Grauman’s Chinese

It is said the glamour that once was Hollywood is a thing of the past, but the owners of Grauman‘s Chinese Theater would be happy to argue the point.

Opened in 1927, it gained fame along with stars like Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. Cecil B. DeMille showed the premier of “The King of Kings” in that theater. Built by a man named Grauman, it was the third lavish theater he constructed including the Million Dollar Theater in downtown Los Angeles and the Egyptian Theater a few blocks away from this new one. Inside, the Chinese Theater also offered a grand Wurlitzer organ and room for a 65-piece orchestra.

So lavish was the design for this theater, it cost an unheard of $2,000,000 and took eighteen months to build. Grauman imported temple bells as well as many other expensive artifacts from China. Most of these pieces still decorate the ornate interior of the theatre today.

Outside, Lotus-shaped fountains flank the foot and handprints in the cement sidewalk, huge red columns hold up a bronze roof, and visitors gawk at the thirty foot dragon carved out of stone. Guarding the theatre entrance are the two original giant Heaven Dogs brought from China.

Four million visitors come to see this theater each year. A premier in Grauman’s Chinese Theatre does not guarantee the success of a movie, but it draws thousands who want to see the celebrities walk up the red carpet.

After an earthquake in 1994, the theater was carefully inspected. As a result, retrofitting was recommended to protect and strengthen it. Today the renovations are finished and it is open once more for the public to see.

What to give that special someone who has everything? How about a ticket to a premier at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, California.

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by Marti Talbott

Marti Talbott’s Stories

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Los Angeles Then and Now (Then & Now)