Located
in the heart of Hollywood, the theatre
known as “The Chinese Theatre”
was built by a man named Sid Grauman (it
was originally called Grauman’s
Chinese Theatre). One of the major entertainment
moguls of his time, Sid wanted to build
the theatre of his dreams. On May 18th,
1927 Grauman's Chinese Theatre opened
to the public showing the silent film
“King of Kings” A riot broke
out as the thousands of people who had
lined the streets crushed in to see the
film’s stars.
Costing two million dollars to build,
the theatre took 18 months to finish;
special permission had to be obtained
to bring a lot of the buildings artefacts
into the United States from their home
country of China. Chinese artisans created
the many pieces of statuary in the work
area that eventually became the Forecourt
of the Stars. Most of these pieces still
decorate the ornate interior of the theatre
today. The building is 90-feet high with
two coral red columns (topped by wrought
iron masks) hold aloft the bronze roof.
Between the columns is a 30-foot high
dragon carved from stone. Guarding the
theatre entrance to this day are the two
original giant Heaven Dogs brought from
China.
Today
the theatre is the most sought after theatre
for movie premieres; in fact it has held
more movie premiers than any other California
theatre. The forecourt over which the
stars walk is covered with the cement
imprints of many of those who came to
have their movies debut. Rich in movie
tradition, with its cement handprints
and footprints in the forecourt, the Chinese
Theatre immortalizes the brightest stars.
The Grauman’s Chinese Theatre was
declared a historic-cultural landmark
in 1968, and there has always been a restoration
program in process to maintain the theatre's
beauty. The theatre has undergone a major
renovation to make sure that it will be
around for generations to see. Many of
the people who left their imprint in the
forecourt of the building are now long
dead, and many people strongly that the
theatre is as much as museum as it is
a theatre.
Chinese
Theater Travel Links |
|
|
|
