TCL Chinese Theatre

Hello Again From NYC-

i want to thank macoco for the detailed look at movie distribution in the 40s, 50s and 60s in L.A.. but as enjoyable as it was to read it still doesn’t explain why Coate referred to the Chinese as a “neighborhood house”. in NYC a “neighborhood” house in the same time period was a theater in the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn or Staten Island that played a film AFTER its 1st run engagements in Manhattan. in other words wherever else a movie might have been playing its engagement at the Chinese was its 1s run engagement which disqualifies the Chinese from being a “neighborhood house”.

Thanks for the detailed post, macoco. I vaguely remember the day-and-date policy of the big chains in Los Angeles, but by the time I was old enough to pay close attention to which theaters were showing what, the big chains were being divorced from the studios. By the time I started going to movies on my own the Chinese had switched mostly to road shows, and all but one of the big downtown theaters were being run by Sherrill Corwin’s Metropolitan Theatres. Some were still first run houses, but the movies they ran were usually city-wide first runs, showing in maybe two dozen or more houses and drive-ins all over town.

In the 30s, 40s, and early 50s this was how Fox West Coast, the theater chain subsidiary of 20th Century-Fox, showed first-run films in its theaters in Los Angeles: the Chinese played first-run day and date with a downtown theater (the Loew’s State, then for a short time in the 50s the Los Angeles), a Wilshire Blvd theater (usually the Ritz but sometimes the Carthay Circle if it was not playing a roadshow exclusive run), and a Westchester theater (the Loyola), so that may have been what Coate meant. The Chinese was exclusive for a time after it opened, and then went exclusive again in 1953 some months prior to CinemaScope and The Robe. During the time in between, the Chinese and those other theaters would play an A picture from 20th or MGM or UA double-billed with a B picture, usually for the pictures' first week, and then the double bill would move over to another set of Fox theaters to continue the first-run. This was how The Wizard of Oz opened in LA, for instance. At some point in the 40s, Fox, which was booking Loew’s and UA theatres then too, set up a second first-run block, including the Los Angeles, Egyptian, and Fox-Wilshire, which then mainly showed MGM films starting in the mid-40s, leaving Fox films to the other set-up. Warners did something similar with its first-run films, playing them in its downtown house, Hollywood Blvd theater, and the Wiltern. RKO had only a downtown and Hollywood house, as did Paramount once it took over the old El Capitan and renamed it Hollywood Paramount to go with its big Downtown Paramount. There was also a Music Hall chain with houses downtown, in Hollywood, and Beverly Hills that showed some UA pictures and independents. Until the 50s, exclusive runs played the Carthay (sometimes along with the UA theater downtown) or Four Star, both in the mid-Wilshire district. Most first-runs were double billed and played in the multiple configurations I have described. All of this changed as the consent decree split the theaters, roadshows and exclusive first-runs became more common in LA, and the mix-and-match of day dated theaters in LA ceased to correspond so exactly to the theater chains.

I don’t know if that was what Coate meant, but this was the exhibition pattern in LA during those decades. Fox did something similar with its first-run theaters in Kansas City and also day and dated its downtown Denver house with a neighborhood one. When I am bored I read old issues of Variety and the LA Times, LOL.

Hi Escott O. Norton,

Thank you so much for your suggestions. I booked the middle one in row P. Hope it would be fine.

Big Joe, I’m not sure what Coate is talking about, a quick stroll through Kurt’s wonderful site shows that the Chinese has always been the home for premieres and 1st run engagements. Maybe Coate has an alternate definition for “neighborhood house”?

Zangwill, My favorites are the center aisle seats, top few rows of the lower section. I’ve also seen movies as far forward as the 4th row from the front. If you like to be close, I wouldn’t go much closer that the 4th or 5th row.

Last night I was part of a fantastic event at the Chinese. Cinespia and LA Historic Theatre Foundation collaborated on a special double feature of Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 as a benefit for the LAHTF. We sold out the event, and the Chinese graciously supported the event from the very start, even closing off the Forecourt for a private party before and between the movies. Disney and the El Capitan were also very generous in making the event a success. I will post a link to pictures later.

Does anybody knows what’s the best seat for watching IMAX in the TCL Chinese Theatre?

Kurt – Nice site. Any plans on adding a little history of the demolished twins or the 6-plex?

I like to think that the Chinese holds the distinction for being the last of the 1920s film palaces to still be showing “First Run” commercial releases on a regular basis. “First Run” has become a somewhat slippery term in the last few decades, but the Chinese has always been a “First Run” theatre in the sense that they play films on their initial release.

From 1935 to 1953, the Chinese played many double features it is true, but always day-and-date with other theatres as “First Run” just as they do today.

The Fox Westwood Village Theatre is a very nice (!) neighborhood house, and played “A Free Soul” after the Chinese had the “First Run” in late June, 26, 1931, in a period when Grauman was on the outs with Fox West Coast Theatres, so there was no premiere or prologue:

http://www.graumanschinese.org/1931.html#free

I define 1920s film palace as having a stage, a pipe organ, and more than 2,000 seats. The Chinese had all of these. Hollywood’s Egyptian qualifies under these definitions, but I discount it due to the fact that it was idle for such a long period. How it has been remodeled or what they show there is beside the point. They show movies there still.

However, the Chinese reigns, I think, as the last of the Film Palaces to still be open, and showing commercial releases (however one defines “First Run”) every day. Well, most days.

Kurt Wahlner, Editor, http://www.graumanschinese.org

Hello-

I am a bit confused. I always thought the Chinese was built as a 1st run venue from the get go. after all it held the premiere of Demille’s “The King of Kings” May 18, 1927. so what does Coate mean by referring to the Chinese as a neighborhood theater during its early years? granted Hollywood is a neighborhood to the people who live there but that does not make the Chinese a “neighborhood” theater in the accepted sense of the term.

The Chinese was a neighborhood house, too, for much of its early life.

Hello Again From NYC-

I thank Coate for his input on the subject. so it seems that when the Village and Bruin first opened like the Uptown in D.C. they were essentially neighborhood theaters and only became “1st run” venues decades later. so it seems that the Chinese is the only grand old movie theater built in the 1914-1941 heyday that was a 1st run venue from the get go and has continued to operate as such since the day it opened.

Hmmm… that would certainly be a question for Michael Coate. He’d be the one most likely to know. Let me see if I can get him here.