More pages on the Egyptian: Hollywood Blvd. views 1922-1954 | Hollywood Blvd. 1955-present | forecourt | lobby - earlier views | lobby - recent views | auditorium - early views | auditorium - recent views | booth | backstage | Egyptian 2 & 3 | along Las Palmas Ave. | along McCadden Place |
This was Sid Grauman's first Hollywood theatre
and was made possible by developer C.E. Toberman. The structure
reportedly cost $800,000. The Hollywood premiere was invented when the theatre opened and the Egyptian would remain a major first
run house for five decades until its closure in 1992. Grauman's first L.A. Theatre had been the Million Dollar, opening downtown in 1918. In 1923 he opened the Metropolitan, a downtown theatre later renamed the Paramount. The Chinese, also a venture with Toberman, opened in 1927.
West Coast Theatres (to become Fox West Coast in 1929) had taken over the Egyptian after Grauman moved on to the Chinese and it was spun off to the United Artists Theatre Circuit in 1949 following various consent decree rulings against Fox in the late 1940s. American Cinematheque acquired the theatre after it had been sitting vacant for several years and renovated it for a 1998 reopening. It closed in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 lockdown and was sold to Netflix in 2020.
Phone: 323-466-3456
Architects: Meyer & Holler. The firm's Milwaukee Building Co. division was the contractor for the project. The original plan was for a Spanish
style theatre but before construction began it was decided to change it
to an Egyptian theme. The stylistic change proved to be extraordinarily
prescient on Grauman's part when the public was whipped into an Egyptian
frenzy by the discovery of King Tut's tomb by Howard Carter the month
following the theatre's opening.
A later drawing of the theatre's entrance from Meyer and Holler. Thanks to Tommy Dangcil for locating this in the September 9, 1922 issue of Holly Leaves. It's on Google Books. Check out Tommy's Arcadia book "Hollywood 1900-1950 in Vintage Postcards." That obelisk was located above the theatre's mechanical room and was the exhaust from the boiler.
Mary Mallory refers to the 1990 Bernadette M. Sigler and Kevin Stayton book,
"The Sphinx and the Lotus: the Egyptian Movement in American Decorative
Arts, 1865-1935" which heralds Grauman's as the first full
architectural expression of the Egyptian decorative scheme in this
country. The book notes that the theatre, inside and out was
"Supposedly based on temple ruins at Thebes, the exterior boasted
crouching sphinxes and Egyptian head pilasters." The proscenium was
crowned with the "winged scarab Khepri."
Cezar Del Valle notes in a Theatre Talks
blog post that a month before the opening, the Egyptian was already
inspiring religious fervor. He excerpts an article from the September 9,
1922 issue of the newspaper Holly Leaves reporting on a talk at the
Krotona Institute on "Temples and religions of Egypt during the reign of
Queen Hatsheput" by Captain Stuart Corbett, a "noted Egyptologist":
Meyer & Holler's main floor plan, a drawing that appeared with the article "A Theater Designed in the Egyptian Style" in the March 1923 issue of Architect and Engineer. It's on Internet Archive. A USC photo lists some of the subcontractors for the project. Raymond Kennedy, who would later work on the Chinese, was responsible for the decorative aspects of the building. Thanks to Mike Hume for this version, which appeared in Volume 1 (1927) of "American Theatres of Today" by R.W. Seton and B.F. Betts. The two volume work was reissued in 2009 as a single volume by the Theatre Historical Society. It's available on Amazon.
This cartoon tour of the project appeared in the October 12, 1922 issue of the Los Angeles Express. Thanks to Mary Mallory for locating it for her 2022 Daily Mirror article "Egyptian Theatre: Where Grauman Put the 'Show' In Show Business, Turns 100." Arthur Wenzel, mentioned in one of the captions, was presumably Sid's P.R. man. He later operated a few theatres himself.
The new theatre in "HOLLYWYOOD" was profiled in the November 11, 1922 issue of Moving Picture World. Thanks to Jean Hunter for finding the article. She added it as a comment to a "Don Juan" premiere photo posted by Richard Adkins on the Hollywood Heritage Facebook page.
Seating: On one version of the plans the capacity is listed as 1,742 seats, all on one level. That number is repeated in an account of the opening appearing in the October 20, 1922 issue of the paper Holly Leaves. Excluded are seats in the private "balconies" at booth level. It was reseated in late 40s for a
capacity of 1,538. After the TODD-AO installation, the capacity was
1,318. Following the D-150 renovations in 1968 the capacity was 1,340
despite the addition of a main floor projection booth. The pit was
covered and the screen was pushed farther back.
The 90s
renovation by American Cinematheque resulted in a substantial downsizing
to 616 seats plus the addition of a second 78 seat screening room in
space excavated at the rear of the main floor. At that time the building was brought into ADA compliance. The Cinematheque named the main theatre the Lloyd E. Rigler Theatre, the smaller facility the Steven Spielberg Theatre. With the Netflix renovations it got even smaller. The Spielberg was removed and the theatre's capacity is now 516.
Stage specs: Originally it was 25' deep and 67' wall to wall. The
November 11, 1922 Moving Picture World article gave dimensions of 30' x
73,' a bit generous. The proscenium was 41' wide. Grid height was 54'.
The screen size following the Cinematheque renovations was 27' x 53'. See the backstage page for more details.
A view of the west side of the theatre's stagehouse. The screen is now almost up against the back wall. Photo: Bill Counter - 2007
Pipe organ: It was a 3 manual 15 rank Wurlitzer style 260 with 7 tuned percussions and 14 traps. The main and solo chambers were on the roof just downstage of the proscenium wall and it spoke through the grillework in the ceiling in front of the proscenium. Some of the larger pipes were on a shelf about 25' up on the stage left wall. Neither the console nor the orchestra pit were on lifts.
An ad reproduced in an issue of the Tom B'hend /
Preston Kaufmann publication Greater Metro L.A. Newsreel that's in the
Ronald W. Mahan Collection. Thanks to Ron for scanning the ad.
The opening: The new theatre was discussed in an article in the October 13, 1922 issue of the Hollywood newspaper Holly Leaves. Thanks to theatre historian Cezar Del Valle for a Theatre Talks post offering these excerpts:
"Director Fred Niblo
acted as master of ceremonies for the premiere, with Los Angeles Mayor
Cryer, Rupert Hughes, Jesse L. Lasky, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce’s
George Eastman, and builder Charles Toberman making speeches, along with
actor Charlie Chaplin. Cecil B. DeMille presented Sid Grauman with a
laurel wreath on behalf of the Hollywood film community. Floral
arrangements honoring Grauman and his theatre decorated the forecourt.
"An Eyeful of Usherets [sic] Parked in an Oldsmobile. These lovely ones appear in person at Sid Grauman's new Hollywood Egyptian Theatre, where Douglas Fairbanks's 'Robin Hood' is being produced. If you can't find the way to your seat they'll help you." Thanks to Mary Mallory for the illustration, one that appeared with her 2012 Daily Mirror article "Hollywood Heights - The Egyptian Theatre." The article appears to have vanished from the Mirror site.
This article about the theatre's initial promotional push appeared in the December 2, 1922 issue of Exhibitors Herald. It's on Internet Archive.
Early History: Grauman's Egyptian was the first real movie palace in Hollywood. His
close connections with studio heads allowed him to succeed as an
independent exhibitor. It also didn't hurt that he did a great job of
creating a romantic atmosphere with decor, costumed staff and elaborate
prologues along with the feature picture. Among the dancers in the
prologues who went on to bigger things was Myrna Loy.
The
films were accompanied by Jan Sofer (succeeding Victor Schertzinger) conducting the "Hollywood Symphony
Orchestra" with, in addition, numbers performed on the Mighty Wurlitzer. A
nursery (adjacent to the ladies room) was provided for parents to leave
their children. The opening program noted that "kiddies may be parked
there with safety and convenience." On the staff, in addition to a
nurse and storyteller in the nursery, were "Twenty-eight Egyptian Ladies
in Waiting, Four Lobbymen, Three Porters, Footmen, etc." -- all
costumed by Western Costume Co.
The fifth film to play the theatre was "Romola," opening December 6, 1924. Each picture was accompanied by an elaborate Grauman prologue, usually as much of an attraction as the film itself. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding the ad.
The eighth film to play was "The Big Parade," opening November 5, 1925. This program is from the Silent Film Still Archive. Note that Grauman's "1918 Review" was advertised as having "100 - people on the stage - 100." He didn't exaggerate. Lots of extras were hired on a daily basis.
Estelle Taylor and her husband Jack Dempsey were hosting the screenings on June 21, 1926. This ad appeared in the L.A. Times. Also see an article about their appearance that ran that day. There was a film shoot in the forecourt a few days earlier for the Lloyd Bacon Warner Bros. film "Broken Hearts of Hollywood." See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for several photos.
The Warner studios on Sunset advertising "Don Juan" at the Egyptian. Thanks to Cezar Del Valle for the photo from his
collection. When the film had opened in New York on August 6, they were running the Vitaphone version. During
the initial weeks of the run at the Egyptian the film was accompanied
by the theatre's orchestra. There was no mention of Vitaphone in the ads or
in the L.A. Times review appearing August 22.
Vitaphone arrives: The Egyptian was the first Los Angeles
theatre to be wired for sound. Well, other than several small downtown houses using the Gaumont Chronophone process around 1908, the Royal and the Chronophone. The Egyptian belatedly got the Western Electric Vitaphone equipment during
the run of "Don Juan." The gear was
shipped west on a special express car and was first heard by the public on October 27, 1926. An October 17 L.A. Times story noted that this would be the first engagement for Vitaphone west of Chicago. In an October 19 L.A. Times ad Sid
Grauman stated: "I firmly believe that Vitaphone will be one of the
greatest sensations the Los Angeles public has ever known."
An October 20 ad declared Vitaphone "the most marvelous discovery of all time." An October 21 Times story advised that "music lovers and film fans are eagerly awaiting the presentation here." The Vitaphone version of the film had premiered, along with eight shorts, at New York's Warner Theatre, Broadway at 52nd St., on August 6, 1926. See the August 11 Variety review on Internet Archive. They were there for an August 5 press preview at the Warner. Check out "Historian Miles Kruger on Don Juan's 50th anniversary, the first Vitaphone feature film with sound," a 7 minute clip from 1976 on YouTube's AT&T Tech Channel.
"The whole world was puzzled" about why Grauman was closing the prologue that was playing on the bill with "Don Juan." The last performances were on October 24 and the theatre went dark for two days to tweak up the new equipment. This October 21 Times ad explained that they would be reopening on October 27 with a big premiere of the Vitaphone version of the film along with a program of talking shorts including one of Will Hays introducing the new invention. These shorts were cranked out by the Warner Bros Vitaphone division in large numbers in the mid 20s and early 30s and largely consisted of musical performances and recorded vaudeville routines.
An October 25 ad modestly gave "Four big reasons why Sid Grauman closed his prologue... greatest in the world." An October 26 Times article titled "Program Named For Vitaphone" gave a list of the shorts featuring a "constellation of stars who will furnish the combined ocular and auditory entertainment." One of the shorts, "La Fiesta," featured Met soprano Anna Case, the Met Opera Chorus and several dancers from the Cansino family. It's said that seven year old Margarita, the family member later to be known as Rita Hayworth, is there in the background somewhere. See it on YouTube.
A great view of the dignitaries in front of the railroad car carrying the Vitaphone equipment west for "Don Juan." The photo is from the site George Groves, dedicated to the story of Oscar winning sound pioneer George R. Groves (1901-1976). It was once on the site's "Don Juan" page which has a nice history of the film but now seems to be missing this photo.
Another photo taken in front of the car that brought the gear west in 1926. Left to right are Jack L. Warner, Sid Grauman, Col. Nathan Levinson and Ray Schrock. Kneeling (and guarding the cargo with shotguns) are Bill Guthrie and a Captain Carillo. The photo is from Tom Wilson on Flickr. It's in his Vintage Photographs and Postcards collection of wonderful photos of early projection and sound equipment.
Trucks from the Warner studios loaded with the sound equipment for the Egyptian. Note the Western Electric horns on top of the load of the truck on the right. Thanks again to Tom Wilson for the photo from his Vintage Photographs and Postcards collection on Flickr.
"Sid Grauman presents Warner Bros. Vitaphone." There was a second "Don Juan" premiere on October 27 for the Vitaphone version of the film. Thanks to Dr. Phil Wickham, curator of the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum at the University of Exeter, for this image of the cover of the program that's in their collection.
An inside page from the program for the "Don Juan" Vitaphone premiere that appears on the website of the University of Exeter Bill Douglas Cinema Museum. This time around there were prominent mentions of Bell Labs and Western Electric. Sid ran a big October 28 ad declaring the technology "Amazing.. Astounding.. Bewildering.. Revolutionary..."
See a shot of the second premiere shared by Richard Adkins from the Hollywood Heritage collection. Also see a fine street view of the premiere that's been used by Netflix.
An October 29 ad touting the miracle of Vitaphone. The Vitaphone version of the film only ran three weeks. Thanks to Hollywood historian April Clemmer of Old Hollywood Walking Tour fame for researching the "Don Juan" engagement.
The Vitaphone turntables at the Egyptian would have been Western Electric's early free-standing D-spec models, coupled to a WE drive system. There's no data regarding how long the equipment stayed in the theatre. For more about Vitaphone and
early Western Electric installations see the main page on the Warner Hollywood and the Warner booth page. There are also shots of Vitaphone equipment on the Carthay Circle projection page and the page about Inglewood's Granada Theatre. Also see our film and theatre tech page for additional data on early sound systems.
"Old
Ironsides," opened January 28, 1927. This ad appeared in the L.A. Times on April 30.
"Topsy and Eva" followed as Grauman's 13th and
final presentation at the theatre. It opened June 16, 1927. The program is in the collection of Hollywood Heritage.
This article announcing the new post-Grauman policy appeared in the L.A. Times on July 19. They note that the first film under the popular price/weekly change format was to be "Man Power" with Richard Dix.
West Coast kept the theatre a major attraction with some stage shows using
packaged Fanchon and Marco "Ideas" along with the films.
Others featured the stage portion of the show built around a popular
performer or bandleader, such as Benny Rubin or Gene Morgan. A marquee was installed spanning the entrance and they brought the boxoffice out to the street. Eventually the "Grauman's" vertical on the west side of the entrance came down and was replaced by a new one on the east side saying "Egyptian."
The circuit had actually bought a half interest in the theatre back in 1922, shortly after the opening. Holly Leaves had the "Big Theater Merger"
story in their November 24, 1922 issue. It was also noted in a November 25 listing in the Film Year Book that year. These are both on Google Books. Grauman's name stayed with the
building for a number of years although he was no longer involved in
the operation. It was still being called "Grauman's Egyptian" in the
1928 Fox ads. They had a nice tagline: "Where The Stars See The
Pictures."
The Egyptian in the 30s and 40s: The theatre remained a major venue for Fox West Coast but the stage shows faded away as the depression deepened. There was a closure in 1932. "Egyptian to Reopen With Ceremonies," a Times article on October 7, noted that stars would be on hand on the 20th and they would be "welcoming back the colorful theater to the local Rialto." The reopening film was "Love Me Tonight" with Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald. The Times added:
"New projection equipment and acoustic treatment have been installed."
A November 6, 1932 item in the paper's "A Town Called Hollywood" column noted that a quiet visit to the barber was interrupted by a sound truck going by with this loud message:
"Thirty thousand dollars has been spent to assure perfect sound at the Fox Egyptian Theater."
The forecourt continued to be an attraction with various animals in cages as well as occasional exhibits themed to the films, as Grauman had done. See the forecourt page for many vintage photos. Cashier Totty Ames talked about coming to work there in 1943:
"The Egyptian was in excellent condition then. They had just taken the monkeys out when I got there."
She's quoted on page 193 of Paul Zollo's 2002 Cooper Square Press book "Hollywood Remembered: An Oral History of its Golden Age." In
1944 the Egyptian again became a first run venue as a showcase for MGM
product, although still operated by Fox West Coast Theatres. Long a favorite house for Hollywood premieres, the Egyptian has
had an amazing number of great runs of important pictures.
The Consent Decree: In 1949 management of the Egyptian was taken over by United Artists Theatre Circuit as a result of consent decree rulings forcing Fox West Coast to cede control of a number of prime Los Angeles venues. The Egyptian was one of them. Until this time United Artists had not actually been operating theatres themselves. The corporation had existed, separate from the UA distribution company (but with some overlap in management and shareholders) since the 20s. Any theatres in which United Artists had had an interest were being managed for them by Fox West Coast.
This November
27, 1949 L.A. Times story notes the transfer from Fox West Coast of the Egyptian, Loew's State, and the California in Pomona (renamed the United Artists)
to the
newly energized United Artists Theatre Circuit. Thanks to Mike Hume for finding the article.
The additional theatres DeCicco mentions in the article to get
the circuit up to fifteen were twelve theatres that UA had built in the
1927-1932 period that had been managed for decades by Fox. The February
1, 1950 transfer of that bunch was discussed in
"Twelve FWC Theatres Under UA Banner,"
a short article appearing in the February 4 issue of Boxoffice. The
theatres included the United Artists
downtown, the Four Star, and the United Artists houses in Inglewood,
East Los Angeles, Pasadena and Long Beach. The article termed it the "last step in
the complete severance of the joint interests of Fox West Coast and
United Artists."
The first CinemaScope film to play the
theatre was MGM's "Knights of the Round Table" starring
Robert Taylor and Ava Gardner. This was also the first film in the process to be released by a
studio other than 20th Century Fox. This shot of the December 22, 1953 premiere is from footage appearing in "Temple of Film: 100 Years of the Egyptian Theatre,"
the 2023 Netflix short by Angus Wall.
TODD-AO at the Egyptian: The Egyptian was equipped for the 70mm TODD-AO
process for a long roadshow run of "Oklahoma!" projected on a deeply curved
screen perhaps 60' in width. It was the second TODD-AO installation in
the country (the Rivoli in New York was house #1). The premiere of
"Oklahoma" was November 17, 1955 with public performances starting
November 18.
An ad for "Oklahoma!" Thanks to Comfortably Cool for locating this for a post on Cinema Treasures.
The invitation to the premiere of "Oklahoma!" at the Egyptian Theatre "located in the Oklahoma Territory In the Heart of Hollywood." It's in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences collection and appears on their website in an article "Rounding Up the Cast of Oklahoma." Thanks to Michael Hudson-Medina for spotting this one.
Tickets for the show at the Egyptian. The illustration is from page seven of the TODD-AO section on Martin Hart's terrific site American Widescreen Museum. The first print of "Oklahoma!" at the Egyptian was without sound. It was synced to separate 35mm mag reproducers for the 6 channel stereo. Later "Oklahoma!" opened at the United Artists downtown while continuing at the Egyptian. It got a 51 week run at the Egyptian.
These are full size frames from a 65mm print of "Oklahoma!" from page four of the TODD-AO section on the American Widescreen Museum website. Also see the site's fine "Oklahoma!" page. Later prints were on 70mm stock with 6 channel sound on magnetic stripes. During the 1955 work for the TODD-AO installation the theatre suffered a substantial loss of decoration at the proscenium. The 3 manual 15 rank Wurlitzer organ was removed from the theatre.
"South Pacific," the third TODD-AO film, opened at the Egyptian May 22, 1958 for a 44 week run. The Carthay Circle Theatre got the second film, "Around The World in 80 Days." See the film and theatre technology resources page here on this site for information on other projection technology. For information on 70mm runs and theatres equipped for the process in the Los Angeles area, see the From Script To DVD site's section "70mm in Los Angeles." Also see Michael Coate's "70mm Presentations in Los Angeles" on the site In70mm.com.
The TODD-AO process was born out of Mike Todd's frustrations with the expense and inherent problems with Cinerama. The new format was discussed in trade magazines as early as the spring of 1953, even before the introduction of Cinemascope. See "Still another New System; Wide Screen and 65mm Film" and "Magna System Calls for Entirely New-Type Screen and Projectors," two articles in the March 28, 1953 Boxoffice.
The process borrowed the technique of mag striping on the film for stereo sound that was pioneered by Fox's Cinemascope. Where the 35mm Cinemascope had 4 tracks, TODD-AO had 6. There were two tracks outside and one inside the sprocket holes on each side. 5 channels were for behind the screen and one for surround speakers. This illustration of the dimensions of the TODD-AO frame is from page four of the TODD-AO section on the wonderful site American Widescreen Museum where you'll find a lively history of the process with many photos.
Phillips of Holland was commissioned to design a new projector for the process that would also run 35mm with either optical sound tracks or 4 channel magnetic. The projector heads were made in Holland with the bases and magazines manufactured by American Optical in the United States. The projectors currently in the Egyptian booth (from a theatre in New Orleans) are a later version of the original TODD-AO machines.
Note the two motors --- one for 24 fps, one for 30 fps. Later models just had one motor and a clutch. On the machine seen in this photo the top motor has a pulley so it could be synched via Selsyn motors to a separate sound reproducer. Large screens, big arc lamps and short projection throws resulted in lots of focus drift from the beginning of a reel to its end. Some of the early projectors were equipped with motor driven "focus drift compensators" that reset at the end of each reel.
"Ben Hur" - MGM, MGM Camera 65 - premiered November 24, 1959 and ran 98 weeks.
"My Fair Lady" - Warner Bros., Super Panavision 70 - opened October 28, 1964 - ran 68 weeks.
The D-150 screen installation deep onto where the stage had been. It's a photo from a January 29, 1969 Motion Picture Herald article. See the auditorium page for a view of the screen partially installed. Thanks to Roland Lataille for the find -- he has the article on the Egyptian Theatre page of his site InCinerama.com. Also see the rest of the article: part 1 | part 2 |
Dimension 150 was a process developed by Dr. Richard Vetter and United Artists Theatre Circuit. It involved extreme wide angle camera lenses, a screen and masking system and projection lenses designed to give a sharp image on a deeply curved screen. It was installed in many UA roadshow houses (such as Cinema 150 in Seattle) as well as venues operated by other circuits. The Rosemary Theatre in Ocean Park was used as a test house for the process during the 1960s.
"The Bible" (1966) and "Patton" (1970) were the only features actually filmed in the Dimension 150 process. See the American Widescreen Museum's extensive coverage of the process and the Dimension 150 section on Roland Lataille's comprehensive In Cinerama website. Links to a few more resources can be found on the film and theatre technology resources page here on this site.
The first film after the D-150 remodel was "Funny Girl" (Columbia), a blow up from 35mm scope format. It opened October 9, 1968 for a 61 week reserved seat run. Thanks to Comfortably Cool for locating this opening day ad for a post on Cinema Treasures.
Adding Egyptian 2 and 3: In 1972 United Artists Theatre Circuit added 2 smaller theatres, the Egyptian 2 & 3, in a store building to the east of the theatre. The original theatre remained a single auditorium. That 2 and 3 building (with the center wall removed) is now a legit house called the Arena Theatre and is not part of the Egyptian's property.
Later Years at the Egyptian: The Egyptian enjoyed long runs of major films such as "Marooned" (Columbia, world premiere December 13, 1969 - a 23 week 70mm reserved seat run), "Alien" (Fox, 1979), "The Empire Strikes Back" (Fox, 1980) and "Return of the Jedi" (Fox, 1983). In the 70s and 80s United Artists Theatre Circuit had the Egyptian playing lots of Fox product -- especially after the 1977 "Star Wars" snafu at the Chinese. Frequently the Egyptian played day-and-date with the United Artists downtown.
In its last days prior to closure in 1992 United Artists was running the theatre as a $1.50 admission grind house. Through the efforts of the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation and other organizations, the Egyptian was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument on September 23, 1993. The vacant theatre suffered some damage in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The City of Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency ended up with the building.
The American Cinematheque renovations: The Cinematheque acquired the building for $1 from the Community Redevelopment Agency in 1996 and reopened the theatre in 1998 after a renovation designed by architects Hodgetts & Fung. What was envisioned as a $3 million project ended up costing $15 million by the time it was finished. The downsized main auditorium was then a smaller box enclosed by the shell of the original theatre. A smaller screening room was constructed in an area excavated at the back of the auditorium. The Cinematheque programming has been a mix of revivals, foreign films, indies and various festivals in all formats including 70mm. They also operate the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica and, since 2021, have booked the screenings in the large house at the Los Feliz 3.
The vertical sign installed as part of the 1998 renovations. It's a replica of one installed by Fox West Coast Theatres in the early 30s. The 1922 original, mounted on the other side of the opening, said "Grauman's." Photo: Bill Counter - 2007
In 2016 the Hollywood Foreign Press association gave the theatre a $350,000 grant, administered by the Film Foundation, for booth upgrades including a new digital projector and modifications so the theatre could show nitrate prints. A later $500,000 grant went toward roof and wall repairs, recovering the seating, some entrance terrazzo repair, and other projects. Deadline had an August 2016 story on the project.
The sale to Netflix: It was simmering for over a year but finally closed in May 2020. Earlier, Netflix had explored purchasing the Landmark chain but backed away from that. The American Cinematheque ends up with an endowment and will continue to program the theatre on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. They will continue to manage the theatre, even when Netflix is holding their events and Netflix will be paying them a management fee. Ken Scherer acted as consultant to the Cinematheque on the sale and later became the organization's director.
Deadline broke the news of a possible sale in April 2019 with Mike Fleming, Jr.'s story "Netflix in Talks..." Thanks to theatre sleuth Joe Pinney for spotting the story. Bloomberg had a followup story. Thanks to Mike Hume for spotting that one. And, of course, Ryan Faughnder of the L.A. Times added "Netflix in talks..." a few hours later but had nothing additional to add. A June letter to Cinematheque members confirmed that a sale of the theatre was underway although Netflix was not mentioned by name nor was the sale price.
Esorouric's Kim Cooper and Richard Shave, calling themselves Friends of the American Cinematheque, had a "Save the American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre" petition up on Change.org along with an article titled "First Festival Cancellation Blames Netflix..." They were looking for more transparency. Chava Gourarie's "Behind the Netflix Bid for Hollywood's Egyptian Theatre," a September 3, 2019 article in the Commercial Observer, had quotes from all the usual suspects and comments that the Cinematheque's 1996 agreement with the city's CRA to operate the theatre (in return for some renovation funding) may have had a ten year expiration date.
"If it’s such a great thing, why does this all need to be shrouded in secrecy?" asked LAPL librarian Christina Rice in Ryan Faughnder's September 6, 2019 story for the L.A. Times: "What happens when Netflix buys Hollywood's iconic Egyptian Theatre? It's complicated." Faughnder noted: "Tony Arranaga, communications director for Councilman Mitch O’Farrell’s office, said the city has no jurisdiction over the management of the Cinematheque, the disbursement of funds from the sale or what happens if Netflix decides it no longer wants to own the theater. The CRA was dissolved by the state of California in 2012... 'It is my understanding that the agreements between the [CRA’s designated successor agency] and American Cinematheque have expired,' Arranaga said. 'The councilmember will work with any owner, existing or new, of the Egyptian Theatre to ensure that they are good stewards of this historic resource.'"
This anarchist is on the roof of the current Musso & Frank location lighting a bomb in the Buster Keaton film "Cops" (First National, March 1922). The brown mess we see across the street is the construction fence at the Egyptian with remnants of an early building behind it. Thanks to famed silent film detective John Bengtson for figuring out the location. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for more details as well as a shot of the Hidalgo Theatre on Main St. seen near the end of the film.
We get a drive east on Hollywood Blvd. with a quick glimpse of the construction site of the Egyptian Theatre at 5:14 into "Accidents Will Happen" (Universal, August 1922). William Watson directed the 17 minute film starring Neely Edwards and Bert Roach. The building on the far right of the image is on the corner of McCadden Place and Hollywood Blvd., now the home of Pig 'N Whistle. The void beyond with the construction fence is Egyptian's location. Thanks to John Bengtson for spotting the shot. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for more about the film including other locations John has identified.
We get a fine ride down Hollywood Blvd. in the Harry Langdon film "His Marriage Vow" (Mack Sennett, 1925). Note the Grauman's vertical on the left as we head west toward Hollywood and Highland. Thanks to John Bengtson for the screenshot. He's identified many of the film's locations on his terrific Silent Locations post "Harry Langdon - His Marriage Vow."
We get a chase down Hollywood Boulevard with views of the Admiral Theatre and the Egyptian in Gregory Ratoff's comedy "The Bride Wore Crutches" (20th Century Fox, 1941). Our cub reporter is chasing some robbers after he witnessed a bank holdup. The only problem is that he lost the robbers and ended up chasing a police car. The film stars Lynne Roberts, Ted North, Edgar Kennedy, Robert Armstrong and Lionel Stander. The cinematography was by Charles G. Clarke.
Eartha Kitt and Henry Scott go out on the town in "Anna Lucasta"
(United Artists, 1958). In addition to the footage this shot is from we see some other Hollywood signs and take a stroll by a few storefronts. On the left there's the neon for "South Pacific" and signage saying
"The Perfect Show in TODD-AO." Down the street it's the
Hollywood Theatre. The film, about a
young woman who had been kicked out of the family home and the
complications of her return, also features Sammy Davis Jr., Frederick
O'Neal, Rex Ingram, Isabel Cooley and John Proctor. Philip Yordan, who
fronted for many blacklisted writers, is credited with the screenplay.
Arnold Laven directed. The cinematography was by Lucien Ballard.
Jeanne Moreau and Donald Sutherland are in the middle of Hollywood Blvd. as we look toward the Egyptian in a shot taken during the filming of Paul Mazursky's "Alex in Wonderland" (MGM, 1970). The photo appears on page 39 in the Arcadia Publishing book "Location Filming in Los Angeles" by Karie Bible, Marc Wanamaker and Harry Medved. The page with this photo is included in the preview on Google Books. See the Historic L.A. Theatres In Movies post for twenty shots from the film including views of the Los Angeles Theatre, the Vogue Theatre and the New-View/Ritz Theatre.
"Hello, Dolly!" playing in 1973 on the bottom half of a double bill with "Cabaret." It's a shot from "Aloha, Bobby and Rose" (Columbia Pictures, 1975). The film features Paul Le Mat, Dianne Hull, Tim McIntyre, Leigh French, Noble Willingham, Martine Bartlett and Robert Carradine. Floyd Mutrux directed. William A. Fraker did the cinematography. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for shots of the Pantages, Loew's, Pix, Las Palmas and New-View from the film. The 40 week roadshow run of "Hello, Dolly!" had been at the Chinese.
We get a brief look at the Egyptian's boxoffice as Richard Gere cruises down Hollywood Blvd. in "American Gigolo" (Paramount, 1980). Earlier in the film we get a view from above of Westwood and the Fox Westwood Village Theatre. There's also some action at the Bruin and the Music Box. See the Historic L.A. Theatres In Movies post for those shots.
We look across Hollywood Blvd. in the TV
movie "Intimate Stranger" (South Gate Entertainment, 1991). It got a 1992 theatrical release in some
countries. The Egyptian was running "The Krays." Allan Holzman directed. The cinematography was by Ilan
Rosenberg. Thanks to Eric Schaefer for spotting the theatre and getting the screenshot. He comments: "The
protagonist played by Deborah Harry lives in the Outpost Building. In
this shot Paige French is standing in the lobby. There are some other shots of L.A. here and there,
including a quick blur of the Los Feliz marquee."
In Barry Levinson's "Jimmy Hollywood" (Paramount, 1994) we end up at the abandoned Egyptian Theatre with Joe Pesci and Christian Slater. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for more views in the Egyptian as well as a couple shots featuring the El Capitan and the Galaxy 6.
We visit the Egyptian in the Steven Peros film "Footprints" (Our Gal Pictures, 2009) where our amnesiac heroine, Sybil Temtchine, meets up with a former star played by Pippa Scott ("The Searchers," "Auntie Mame"). The story begins in the forecourt of the Chinese. See the Historic L.A. Theatres In Movies post for more shots from the film.
We get some lovely c.1959 background footage as we drive down Hollywood Blvd. near the beginning of Warren Beatty's "Rules Don't Apply" (20th Century Fox, 2016) featuring Alden Ehrenreich, Lily Collins and Annette Bening. Here the Egyptian has the neon up for "Ben-Hur" with the Vogue Theatre over on the left. See the Historic L.A. Theatres In Movies post for another Egyptian view as well as a look at the Chinese.
Shooting in front of the Egyptian for Quentin Tarantino's epic "Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood" (Sony, 2019). It's a shot from a featurette appearing on the DVD for the film. Leo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt star as an actor and his stuntman trying to find work in the
changing Hollywood of 1969. See the Historic L.A.Theatres in Movies
pages for several hundred shots related to the shoot on the block in front of the Vogue and the Pussycat as
well as views of the Pantages, Vine, Grauman's Chinese, Cinerama Dome,
Bruin and Fox Westwood Village theatres.
The Egyptian on series TV:
A view from the 1974 TV series "Kolchak: The Night Stalker." Thanks to Richard DuVal for spotting the theatre and getting the shot for a post on the Cinema Treasures Facebook page. He notes that it was a Pink Floyd concert film playing the big house with "Chinatown" + a second feature on screen 2 and a re-release bill of "Butch Cassidy" + "M.A.S.H." on screen 3. He adds that the series was set in Chicago.
Information on 70mm roadshow runs at the Egyptian is on Michael Coate's terrific site FromScriptToDVD.com. Also see his extensive article "70mm Presentations in Los Angeles" on the site In70mm.com. EC & M has a 1998 article about the electrical portion of the Egyptian renovation. There are oodles of Egyptian photos on Flickr to browse. Sandi Hemmerlein ran a nice photo story on the occasion of the Egyptian's 90th anniversary on her blog Avoiding Regrets.
See Vanity Fair's 2008 article by Bruce Handy on Egyptomania as decor in movie theatres: "Watch Like an Egyptian." Also view the 2008 photographs of various Egyptian Theatres by Tim Street-Porter on the Vanity Fair site. Of course Wikipedia has an article on the Egyptian.
Pages about the Egyptian: back to top: Egyptian overview | Hollywood Blvd. views 1922-1954 | Hollywood Blvd. 1955-present | forecourt | lobby - earlier views | lobby - recent views | auditorium - earlier views | auditorium - recent views | booth | backstage | Egyptian 2 & 3 / Arena Stage | along Las Palmas Ave. | along McCadden Place | 2021 Netflix renderings |
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This is an absolutely outstanding history. I learned so much. thank you for putting in the effort.
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff.
ReplyDeleteHere's some really bad quality 1976 footage of the same neighborhood from "Dawn: Portrait of Teenage Runaway," which was Eve Plumb's (Jan "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia" Brady's) attempt to change her image and the roles then being offered to her. (SPOILER ALERT: it didn't work, in spite of Eve acquitting herself quite well in this
edgy movie-of-the-week, imo)
From around 5:09 – 7:18, you see the main character "Dawn"––the cliched, scared, naive, underage runaway and newcomer to then-scuzzy Hollywood Blvd.––stumble into a low-end diner at the northeast corner of Cherokee and Hollywood Blvd. looking for work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiw-EY8V4AQ
Pause-Freeze-Frame at 5:29, and in the upper-right corner of the window/film frame, you can see the bottom letters "–TIAN" of the vertical Egyptian Theater's vertical marquee (which is just above what was then the Egyptian's box office window).
The scene continues outside to the curb of the same diner at the northeast corner of Cherokee & Hollywood Boulevard. (NOTE: another refugee from squeaky-clean TV sitcoms makes an appearance. Look for the late Suzanne Crough (the first to pass away from that show, oddly enough), the Partridge family's skilled tambourine-ist Tracy, as another customer at the diner's counter. She even gets a couple lines.)
Randall Kleiser directed this one, btw, just a year or two ahead of his cinema smash "GREASE," which was partially shot at nearby (2 blocks away) Hollywood High. (only the scenes at the track and bleachers were shot there, while the front of "Rydell High" was shot at the front of Venice High School, in another part of town far to the southwest from Hollywood & Cherokee.)
Thanks! I'll check it out.
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