Grauman's Chinese Theatre

Grauman's Chinese Theater opened May 18, 1927. The architects were Meyer & Holler. Theater decorator was Raymond Kennedy.

When "Earthquake" played here and that rumbling started, remembering the age of the place I thought that huge chandelier might come down.

For the first time in decades the theater is no longer Mann's Chinese but once again designated Grauman's. The 6 screens next door are part of a shopping mall which is designed to resemble the famous sets from "Intolerance". All 7 theaters share a common box office.

The interior of the Chinese is incredible. The auditorium is huge, and the presentation is first rate. The first film I ever saw here was "Son of Flubber," when it was released as an exclusive engagement. I was 7 or 8 years old, and everything about the theater seemed to be special. During the movie, I went to the snack bar and bought a tube of Flicks chocolate. I saved the empty tube for years afterward. The Chinese (exterior and interior) can be seen at the end of "Blazing Saddles." There's a scene where Harvey Korman enters the theater and goes to the snack bar to buy Raisinets. I think the integrity of this theater is compromised when films like "You So Crazy" are presented. There's a negative dichotomy working when a film containing a talentless, foul-mouthed racist plays in a venue that was created by talented designers and attracts people from all over the world.

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 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.

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.

WOW, such a nice theatre! Great to see it restored

better weblink is http://mann.moviefone.com/services/graumanmain.adp

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

I also saw "Earthquake" there and if debris fell from the ceiling it wasn't fake. I also saw "Dirty Harry" first run but it was across the street at the Paramount (now El Capitan).

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

"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 believe that the two theatres (Chinese 2 & 3) added adjacent to the main house that were subsequently razed, was in 1979, not 1999.

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 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...

I wonder how Kenny, the recently retired chief projectionist there for those 20 years, is doing today?

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.

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 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

Where are the courtyard trees and awning?

They were removed during the recent renovation a few years ago.

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.

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've visited this theater on the trips I've made to LA and saw "Star Trek: Generations", in 1994, in the smaller auditorium, which was quite impressive soundwise (it was THX). It wasn't until 2001, I went and experienced a movie, in the main auditorium, and saw Angelina Jolie's "Original Sin". The theater was going through a renovation and the balcony was closed :( . The movie, itself, was quite a bore as it put me to sleep, not too bad if you need a sleeping aid. The sound seemed a bit muddled and quiet, not the fault of the theater's sound system but the film's soundtrack. Perhaps, the next time I visit there, there will be an event film booked there so I can experience the theater's full sound potential.

The whole theater design is quite impressive and is unlike any other I've been in. And, yes, like the proverbial tourist, I tried to match my foot and handprints to the some of the stars on the sidewalk. The help staff, in their Asian costumes, are a nice touch. In the Washington DC area, you don't see the help staff in uniform much anymore at any place, much less costumed, even for event films.

As an FYI, the Chinese does not have a balcony.

The original projection room was upstairs. Then, in the late 40s, it was moved downstairs. When I worked there in the 70s to 90s, to enter it, I had to walk into the left entrance of the main auditorium, the same as the public. The projection room was to the immediate right, covered by a doorsize, burgundy drape. The area upstairs that once had been the projection room was converted into a small, two-row balcony (I think it had 14 seats), but it was never open to the public during regular movie presentations. Instead, it was where celebrities were allowed to sit, having entered the side of the building from a concealed, non-public door. Today, the projection room is back upstairs to its original location, and only a couple "out-of-view" seats remain.

So there was a balcony! ;) My recollection of my only time inside the main auditorium was that there were these seats that were on an upper level, but were obscured by a ceiling to floor plastic drape of some kind. Judging by the looks of it, at the time, it seemed like one to me. Whatever the case, it is a nice theater.

For those of you outside of LA, and wanting to see a vision of this famous theatre, there is a VHS video that has at least ten minutes within its 55-minute length devoted to color filming of the ornate CHINESE THEATRE. It is called "The Movie Palaces" and is part of the "America's Castles" series filmed for A&E television network. My detailed review of it, and ordering instructions for it are at: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0767015363/qid%3D1081320338/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/103-3261481-1446205
This video was filmed before the recent restoration, and therefore is a time capsule of sorts, and those desiring to view the theatre in other stages of its life would do well to contact the Theatre Historical Soc. which has a great many photos as well as drawings of this palace.

PHOTOS AVAILABLE:
To obtain any available Back Issue of either "Marquee" or of its ANNUALS, simply go to the web site of the THEATRE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA at:
www.HistoricTheatres.org
and notice on their first page the link "PUBLICATIONS: Back Issues List" and click on that and you will be taken to their listing where they also give ordering details. The "Marquee" magazine is 8-1/2x11 inches tall ('portrait') format, and the ANNUALS are also soft cover in the same size, but in the long ('landscape') format, and are anywhere from 26 to 40 pages. Should they indicate that a publication is Out Of Print, then it may still be possible to view it via Inter-Library Loan where you go to the librarian at any public or school library and ask them to locate which library has the item by using the Union List of Serials, and your library can then ask the other library to loan it to them for you to read or photocopy. [Photocopies of most THSA publications are available from University Microforms International (UMI), but their prices are exorbitant.]

Note: Most any photo in any of their publications may be had in large size by purchase; see their ARCHIVE link. You should realize that there was no color still photography in the 1920s, so few theatres were seen in color at that time except by means of hand tinted renderings or post cards, thus all the antique photos from the Society will be in black and white, but it is quite possible that the Society has later color images available; it is best to inquire of them.

Should you not be able to contact them via their web site, you may also contact their Executive Director via E-mail at: execdir@historictheatres.org
Or you may reach them via phone or snail mail at:
Theatre Historical Soc. of America
152 N. York, 2nd Floor York Theatre Bldg.
Elmhurst, ILL. 60126-2806 (they are about 15 miles west of Chicago)

Phone: 630-782-1800 or via FAX at: 630-782-1802 (Monday through Friday, 9AM--4PM, CT)

When I worked for Mann many years ago, I was able to go work the preview of City Slickers. The back half of the auditorium was assigned seats and the studio took care of that. The front half was general seating for other celebrities, which is where I was working. I remember seeing Jim Carrey during his early In Living Color days sitting next to Tom Bradley who was dressed in Cowboy garb for the event. Mr. Bradley turned to Jim and asked him "What do you do?". Later, we got to watch the the movie from the small private balcony. I think it was called the Cathay lounge.

I have seen movies at the Chinese since the late 1960's. I have seen movies like Hello Dolly, Whats UP Doc,Batman, Jagged Edge, Interview With a Vampire and many others. I actually sat in the two row balcony for the movie The Goodfellas before the recent renovation. The Chinese always has a superb film presentation. Isn't it wonderful to have the curtains open and close for the presentation. During the current renovation the lobby was expanded into the back of the Auditoruim where the projection booth was and a few rows were lost. Before the renovation the Chinese sat 1500 and now it seats around 1100.The best film presentation in LA is the Chinese, El Capitan ,Cinerama Dome, Fox-Village,and National of LA's surviving single screen theatres. These are also industry theatres that host many premieres.brucec

Here are some interesting pics, the first one interesting to me because it's from the 1950s and it's in color, plus you can see a PE Red Car rolling along in front of Grauman's. And in my opinion this part of Hollywood Boulevard looks better now than it did then:
http://www.uncanny.net/~wetzel/chinese.JPG
These next two photos are interesting to me because they show Grauman's Chinese theater the night of March 8, 1946, when the Academy Awards were held there for the 3rd and last time; the 1st pic shows the theater itself, the 2nd pic shows the fans seated in bleachers across the street:
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics50/00044983.jpg
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics50/00044961.jpg
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics50/00044961.jpg

I have been to Hollywood many times, but only got to see a movie in the Chinese theater once. Each other time I was there, there was never a good movie to see there.
It was so impressive to see the interior of the theater. It has such a glow of the glory days of Hollywood.

For pictures of the theater when it was owned by National General, look here:

http://members.dslextreme.com/~swstanton/grauman/index.html

This is the complete souvenir book they used to sell at the gift shop in the forecourt. When I worked there (beginning in 1981), they revamped the book for the Mann Theatre chain, so these just sat in storage. I've got another great book to scan in with even older photos in it. Keep an eye on my web site for more coming soon.

It's too bad there is no picture of the now demolished Chinese Twin Theater. Built in 1979 and owned by Ted Mann (not the Mann Corp.) it paled in comparison design-wise to the original Chinese next door. The auditoirims were nice, though: they each held about 750 with wide, comfy seats.

I took a bunch of color slides of the interior and exterior of both theatres for a film school project. here is a shot of the exterior of the Chinese Twin in 1981 when Disney's "Song of the South" was playing there:

http://members.dslextreme.com/~swstanton/g_imgs/sos.jpg

Wow! 36 pages, and I'm exhausted. But I had to smile when page 6 listed among its premieres of outstanding productions that nearly-forgotton Jackie Susann potboiler "The Love Machine." Ah, Hollywood in the 1970's.

Here's some more pictures from the Chinese Theatre's early days:

http://members.dslextreme.com/~swstanton/grauman_LA/index.html

There's some shots before sound was installed, as well as an exterior of the "Windjammer" marquee, and a couple taken around the construction of the theatre.

"GrauMann" is to be praised for the service he has done everyone in preserving on-line for posterity these two souvenir brochures with wonderful photos of the wonderful Chinese Theatre. The earlier one with the finely detailed text by the late Terry Helgesen is especially good, and reveals the changes that have occurred over the years to this theatrical mecca. A memorial biography of him occurs in Marquee magazine of the Theatre Historical Soc. of America, of which he was a member for decades. His vast collection of theatres memorabilia is now preserved at the Archive of the Society in Elmhurst, Ill. ( www.HistoricTheatres.org ) Brochures such as these are often referred to as ephemera since such often disappear after a few years, so they are the more valuable as reproduced here; it is only a pity that there is not some way to enlarge them on screen so as to better read the text.

Thanks, Jim, I'm glad you enjoyed the brochures. Yes, it's a bit a of a shame about the text, but the current image size was chosen to optimize them for downloading and to save on disk space. They were scanned in larger, but when posted big enough to see the text, a fair amount of scrolling becomes involved to see the image. Right now, I'm just using the free space given to me by my ISP to host these images--if I move them, I may change the size.

Soon, I'll be posting some of my color slides I took in 1981 of both the Chinese and the Chinese Twin when I worked there. they include some shots i took of Sid Grauman's private office, which is on the second floor. The stairwell on the westt side of the forecourt leads right up to it. I wish I had more photos "behind the scenes." As an Asst. Manager, I had a key to every door in the place. Upstairs was Sid's old office, private restrooms, the usher & usherettes dressing rooms and the Cathey Lounge (the former projection booth converted to a private balconey--complete with bar!) There was also the catwalks to access the winch in the ceiling that lowered the main chandelier. Behind the screen was the old stage and dressing rooms from the pre-sound stage. I knew pretty much every inch of that place--it was incredible to explore! I oughta devote some space on the web site to that info....

Why haven't they rehung the lantern on the main auditorium chandelier?

I heard that it interfered with the large screen projection. You would think that during the "restoration" it could have been reworked so as to be able to be withdrawn automatically up into the attic just as the movie began (and then lowered automatically at the end of the projection), rather the way the chandeliers are raised and lowered in the Kennedy Center, but that would have probably added a thousand dollars to the cost.

The first film I ever saw at the Chinese was "Earthquake" in '74, and I'll never forget it. They had strung fishnets all across the ornate platerwork on the ceiling. This caused a lot of nervous chatter and laughter among the audience before the movie started. I'll never forget the SENSURROUND announcement before the movie started. This loud male voice booms out "ATTENTION!!" and everyone jumped! Since then, I've seen countless films there, always a great show. The adjecent twin theaters were also really good. Picture and sound were state of the art. I saw "Gremlins", "Ghostbusters" and "Dune" there.

When the Chinese was a single screen theater, they also had this really great tradition of painting the poster art for the film playing on the side exterior wall of the theater. These were HUGE and always well done! The "Superman" S, the "Earthquake" poster art, and the "Star Wars" logo come to mind. You can sometimes find photos that show this wall art. Very cool!

I'm a little confused about the "7 screens" when I was there about 10 years ago, the original auditorium was intact. Are the additional 6 screens built adjacent to the original theater? I can't imagine that they would have cut up the main auditorium.

Yes, the "Chinese 6" is a seperate structure adjacent to the original, along with a shopping center. The original auditorium is intact, but lost a few rows of seats downstairs when the snack bar was opened up and extended back.

In reference to the question about the lantern, I believe it was taken down during the remodeling for "Windjammer" which included a new wide screen and relocating the projection booth to the back of the auditorium.

When I worked there, we inquired about the lantern, but no one seemed to know its whereabouts. It may have been lost or destroyed. The maintenance of the chandelier was very time consuming. It had over 300 bulbs and when they relamped it, they would start early in the morning and begin lowering it from a winch above the ceiling. It took so long to lower it, they usually only went halfway and used a scaffold to meet it.

A note about the lighting: all the light fixtures in the Chinese auditorium are on two circuits. The fixtures are lamped with red, yellow, blue, green, and white lights. Nowadays, when you go in there, they are usually ALL on. But they are lamped that way for a reason. During the winter, the RED & YELLOW circuit was turned on to give the theater a "warmer" feel. In the summer, we turned on the BLUE & GREEN circuit to give the theater a "cooler" feel.

Additionally, we were told that in the early days, the Chinese had both electric and gas lighting. If you look closely at the EXIT signs in the lobby, you can see the capped off gas pipes coming out of the wall. Don't know if this is true, but the pipes are there!

I have added some more pictures of the Chinese and Chinese Twin theatres taken on the morning of 10/25/81. These images are from color slides taken for a project I was doing at school. From the standpoint of framing, exposure, etc. they are fairly mediocre. Now, 23 years later, they stand as a unique snapshot of the time, especially since the main theater has undergone so many cosmetic changes and the twin theatre has been demolished.

The slides are grouped by theatre in no particular order:

http://members.dslextreme.com/~swstanton/grauman_slide_gallery/index.html

At some point I will add more descriptive details to each shot. In the meantime, I think the image names are somewhat decipherable.

There seems to be statuary missing from upstairs private box/projection room area in main auditorium.

Yes, gas pipes feeding exit signs were very common in theaters and other buildings even through the mid-20th century. The reason being was that if the electricity were to fail, the gas lights would still illuminate the exits in an emergency. Nowadays, back up emergency light systems work with a battery circuit to continue the lighting in case of power failures.

Has anyone ever been in the theatre during an earthquake/power failure?

Thanks "GraMann" for the wonderful photos. Now, I am homesick. I absolutely love the Chinese. Your photos really bring back fond memories. Did you ever get a photo of Ted Mann and his wife's wax figures in the lobby?

As mentioned above on this page, I did relief work as a projectionist there, off and on, for 20 years.

Performances there used to be absolute perfection. The union business agent, Ralph Kemp (Local 150, IATSE), before sending me to break-in, told me this. "This is the most famous theater in the world. If you screw up something there, you will read about it in Variety and Hollywood Reporter the next day.

If they ever employed full-time projectionists again, I would leave New York in a heartbeat and return. Did you know Kenny Krenz, Bob Purlmutter or Mike Schliger, the regular operators?

I was at the Chinese a few times but never saw a movie in the old twin. Thanks for sharing the pics.

Going through my personal archives recently I pulled out an original Program from the Dedication of Grauman's Chinese Theatre" "Presenting the premier of the supreme production of all times, past, present and future CECIL B. DEMILLE'S "The King of Kings" by Jeanie Macpherson on "Wednesday Evening May Eighteenth." It is about 1/2 thick and is full of wonderful pictures and line drawings of everyone from May Robson, to Beatrice Joy, Sid Grauman, Cecil B. Demille, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, on and on. It has artist drawings of the Theatre's interior and even4 color Art Deco graphics of the theatre, plus of course, advertising. It shows some wear but really is quite remarkable. Has anyone seen one of these?

Question: does this theater do well? Do people come from outside the area to see movies here?

Regarding CConnolly's comment, I do believe people from outside the area see movies at Grauman's Chinese.

I know I do. As a teenager in the 1980s, I would drive to the Chinese Theatre with friends from my hometown of Cerritos, CA... a total tract house and shopping center kind of place; I just liked the gritty urban environment of Hollywood Boulevard back then and the history associated with the Chinese Theatre, it was so different from the "looks like everything was built yesterday"-environment that I grew up in. Some movies I saw back then: "The Lost Boys," "The Witches of Eastwick." In 1992 I saw the 50th Anniversary restored/re-released version of "Casablanca" at the Chinese Theatre. It was even presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1. That really was a big treat.

I now live in South Pasadena. I still catch movies at the Chinese occasionally. Hollywood Blvd. is slightly more cleaned-up than it was in the 1980s, and now I don't have to worry about driving there and parking because the Metro Rail now goes to my area; I can take the Gold Line train from South Pasadena to Union Station, transfer to the Red Line subway, go all the way to the Hollywood and Highland station, go up the escalator, and voila! I'm right there!

I do believe people from outside the area see movies at Grauman's Chinese.


Hey, I live in New York, and I always try to see a movie there when in California! Actually, I was pretty impressed in how Hollywood Blvd has improved over the last decade. I have been there for the first time around 1991, most recently in 2003, and many times in between, and each time I go it looks better and better.

I will definitely drive from Alhambra to Hollywood for the Chinese or the Dome. How many people in the world get to attend the most famous theater on the face of the Earth? There are advantages to living in So Cal.

I agree with Manwithnoname, I live (actually close to him) in Monterey Park and go to the Chinese a lot. It will sell a lot of shows during the week, especially when a huge movie opens.

I was raised in Hollywood and I remember seeing "Windjammer", "Pepe" and the premiere of "Darby O'Gill and the LIttle People"... "Seven Faces of Dr. Lao" and "How the West Was Won" were spectacular memories. The last time I went there to see a movie was "EARTHQUAKE" in 1974 and it was towards the end of the run. I clearly remember they added a huge net under the ceiling to catch bits of plaster that had been falling down early in it's run. It was very distracting to see it up there and wondering if something would fall during he Sensuround experience. I am happy they have decided to take away the clunky neon from the front. I visited the forecourt a few months ago and I think it looks gorgeous.

I am planning a trip to California. I want to spend time in a original LA Picture Palace. Was the original auditorium divided to multiplex the theater?

No, the Chineese theater's auditorium is completely intact. The extra screens were next door, not a part of the original auditorium itself.
They play many of the current movies in the original auditorium. For example, I have seen Dumb and Dumber in the Chineese theater when it was out some years ago.

Thanks Bway, I hope the family wants to see this place too. Hey, it you go to Hollywood, you must see a movie.

Christian speaks of a "huge net under the ceiling to catch bits of plaster" supposedly falling due to the then sensation of low frequency sound of "Sensurround" for the 1974 movie "Earthquake." I will bet dollars to doughnuts that the entire net and any seeming plaster in it were entirely props to promote the new sound technique (which was NOT all that novel nor convincing in actuality!) It was typical Hollywood hyperbole ('hype') that intended to scare the potential patron a little as if to say: 'Are you man enough to sit in a place that might lose its plaster while watching LA being reduced to rubble?!!' This ploy was used across the nation as advance men wrote letters to the local papers by a "concerned citizen" to have local theaters inspected for cracks before the film was allowed to play. Such ad men then prevailed upon local building inspectors to parade through movie palaces (there were a few more in business then) with a TV camera crew and supposedly 'inspect' and 'certify' the "old" building as resistant to their vaunted "Sensurround!!" And, yes, the theatres were in on the joke. It was free publicity as the local TV stations all took it seriously, not knowing or caring anything about 'old' theatres which they naively implied were close to falling down anyway. It all worked: people voiced concern about "old" buildings and the movie made millions without any theatre anywhere ever losing anything legitimately in a structural sense, even if some of the patrons came there to really experience something falling from a ceiling, as opposed to enjoying one of the first of the 'Disaster films'. One cannot help but wonder how much more vandalism to the interiors of palaces was prompted by this disdainful approach to our theatres heritage.

Movie palaces were HEAVILY built and anyone having any real knowledge of construction would have laughed at their attempts to gain publicity at the expense of the "old" theatres. Any such man would have said that if anything were to fall, it would be the lightweight Fiberglas acoustic ceiling rectangles in the jerrybuilt cinemas then sprouting around the country. Earthquakes can take down theatres and their plaster, but not some silly contrivance of louder sound waves. (Yes, I know; sound waves of sufficient amplitude can, in theory, destroy a building, but had the sound been anywhere near that strong, the audience would have left, or died in their seats! Obviously not the outcome the promoters had in mind for maximum ticket sales.)

Still, the whole thing was FUN.

Hi Jim, You are probably right about the "Sensurround" hype to gain audiences, but I can tell you without any reservation that when it came time for the earthquake sequences in the film, the huge black speakers at the back of the auditorium rumbled with some heavy ultralow frequencies, which were nothing short of terrifying. Added to that, they must have had other speakers somewhere else, because there were the sounds of screams and breaking glass at the rear of the theater along with the low rumbling sounds at the back of the lower floor. After the movie, I remember many of us went over to look at the massive speakers. I don't recall any sound system that intense until the advent of THX sound.

I also totally agree with your comment that the old theaters were BUILT... and built far more sound proof and far more substantial than todays boxes. They were more spectacular, beautiful, stylish and atmospheric than almost any modern "theater" today. They were as much of the show as the movies were.

Christian, "Earthquake" played in 35mm four track magnetic sound. The "sensurround" control tones were located in the very low frequences, which would trigger the sub woofers. The sounds heard in the rear were from the surround (fourth channel)track.
Fun was it not?

AS anyone who read my comment carefully will know, I didn't say it wasn't fun, I simply said it wasn't real in the sense of being able to damage any theatre. I enjoyed the film in "Sensurround" also, but I was under no illusion as to where the sounds were coming from and what was going to happen to me or the theatre during "Earthquake." Further insight into the whole thing is the development and popularity then of true four channel sound, as on the 'quad' amplifiers that nobody could seem to live without then. Also, new high Q ferromagnetic high compliance speakers had just come upon the scene making the subwoofer possible at a smaller size and price than huge pro equipment, and I will bet that the speaker makers were in cahoots with the film maker to to promote this 'new' sound. "Now your living room can sound just like the theatre!!" is it easy to remember then saying. It may have all been fun, but just let's keep the idea of old, falling-down movie palaces out of it!

Frankly, I don't remember the net under the chandelier but I do remember the sound as my much earlier post indicated. In any event, the hype continued beyond the theatrical run. When the film premiered on network TV it was accompanied by an FM simulcast so viewers at home could crank up the volume and simulate the Sensurround experience. After a few more films ("Midway", "Battlestar Galactica") the Sensurround gimmick disappeared.

The last sensurround release I can recall was "Zoot Suit"
Why in heavens name it was produced that way was anyone's guess.

I understand it was only at the very end of the fun of "Earthquake" that the net was added, so most people who went to see it never saw the net rigging. I was there in the last week or two of the run. I do remember that the stories of falling plaster were from patrons, not the management of the theater. I myself never saw any plaster bits or even dust coming down during the film I do recall I was a little concerned, which is why we sat towards the rear of the theater, and not under the ornate light fixture. Is it possible the net was added by request of the insurance company and not because of some "hype?"

The information on the sound system is enlightening... I never knew how the process worked! I also did not know that many films were made in "Sensurround". I think with the advent of THX, the process is pretty much obsolete now. Yes Vito, it sure was fun!

It is unlikely in the extreme that any insurance company demanded a net below the ceiling as part of their policy coverage, but since insurance lives on premiums paid by the insured, and the insured can only pay premiums if they are making money, then any company would cooperate in any scheme to prosper the insured if no one would attach any suspicion of compliance to the insurance company. Insurers are very savvy as to what can damage an insured and foster a claim -- something to be avoided -- so they would have barred any theatre from employing any method that might cause a claim. Standard language to this effect is in all policies, even in a homeowners' policy to the effect that one cannot put any property in jeopardy. Especially in Hollywood are such antics to be expected, and the insurance industry has long worked with them and knows the score. As to THX, that was an attempt at greater fidelity; "Sensurround" was strictly intentional rumbling noise, and thus a very limited gimmick in the face of Dolby, THX and other greater fidelity systems which can virtually shatter ears in normal use anyway.

Yes Jim, Dolby noise reduction and stereo tracks greatly enhanced the movie going experience. As for THX, it is just speaker array
and baffle system with it's own cross-over network. Did you know, theatres with THX have to be certified by them? An inspection team visits the theatere from time to time to rate the quality of the presentation right down to the noise level of the HVAC (heat/ac)

Hello Jim .. yes I think most of us on this site understand that THX has vastly improved the sound fidelity of film and understand that Dolby was basically a noise reduction system. The point I was trying to make is that since the THX system has superior lower frequency capability (as well having improved the entire sound spectrum), then it makes sense that the old "Sensurround" system in theaters is indeed obsolete. To put it another way, a film like "Earthquake" or "Rollercoaster" made in the old "Sensurround" system can be played in a theater once more with the same (or more accurately, far better) effect than the old "Sunsurround" system ever could... thus the old "Sensurround" system as it was installed in theaters is now obsolete since I would imagine a modern THX system could replicate the effect.

As for Hollywood using "gimmicks" and "tricks"... all I can say is that it is part of show business and whether 3-D glasses, Sensurround, Smell-o-rama, or Cinemascope, it brought them into the movie palaces and in my book, it is part of the lore of the classic cinemas.

Well said Christian, during the 50s hollywood did all it could to beat the evil black box popping up in homes across the world.
Sure they were gimmicks, but oh my, what fun in those good ole days.

Here is a link to some trivia about Sensurround and "Earthquake".
Some of the facts are extremely dubious and dippy, but there's a
photo of the installation of the speakers taking place at the Chinese.

http://members.aol.com/earthquakemovie/trivia.html

After Sensurround fell from popularity in the late seventies, Universal
shut down development and sold off the equipment. The Sensurround horns
became highly sought after by Home Theater buffs (the real kind that have
projectors in their houses).
A couple years ago, the Directors Guild had a retrospective on great movie
sound. They painstakingly reconstructed a Sensurround system from parts they
found wherever they could. Universal supplied a 4-track mag stereo Sensurround
print of "Earthquake", and the show was an absolute sold-out event!

Is there a way I can find just what's playing in the original theater when I visit California?

Here is your link Gustavelifting...

http://mann.moviefone.com/showtimes/theater.adp?theaterid=2

Another link some of you might enjoy is the LIVE Web Cameras at the theater which are on-line at the following link. Both cameras are placed in the forecourt so you can view the tourists viewing the names of the stars, or if you time it just right, witness a gala premier in action as the stars arrive. One camera is mounted right above the front door....

http://www.manntheatres.com/webcam/

Thank you guys. I hope these will be helpful when I visit California in March.

Did any of you guys in California know that Grauman's Chinese Theater is the setting for the Day in Hollywood from the 1970s Broadway Musical "A Day in Hollywood/ A Night in the Ukraine"?

I also noticed that in the movie "The Majestic" with Jim Carrey, they use the Chinese theater both outside in the courtyard and in the auditorium at the beginning of the movie.
Also, while on the subject of "The Majestic", does anyone know where the "Majestic" Theater is that they use in that film is? They use the interior and exterior of an old theater as the basis of the film, and was wondering if it was a real theater, and if it is, where it is and what it's called.

The village of Ferndale California was the site of the mock-up of the facade of the title cinema for the film THE MAJESTIC. They have a web site showing a sequence of photos of the construction of the facade on a parking lot there: www.victorianferndale.org/chamber/parklot.htm
The sequence of photos displays in the same spot as the page loads upon your screen, so be patient for all of them to load.

A complete site for the movie on the Internet Movie Data Base is found here. The actual model for the MAJESTIC was no one theatre, but an amalgam of several facades of the past with the plot line and interior of the lobby of the BIJOU in the 1951 film THE SMALLEST SHOW ON EARTH. It too was a series of set pieces so well strung together that one believes that he is in the same place. In fact, when the MAJESTIC was being planned, the Director wrote to the Guestbook of the Theatre Historical Soc. of America, and I was among those who responded to his inquiry for examples of historic movie palaces to draw his inspiration from and to direct his art department to. I replied with various examples, and inquired if he knew of the British film of 1951 I mention above, and he replied that he was amazed that anyone remembered the little-known film. It turned out that his design for the lobby of the MAJESTIC was based on that film, though the lobby of the 19th century BIJOU was really out of date with any movie palace, though I doubt he realized or cared about that. So, the MAJESTIC was also a series of sets and no such actual theatre existed for the film of 2001.

Jim, thanks! That's just what I was looking for!
I suspected it may be a set (meaning not a real theater), and that website is great that shows the progression of the set building!Were the interior scenes a set too?

Many people have wondered if the theatre building shown in the MAJESTIC film were actual theatres dressed for the sake of the movie, and the answer to this is 'no'; both the exterior and the interiors were very elaborate sets actually crafted to "give homage" to Hollywood's EGYPTIAN theatre (hence the strange mixture of Art Deco, Baroque, and Egyptian decor) and because the director spent part of his youth as an usher in movie palaces. From the extraordinary details one can, when viewing stills on the DVD of the film, notice e

I found a wonderful photograph of the "Etude Ethiopian Chorus" onstage at Grauman's Chinese theater performing a live musical prologue that came just before the showing of the movie "TRADER HORN"... the photo is dated 1931....

http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics04/00001962.jpg

There is a movie about a company that performs prologues for movie theaters... and it contains some great muscial numbers by Busby Berkeley that could not possibly be performed on a real stage. The movie is called "Footlight Parade" and starred James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Dick Powell, and Ruby Keeler from 1933. Future stars Dorothy LaMour and Ann Southern played chorus girls and were not credited in the titles.

Does anyone know other prologues that were performed at the Chinese Theater or any other theater and perhaps how common they were?

Thank you, Christian, for that great photograph. I always enjoy seeing the photos of the stage shows these theatres used to have, even if it's just to see what I have missed (sigh). "Footlight Parade", by the way, is one of my favorite films!

Does anyone know if it is true that various celebrities' names in concrete in the forecort have been removed to allow room for latter day stars' imprints? If so, which?

Jim
I always wondered also how they have not run out of room all these years if they did not move some of them.

Hi Jim and RobertR, As far as I know, no names have been removed to make way for someone else (although it is possible for another reason) and we have never run out of room in the forecourt yet.

If memory serves me, 1 or 2 of the stars did put their prints in the cement, and because it was not prepared correctly those squares crumbled in a short while, so those stars were asked back to put their prints in cement once more, although I don't believe with a second ceremony. Although there are a couple of hundred stars whos names are imprinted, there is still cement left in the forecourt for more, but the ceremony is now only reserved for major movie stars only (although I am not sure how they judge that criteria).

When the Chinese Theater was restored 3 or 4 years ago, they removed a long awning that ran for many years from the sidewalk to the main entrance... that opened up some concrete patches, then they also removed some palm trees. In these areas, there is new space to add future names.

There is a page that has a map of the forecourt and where to find the stars.... if you look at the map, you will see a light blue area around the footprint squares... that is aprox. how much room is left. Perhaps 2/3 to 3/4 of the space has been used so far. It should last a little while longer .....
http://www.seeing-stars.com/Maps/MannsForeCourtMap.shtml

The removal of footprints at the Chinese has always been hotly debated. When I began working there in 1981, we did some of the stars of that era (including Rhonda Fleming, because she was married to the owner, Ted Mann) and I believe a couple of those have been reutilized--but I can't say which ones for certain.

Quite a few were removed temporarily from the east side of the forecourt when the plumbing in the Men's room had major problems and they could only access the lines from underneath the forecourt. They were sent to an undisclosed location and I remeber they broke th corner of one of the print slabs reinstalling it and had to "recreate" the date. I don't recall whose porints they are, but you can see the "newer" rectangle with the date in the lower right corner.

Since they've renovated I have noticed one person's footprints who are missing: the Talent show winner! His footprints were on the east forecourt against the back wall where they now have an entry way to the Mann Chinese 6. It's all new cement and the poor talent show winner's prize is long gone. They shouldn't have done that. I wonder if the time capsule near Greer Garson's prints is still under the cement? I'll bet we must be getting close to the year of its unearthing....

There is one name that comes to mind, Edward Purdom that his footprints removed from the forecourt in the late 50's. He was one of the stars in the Fox Feature "The Egyptian" (1954).

GrauMann, thanks for the details. I think Rhonda Fleming, who was Mr. Mann's wife, is still there, but I cannot be sure. She sure was a fine actress, however, and don't think her name should be removed. Her square was just to the left hand side of the main doorway. She is still on the unofficial map of the forecourt.

William, I recall "The Egyptian". It was a magnificent technicolor epic which also starred Jean Simmons and Victor Mature. The name of the star was "Edmund Purdom" (who replaced Marlon Brando when he turned down the role). If they took his name away, that's a real shame. He is still alive and well in Europe and has been living in Rome and has been making films in that country for the last few decades. He will be 80 years old this year. Wouldn't it be great if we could get him to come back and re-do his slab? "The Egyptian" is available on DVD and even the soundtrack co-written by Bernard Hermann and Alfred Newman is available on Amazon. It's an incredible score.

Another square that is missing from the forecourt is the one Charlie Chaplin did in January of 1928 for the opening of his film "The Circus". At some point during the Senator Joseph McCarthy hearings in the early 1950's, the hate campaign directed at Chaplin resulted in his square being removed. One story has it that Fox West Coast Theatres the operators of the Chinese Theatre, became tried of the nuisance of cleaning up the daily vandalism of his square.

Also the first square that Jean Hersholt did with the Dionne Quintuplets in October of 1938. Was replaced with a pair of squares for stars Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour. Jean Hersholt later did a second square in October of 1949.

On Edward Purdom's square it was later replaced by Yul Brynner's square. The story has it that Fox West Coast Theatres decreed that Purdom's square should be removed on "Moral Grounds" as he had become romantically involved with Linda Christan, who at the time was married to (Fox star) Tyrone Power. The affair caused a considerable scandal for the time. And also shows the power and pull of the Studio had.

A set of imprints were done for just promotional purposes for the film "Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo" in 1977 of Herbie the Love Bug car.

According to the play I mentioned earlier, A DAY IN HOLLYWOOD/ A NIGHT IN THE UKRAINE, Grauman got the idea for the footprints when he accidentally stepped back into wet cement while watching the masons laying the pavement. Is that an accurate account? Did they take artistic liberties?

Hi Gustavelifting... I understood it was Norma Talmadge who was being given the tour by Sid Grauman and it was poor Norma who made the mis-step. Her square is very prominant in front of the entrance doorway.

William, that is great information! I also have another tidbit concerning Yul Brynner's square. At the time of the premier for "The King and I", which also starred Deborah Kerr, it was said the 2 were not on speaking terms and quite angry with each other because each thought they deserved top billing in the film. Yul apparently was asked to come to place his prints first, so he had his ceremony and wrote "THE KING" along the top of his square in huge letters. When Deborah placed her prints in the cement in a separate ceremony a short time later next to his, she wrote "AND I" in letters that were even larger than Yul's. If that is a true story, it sure is a good one, because after seeing their squares in person, it looks like it could have happend that way. Her "AND I" is absolutely gigantic! Have you heard that one?

I heard it was an actress too.

In one scene in the new flick 'Be Cool', John Travolta and Uma Thurman are shown driving away from the Million Dollar Theater, while the follow-up shot is of Grauman's Chinese Theatre. (Also, on prominent display on the Grauman's marquee, via either stock footage or some sort of homage, is title signage from 1987's 'The Untouchables'.)

Here's a link to a picture I took in 2003 of the "King and I" footprint block. I hope it works:

http://www.hpphoto.com/servlet/com.hp.HPSharedLargeView?com=usUtil&awp=gstlargeview.html&index=0

Maybe this link will work better:

http://www.hpphoto.com/servlet/com.hp.HPGuestLogin?username=bhuelbig&password=37157343

Hey Bill... Thanks for posting... the photo is great! I think the story of those blocks rate among the best stories of the forecourt. I have a book all about the prints at the theater somewhere in storage. I will try to find it and post some of the other legendary stories. The book also gives the dates and ceremony info. It is long out of print. Has anyone else seen the book?

You're welcome, Christian. That's the first photo I posted to the web - I'm glad it worked. I hope you find your book. I'm looking forward to reading some of those stories.

While on my recent visit to LA, I stopped by the Chinese (as all good theatre lovers should do! lol) and went into the adjacent gift shop. They have on sale the DVD "Hollywood at Your Feet" 'The story of the Chinese Theatre footprints' hosted by Raquel Welch. 53 mins running time. On the Image Entertainment label # ID0964FSDVD

Also, every 15 minutes they announce over a microphone to the crowd viewing the footprints that they can come into the theatre lobby where one of the staff tells you a little about the history of the theatre and you can take photo's. Of course the movie is screening in the auditorium so you're not allowed any further inside. 2 Dollars goes to childrens charity as an entry fee to this short tour.

Restoration work continues on the building with the help and advice of Hollywood Heritage. Recent work completed is the new screen curtain which replicates the original Chinese patterned curtain and replaces the plain red drapes that have been in use the past 40 years or so. Also with help from photographs taken at the time of opening, new replica entrance doors have been made and are now in place. They were designed by studio craftsmen at Warner Brothers studios and look terrific with patterns in real gold leaf etc. A small pagoda has also been replaced over the front entrance. The original disappeared many years ago. Next job is apperently to sort out the electric wiring at the theatre and re-light circuits of decorative lighting that has been out of commission for many years.

KenRoe, I had no idea they were doing that extensive of renovations! That's great news. I am very interested to see the pagoda over the door and the replica doors, as well.

Although I have not yet seen the movie, I noticed in a still from the film "The Aviator", they have replicated the entrance of the Chinese as it looked with specially built neon signs for the movie "Hell's Angels" in 1929. I believe the neon signs were red, and were 2 sided on both sides of the forecourt. I also found a photo of the signs at the following links. Does anyone know what other real neon signs were made just for a film title shown at the Chinese Theater?
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater3/00015760.jpg
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater1/00014618.jpg


Here is another view of the Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr signature blocks ... again, notice her HUGE "and I" in comparision to his "The King" ... below is another unusual "non-star" set of prints, which was Donald O'Connors mother in his block....
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater1/00014585.jpg

I was just in California and had the chance to see the Graumans Chinese just before the world premiere of Miss Congeniality 2. I did not stay for the walk down the red carpet, but it looked fabulous with all those lights. Though I have to admit it seemed smaller then I envisioned it. However, those footprints are great and well worth going to see. If they ran the tour that day I would go inside, but, unfortunately they didn't. That theater is a show in itself.

Yes, it is amazing. I was just there this past January. Althought I didn't see a movie there this past January, I did see a movie in the Chinese Theater the last time I was in California some years ago. Unfortunately the last few times I was in California, there were always stupid movies in the Chinese Theater that i had no desire to see, so haven't been inside for a while.

I'd say, spend the $10 and go inside! Who cares what's playing. Remember, we buy tickets to theaters, not movies.

Perhaps, but I was already in the theater a few years earlier, so it's not like I "had" to go inside.

my best friend worked at the theater next to graumans before they tore it down.when they let him go he took the exit signs that were over the doors,he has 2 i have one,its in a asian script,so im happy with my little piece of hollywood.the last movie i saw there was rush hour 2,and the place was empty,it connected to gruamans by some kind of tunnle,i wonder if they incorprated that into the new complex.either way my friend shane got transfered to the dome,and i saw solomon birch there and that was awsome.im a little upset about the whole archlight thing,but at least they kept it.

Wow! 78 Years Ago Today -- Opened For Business!!

One of my fondest childhood memories is waiting outside the theater in line for what seemed like hours to see the original "Star Wars". Even at age 9 I thought it was really cool to be seeing a movie THERE. I'm from Minnesota, and my dad lived in San Diego at the time. I'm not quite clear on how or why we happened to be there right then, but I'm so glad we were. It's a cool story to tell as an adult, especially now with the release of "Revenge of the Sith", and people talking about their own "Star Wars" memories...

Why is the seating capacity listed as "unknown?" The original was 2,258, according to David Naylor's "American Picture Palaces." The Chinese has never been one of my favorites, due to its lack of a balcony, which, IMHO, is one of the essentials of a true movie palace. I felt suffocated by its fairly low ceiling and overpowering Asian decor.

Current seating capacity in the original main auditorium is 1,492. This is due mainly to larger seats and re-spacing plus the loss of several rows from the rear orchestra when the foyer was recently enlarged into the auditorium space to accomodate a concession stand. This area was where the projection booth was located when it was moved from its 'upper location' when Cinemiracle was installed in the 1950's

The Chinese was among the theatres included in the original limited-market launch of "Star Wars." The Chinese's 5/25/77 opening-day gross, according to Daily Variety, was a house record $19,358.

"One of my fondest childhood memories is waiting outside the theater in line for what seemed like hours to see the original "Star Wars". Even at age 9 I thought it was really cool to be seeing a movie THERE. I'm from Minnesota, and my dad lived in San Diego at the time. I'm not quite clear on how or why we happened to be there right then, but I'm so glad we were. It's a cool story to tell as an adult, especially now with the release of "Revenge of the Sith", and people talking about their own "Star Wars" memories..." (MaraC"
**********************************************

A link to a cool "Star Wars" memory article:
http://www.fromscripttodvd.com/star_wars_a_day_long_remembered.htm

Here is a circa-1954 view of the exterior of Grauman's Chinese advertising the Spencer Tracy and Richard Widmark film "Broken Lance".

A link to a cool "Star Wars" memory article:
http://www.fromscripttodvd.com/star_wars_a_day_long_remembered.htm

Thanks Michael for that very informative article.
I was in Hawaii at the time and was very agravated by the fact that we opened the picture in two locations, both in 35mm with mono
sound. The prints were SVA but we did not have Dolby processors for the playback. Later in the run, a Dolby CP100 was installed at the Cinerama. As you know "Empire" and "Jedi" did play in 70mm six track at the Cinerama.

Vito: Didn't George Lucas flee to Hawaii to escape all the craziness when "Star Wars" first opened and the mania began? I think I read that somewhere. Hey, maybe you projected the movie with him in the audience? :)

Vito,
You're welcome regarding the article.

As for George Lucas fleeing to Hawaii to escape the "Star Wars" mania, this is often referenced as having been during the movie's opening weekend. I'm no sure if that is correct as by several accounts they were still working on the sound mix on opening day. Plus, as I pointed out in the Hawaii Cinerama thread (http://cinematreasures.org/theater/359/), Honolulu didn't open the movie until its third week. By then, Lucas had probably already returned to the "mainland" as Hawaiians like to call it. But then, Baxter's (error-ridden) Lucas biography places Lucas on Oahu during the movie's release and claims it opened there the same time as the mainland. Whatever.

I never saw Lucas, but he may have played a role in the Dolby installation at Cinerama. Someone, shocked at the engagement being presented in 35mm mono, went to the Cinerama's owners, Consolidated theatres on Oahu, and convinced them to install Dolby.
Oh by the way Bill, I don't think George would have sat thru his movie the way we were running it in 35mm with mono sound.
I did run a lot of movies for celebs in Hawaii, as well as private screenings at the home office screening room. Jack Lord (Hawaii 5-0) often held private Sunday morning brunch screenings for his celeb pals.

I hope that everyone in California, if not the United States, appreciates what they have in the superb single screen cinemas in Los Angeles. May I just make a comment about Dolby v THX? In my younger days, I was involved in the audio business in the UK, and always used hi fi equipment to listen to my TV with obviously varying results. "Varying" because movies, my main interest, were recorded to Academy Curve, which emphasized the vocal frequencies.
Dolby, up to this point best known for noise reduction systems, entered the
movie sound business with, I think, "Lisztomania" by Ken Russell, because they could reduce noise, and thus the need for the Academy Curve was lessened. I.E. a flatter higher fidelity response could be obtained. Later, I believe for the film "A Star is Born", Barbara Streisand version, rear channels were required. The only way of doing this previously was with expensive 6 channel systems on 70mm film, but Dolby rigged a system based on the old Sansui QS domestic quadraphonic system, which required only two channels to be recorded, which were processed to extract the centre voice channel and the rear effects. This was later modified and improved. Most people's first noticeable exposure to the Dolby Stereo system was with "Star Wars", the opening scene in particular being notable for the effect of the imperial cruiser approaching from above and behind. So, Dolby introduced a cheaper way of getting stereo surround sound into theaters and, soon after, into homes, and deserve more than the "just a noise reduction system" label.
Lucas was later dissatisfied with the performance of the sound systems being used in cinemas, and introduced the TAP, Theater Alignment Program, to certify those cinemas which were superior in their sound qualities. This later spread through the certification of equipment, both home and professional, with Thomas Holliman (?) being the designer. Hence THX, apart from jalopies and student movies, also coming from Thomas Holliman Xperiment.
Recently standing with the rest of the fans at the "Episode III" premiere in Westwood, I realized that "Star Wars", the original, had changed the course of
my life, by taking the audio business towards the film business, this had stimulated my interest in film, and eventually lead to my current attendance of the UCLA School of Film and Television. Which has enabled me to visit the Chinese and all of the other magnificent theatres (sic --- I am English after all) in Los Angeles.

And, oh, if Sensurround did cover the frequencies suggested, down to 5 Hz, probably no sound system in use currently would reach down that far, luckily. 7 Hz at a high enough volume will probably shake your internal organs to bits.

Doug

The Chinese was among the handful of theaters that was equipped with Cinema Digital Sound (CDS), the 1990-1991 precursor to the contemporary digital sound formats.

Great clear night shot:
http://imagesrvr.epnet.com/embimages/imh/archivephoto/full/g1889048.jpg

Caption: Grauman's Chinese Theater at night with floodlights shining at the premiere of The Robe, first film made in Cinemascope, Hollywood, California, 1953.

TC, that's a great night shot! I wanted to add that you can just make out the beautiful and stately HOLLYWOOD HOTEL just next door, in the trees. It was a beautiful hotel that was torn down 3 years after your photo was taken. Here is a photo of the hotel.

http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics06/00012577.jpg

In 1937 there was a movie called "Hollywood Hotel" that takes place at the hotel with Dick Powell and Benny Goodman. It's the movie that contained the famous Busby Berkeley musical number "Hurray for Hollywood."

Today, the site is home to the Kodak Theater and Hollywood-Highland Shopping Complex.

http://www.westhollywoodca.net/shared/HHMVC-054F.JPG

Thanks for sharing the great photo.

Quenty:

There is a photo on page 191 of "Cinema Year by Year 1894-2004" of the opening night of King of Kings. "Last night the theater was the venue for a special premiere of director Cecil B. DeMille's King of Kings before a select audience of 2,000. Outside, a crowd of 50,000 gathered."

Here is a photo of the beautiful auditorium of the Manns Chinese Theatre.

Everyone visiting Hollywood has to take in the Chinese at least once. When I was a theatre manageer in NY The Chinese management were kind enough to let me come and walk around. Later that week I watched from outside the premiere of "Beverly Hills Cop II". A few years later I got to see what she could do when I went to see not yet Gov. Arnold in "Eraser". The film wasn't memorable but the presentation was. A huge screen and enough boom booms to satisfy. My last time there they were only starting the Highland and Kodak complex but my next trip out, it's the first place I go.

I believe I visited this legendary theatre only once, on July 1, 1973, when the James Bond film Live and Let Die was playing. I just realized this place is number 1 on Cinema Treasures, as it may be understandably number one in many people's affections.

Nice photo, Chrles. Really red! But I am surprised there is no usual balcony. What is up there on the second level?

All seating (originally the capacity was 2,058 in 1927) is on one level. Where the balcony would normally be located is the projection booth in the centre and two provate boxes either side of it.

The slightly smaller (1,771 seat, same architects) Grauman's Egyptian Theatre along Hollywood Boulevard also had the same seating configuration as the Chinese Theatre.

Thanks, Ken. Have you completed your recent cinema tour of the USA?

During the remodels of the mid 50's and 60's for different widescreen formats. The booth was moved to the main floor for better projection. At the Chinese, in the mid 50's National Theatres "Cinemiracle" version of 3 panel Cinerama. And in the 50's & late 60's Todd-AO & D-150 over at the Egyptian. In the main room of the Chinese Theatre, the area which is now the booth. Was for VIP's, it had two rows of seats in the center and two small other boxes to the right and left of the center. This area was called the Carthay lounge, it had a private snackbar and restrooms. The get to this area was through the managers office area near the men's restroom side of the theatre.

Is the booth back upstairs now? When did the Carthay Lounge exist; was it during the time the booth was downstairs?

The Carthay Lounge was upstairs when the booth was on the main floor.

The Carthay Lounge was upstairs when the booth was on the main floor.

The late 50's to the last major remodel a few years ago.

saps; The booth is back upstairs now. The area in the rear orchestra downstairs (where the booth was for the last 40+ years) and the remainder of that seating area has now become part of an enlarged lobby and concession stand, achieved by constructing a new inner rear wall to the auditorium.

The present projection booth is back upstairs in its original location. There is no Cathay Lounge anymore. The booth is also very small now.

Originally, technology did not require much equipment. When the booth was downstairs, there were numerous projectors and sound dummies for running picture and track. Studio screenings require separate projection (picture) and sound (track) equipment that are synchronized. In many cases, the picture is a rough cut that has just been edited together by a film editor. Therefore, every time the scene changes, the picture noticeably jumps.

Back in the day, we would be handed 1,000 foot reels (10 minutes) to 2,000 foot reels (20 minutes) and make changeovers. In the case of 1,000 foot reels, you had to hustle to thread both picture and track in sync, then, rewind the previous two and tend to the carbon arc lamphouses.

Today, for just a regular presentation, the film is edited onto one platter. If doing picture and track, two platters; one for the picture and one for the soundtrack. Xenon bulbs have replaced carbon arcs, automation takes care of everything else and space is no longer a necessity.

Only on rare ocassion, such as with James Cameron and "Titanic," will he insist that a regular full-time projectionist be there and manually run the presentation with curtains and lights between trailers and the main feature and ride the fader (adjust the sound) to achieve a wider dynamic range.

Hi Saps, how ya doin?

I watched the end of Blazing Saddles last night to get a good look at the Chinese, and I could see the shallow lobby and that the concession stand ("Raisinettes, please.") was just a few feet away from the front door. I guess it has been moved after the booth went back upstairs. Also, in the auditorium scenes I could see some black structure in the rear, which I guess was the booth. The most amazing thing was that Gene Wilder was holding a popcorn bucket that said 35 cents on it; you couldn't get the same size for $3.50 now!

Is the ticket booth still on the street?

Meredith, all is well.

The ticket booth is on the street, but it is now located in the new 6 screens building, built to the right of the main theatre. This has now allowed the original courtyard where that hand and foot prints are, to be totally 'opened up' as originally intended and as seen in original opening photographs.

The "large black structures" you speak of at the rear of the theater were the huge "Sensurround" speakers and sub-woofers installed for the movie "Earthquake" (1974). Both "Blazing Saddles" and "Earthquake" were made in the same year.

Bear in mind, there was no concession stand when the Chinese was built in 27. It came later. Then, for decades, it sat flush with its back wall against the booth wall, in the center of the lobby. Finally, when projection was moved back upstairs, the back wall to the projection booth was removed, and the concession stand now resides in what was the old booth.

"Blazing Saddles" was released in July 1974 (at the Pickwick Drive-In with guests on horseback) and Earthquake was not released until November of that year. I doubt that the Sensurround equipment was installed early enough to be seen in "Saddles".

I've vacationed in Hollywood twice (I'm from Minnesota) and I made sure to visit and see movies at the Chinese both times. The first time, in 1988, I had one of the most unique movie-going experiences I've known. I saw "Memories Of Me" (starring Billy Crystal) there, and walked through the famous courtyard in order to see a film featuring a scene that was set in the very same courtyard I had just walked through...

Here's hoping the Chinese will remain standing as long as Hollywood itself does.

I grew up around Los Angeles but I have no memory of ever going to the Chinese Theater as a child in 1970s or as a teenager in the 1980s. I do however remember going to the Chinese Twin Theaters - to see what I cannot I remember - that were formerly located next to the Chinese Theatre. Even then I was curious about the Chinese Theater however I did not see a film at the Chinese Theatre until I saw "12 Monkeys" in the mid 1990s. I have since seen two other films here, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and very recently "The Dukes of Hazard." On both occasion I saw the films mainly to see the theater. It is an amazing theater with a stellar past. However after going to many other classic movie palaces in Los Angeles that have ceased being regularly operating cinemas and are now used for stage theaters, special events or numerous other uses, I feel the Chinese Theatre benefits from its history, location and continuos operation to give it its larger than life mystique. The many other movie palaces around Los Angeles, and even in Hollywood, match the Chinese Theatre in opulence and grandeur. That is no means demeans the Chinese Theatre, which is an amazing movie palace, but places it in its proper place among a historic group of truly wonderful theaters with the Chinese being the only one to have never succumbed. And that is a grand feat.

Do they have tours of the Chinese Theater? I was there two years ago and bought a ticket to "The School of Rock" mainly to see the theater like Knatcal did. The movie turned out to be very good anyway, but I'd hate to have to sit through something like "The Dukes of Hazzard".

Knatcal is right that the Chinese is really famous for its history and longevity --along with the footprints, etc., in the forecort. It is certainly not the foremost movie palace architecturally in the Los Angeles area, and its fame is therefore not of that origin, contrary to that impression given in the VHS tape "Movie Palaces" put out by a cable TV network a fews years ago and reviewed and offered at www.Amazon.com With the LOS ANGELES, the ORPHEUM, and a host of others, the CHINESE is really more of a phenomenon than the epitome of a movie palace, and, in fact, its unique balcony arrangement really puts it more in a class by itself within the palaces.

First, I have to say that I feel Jim Rankin's comments above are totally on target in assessing the stature of the Chinese as a "phenomenon". My feeling about the Chinese, and likewise the Egyptian, was always that their fame considerably exceeded their intrinsic merits as movie palaces per se. (Maybe it's partly that I don't really enjoy the movie palace experience unless I'm sitting in the balcony -- an impossibility in both those theaters!)

Anyway, I saw A Star Is Born (1976) and Divine Madness (1980) at the Chinese. My recollection is that the projection booth was still at the back of the orchestra level then, that it looked like a tacky addition that didn't belong there, that an aisle actually snaked around it, and that the presentation was marred by the beam being distractingly close overhead. If my memory is incorrect, someone please correct me.

When was the booth relocated to the balcony?

Also, on a slight tangent, I seem to remember that when I was a kid in the 60s there was a coin-operated souvenir machine that cast a miniature replica of the pagoda in a brown waxy resiny plastic kind of material. Does that sound familiar to anybody?

Jim's comments are always both informed and informative. I love the Chinese because it is an event, but it spent a very long time being badly maintained and a lot of its treasures lost or damaged. By the 1990's it had really lost its lustre, having nothing much else but a famous name and a tourist attraction entrance.

The booth moved back upstairs about 4 years ago. The main chandelier is about 50% smaller than it was originally, but is once again lit. Hopefully the horrible red wool curtains on the screen and side walls have gone by now. Mann have spent a lot of money making it look special again but they could spend a whole lot more considering the rep this place has.

Hey, in México city there is another Chinese: the 'Palacio Chino', but it looks very different indeed.

I wonder why you are nobody in Hollywood until Hollywood Boulevard itself, between the streets of LaBrea and Highland, is shut down for your pix's premiere? Could there be a reason why this theater has had more premieres than any theater in the US? Is it the red carpet, the press, the tv coverage (at least in Hollywood), the fans screaming from across the street on bleachers as the limos arrive or the spotlights streaking above the skys? Might this actually be the theater of the STARS' preference since 1927? Ummm... Could the Chinese be HOLLYWOOD?

Everyday that I went to work there, under by breath, I would say, "Good Morning Sid," and "Goodnight Mr. Grauman," as though the man was still there. It didn't matter who the director, producer, star or studio was, my respect went to Sid, The ShowMan!

In my 20s, it was my dream to work there: In my 50s, my recolection is to reminisce.

I attended a showing of Batman Returns at one of the multiplex screens not the original theatre which by the way is still glorious. The modern multiplex is like anyother multiplex in the USA rather boxlike and unimaginative but clean and comfortable. Yet my experience that evning was awful. A woman who sat behind me had the nerve to prop her shoeless feet on then top of the vacan seat next to me inches from my face. Talk about manners! I could have said something to her but was worried I would offend her race and gender. So to prevent another LA riot starting in the theatre I moved my seat. The next place I sat the person next me decides to take a cell phone call. I had it and left. The movie stank any way.

The last time I was in this theater (for Spongebob Squarepants) not only was the red curtain still there but it was torn. There are indeed tours between films and while we were waiting for the show to start tourists stood on stage and took pictures of the auditorium...meaning us. We are not part of somebody's vacation and I didn't appreciate the flashes going off in my eyes.

If memory serves, and it does so less than it used to, "Batman Returns" would have played when the twin was still next door and not the current 6 plex in the new center.

Yes, I do seem to remember the machine that made a keepsake out of a penny but back then many attractions had them including Marineland and Universal Studios when it was really about moviemaking and not a damn theme park.

I don't remember the pagoda machine. Marineland had one that made sea animals and The L.A. Zoo still has some.

"I attended a showing of Batman Returns at one of the multiplex screens not the original theatre" (Valencia, Aug 27, 2005)

"If memory serves, and it does so less than it used to, 'Batman Returns' would have played when the twin was still next door and not the current 6 plex in the new center." (Manwithnoname, Aug 27, 2005)
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I saw "Batman Returns," the 1992 entry in the movie series, on opening night in the Chinese's original, main auditorium. So either Valencia is confusing one "Batman" movie with another or saw the movie after it had been playing a while and the print had been moved to one of the smaller screens next door.

It's just bats, man.

Stevebob: I absolutely remember the plastic mold machine; it sat on the extreme right of the forecourt (facing towards the entrance) next to the entrance of the gift shop. I last saw it in the early 1990s, but it has gone now. How I wish I had actually made one of the little pagodas on one of my many visits, now the opportunity is lost.

There’s something else that’s missing from the forecourt. Many years ago (in the 1940s, maybe), the theatre held a contest that would allow the winner, just any average Joe, to place his name and prints in cement just like the celebs did. The deal was that the cement slab would remain there forever, just like all the others. Eventually, of course, the slab was moved to an out-of-the-way spot waaaayyyy to the right, not far from the plastic machine mentioned above. I remember seeing it there at the same time I last saw the mold machine. Now, it has gone too. I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the winner who was so immortalized, but I remember the words ‘contest winner’ were on the same slab with his prints.

This theatre features prominently in the film "Fade to Black" (1980).

My apology to those who read my comments and were puzzled by the facts. The actual film I was referring to was BATMAN BEGINS . Sorry, I must have been so flustered by my experience I had forgotten the name of the film I saw or in this case didn't see since I left well before the ending. People with stinky feet and cell phones should be banned from any theatre. Were was security or ushers to keep an eye on such nonsence, especially a place like Grauman's!

Theatre chains need to worry about above comments. Presentaiton is a key elemnet missing in many of our theatres across the country. The experience of going to a theatre must competed with DVD'S in todays world. In the old days bad behavior in a theatre wasn't tolerated.brucec

My grandfather, Jean Klossner was on the original Meyer & Holler construction crew that built the Egyptian, Chinese, Mayan and American theaters (among others) ..... After the opening of the Chinese, he performed the footprint ceremonies for over 40 years. He said Sid Grauman always wanted to open a complete chain, each theater with a different theme .... So different than the "Multiplex Giants" of today ......

I have reposted the slides I took on 10/25/81 of the Chinese & Chinese Twin Theatres. Each image now includes a short description to help better identify them.

Thanks...

I have reposted the slides I took on 10/25/81 of the Chinese & Chinese Twin Theatres. Each image now includes a short description to help better identify them.

http://members.dslextreme.com/~swstanton/grauman_slide_gallery/index.html

Thanks...

Once the domain propagates itself, I imagine sometime tomorrow you will be able to go to:

http://www.graumanschinesetheater.net

to see the above mentioned slides along with the Chinese Theater booklet scans all in one convenient place.

CALLING ALL THEATRE / MOVIE ENTHUSIASTS!!!

T'he Los Angeles Theatre' on South Broadway, LA is playing host to the UK television show 'Dead Famous LIVE'. We are currently looking for people who would like to come along as part of the studio audience.

'Dead Famous LIVE' is a studio entertainment show all about Hollywood History and the paranormal. We will be welcoming celebrity guests on to the show and investigating famous locations around Hollywood which are rumoured to be haunted including the Los Angeles Theatre itself.

This is an invaluable chance to get access to the Los Angeles Theatre, the place where Charlie Chaplin's 'City Lights' premiered in 1931 and to have a thoroughly great day out! (And its free!!)

We're transmitting 'Live' back to the United Kingdom so expect it to be exciting and fun!

We will be filming on three days from 11th - 13th November between 11.30am - 4pm. If you are interested in coming on one or all of these days then email me for tickets!

george.hughes@twofour.co.uk

I look forward to your responses!

For those that are interested, a short history of Raymond M. Kennedy, the architect of the Chinese Theater has been recently posted on Wikipedia. Once you are at the Wikipedia web site just type in Raymond M. Kennedy into the search box and click on Go. For some reason if you click search after typ