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Grauman's Chinese Theater. Or, depending on when you grew up, you may have known it as Mann's Chinese Theater. Over the years, Sid Grauman's third masterpeice of cinematic showmanship (the first being downtown Los Angeles' "Million Dollar Theatre" and the second, Hollywood Blvd.'s "Egyptian Theatre") has changed hands many times, but no matter who owned it, it has remained a Hollywood icon. And, since 1929, scores of stars have had their hand and footprints immortalized in cement in the famous "Forecourt of the Stars." There's even a cinematic time capsule buried in the courtyard! However, there was a time that this monument to movie-going was in such a sad state, many wondered if its doors might someday be closed forever. Looking around today, that may be hard to believe, especially in light of the recent overhauls that restored the Egyptian, the El Capitan and the Chinese to vintage-era condition. But in the 1980's, Westwood was the movie-going hotpsot, and the theaters on Hollywood Blvd. were slowly being put out to pasture. Under UA ownership, the Egyptian got an overhaul with the premiere of "The Return of the Jedi" and the Chinese got a shot in the arm with introduction of the THX sound system around the opening of "Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom." But, eventually, virtually all of the Hollywood Blvd. theaters--the Warner/Pacific Triplex, Vogue, Fox, Holly, Pix and even the historic Hollywood--were closed or repurposed into tourist attractions (such as the Guinness Book of World Records Museum, aka The Hollywood Theater). And despite the Chinese's facelift, including restoring the "Grauman" name and removing the 1950's-era neon marquees, the wear and tear on the physical structure has been so pronounced, that over the years much of the decor (inside and out) has been removed, rather than repaired. So, what exactly, is on this site? LOTS of photos of that most famous Hollywood cinema at 6925 Hollywood Blvd. The black and white booklet in the first gallery was originally put together by Terry Helgeson and/or the Los Angeles Theater Organ Society--and contains some rare early photos of the Chinese Theater when it opened. The next gallery contains the old souvenir booklet once sold in the forecourt gift shop. In the 1980's, National General and Fox West Coast Theaters no longer owned the Chinese, and cases of these books couldn't be sold because they contained outdated information--and the wrong name on the cover! I do have 35mm color slides of Sid Grauman's personal office, the interiors and exteriors of both the Chinese and the now-demolished Chinese Twin theater, which I hope to scan and post in their own gallery. TRIVIA NOTE: Charles Nelson was the Talent Quest winner whose hand and footprints used to be in the east forecourt where the current entrance to the entertainment complex and Chinese 6 Theaters now exist--they have been moved to a different spot on the forecourt--but not removed like many suspected. |
 Sid Grauman's Chinese Theatre (Early Days)
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 Grauman's Chinese Theatre (National General Ownership)
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1965 -- "The Ipcress File" playing at Sid Grauman's Chinese Theatre under the ownership of National General Theaters (The marquee describes the film as "A Thinking Man's Goldfinger.") 
1981 -- Walt Disney's "The Fox and the Hound" and "Song of the South" playing at Ted Mann's Chinese Twin Theatre (Demolished to make room for the Kodak Theatre and Hollywood & Highland Center.) Check out more of our collection of Retro photos, toys, catalogs and more at BlastFromYourPast.com |
