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.") Photo by Marie Mainz |
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Grauman's Chinese Theatre. 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 when 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 Grauman's Egyptian, the El Capitan and the Chinese to vintage-era condition. But in the 1980's, Westwood Village (near UCLA) was the movie-going hotpsot, and the theaters on Hollywood Blvd. were slowly being put out to pasture. Under UA ownership, the Egyptian got a facelift 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, nearly all of the Hollywood Blvd. theaters--the Warner/Pacific Triplex, Vogue, Fox, Holly, Pix and even the historic Hollywood (opened in 1913), were closed or repurposed into tourist attractions. For instance, the Hollywood Theater is now The Guinness Book of World Records Museum! And despite the Chinese's restoration, including bringing back 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 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! The third gallery contains 35mm color slides I took for a film school project in 1981 when I still worked at the theater. The photos include rare shots of Sid Grauman's personal office, and the interiors and exteriors of both the Chinese and the now-demolished Chinese Twin theater (which opened in 1979). There's even a shot of me on the forecurt the morning of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg's footprint ceremony! Most of the photos were taken to compare and contrast the architectural features of the two buildings--had I known what the future held in store for these monuments, I would have taken a ton more photos! 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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 Mann's Chinese I, II, III Theatres (circa 1981) |
 Official Chinese Theater Parking Permit
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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.) |
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