Los Angeles Theatres: Chinese Twin

Opened: April 12, 1979. The theatres were just east of Grauman's Chinese, which at the time was called Mann's Chinese. Both theatres in the Chinese Twin (also referred to as the Chinese 2 & 3) were equipped for 70mm presentations. Thanks to Sean Ault for this February 1982 shot of the main house running "One From The Heart" and "Personal Best" on one of the Twin's screens.

Architects: Mel C. Glatz and Associates was the designer/consultant. Maynard W. Rorman, Jr. of Lakewood, Colorado was the architect. The contractor was Minneapolis-based Kraus-Anderson.

Seating: 1,500 total

A grand opening ad in the L.A. Times. Thanks to Mike Rivest for locating this. Visit his site: Movie-Theatre.org

For the grand opening on April 12 they ran "Hurricane" in all three auditoria. Thanks to Kurt Wahlner for sharing this program from his collection. Visit his amazing site about the Chinese: GraumansChinese.org

A message from Ted.

The evening's schedule. It was a benefit for the Hollywood Historic Trust.

A plug for the designers and contractor.

A few comments:

Paul Carroll:

"A lot of parking lot parties took place behind The Chinese Twins. I should know...I worked as a manager between 1988 and 1989. Nothing but great memories."

Robert Neff:

"Back when everyone wanted a multi-plex. They had to put them somewhere. The Egyptian did the same thing and put a building with two small screens on their East side."

Charly Abraham:

"I loved those theaters. They looked good, sounded good, and were comfy for their time."

Gordon Meyer:

"My first job out of college was as assistant manager of Mann's Chinese, which we called 'the Main.' All three screens were equipped to run 70mm prints, which was pretty cool. And by today's standards, with 750 seats each, thee Twins had exceptionally large seating capacity. Although I was responsible for supervising the staff at the Main, I often came next door.

"Once, during the run of Xanadu at the Twins, Fred Astaire came to see a matinee of his friend's movie at the Twins. I saw him, but he was very private and pretty much ducked in and out as quickly as possible. Still, it was pretty cool to see a living legend up close like that.

"The Twins were actually owned by Rhonda Fleming Mann (yes, the movie star Rhonda Fleming, aka Mrs. Mann) and operated by Mann Theatres on her behalf. And on Friday nights, since there was rarely a midnight show on all three screens, the projectionist gathered friends to screen movies from people's private print collections. Lots of fun!"

Rick Rische:

"I liked those theaters! They had great projection and sound. 'Gremlins,' 'Ghostbusters,' 'Dune,' all in 70mm. They also had the very best 35mm Dolby stereo optical I've ever heard played back in a theater."

Status: Demolished in 1999 for construction of the Hollywood and Highland complex, which contains the Chinese 6 and the Dolby Theatre. The mall has been rebranded and is now known as Ovation.

Interior views:

The Chinese Twin snack bar in 1981. Thanks to actor Stephen Stanton for the use of his photos taken when he was a manager at the theatre in the early 80s. You can find him on IMDb and Facebook.

The Chinese style pay phones in the lobby of the Twin. Thanks to Matthew Jones for the 1994 photo on the Facebook page Vintage Los Angeles.

The entrance to auditorium 3. Photo: Stephen Stanton - 1981

A look toward the screen. Photo: Stephen Stanton - 1981

A sidewall view. Drapes all around. Photo: Stephen Stanton - 1981

Toward the booth. Photo: Stephen Stanton - 1981. Thanks, Stephen!

Thanks to Scott Neff for this photo of the lobby of the Twin prior to demolition. It appears on the Cinema Tour Chinese Theatre page. Also see another lobby view.

More exterior views:

Thanks to the amazing Bruce Torrence Historic Hollywood Photographs collection for this image looking west in 1978 as the framing rises for the Chinese Twin. The photo collection is now owned by the McAvoy family.

A McAvoy/Bruce Torrence Historic Hollywood Photographs collection view of the theatre during construction taken from across the street.

A McAvoy/Bruce Torrence Historic Hollywood Photographs collection view of the new theatres open with their initial films "Superman" and "Old Boyfriends" on the marquees.

This amazing archive has many 1978-79 construction photos. A few more to browse: construction fence up - #T-017-77 | walls going up - #T-017-76 | steel going up - from the rear - #T-017-84 | rising higher - #T-017-85 | looking down from across the street - #T-017-98 | getting ready for the opening - #T-017-93 | close to opening - from the east - #T-017-94 | marquee letters going up - #T-017-96 | opening day - corner view - #T-017-97 | another opening day view - #T-017-89 | more Grauman's Chinese Theatre photos |

An April 1980 view by Steve Piotrowski of Grauman's and, on the right, its glamorous neighbor, the Mann Chinese Twin. Steve had the photo as a post on the Facebook page Vintage Los Angeles.

A 1980 photo from the Bill Gabel collection looking west toward the Chinese Twin and the main theatre beyond. It was a post on the private Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles. Bill noted that on the trees there are yellow ribbons for the Iranian hostages.

The Mann Chinese Twin in 1981. They're running "Looker" on one screen with "Fox & the Hound" and "Song of the South" on the other. Thanks to Stephen Stanton for the photo.

A 1981 view from what was then the Holiday Inn (now the Loews Hollywood) looking at the back of the Chinese Twin and, on the right, Grauman's Chinese. It's a photo by Nigel Hailwood-Cook.

A February 1982 photo from the Sean Ault collection. Thanks Sean!

Crowds lining up in 1982 for a show at the Twin. It's a photo from the Herald Examiner collection at the Los Angeles Public Library. The original June 7 caption: "Fans wait in line at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, to see the latest installment in the saga of the Starship Enterprise crew."

A look east in 1984 with "Tightrope" in the main theatre and "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" at the 2&3. Thanks to Noirish los Angeles contributor Hoss C, who put the photo in his Noirish post #17356. "Tightrope" ran in the main auditorium from August 17 through October 3.

A lovely c.1984 overhead shot from Richard Wojcik, shared on the Vintage Los Angeles Facebook page. On the lower right we're looking down onto the stagehouse of the Chinese and its smoke vents. To the left of the main theatre is the Chinese Twin.

Thanks, Richard! He notes: "A bus is parked at the lower left on Orchid Ave. close to where it meets Hollywood Blvd. That section of Orchid Ave. was built over with the construction of the Dolby Theater / Hollywood Highland Center in 2001."

A 1987 look at the twin. Thanks to Mike Tuggle for his photo, a post for the private Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles.

"Licence To Kill" playing in 1989. "Batman" was running in the big house in 70. Thanks to Richard DuVal for sharing his photo on the Cinema Treasures Facebook page. The post also included shots of posters and billboards advertising the film and a view of the National in Westwood. Richard also included the shot as part of a 2024 Facebook post celebrating "Global James Bond Day"

A view west in 1989. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the shot for a post on the private Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles.

Looking west in December 1990 with the twin playing "Misery" and "Rocky V." Down in the big house it was "The Rookie," running three weeks from December 7 to 24. Thanks to マルジュンイチ for sharing this photo taken on a trip to the U.S. as a post for the Lost Angeles Facebook group.

The view in 1998 from Hollywood and Highland over to the side of the Twin and the stagehouse of the main theatre beyond. The ten-story First Federal Bank Building had just been demolished as part of the site clearing for the Hollywood and Highland mall. The building had been constructed in 1957. The Chinese Twins would be gone by April 1999. The Holiday Inn, on the right, would eventually become Loews.

The photo is featured in "Jay More Documenting Forgotten LA," a three+ minute video on YouTube from the Los Angeles Public Library that features photo collection librarian Wendy Horowitz discussing the Library's collection of thousands of Jay's photos. He and his daughter Danielle would read the Times looking for notifications of buildings about to be demolished and then run out to get the shots. Thanks to Lisa Kouza Braddock for locating the video.

The Chinese Twin in the Movies:

We get a murky drive-by shot of the newly opened Chinese II and III in Robert Hammer's "Don't Answer the Phone!" (Crown International, 1980). It's a grisly exploitation film with a serial killer and lots of semi-naked women. Featured are Ben Frank, Nicholas Worth, James Westmoreland and Flo Lawrence. The cinematography was by James L. Carter. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for a shot from Argyle Ave. with the Paramount visible as well as the Pantages vertical. The film also includes shots of the Egyptian, Vine, Cave and Sunset Pussycat theatres.

Nicolas Cage takes Deborah Foreman across the hill to cruise the sights of Sunset Blvd. and Hollywood in Martha Coolidge's "Valley Girl" (Atlantic Releasing, 1983). Also featured are Cameron Dye, Heidi Holicker, Elizabeth Daily, Michael Bowen, Michelle Meyrink, Colleen Camp and Frederic Forrest. The cinematography was by Frederick Elmes. The main house had "Heidi's Song." Here we see the Twin advertising "An Officer and a Gentleman."

A "Valley Girl" look at the Chinese Twin a moment later. On the east marquee they're advertising Disney's "Tex." On the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post see a shot of the main Chinese marquee plus views of the Paramount, Vogue, Pussycat, Tiffany and the Sherman in Sherman Oaks.

We see a lot of Hollywood Blvd. in Robert Vincent O'Neill's "Angel" (New World, 1984). Fifteen year old Molly is a high school student by day, a hooker by night. That's Molly in the distance, off to school, in this view west toward the Chinese Twin. The film stars Donna Wilkes, Cliff Gorman, Dick Shawn and Rory Calhoun. John Diehl is the killer preying on teenage hookers. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for a dozen shots from the film.

We get lots of low altitude shots on the boulevard including this view looking west toward the Chinese Twin in David Winters' "Thrashin'" (Fries Entertainment, 1986). It's about two skateboard gangs battling for supremacy. The film features Josh Brolin, Robert Rusler and Pamela Gidley. Thanks to Eitan Alexander for the screenshot. See the Historic L.A. Theatres In Movies post for a shot in front of the Chinese and views of the El Capitan and the Hollywood theatres.

Jenny Wright is strolling Hollywood Blvd. near the Twin in "I, Madman" (Trans World Entertainment, 1989). Her character has been reading 1950s pulp novels and the killer in them comes to life. The film also features Clayton Rohner, Randall William Cook and Stephanie Hodge. It was directed by Tibor Takács. The cinematography was by Bryan England. Thanks to Eric Schaefer for spotting the theatre in the film and getting the screenshot. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for a view of Jenny down the street near the Vine Theatre.

Richard Gere is in that white car he doesn't really know how to drive as we look west with the Chinese Twin in the background. It's a shot from Garry Marshall's "Pretty Woman" (Touchstone, 1990). The film also stars Julia Roberts, Jason Alexander, Laura San Giacomo, Hector Elizondo and Ralph Bellamy. The cinematography was by Charles Minsky. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for a view of one of the dragon marquees plus shots of the Vogue, Egyptian and Pantages theatres from the film.

Los Angeles Theatres

Chinese Twin

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