Grauman's Chinese may be the most photographed movie theatre in the world--at least on the exterior. All these photos are 2007 shots by Bill Counter.
click on any of these images to enlarge
Here on a typical afternoon there were hundreds of people in the forecourt but the first show started with 3 in the auditorium.
The footprints are a big attraction. Here's Constance Talmadge (above) and Maurice Chevalier (below). Of course, there are scandalous reports of re-arrangements over the years with a few stars' imprints being hauled off to storage.
The middle of the courtyard used to have a free-standing boxoffice which was removed during the latest remodeling. A boxoffice on the street south of the courtyard now serves both Grauman's and the Mann Chinese 6.
Shown here is the west side of the building and the stagehouse. The theatre is surrounded by the new Hollywood & Highland complex, which also houses the new Mann Chinese 6.
The interior is plush and impeccably maintained. The main lobby (below right) is tiny by movie palace standards but impressively ornate. The snack bar area (below left) is in what was originally occupied by the last several rows of seats and (later) a downstairs projection booth that was a 1950's change for a better projection angle.
Here's a recent shot of the back wall showing the two private boxes and the booth now back upstairs as it was in 1927.
The auditorium retains much of the 1927 splendor despite loss of ornamentation at the proscenium due to wider screen installations. The main chandelier has also been reduced in size.
More sources for information about Grauman's Chinese...
The thumbnail images below are generally those shown by Google Images, Yahoo! or other databases for image searches on this theatre. Click on the image to see how it was found in context.
We also give you a link to the site itself (or sometimes a specific article) for your further research.
All images are subject to copyright.
American Widescreen Museum
Don't miss Don't miss this site's main Cinemascope section.
On page 1 we have this great image of Grauman's Chinese with "Prince Valiant" in 1954. full size view
Robert Berger Photography
www.robertbergerphotography.com
A majestic view of the Chinese Theatre ceiling from "The Last Remaining Seats: Movie Palaces of Tinseltown" by Robert Berger and Anne Conser, available through Amazon. For a larger view, head to Berger's Last Remaining Seats section, where there are 16 great images from the book. You'll find the Chinese ceiling at #11
Big Orange Landmarks
bigorangelandmarks.blogspot.com
Floyd B. Bariscale is doing LA landmarks one by one. He has done a great Chinese Theatre page (#55 on his list) with interesting photos and lots of historical detail. Here we have a view of the lobby ceiling. full size view
Here's a detail view of the lobby murals.
With the link above you can browse through 41 other Chinese Theatre photos on Mr. Bariscale's Flickr page.
California State Library Collection
www.lib.state.ca.us This photo of the theatre facade in 1927 is in the State Library collection.
A view of the forecourt from the west in 1927.
A view of the front of the auditorium. Notice how the proscenium differs from more recent shots.
Cinerama Topcities
www.cinerama.topcities.com This site devoted to all things Cinerama (and Cinemiracle) has this nice postcard of the 1958 "Windjammer" run at the Chinese linked on the site's "Windjammer" page. The Cinemiracle process was like Cinerama except all 3 projectors were in the same center booth, using mirrors to bounce the left and right images. full size view
Cariberry on Flikr
www.flickr.com/photos/cariberry
A view of the Chinese Theatre lobby by Cariberry.
A lobby chandelier detail.
A lobby doorway.
Lobby mural detail.
Lary Crews on Flikr
www.flickr.com/photos/larycrews
Here's a great ceiling view by Lary Crews. Browse his other great shots as well. full size image
A view of the auditorium.
The main entrance doors.
More Chinese Theatre Photos on Flikr
A bird's eye view of the auditorium fat the "Blood Diamond" premiere by fisheyeblind. full size view
A nice 2006 auditorium shot by Jon W.
A great 2004 shot looking toward the rear of the auditorium by Krypto.
This wonderful shot posted by by Angel Gabrielle is of the signage for "The Robe" being installed in 1953.
From Script To DVD
www.fromscripttodvd.com This site's Chinese Theatre page by Michael Coate and William Kallay has lots of great photos. Here is a view of the facade getting re-painted. full size view
A 1927 view of the rear of the auditorium. Upstairs had only the booth and two small private boxes.
An undated view of the front of the auditorium. Possibly early 1950's.
Grauman's Chinese Theatre.net
www.graumanschinesetheatre.net Oodles of photos of the Chinese both old and more recent are on this site. There's a copy of the Theatre Historical Society Terry Helgesen annual as well as photos from a National General Theatres souvenir book. The photo here is from 1965 when "The Ipcress File" was playing. full size image
Hollywood Photographs
www.hollywoodphotographs.com The Bruce Torrance Hollywood Photograph Collection has a number of nice views. Browse Chinese Theatre photos on this site for purchase.
See especially: site prior to construction | 1955 snack bar | 1955 view from under the balcony
In 70mm
www.in70mm.com A terrific site concerning all things 70mm including information about new prints, screenings around the world and history of the various 70mm processes. The photo here is the Star Wars opening at Grauman's Chinese. full size image
L.A. Public Library Photo Collection
www.lapl.org A premiere at Grauman's Chinese in the 1940's. full size image
Signage for "Hell's Angels" in 1930. full size view
An interior from 1927. full size view
More exterior photos from the Library's collection: | early street view - looking east | from high up across the street | 1930 exterior - another "Hell's Angels" view | 1936 - with parade | 1937 boxoffice and forecourt | 1937 facade - looking east | 1939 exterior - "Motion Pictures Greatest Year" | fans in the bleachers | 1953 - "Beneath the 12 Mile Reef" | 1956 - "Carousel" | handprints in the courtyard
More interior shots:
1927 -rear of auditorium at side wall | 1927 - under balcony and rear wall | 1931 Etude Ethiopian Chorus (a prelude to the film "Trader Horn") | view of screen at the Chinese Theatre - perhaps early 50's
L.A. Time Machines
www.latimemachines.com Here's a light fixture from this informative site's Los Angeles Movie Palaces page. full size image
Scenes of L.A. During WWII
dsl.home.sprynet.com/landmark/index
On the Grauman's Chinese page of this site is this nice photo by Dennis Lewis, Jr. showing the exterior appearance of the in the early 40's before signage spanned the opening of the forecourt. full size view
A close-up of the free-standing boxoffice and canopy to the entrance. full size view
Also: another entrance view
Photobucket
www.photobucket.com Posted on this site by Ken McIntyre: 1930 premiere of "Hell's Angels".
Silver Screens
www.silverscreens.com This extensive site has 2 pages surveying Los Angeles Movie Theatres in 1999. These photos of the Chinese Theatre interior are from a Mann Theatres souvenir book.
This photo shows the booth still downstairs and a small private box upstairs. The most recent remodeling expanded the lobby and moved the booth back upstairs to its original 1927 position.
Here is the snack bar prior to the most recent renovation in which it was pushed a few rows into the auditorium.
For larger views of these photos as well as the rest of the LA tour go to Silver Screen's Los Angeles Theatres page.
UCLA Library
www.ucla.edu/library From the UCLA "Changing Times" collection: Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell doing handprints at Grauman's Chinese. full size image
UCLA LIbrary - Calisphere
www.cdlib.org An exterior shot, courtesy of the Pomona library. full size image
Uncanny
www.uncanny.net/~wetzel
This site by Tom Wetzel has great tours of Los Angeles' interurban rail lines. Here you can see the car stopping to let moviegoers off to see "Broken Lance" in 1954. Tom's
tour of the Hollywood Blvd. Line also has views of the Admiral, the Warner and the Pantages. full size view
USC Archives
www.usc.edu Here's a photo of the 1930 premiere of Howard Hughes Hell's Angels from the USC archive.
Wikipedia
Here's a nice interior shot with the curtain closed -- something you don't see much anymore in these days of pre-show advertising. This is from their article on Grauman's Chinese Theatre. If you want to know who put their hands in the cement when, it's all here. full size image
More links to Chinese Theatre photos from a variety of sources--
1953 signage for the first Cinemascope picture, "The Robe." on www.epnet.com full size view
A 2002 view of front of auditorium on www.imageshack.us
Recent auditorium view on www.spiritone.com
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