TCL Chinese Theatre
6925 Hollywood Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90028
6925 Hollywood Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90028
160 people
favorited this theater
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I have seen movies at the Chinese since the late 1960’s. I have seen movies like Hello Dolly, Whats UP Doc,Batman, Jagged Edge, Interview With a Vampire and many others. I actually sat in the two row balcony for the movie The Goodfellas before the recent renovation. The Chinese always has a superb film presentation. Isn’t it wonderful to have the curtains open and close for the presentation. During the current renovation the lobby was expanded into the back of the Auditoruim where the projection booth was and a few rows were lost. Before the renovation the Chinese sat 1500 and now it seats around 1100.The best film presentation in LA is the Chinese, El Capitan ,Cinerama Dome, Fox-Village,and National of LA’s surviving single screen theatres. These are also industry theatres that host many premieres.brucec
When I worked for Mann many years ago, I was able to go work the preview of City Slickers. The back half of the auditorium was assigned seats and the studio took care of that. The front half was general seating for other celebrities, which is where I was working. I remember seeing Jim Carrey during his early In Living Color days sitting next to Tom Bradley who was dressed in Cowboy garb for the event. Mr. Bradley turned to Jim and asked him “What do you do?”. Later, we got to watch the the movie from the small private balcony. I think it was called the Cathay lounge.
For those of you outside of LA, and wanting to see a vision of this famous theatre, there is a VHS video that has at least ten minutes within its 55-minute length devoted to color filming of the ornate CHINESE THEATRE. It is called “The Movie Palaces” and is part of the “America’s Castles” series filmed for A&E television network. My detailed review of it, and ordering instructions for it are at: View link
This video was filmed before the recent restoration, and therefore is a time capsule of sorts, and those desiring to view the theatre in other stages of its life would do well to contact the Theatre Historical Soc. which has a great many photos as well as drawings of this palace.
PHOTOS AVAILABLE:
To obtain any available Back Issue of either “Marquee” or of its ANNUALS, simply go to the web site of the THEATRE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA at:
www.HistoricTheatres.org
and notice on their first page the link “PUBLICATIONS: Back Issues List” and click on that and you will be taken to their listing where they also give ordering details. The “Marquee” magazine is 8-1/2x11 inches tall (‘portrait’) format, and the ANNUALS are also soft cover in the same size, but in the long (‘landscape’) format, and are anywhere from 26 to 40 pages. Should they indicate that a publication is Out Of Print, then it may still be possible to view it via Inter-Library Loan where you go to the librarian at any public or school library and ask them to locate which library has the item by using the Union List of Serials, and your library can then ask the other library to loan it to them for you to read or photocopy. [Photocopies of most THSA publications are available from University Microforms International (UMI), but their prices are exorbitant.]
Note: Most any photo in any of their publications may be had in large size by purchase; see their ARCHIVE link. You should realize that there was no color still photography in the 1920s, so few theatres were seen in color at that time except by means of hand tinted renderings or post cards, thus all the antique photos from the Society will be in black and white, but it is quite possible that the Society has later color images available; it is best to inquire of them.
Should you not be able to contact them via their web site, you may also contact their Executive Director via E-mail at:
Or you may reach them via phone or snail mail at:
Theatre Historical Soc. of America
152 N. York, 2nd Floor York Theatre Bldg.
Elmhurst, ILL. 60126-2806 (they are about 15 miles west of Chicago)
Phone: 630-782-1800 or via FAX at: 630-782-1802 (Monday through Friday, 9AM—4PM, CT)
So there was a balcony! ;) My recollection of my only time inside the main auditorium was that there were these seats that were on an upper level, but were obscured by a ceiling to floor plastic drape of some kind. Judging by the looks of it, at the time, it seemed like one to me. Whatever the case, it is a nice theater.
The original projection room was upstairs. Then, in the late 40s, it was moved downstairs. When I worked there in the 70s to 90s, to enter it, I had to walk into the left entrance of the main auditorium, the same as the public. The projection room was to the immediate right, covered by a doorsize, burgundy drape. The area upstairs that once had been the projection room was converted into a small, two-row balcony (I think it had 14 seats), but it was never open to the public during regular movie presentations. Instead, it was where celebrities were allowed to sit, having entered the side of the building from a concealed, non-public door. Today, the projection room is back upstairs to its original location, and only a couple “out-of-view” seats remain.
I’ve visited this theater on the trips I’ve made to LA and saw “Star Trek: Generations”, in 1994, in the smaller auditorium, which was quite impressive soundwise (it was THX). It wasn’t until 2001, I went and experienced a movie, in the main auditorium, and saw Angelina Jolie’s “Original Sin”. The theater was going through a renovation and the balcony was closed :( . The movie, itself, was quite a bore as it put me to sleep, not too bad if you need a sleeping aid. The sound seemed a bit muddled and quiet, not the fault of the theater’s sound system but the film’s soundtrack. Perhaps, the next time I visit there, there will be an event film booked there so I can experience the theater’s full sound potential.
The whole theater design is quite impressive and is unlike any other I’ve been in. And, yes, like the proverbial tourist, I tried to match my foot and handprints to the some of the stars on the sidewalk. The help staff, in their Asian costumes, are a nice touch. In the Washington DC area, you don’t see the help staff in uniform much anymore at any place, much less costumed, even for event films.
If you visit LA or even live there, if you haven’t experienced seeing a movie at Grauman’s then you just aren’t a part of LA history. I was 9yrs old and I knew I was someplace special when I saw the small brass courtesy light on the side aisle that read, -l o g e-
Elegant but, you can wear your walking shorts
if you show a little respect for the grand old dame
Hollywood’s only Royal Pavilion
I thought the trees were especially important to the ambience of the courtyard, the awning I guess can go. Maybe they need more room for the paw prints of stars.
They were removed during the recent renovation a few years ago.
Where are the courtyard trees and awning?
I stand corrected about “Dirty Harry.” You are correct—it was premiered at the Paramount. I did see the “Magnum Force” premiere at the Chinese.
I remember sitting right behind David Caradine and Barbara (Hershey) Seagull when they were in the throes of their big romance. I don’t know what was more entertaining, the movie or their interaction in the theatre!
Great memories of a great historical treasure.
RockDoc
Years ago, after a premiere or the Academy Awards, celebrities were always seen entering but not exiting the Chinese. Reason being, there was an underground tunnel that led accross the street to the Roosevelt Hotel (Sid Grauman had an interest in the hotel also). That way, celebrities could leave anonymously. The tunnel had not been used in the past 30 years. The tunnel is gone, and access to it from either the theatre or hotel was sealed up when the subway between the two building was built under Hollywood Blvd., a couple years ago.
I have several postcards of the theater dating from 1931 to just now, and it’s interesting to see how the facade has changed. In ‘31 the windows with the tent roofs on both 'tower-fronts’ were all clear and clean with decorated arches above them. At some point (Fifties?) the arches were obscured by marquees with the neon dragons. Also, Mann added “Mann’s” signs at the bottem of the window in the top of each tower-front.
I wonder how Kenny, the recently retired chief projectionist there for those 20 years, is doing today?
I was a projectionist there off and on between 1979 (when the two adjacent theaters were built) until 1999 (when the two adjacent theaters were torn down). I started with a 70 mm. print of Superman and ended with a 70mm. print of Titanic. I was there from open to close, seven days a week for three months when Titanic played. It was and is the greatest movie theater in the world. I miss it and the premieres so much…
Click to see a couple photo’s of the large electric sign mentioned above, spanning the forecourt.
1956 – http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater1/00014606.jpg
1953 – http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater1/00014683.jpg
I believe that the two theatres (Chinese 2 & 3) added adjacent to the main house that were subsequently razed, was in 1979, not 1999.
“Magnum Force” played the Chinese Theatre. Like themanwithnoname said “Dirty Harry” played at the Paramount Theatre across the street. And “The Enforcer” played over at the Pantages Theatre.
I thought Paramount and Warner Bros did a nice job restoring the Chinese. I wish they would bring back the neon dragons on the marquee. I heard they are stored on the Paramount Lot. The small movie signs they put up are a little blah and they are not original from any period. Brucec
I saw “Earthquake” at the Chinese Theatre as well as many other first run movies (I especially remember “Dirty Harry”). Does anyone remember if, in addition to the “sensurround” sound, if there were also fake debris that fell from the ceiling during the quake scenes? For some reason I remember that happening.
Where does the time go?
RockDoc
better weblink is http://mann.moviefone.com/services/graumanmain.adp
WOW, such a nice theatre! Great to see it restored
On April 9, 1958 Grauman’s Chinese Theatre had the world premiere of “WINDJAMMER” projected in the CineMiracle process. CineMiracle was almost the same as 3-strip CINERAMA and in fact was shown in many CINERAMA theatres and ended up being owned by CINERAMA.
Grauman’s Chinese was where CinemaScope was introduced in Hollywood with the premier of “The Robe” in 1953, followed by most of the widescreen 20th Century-Fox epics of the period. During the peak Cinemascope years a hugh electric sign/marquee spanned the forecourt. It was quite spectacular but obliterated the famous entrance. It was replaced by two flashy but more conventional marquees on either side of the forecourt. These too have been removed.
This IS the most famous movie theater in the world! This is where KING KONG was shown on its premiere engagement in 1933, and a 13-year-old boy named Ray Harryhausen sat in the dark and was mesmerized by movie monsters, and became one of the 20th Century Hollywood’s greatest cinema geniuses. This is where Forrest J. Ackerman sat in the dark watching KONG and was transported to Skull Island, and became the world’s leading authority on sci-fi, fantasy and horror, and his friend Ray Bradbury saw it with him there again in 1938.
And this is where I saw the wonder film of the 20th Century – MGM’s FORBIDDEN PLANET in CinemaScope, Eastmancolor and Stereophonic sound, as a special birthday gift from my dad on my 9th birthday, August 9, 1956. It was an unforgettable experience. The doorman led us into another world.
Robby the Robot was there in the theater lobby, behind velvet ropes, standing guard in a corner, his electronic computer brain and lights flashing every so often, his head turning, and saying, “Welcome to Altair-4!”
We returned in October to see “The King And I” in CinemaScope 55 there. I have returned often, with all the classic Hollywood movie stars' hand-and-footprints, and the touristy stuff, there’s a lot to see besides a movie! This is the Mecca for all Hollywood film fans the world over.