 The forecourt entrance,Hollywood Boulevard | |
 Interactive map of TCL Chinese Theatre | |
| Former names |
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|---|---|
| Address | 6925Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood, California, US |
| Coordinates | 34°6′7″N118°20′27.5″W / 34.10194°N 118.340972°W /34.10194; -118.340972 |
| Public transit |   Hollywood/Highland |
| Owner | Chinese Theatres, LLC |
| Type | Indoormovie theater |
| Capacity | 932 (as of 2013)[1] |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | January 9, 1926 |
| Built | January 16, 1926 |
| Opened | May 18, 1927 |
| Renovated |
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| Architect | Raymond M. Kennedy, employee ofMeyer and Holler |
| Website | |
| www | |
| Designated | June 5, 1968 |
| Reference no. | 55 |
| Designated | April 4, 1985 |
| Part of | Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment National Historic District |
| Reference no. | 85000704 |
Grauman's Chinese Theatre, known asthe Chinese colloquially and officially billed as theTCL Chinese Theatre for sponsorship reasons, is amovie palace on theHollywood Walk of Fame in theHollywood neighborhood ofLos Angeles, California, United States.
The original Chinese Theatre was commissioned following the success of the nearbyGrauman's Egyptian Theatre, which opened in 1922. Both were built asExotic Revival style architecture.[2] Built by a partnership headed bySid Grauman over 18 months beginning in January 1926, the theater opened May 18, 1927, with the premiere ofCecil B. DeMille'sThe King of Kings.[3] It has since been home to many premieres, including the 1977 debut ofStar Wars,[4] as well as many private events and threeAcademy Awards ceremonies. Among the theater's features are the concrete blocks set in the forecourt, which bear the signatures, footprints, and handprints of popular motion picture personalities from the 1920s to the present day.
Originally named Grauman's Chinese Theatre, it was renamedMann's Chinese Theatre in 1973, and reverted to its original name in 2001. On January 11, 2013, Chinese electronics manufacturerTCL Corporation purchased the facility'snaming rights for $5 million.[5]
In 2013, the Chinese Theatre collaborated withIMAX Corporation to convert the house into a custom-designedIMAX theater. Post-renovation, the theater sat 932 and featured one of the largest movie screens in North America.[1]
In March 1923, a meeting occurred at the offices ofFox West Coast Theatres whereSid Grauman,Mary Pickford,Douglas Fairbanks, and several other executives discussed plans for a newUS$1 million venue that would be dedicated to "thespoken drama" with films only being screened on rare occasions. Although the project called for immediate construction, it was ultimately shelved for three years. In that time, several of its aspects were altered, including a change in scope from play house to movie theater due to the increasing profitability of motion pictures.[6]
Grauman, a theater mogul who previously founded theMillion Dollar Theater andEgyptian Theatre, moved forward with the plans for a new venue in 1925. Looking to build along Hollywood Boulevard, he leased the site of actorFrancis X. Bushman's mansion in a deal brokered by real estate developerCharles E. Toberman. In appreciation, a plaque was installed on the front of the theater dedicating it to Bushman.[3][7]
Los Angeles-based architecture firmMeyer & Holler, which previously collaborated with Grauman on the Egyptian, designed the "palace-type" Chinese Theatre.Raymond M. Kennedy served as principal architect on the project. In October 1925, local newspapers published an artist's impression of the planned theater's facade. The accounts promised aUS$5 million cost as well as a "tropical garden" in the forecourt, complete with imported flowers, trees, and fish in ponds.[8] In contrast to early reports, the theater cost $2.1 million to construct. Grauman co-owned the venue with Pickford, Fairbanks, Howard Schenck, and West Coast Theatres.[3][7]
Thegroundbreaking ceremony for the Chinese Theatre occurred on the evening of January 5, 1926. Newspapers heralded the public event as the founding of "the world's most unusual playhouse". Celebrities in attendance were included Grauman,Charlie Chaplin,Conrad Nagel,Norma Talmadge, andAnna May Wong. Talmadge and Wong turned the first spadeful of earth using a gold-plated shovel.[9] Wong also put the first rivet into the structure of the theater.[10][11]
During construction, Grauman hired Jean Klossner to formulate an extremely hard concrete for the forecourt of the theater. Klossner later became known as "Mr. Footprint", performing the footprint ceremonies from 1927 through 1957.[12]
Many stories exist to explain the origins of the footprints. The theater's official account credits Norma Talmadge as having inspired the tradition when she accidentally stepped into the wet concrete.[13] However, in a short interview during the September 13, 1937,Lux Radio Theatre broadcast of a radio adaptation ofA Star Is Born, Grauman related another version of how he got the idea to put hand and foot prints in the concrete. He said it was "pure accident. I walked right into it. While we were building the theatre, I accidentally happened to step in some soft concrete. And there it was. So, I went to Mary Pickford immediately. Mary put her foot into it."[14]: 194
Another account, says that the original "accidental" slabs were made and stayed, at the curb, on the sidewalk, until 1958, when they were removed for theHollywood Walk of Fame.[15]
When they stepped up off the curb, they accidentally walked on wet cement and left a trail of footprints from the street to the front doors of the theater ... The stars, seeing what they had done, grabbed a nail on the ground and signed their names next to their footprints, Pickford even dated it." — Marc Wanamaker, Hollywood Heritage Museum.[15]
Still another account by Klossner recounts that Klossner autographed his work next to the right-hand poster kiosk and that Grauman and he developed the idea then and there.[16] His autograph and handprint, dated 1927, remain today. (Note: In 1949, Klossner's story changed to say that Grauman had accidentally stepped into the wet concrete.[17]) The theater's third founding partner, Douglas Fairbanks, was the second celebrity after Talmadge to be immortalized in the concrete.
In 1929, Grauman decided to retire and sell his share toWilliam Fox'sFox Theatres chain. However, just a few months later,Howard Hughes convinced Grauman to return to the theater, because he wanted Grauman to produce the world premiere of his aviation epicHell's Angels, which would also feature one of Grauman's theatrical prologues before the film. Grauman remained as the theater's managing director for the entire run ofHell's Angels, retiring once again after its run finished. Unsatisfied with retirement, though, Grauman returned to the theater as managing director on Christmas Day 1931 and kept that position until his death in 1950.[7][14]: 69
The Chinese Theatre hosted the 1944, 1945, and 1946Academy Awards ceremonies; they are now held at the adjacentDolby Theatre, formerly known as the Kodak Theatre.[18]
One of the highlights of the Chinese Theatre has always been its grandeur and décor. In 1952, John Tartaglia, the artist of nearbySaint Sophia Cathedral, became the head interior decorator of the Chinese Theatre, as well as the theater chain then owned by Fox West Coast Theatres. He later continued the work of Klossner, by recommendation of J. Walter Bantau, for the Hollywood footprint ceremonies.[19]
Tartaglia performed his first ceremony as what the City of Los Angeles termed "Hollywood's Master Mason"[19] forJean Simmons in 1953, for the premiere ofThe Robe, the first premiere inCinemaScope. Although replacing Klossner was initially thought to be a temporary job for Tartaglia, his dedication resulted in a 35-year career in which he last performed as the master mason/concrete artist in honor ofEddie Murphy in May 1987. Tartaglia was formally recognized by the City of Los Angeles in October 2011.[19]
The Chinese Theatre was declared a historic and cultural landmark in 1968, and has undergone restoration projects in the years since then.Ted Mann, owner of theMann Theatres chain and husband of actressRhonda Fleming, purchased it in 1973. From then until 2001, it was known as Mann's Chinese Theatre. Mann Theatres grew to become the largest independent chain in the country before Mann sold the business, including the Chinese Theatre, toGulf+Western in 1986.[20][21]
In 1984, theHollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District was added to theNational Register of Historic Places, with the Chinese Theater listed as acontributing property in the district.[22]
In 1988, Time Warner's predecessor, Warner Communications Inc. bought a 50% stake from Gulf+Western for $150 million.[23] The theater chain was eventually sold to WestStar Holdings in 1997.[24] In 2000, a partnership ofWarner Bros. andParamount Pictures acquired the theater, along with the other Mann Theatres properties.[25]
In 2000, Behr Browers Architects, a firm previously engaged by Mann Theatres, prepared a restoration and modernization program for the structure. The program included a seismic upgrade, new state-of-the-art sound and projection, new vending kiosks, and exterior signage, and the addition of a larger concession area under the balcony. The program began in 2002 and restored the original name — "Grauman's Chinese Theatre" — to the cinema palace. As part of the upgrade, Behr Browers also designed a new Chinese-themed six-plex in the attachedHollywood and Highland shopping center that continued to operate under the name Mann's Chinese 6 Theatre.[3][26]
In 2007, theCIM Group purchased the land on which the theater sits for an undisclosed price from theDamon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation of New York andBarlow Respiratory Hospital of Los Angeles. CIM Group also owns theHollywood and Highland shopping center, as well as numerous other residential and commercial properties in Hollywood.[27] On May 27, 2011, Chinese Theatres LLC, a collaboration owned by producerElie Samaha andDonald Kushner, purchased both Grauman's Chinese Theatre and the adjacent Mann Chinese 6.[28]
Grauman's Chinese Theatre was sold for $25 million in 2013,[29] and today it continues to serve the public as afirst-run movie theater.
Raymond M. Kennedy, a Southern California architect of the firmMeyer & Holler, designed the Chinese Theatre at the behest of ownerSid Grauman. Prior to conceiving theExotic Revival-style plan for the Chinese Theatre, Meyer & Holler had previously designed the similarly themed West Coast Theatre inLong Beach. Plans called for an ambitious venue that would costUS$2.1 million to construct, considered a very high budget for a movie theater at the time.[30][31]
The exterior's most notable feature is the 90 foot (27 m)-tallpagoda centered in the middle of the forecourt. The pagoda's upright structure is supported by two prominent red pillars and its roof is plated in bronze. The design features numerous traditional Chinese ornamentations, including a 30 foot (9.1 m)-tall stone-carved mural of a dragon on the central wall between the columns. TwoMing dynasty-eraguardian lion statues flank the venue's entrance. The U.S. government granted permission for the statues, as well as templebells and other artifacts, to be imported from China. Moon Quon, a Chinese poet and filmmaker, traveled to the United States to oversee a team of Chinese artisans tasked with creating the theater's traditional decoration.[30][32]Xavier Cugat painted the trees and foliage between the pillars on the side walls andKeye Luke painted the Chinese murals in the lobby.[7]
The auditorium features a sixty-foot-wide ornatedoily on its ceiling with various silver dragon emblems and gold medallions. A bronze chandelier fashioned to appear as a lantern hangs from the center of the doily. The theater's color scheme is primarily various shades of red – ruby, crimson, pale scarlet, and corallacquer – with bronze, gold, stone, and silver providing accents. Author Charles Beardsley likened the auditorium to a "gigantic shrine at the time of theFive Emperors or theDynasty of Hsia".[33]
In its original configuration, the auditorium included a 150 foot (46 m)-wide, 46 foot (14 m)-deep, 71 foot (22 m)-high stage, one of the largest in the world. The stage was divided into sections, making it possible to recess it into a 20 foot (6.1 m)-deep pit below in order to quickly change sets during live productions. The theater used "its own power plant" and an "auxiliary dynamo system" to generate its electricity independent of the citypower grid.[33]
Despite the grandiose nature and high construction cost of the theater, its original capacity of 2,258 was only about half of the seats that the largestmovie palaces had at the time. The lack of a proper general-admission balcony partly contributed to its smaller size; instead, the auditorium features four privatebox suites.[30]
The Chinese Theatre was the first commercial movie theater to have air conditioning. The vents are concealed behind the imported decorative pillars on the side walls of the auditorium.[7] The interior design also features a concealed three-manual, 17-rankWurlitzer organ; its pipes were above the proscenium with tone chutes directing the sound through holes in the ceiling to make the sounds "feel like they were descending from the heavens." In 1957, theater ownership removed the organ and gave it to theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, who in turn installed most of its parts at theSt. Finbar Church inBurbank.[31]
A concession stand was not in the theater's original plans because Grauman thought it would detract from the theatrical experience. The theater began to sell concessions in the 1930s.[7]
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Nearly 200 Hollywood celebrity handprints, footprints, andautographs are in the concrete of the theater's forecourt. Fairbanks and Pickford were the first, done on April 30, 1927.[34]
Variations of this honored tradition are imprints ofHarold Lloyd's eyeglasses,Groucho Marx's cigar,Whoopi Goldberg's dreadlock, the wands used byHarry Potter starsDaniel Radcliffe,Rupert Grint, andEmma Watson,John Barrymore's facial profile (reflecting his nickname "The Great Profile"),Betty Grable's leg, and Marilyn Monroe's earring.[35]
Western starsWilliam S. Hart andRoy Rogers left imprints of their revolvers.John Wayne left his boot and fist prints,Herbie, aVolkswagen Beetle, left the imprints of his tires. The hoofprints ofTom Mix's horse, Tony,Gene Autry's horse,Champion, and Rogers' horse,Trigger, were left in the concrete beside those of their owners.[36][37]
Since 2011, a surge of concrete ceremonies has occurred, many of which have been paid for by movie studios for publicity reasons. One of the theater's current owners, Donald Kushner, acknowledged this and referred to them as mock ceremonies.[38] This influx has been a matter of concern for film buffs and historians, as well as misleading for fans. However, despite the increase of concrete blocks, the ones placed within the forecourt are still chosen by a special committee that selects celebrities based on their contributions to Hollywood movies. Practice blocks, completed inside the theater before the ceremony, are placed on the walls of the Chinese 6 Theatre lobby, which is also used as an event space.[citation needed]
In April 2013, owners announced plans to convert the original theater forIMAX. The new 94 ft × 46 ft (29 m × 14 m) silver screen is curved and can be masked for premieres and screening events of non-IMAX films. To accommodate better sightlines and a taller screen, seating was re-arranged in stepped rows, descending from street level to the floor of the former basement.[39]
The auditorium's decorative walls and ceiling remain unaltered, the existing curtain was extended, decorative lighting effects were added and TCL added digital signage. The theater reopened on September 20, 2013, with the IMAX 3D version ofThe Wizard of Oz. Although it opened with only a digital projection system, a 70 mm IMAX projection system was temporarily installed for the runs ofInterstellar andOppenheimer in 2014 and 2023 respectively.[39][40] Because of the success of theOppenheimer run, the 70 mm projection system was kept in 2024 for the re-release ofTenet and the release ofDune: Part Two.[41][42][43]
In April 2015, the IMAX system was upgraded to use the new dual-4KIMAX with Laser projector system for the premiere ofFurious 7.[44]
A full-scale recreation of the Chinese Theatre's exterior facade and lobby exists atDisney's Hollywood Studios theme park at theWalt Disney World Resort inBay Lake, Florida. The recreation originally housedThe Great Movie Ride which opened with the park on May 1, 1989, and closed on August 13, 2017. Its replacement attraction,Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway, opened on March 4, 2020.[45] It also has concrete handprints inside the sidewalks from the years 1988–1995.[46]
A sized-down recreation of the Chinese Theatre, both interior and exterior, was built atParque Warner Madrid theme park inSan Martín de la Vega, nearMadrid, Spain. The building shows films relevant toWarner Bros., previouslyThe Lego Movie andStorks. During Halloween, horror films for guests over the age of 18 are shown such asFriday the 13th.[47]
The Chinese Theater has appeared in multiple films set in Los Angeles, includingSpeed,[48]Austin Powers in Goldmember,[49] andIron Man 3.[50]
Janet Gaynor visits the courtyard and a number of the signatures and footprints are seen in the 1937 movieA Star is Born—includingHarold Lloyd's glasses,Joe E. Brown's "mouthprint",Jean Harlow's handprints,Eddie Cantor's "eyes",Shirley Temple's "Love to you all" message, and the fictitious Norman Maine's footprints.[51]
The theater appears at the end ofBlazing Saddles, following afourth wall-breaking brawl throughthe Warner Bros. film lot where the movie is being shot. Hedley Lamarr (Harvey Korman) takes a taxi to Mann's Chinese Theater, whereBlazing Saddles itself is being shown. Following a confrontation with Bart (Cleavon Little), Lamarr makes a comment on the diminutive size of Douglas Fairbanks' footprint outside the theater saying, " How did he do such fantastic stunts with such little feet". Lamarr collapses face-first into wet cement, leaving an imprint of his face next to the other celebrity footprints.
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The iconic hand-and-feet-in-cement tradition began by accident in the spring of 1927, when Sid Grauman asked silent film stars, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and Norma Talmadge to take a short walk from the Roosevelt Hotel, to come check out his still under construction theater, located across the street on Hollywood Boulevard.
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
