TCL Chinese Theatre
6925 Hollywood Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90028
6925 Hollywood Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90028
159 people
favorited this theater
Showing 601 - 625 of 1,670 comments
While I’m not looking forward to the idea of my favorite theatre being ripped up and needlessly reconfigured again (seriously why?) I’m optimistic about the lighting getting some TLC. I hope whatever new seating they put in will match the rest of the theatre and not look like something they got from AMC. The same goes for the curtain and the screen.
It will always be Grauman’s no matter what this page says.
The 1958 remodel was needed as the size of the screen was limited to the width of the stage. During the large screen era it was common to have screens that were very large. The original theater (Graumans Chinese) was not designed to run CinemaScope, Todd-AO, etc. So the stage, and most of the proscenium, had to be removed to allow for the newer formats. There is a 120 foot screen holder under the current 90 foot screen holder. That 120 foot screen was for Cinemiracle a process similar to Cinerama using three projectors. The Cinemiracle projectors were replace with Todd-AO projectors. When the Todd-AO projectors were in the lower booth and the light source was a 13.6mm carbon arc a picture could be projected to fill a 100 plus foot wide picture with a 70mm print. That was one of the reasons Star Wars was so popular at the Chinese. Later on when xenon lamphouses were installed the picture size had to be limited because it was hard to get 16 footlamberts with a large picture.
Ironically I just received this update, but didn’t recognize the theater name in my e-mail. That’s because since my last update this morning, the Grauman names has been removed from the header on this Cinema Treasures page.
I think it should have been left in place, as it is the most recognizable name associated with this theater. Was TCL behind this change, on a forum that deals more in the history of theaters? I’m just curious, because the CT search feature is not very thorough to begin with. And removing the historic Grauman name will just cause confusion. (It’s the Marshall Fields/Macy’s mess all over again to us in Chicago)
I spent an hour or so searching for a theater on Division Street in Chicago. Only to have another forum find it as The Vision Theater, and sure enough on Division St. The CT search field never brought it up, even though I used every combination of Division Street, St., West, W., Chicago etc.
Interesting discussion. A couple of notes. Grauman’s name was taken off the theatre in 1958. It did not re-appear until the 2001 restoration of the exterior. It will remain under TCL. In 1927, one entered the theatre from the Lobby to a very steep rake – definitely non ADA compliant. The 1958 rehab resulted in a zigzag walk in front of the booth to the lowered seating level. The plan for stadium seating is not the steep variety of your modern multiplex. One will enter from the Lobby to a level floor even with the back row of seats – no more staircase. The seats are stepped down from there. There is a cross aisle mid auditorium leading to the two side exit aisles. The front of the theatre will be excavated to continue the slope downward allowing a taller screen and much more distance from the front rows to the screen ala ArcLight. Having been on the 4th row in a packed house for The Hobbit, I can assure you that this is a good thing. The screen is about 89' wide. It is also silver, which is a problem for non-3D movies – or so say some filmmakers.I believe the new capacity will be around 1000. The auditorium atmospheric lighting was re-wired in 2001 – alas, precluding the 3-color capabilities of the four rings of lighting in the ceiling doiley. Each ring is now one solid color and lamped with incandescants – an expensive nightmare to continually re-lamp. The conduit for the 3 circuit remains and wiring could easily be pulled to return the lighting effects back to Grauman’s intent. The original light board was yanked out and the wiring goes to an electronic dimmer rack in the basement. Lighting is controlled from the booth and may be programmed from a standard PA or laptop. Since 2001, some of the dimmers for the ceiling lights have been swapped out to replace others that have failed. The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation has entered into an agreement to restore the auditorium’s atmospheric lighting (with LEDs) and replicate missing light fixtures. That includes the brass lantern, which was accidentally demolished when it was removed for repairs during the 1958 rape of the auditorium. With the $5 million from TCL, the exterior will be re-painted and re-lighted and some lighting improvements will be made to the interior. Theatre management will be able to really step up their game and attract more people to the theatre. Is there any better way to honor Sid than to fill the theatre and get more butts in seats? TCL’s name will appear from time to time on the new digital marquee above the Hollywood Blvd – the current digital screens are outdated. Finally, people will call the theatre what they call it, whether Mann’s, Grauman’s or TCL. My hunch is that Grauman’s will continue to be the most commonly used. The auditorium atmospheric lighting restoration will be financed by a series of benefit screenings. I hope we can depend on all of you to support the LAHTF and management. LAHTF will also be doing a behind-the-scenes tour just before the theatre closes for the upgrades. Check our facebook page or website – www.lahtf.org for updates. I am unsure when the theatre will close for the rehab and how long it will take. You should know that the theatre’s management is committed to keeping Grauman’s legacy alive. The LAHTF will be close by to make sure they do.
They need to call this theatre the TCL Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. The public is now finding out about the drop of the Grauman’s name and they are not pleased. The screen at the Chinese is not that large for the size of the main theatre. Many LA theatres have over 85 foot semi curved EX screens. Years ago for 70mm Grauman’s opened to a larger screen. Seems like there is more masking on top and on the sides that will open up. I hope they don’t put in a big IMAX square screen. It’s to tall and not good for a wide screen film. When you see a CinemaScope® movie on a large square IMAX screen white screen is shown at the top and bottom. You just see a band of a movie. They have no masking. It’s a big joke about the new Imax Experience screens going in at AMC and Regal and other theatres,they are not that much larger then the screens they have. The original older IMAX screens are huge. These chains just want the extra money for the IMAX name. The public knows these new IMAX and EX type screens are not that much larger and most stay away from the advance ticket prices. The TCL and new people that took over the Grauman’s lease just need to enlarge the screen they have to 90 feet and curve It more. Put in new color lights in the ceiling and around the theatre. It will be so nice as the curtains with red and organge lights part nice blue or green lights come on the ceiling. When It’s pre show or intermission time the roof lights can change to red. The sound at Grauman’s now is some of the best in any movie theatre I have been to. On certain movies the bass is so deep It will shake the theatre. If they put in the new Dolby Atomos® sound system the whole ceiling will have speakers hanging down. Forget the stadium seats, they will loose many hundreds of seats. Just put in a better low slope. What does TCL stand for THE CHINESE LAMP company? At least they may have many different color LED bulbs to put in. Please bring back the Grauman’s name and put some of the new money into bringing back the color lights in the bland forcourt outside. Time to bring back the neon dragon marqueee or re build them. Show the people on the street what is showing inside the famous Grauman’s Chinese Theatre Hollywood CA. Bring back the 50’s type charm. Time to start on the big remodel job and also put in a stage in front of the new larger screen and have some pre show entertainment like across the street at the Disney El Capitain Theatre. They have lines to get in the Grauman’s does not.
Calling all devotees to the $5 showing at 7PM on 1-17-13, of THE BIRDS, with Tippi Hedren for a Q & A.
I was at the Henson Studio(built by Chaplin)on Sunday for their Golden Globes viewing party. Julie Newmar was presented an award by George Chakiris and Tippi Hedren came up to my table and we had a nice chat. At 82, she is still glamorous, with impeccable hair, makeup, nails, shoes, etc. At 16 I had a super crush on her and finally met her.
There were colored lights in the ceiling and after the last remodel when the projection booth was moved from downstairs to the original location upstairs the colored ceiling lights were no longer used. They have trouble figuring out that antiquated wiring.
I think the steps were added during the 2001 remodel.
If anything good comes out of another remodeling I hope the lighting inside the theater is taken care of. There are a lot of burnt out/non functional lighting elements right now.
IIRC, the slope of the floor was decreased in 1958 as part of the extensive modifications made to accommodate Windjammer in the Cinemiracle format (along with moving/dropping the projection booth eliminating several back rows of seats, moving the screen further back, adding more rows of seats up in front, etc).
If they increased the angle of the floor back to the way it originally was pre-1958, that would be cool.
You know how you walk down a bunch of steps to enter the auditorium? I’m speculating those steps needed to be added when the slope was decreased.
Any oldtimers here who visited Grauman’s prior to those 1958 modifications who can comment?
If they do their stadium seating like the Village in Westwood did (installing rizers that will maintain the slope), it’ll work.
The exposed screen for The Hobbit looked roughly the same size when I saw Attack of the Clones there in 2002. I’m betting closer to 60ft.
The idea of stadium seating inside Grauman’s sickens me. The sightlines are excellent now. The current reclining seats from the last remodel are a pain to sit in but making it into a standard AMC or that Egyptian theater abomination is just a bad idea.
I am not saying that the screen isn’t 90 feet wide. I believe you. There’s a truckload of side masking hiding all that extra screen space. All I’m saying is that the screen was not displaying it’s full 90 feet wideness on the Saturday 12/18 showing of The Hobbit. If they’ve since changed that since my visit, perhaps I should make a return visit to see this super wide presentation.
Chris, how much do you wanna wager on the screen size at the Chinese? $$$
Yeah, if it was Real D it could not possibly be 90 feet. The format doesn’t allow for a screen that big at the moment.
As everybody knows, the Cinerama Dome is 82 feet wide. The Hobbit at Grauman’s Chinese was nowhere close to that. I don’t need a tape measure to figure that out. :p
The current screen at the Chinese is 90 take out your tape measures and check it! It was open far beyond 65 feet for The Hobbit. Does it matter anyway the current management isn’t doing very well are they if they have to sell the name to make ends meet.
The great thing about the Chinese is that they don’t NEED stadium seating. The screen is big enough that you rarely, if ever, have someone blocking you. This whole thing smells like a disaster. And yeah, the name will certainly go back to Grauman’s Chinese at some point, but the bigger question is… what about the actual theater (especially if they’re doing a remodel). After all, would we want the kind of seating that is now at the Egyptian?
Neither the LA Times nor Hollywood Reporter articles linked above today mention a looming ticking time bomb.
My understanding is that to save money, Sid Grauman didn’t purchase the land but instead bought a 99-year lease on which he built his Grauman’s Chinese Theater. And currently a real estate firm CIM owns the land the theater is on (they own Hollywood & Highland next door as well). That lease should be expiring in 13 years or so, and I assume at that point the current lessee (producers Samaha & Kushner) will lose the building to CIM, since they can’t very well pick up and move a historic landmark. So I’m really encouraged that they are interested in maintaining and upgrading the old place. And I’m sure CIM doesn’t mind at all the renaming. After all, their next door Dolby Theater was called the Kodak Theater up until last year.
And as one of the the articles points out, it’s not the first renaming. It was “Mann’s Chinese” back in the 80’s and 90’s. I’d bet at some point in the future it will be “Grauman’s Chinese” again.
Speaking of Screen Sizes, it appears this one is getting bigger.
In the LA Times this morning, it appears the new owners sold the naming rights. For $5 MILLION dollars, a Chinese tech company gets to name this The TCL Chinese Theatre.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-fi-ct-chinese-theater-20130111,0,1298028.story
It appears that the new owners are taking the money and making improvements to it at least. This is from the end of the article.
“Planned improvements include a new extra-wide screen, stadium seating, superior sound and projection systems, and a new box-office marquee on Hollywood Boulevard.”
Taking out the Graumans name, and adding Stadium seating scares me a bit. However, I highly encourage a new huge screen.
I saw The Hobbit there. No way that was 90 feet wide (at least not on opening weekend). 65 feet sounds more reasonable.
In other news…TCL CHINESE THEATRE??? According to The Hollywood Reporter, that will be this theatre’s new name. Barf.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hollywoods-chinese-theater-naming-rights-411270
The Chinese had a 120 foot screen holder used for Cinemiracle presentations but a newer 90 foot screen holder was installed during the last remodel. They make a point showing off the size of the screen during the theater tour. Masking is used to reduce the viewing size depending on the format shown. It looked like the making was open to the full 90 feet for The Hobbit.
The largest picture with 35mm film was about 65 feet due to the amount of light required to fill a larger screen would damage the film. Of course 70mm has a larger frame size allowing more light and a larger picture. The maximum screen size depends on how much light the projector can put out.
A decade ago when I was last there, I understood the screen width to be 80 feet.
Isn’t the maximum screen size for the Real D XL about 75'?
I’m pretty sure the full width of the screen at Grauman’s is closer to 70ft than 90ft. I was there last night and the screen is as masked down as much as it was when I saw Attack of the Clones there in 2002.
Great presentation btw but the lack of heating was inexcusable. The awkward reclining seats which were put in for the 2001 restoration also need to go. Sadly I don’t think the current management cares that much.
I went to see The Hobbit at the Chinese and the presentation was impressive. The masking opened to the full 90 foot with and the picture was sharper than most of the movies they play there. The 3D was good too. I wasn’t happy to find out that the movie was in three parts and this is installment 1.