TCL Chinese Theatre

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.)

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.

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 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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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 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