Egyptian Theatre
6712 Hollywood Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90028
6712 Hollywood Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90028
106 people
favorited this theater
Showing 151 - 175 of 279 comments
Hi. Came upon this site on accident. Can’t stop reading it… Briefly wish to share with you something you might appreciate…..
I saw The Empire Strikes Back on the day it opened on May 21, 1980. As I’m sure most of you know, the place to see it was at The Egyptian. My mom got my brother and I out of school early that day. We had, again as anyone alive at the time will recall, waited 3 years to see that movie… And while it wasn’t playing at the Chinese Theatre, at least it was on Hollywood Blvd, and at least there was still a line around the block for many many days ( weeks? ). So, the excitement was there just plenty for an 8th grader like me…. We got there around 2 in the afternoon, and by 4 there were thousands more people ( or at least it seemed so from the front of the line) . We had famous people in line with us with their families and kids.. Everyone was talking.. Hoping it would be good. An atmosphere of.. well.. its hard to describe. If you have ever been in a line for a Star Wars move on the opening day, then you know… Lord of the Rings was similar…
Anyway.. we went in… and watched the movie… The entire audience roared and clapped when the movie began. Cheered when we first saw Luke, Han, R2, etc.. all for the first time.. The ENTIRE audience actually gasped when Luke flew out head over first through the window… etc. etc… Clearly, it was an amazing experience, and a huge part of that was because of the theatre we were all in.
I now live in Orlando, Florida. I saw Return of the Jedi here. Obviously, not an experience equal to the one of 3 years earlier… So.. Right then and there (1983), I told myself that if George Lucas made the rest of the Star Wars movies, I would go to Hollywood to see them.
Which I did. 3 times. Took my ma and brother, too.
so.
Yes. I, on occasion, fly all the way to Hollywood just to see a damn movie….
The Egyptian of 1980, for me, was that great.
And then I remembered something… as I was reading al the stuff on this page…
I remembered that I had the little paperback novelization of The Empire Strikes Back with me on that day ….and I remembered that I kept my ticket stub from that day in that book….
so.. I just now went looking for the book on one of my book shelves..
and i found the book..
and i opened the book…
wow.
Oh, it sounds like the sink at El Capitan has too many uses!
Howard, I was just saying suite was the wrong word for it. All the theatres for many years all had bathrooms for the projectionist. The El Capitian only has a sink in the booth.
William,
I didn’t characterize it here as a “suite” and know it is a BOOTH, however, the original upstairs booth at the Boyd has several rooms including a bathroom. It does sound like a suite!
Howard, the rest looks good. In British cinema it’s a Box.
In the Todd-AO install they did not take out the stage and proscenium. Just like the Cinerama install at the Warner Hollywood Theatre. In the D-150 install they when almost to the back wall of the stagehouse.
William, I know that in American English, it is a projection booth. I don’t know whether in British English (where Ken Roe is) if it is a suite, but eventually we will likely adjust that since this cinema is American.
I saw different reports on when the destruction was done. We will review that.
Presumably the rest looks good?
Howard, the Todd-AO install (1955) fact is wrong. The demolition of the elaborate original Egyptian proscenium arch, happened with the 1969 install of the D-150 screen. The Todd-AO install put the screen in front of the old proscenium arch, like the Rivoli Theatre in NYC. And the projection booth (box) is not called a suite.
Thanks, Mark for your answer which is what I was thinking. A major project like this didn’t get completed without earthquake retrofitting, and government oversight. There is no need for any blogger (without engineering expertise)to scare away audiences by implying the theater isn’t safe.
Enjoy the new Introduction.
I think what Howard is saying is don’t question the structural integrity of the building based on what you see unless you are an engineer and understand such things at a professional and technical level.
Yes, I understand about retrofitting. I don’t know what Howard is angry about.
The building is made of bricks and certain buildings had to get earthquake retro fitted. That was what Los Angeles county said. Mann Theatres retro fitted the nearby Fox and Hollywood theatres and did alittle work on the Chinese’s stagehouse. The Rialto and Cameo Theatres on Broadway had to be refitted too. The old Warner Beverly Hills was being used a concert venue at the time and needed tobe retrofitted but the owner found it wound cost around 12 million to do it. The Egyptian Theatre needed the retrofit because it was damaged from the Northridge quake and the city owned the property.
Howard, sorry, I missed something. Would you fill out your comment from 10-11-07?
That’s flat out ridiculous! Comments above including Jim Rankin mention that retrofitting was needed and done. Unless you are an engineer, architect, etc. it seems less than necessary to question this aspect.
Here is a 1925 ad:
http://tinyurl.com/2zzhoz
Here is a 1950 ad from the LA Times:
http://tinyurl.com/23le8u
Here is an undated photo:
http://tinyurl.com/2lrpml
Can anyone tell me what films premiered here at the Egyptian between October, 1950 and July, 1951? I would really appreciate it. Thanks in advance!!
hollywood, why’d you delete them? They seem so tantalizing, both here and on other pages.
The thing is that they did not “restore” the theatre in the proper sense of the word. Rather, they built a modern theatre within the restored shell of the Egyptian.
Bunch of slackers over there aren’t they? A real shame too because I would certainly go to the Egyptain Ruins if they had some interesting Q&A screenings as those kind of events have pretty much dried up at Arclight.
How can a “restored” theater not have curtains?
The problem with the lack of people knowing what is playing at the New Egyptian. When I visit Hollywood I walk past the front gates, many out of town tourists go by don’t even have a clue of the inside. The last time a few weeks ago the main neon was only part on. The fountain long shut off because of leaks and the dirty courtyard was bad news, now the ice cream place on the left is gone. When they did the bad remodel why did’t someone put a old type marquee on the front to let people know what is going on at the theatre? The inside has no showmanship. No curtains on the screen (someone from our group THS offered the Egyptian a set of curtains,they refused) I look up today at the ceiling, and always tell the candy manager why don’t you put some blue or red lights up in the only art left up on the ceiling, he just shrugs. I'ts sad with a little color lights during the film or a nice waterfall curtain and slite curve of the screen they can bring back some showmanship. The place is going broke. Bring in some new blood into management.
The photobucket link didn’t work. Can you post it again?
Last movie I saw here was Freddy’s Dead in 3D. I also saw Cinderella that was playing here as well in the 80s. (It had it’s opening for one of the Exorcist movies (3 perhaps) I was so excited when it was restored. But the beauty of the exterior though beautiful couldn’t compare to the interior which was totally breathtaking, my heart sunk in my chest when I saw the final product at a screening of bus stop, I couldn’t believe it, it was ruined sad to say. The splendor that the interior once was, was completely lost…
Can anyone tell me if the Lucille Ball movie “The Magic Carpet” (1951) premiered here? If so, what the date of the premier was? Thanks so much!
Here is an interesting 1923 photo from the LAPL, not so much for the theater but for the view of Hollywood Blvd in its early days. No highrises.
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics16/00007790.jpg