned the forecourt. It was quite spectacular but obliterated the famous entrance. It was replaced by two flashy but more conventional marquees on either side of the forecourt. These too have been removed.
This IS the most famous movie theater in the world! This is where KING KONG was shown on its premiere engagement in 1933, and a 13-year-old boy named Ray Harryhausen sat in the dark and was mesmerized by movie monsters, and became one of the 20th Century Hollywood’s greatest cinema geniuses. This is where Forrest J. Ackerman sat in the dark watching KONG and was transported to Skull Island, and became the world’s leading authority on sci-fi, fantasy and horror, and his friend Ray Bradbury saw it with him there again in 1938.
And this is where I saw the wonder film of the 20th Century – MGM’s FORBIDDEN PLANET in CinemaScope, Eastmancolor and Stereophonic sound, as a special birthday gift from my dad on my 9th birthday, August 9, 1956. It was an unforgettable experience. The doorman led us into another world.
Robby the Robot was there in the theater lobby, behind velvet ropes, standing guard in a corner, his electronic computer brain and lights flashing every so often, his head turning, and saying, “Welcome to Altair-4!”
We returned in October to see “The King And I” in CinemaScope 55 there. I have returned often, with all the classic Hollywood movie stars' hand-and-footprints, and the touristy stuff, there’s a lot to see besides a movie! This is the Mecca for all Hollywood film fans the world over.
Grauman’s Chinese Theater opened May 18, 1927. The architects were Meyer & Holler. Theater decorator was Raymond Kennedy.