Grauman's Chinese Theatre

The historic Hollywood mecca.

Grauman's Chinese Theatre is a movie theatre located at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. The Chinese Theatre was commissioned following the success of the nearby Grauman's Egyptian Theatre which opened in 1922. Built over 18 months beginning in January 1926 by a partnership headed by Sid Grauman, the theatre opened May 18, 1927 with the premiere of Cecil B. DeMille's The King of Kings.[1] It has since been home to many premieres, birthday parties, corporate junkets and three Academy Awards ceremonies. Among the theatre's most distinctive features are the concrete blocks set in the forecourt, which bear the signatures, footprints, and handprints of popular motion picture personalities from the 1920s to the present day.

From 1973 through 2001, the theatre was known as Mann's Chinese Theatre, owing to its acquisition by Mann Theatres in 1973. In the wake of Mann's bankruptcy, the theatre, along with the other Mann properties, was sold in 2000 to a partnership comprising Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures, who also acquired the Mann brand name.[2] In 2002 the original name was restored to the cinema palace, although the other theatres in the attached Hollywood and Highland mall retain and continue to operate under the name Mann's Chinese 6 Theatre.[1]

Contents

History

Interior of the theatre.

After his success with the Egyptian Theatre, Sid Grauman, once again, turned to C.E. Toberman to secure a long term lease on property located at 6925 Hollywood Blvd. Mr. Toberman contracted with the architectural firm of Meyer and Holler (who also designed the Egyptian Theatre) to design a "palace type theatre" of Chinese design. Grauman's Chinese Theatre was financed by a showman, Sid Grauman, who owned a one-third interest with his partners: Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and Howard Schenck.[1] Upon completion of the plans, Mr. Toberman began construction of the theatre. The principal architect of the Chinese Theatre was Raymond M. Kennedy, of the firm Meyer and Holler. During construction, Sid Grauman hired Jean Klossner to formulate an extremely hard cement for the forecourt of the theatre. Klossner later became known as "Mr. Footprint," performing the footprint ceremonies from 1927 through 1962.

In a short interview at the end of the September 13, 1937 Lux Radio Theatre program (whose night's presentation was a radio adaptation of A Star Is Born) Grauman told Cecil B. DeMille how he got the idea to put hand and footprints in the cement. Grauman stated that it was by "pure accident. I walked right into it. While we were building the theatre, I accidentally happened to step in some soft concrete. And there it was. So, I went to Mary Pickford immediately. Mary put her foot into it." The theatre's third partner, Douglas Fairbanks, was the next celebrity to be immortalized in the cement.

Sid Grauman sold his share to William Fox's Fox Theatre in 1929 but remained as the theatre's Managing Director until his death in 1950.

In 1968 it was declared a historic and cultural landmark, and has undergone restoration projects in the years since then. The theatre was purchased in 1973 by Ted Mann, owner of the Mann Theatres chain and husband of actress Rhonda Fleming, who renamed it Mann's Chinese Theatre. As of November 9, 2001, the original name was returned to the front of the theatre. To the dismay of many fans of historic architecture, the free-standing ticket booth was removed, along with the left and right neon marquees--but their absence brings the theatre back closer to its original state. The auditorium has recently been completely restored along with much of the exterior, however, the wear and tear on the physical structure has been so pronounced that over the years some of the external decor has been removed, rather than repaired.

Grauman's Chinese Theatre continues to serve the public as a normal first-run movie theatre. Many film premieres are held at the Chinese Theatre, often attended by large throngs of celebrities.

The theatre was home to the 1944, 1945, and 1946 Academy Awards ceremonies and is adjacent to the Kodak Theatre, the Awards' current home.[3]

The exterior of the movie theatre is meant to resemble a giant, red Chinese pagoda. The architecture features a huge Chinese dragon across the front, two stone lion-dogs guarding the main entrance, and the silhouettes of tiny dragons up and down the sides of the copper roof.

Footprints

Many older entries contain personal messages to Sid Grauman, such as Myrna Loy's 1936 contribution. Loy's first job was as a dancer at the theatre in the 1920s.

There are nearly 200 Hollywood celebrity handprints, footprints, and autographs in the concrete of the theatre's forecourt.

Steve McQueen's hand & footprints

Variations of this honored tradition are imprints of the eye glasses of Harold Lloyd, the cigars of Groucho Marx and George Burns,the magic wands of Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe,Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, the legs of Betty Grable, the fist of John Wayne, the knees of Al Jolson, the ice skating blades of Sonja Henie, and the noses of Jimmy Durante and Bob Hope.

Western stars William S. Hart and Roy Rogers left imprints of their guns. The hoofprints of "Tony", the horse of Tom Mix, "Champion", the horse of Gene Autry, and "Trigger", the horse of Rogers, were left in the cement beside the prints of the stars who rode them in the movies.

During World War II the theatre discontinued installing cement handprints and footprints. The tradition resumed after the war in 1945 with Gene Tierney: her star was on the rise at the time with Laura and the release of Leave Her to Heaven.

The only person not associated with the movie industry to have a signature and handprint in front of the theatre is Grauman's mother. Additionally, Charles Nelson, the winner of a "Talent Quest," had his handprints and footprints embedded in the "Forecourt of the Stars."

Full List of Footprint and Handprint Ceremonies

1920s

1930s

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

Culture references

Mann's Chinese Theatre (below the miniature of Griffith Park)
Jack Nicholson's prints from 1974

At amusement parks

In video games

In music

In film

On television

In novels

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Mann Theatres - Grauman's Chinese". Mann Theatres. Retrieved on April 17, 2007.
  2. ↑ "Business - Chicago Sun-Times". Chicago Sun-Times (January 12, 2000). Retrieved on April 17, 2007.
  3. ↑ "IMDb: Academy Awards, USA". IMDb. Retrieved on April 17, 2007.

External links