6712 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90028 |
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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 | structural + 2021 renderings | Egyptian 2 & 3 | along Las Palmas Ave. | along McCadden Place |
The news: The theatre reopened November 9, 2023 with Netflix and the American Cinematheque sharing programming. Their website:
EgyptianTheatre.com
Opened:
October 18, 1922 as
Grauman's Hollywood Egyptian Theatre with Douglas Fairbanks as "Robin Hood"
on the screen and a huge prologue onstage. The score was by Egyptian musical director/composer
Victor Schertzinger. In this postcard of the new theatre's forecourt from the
California State Library collection note that the signage isn't saying "Egyptian" yet. Many of the early press reports and ads called it
Grauman's Hollywood Theatre.
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: 323-306-4302 email: egyptianla@netflix.com
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.
Hodgetts + Fung (Craig Hodgetts, Ming Fung) were the architects for the American Cinematheque 1998 renovations. On the team for the 2021-22 Netflix renovations are Ross Brennan of
Studio 440 Architecture & Acoustics, Peyton Hall of
Historic Resources Group and Tony Hambarchian of the Netflix Design & Construction Regional Team. Jeff Greene's
Evergreene Architectural Arts will be overseeing the rehabilitation of decorative areas. Also in the mix is Charuni Patibanda, president of government affairs and lobby firm The McOsker Group. Whiting-Turner is the general contractor.
The project was announced in a May 28, 1920 story in the Hollywood Citizen-News that revealed that the Grauman clan had purchased the lot at 6718 Hollywood Blvd. from T.B. Marshall for construction of "...a picture palace, unique in interior and exterior appointments..." Thanks to L.A. historian Mary Mallory for locating the story for her 2022 Daily Mirror article "
Egyptian Theatre: Where Grauman Put the 'Show' In Show Business, Turns 100." The Citizen-News noted that the new venture would operate as as a "national pre-release establishment..."
A drawing of the west side of the building from the May 1, 1921 L.A. Times.
Mary Mallory, in a 2012
Daily Mirror
article titled "Hollywood Heights - The Egyptian Theatre," quotes Grauman talking to L.A. Times film
critic Edwin Schallert about his plans for something more elaborate than
most theatres. As he envisioned it:
"An Egyptian garden
is to be one of the main attractions at the new Hollywood Theater. The
interior decorations will be in keeping with this outward scheme, and
particularly effective will be the colorful lighting plan."
By the time they were ready to begin construction, that "Egyptian garden" idea had changed into a big reflecting pool in the forecourt. This was the article in the May 1, 1921 issue of the Times that announced a May 7 date for laying the cornerstone:
They certainly didn't make that November 1921 opening date they envisioned.
An early Meyer & Holler scheme for the entrance on Hollywood Blvd. It appeared along with the article in the Times on May 1, 1921. Although the article noted that the new theatre would be "modeled entirely after the Egyptian type of architecture," this looked more Romanesque. Obviously it didn't get built this way.
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":
"Grauman’s
Hollywood Theatre may not last a century but its art was old when the
pyramids were built. The careful attention given to detail may be traced
in the hieroglyphics on the walls. The reproduction of the cartouche
from the royal scarab, bearing the inscription, 'O Let me not my Heart
bear Witness against me,' is wonderfully exact in detail.
"Another
notable bit of detail is the lighting system. Scientists and historians
agree that the Egyptian temples were illuminated by a light said to
have been handed down to the high priests of Egypt by the priests of
Lost Atlantis. This effect is beautifully brought out by the hidden
illumination in the Grauman Hollywood Theater, enhancing the beauty of
the architecture and giving it an artistic and almost religious
atmosphere. In conclusion the speaker complimented Mr. Grauman
on the realization of his ideals in giving to Southern California the
most beautiful and artistic cinema temple in the world."
Many Egyptian themed theatres across the country would follow. Locally those included
the
Egyptian in Long Beach (1924) and the
Uptown in Pasadena (1925). Lou Bard built many of his theatres in the area with Egyptian interiors including the
Vista (1923) and the Pasadena
theatre that's now the called the
Academy (1925).
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.
A section view that appeared in "American Theatres of Today." Mike has
the two plans as well as several photos from the book in pdf format on
the page about the Egyptian on his
Historic Theatre Photography site.
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.
The lighting of the theatre was discussed in "Life o' the Show-House: Light,"
an article by Nellie Barnard Parker appearing in the February 19, 1927 issue of
Exhibitors Herald. Thanks to Mike Hume for finding the article on Internet Archive.
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.
Frederick Burr Scholl at the console in 1922. Thanks to Jim Lewis for supplying the photo. He notes that Scholl was the theatre's first organist but in May 1926 moved over to the
Carthay Circle. He's also in the opening night program at the
Chinese in 1927. Kurt Wahlner includes a
bio of Scholl on his Grauman's Chinese site. Page 394 of the October 1927 issue of
American Organist has an article about "Frederic" plus a photo. It's on Google Books. Jim found
a 1928 photo of Scholl taken when he played the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, Australia as well as
a shot of a billboard for that engagement. Jim also located an
October 21, 1960 L.A. Times obituary on "Fred."
The opening: This
cartoon tour of the project appeared in the October 12, 1922 issue of
the Los Angeles Express:
Thanks to Mary Mallory for locating this 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 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:
"Grauman's Hollywood will be the first photoplay theater in the West to
maintain a policy of reserving every seat for every performance. For the
convenience of Los Angeles patrons a downtown box office will be
maintained at Barker Brothers', and seats will be on sale two weeks in
advance. Two complete shows will be given daily, a matinee at
2:15 and an evening performance at 8:15. The scale of prices for the
matinee will run from 50 cents to $1.00 and the evening prices from 75
cents to $1.50.
"Every production will be presented with an
elaborate musical accompaniment by an orchestra which is now being
organized and which it is hoped to make one of the representative
musical organizations of the West. It is Grauman's intention
to show the biggest feature attractions of all producers at the
Hollywood Theater, the opening feature being Douglas Fairbanks in 'Robin
Hood,' which has been seen as the really big photoplay triumph of 1922.
"Each
production will be preceded with a prologue in keeping with the
atmosphere of the story in which players who starred in the picture will
be seen in their identical roles. 'Robin Hood' is to have the most
elaborate prologue accorded. The Nottingham castle set, which
drew thousands to the Fairbanks-Pickford studio is to be duplicated on
the Grauman stage, and the $150,000 costumes worn in the play will be
used in the prologue, which Sid Grauman has designated as the
'Nottingham Castle Pageant.' More than 200 persons are to take part in
the Robin Hood pageant, which will precede every showing of the
picture."
An article in the October 14, 1922 issue of the L.A. Evening Express helpfully noted that the "stage is located under the gridiron," that the usherettes were "the most beautiful brunettes that could be found in Los Angeles" and gave the historical tidbit that Cleopatra was a vampire. Their pre-opening story about the theatre:
Thanks to Lisa Kouza Braddock for locating the article.
The cover of the opening night program, a "Souvenir Album." Thanks to Kurt Wahlner for sharing the image from the copy in his collection. Visit his site about the Chinese:
GraumansChinese.org. Cristopher Crouch featured his copy of the program in "
Hollywood's Egyptian Theatre," a Cinelog blog post. His
Egyptian Album has the full 52 page program in pdf format.
A few of the pages:
page 3 - From Sid: "Greeting" |
page 4 - "New Policies" |
page 9 - "Staff and Prices" |
page 11 - "Program" |
page 12 - "Masters in Charge of Music" |
page 13 - "Robin Hood" credits |
The opening night was the first real Hollywood premiere. The staff
included usherettes in elaborate Egyptian costumes and robed Bedouin
sentinels patrolling the parapet above the entrance. Mary Mallory comments on the event:
"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.
"Both
inside and out, the site highlighted Egyptania. The walls of the
auditorium featured hieroglyphics, with the ceiling painted to resemble
the night sky. The constellations would change as the lighting effects
altered and shifted. The forecourt featured oriental shops down its
promenade, with an Egyptian village replicating one by the Pyramids,
attracting attention. Rug makers and other artisans intrigued
filmgoers."
The October 20 issue of Holly Leaves had a full report on the opening. Thanks to Cezar Del Valle for including it on the
Opening of the Egyptian Theatre post on his blog Theatre Talks:
"A new era in the world's motion picture theaters and in the cinema art
dawned Wednesday evening, when the new temple of art, Grauman's Egyptian
Theater in Hollywood, was dedicated with the world premiere of 'Robin
Hood,' the masterpiece of Douglas Fairbanks. Every one of the 1742 seats
were filled, and an even if the seating capacity were ten times
greater, the house doubtless would have been filled, so great was the
demand for tickets. There was a regular metropolitan 'opening night' with a jam of people
and motor cars outside and extending in all directions, while the great
court had rows of people on either side of the aisle kept open by
khaki-clad soldiers. Hollywood Post American Legion Band was in the
court and gave a band concert before the program.
"The picture stars were
wildly greeted and numerous flashlights taken of the kaleidoscopic
human spectacle. Otto Olesen's great government searchlights played upon the heavens and added much to the spectacular effects. Before the picture, Arthur Wenzel, publicity director for the Grauman
theaters announced that Fred Niblo would officiate as master of
ceremonies. Mr. Niblo was a witty and facetious mood as he presented
Mayor George Cryer of Los Angeles; George J. Eastman, president of the
Hollywood Chamber of Commerce; Jesse Lasky, vice president of Famous
Players-Lasky Company; Rupert Hughes, author and director, and Charlie
Chaplin as surprise speakers. All were applauded to the echo with a
double measure for 'Charlie.'
"Then Cecil de Mille was presented and after a brief happy speech, he
called for Sid Grauman, builder of the Egyptian playhouse. Mr. Grauman
was greeted by a storm of applause and was tendered the rising salute.
He made a few appropriate remarks and expressed feelingly his
appreciation for all that had been said. All speakers heaped encomiums on Douglas Fairbanks for his marvelous
production. The prologue was beautifully presented and delighted the
house. The music proved a wonderful setting and the composer-conductor
Victor Schertzinger was given an ovation. Handsome souvenir programs in brochure forms were given to every first night person."
A "Robin Hood" ad that ran in Holly Leaves on November
3, 1922. The ad is featured in the post on Cezar Del Valle's Theatre
Talks blog titled
Opening of the Egyptian Theatre.
The post also features a photo of the rear of the auditorium from the
paper.
"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.
A "Robin Hood" ad from the November 17, 1922 issue of Holly Leaves. Thanks to Cezar Del Valle for the ad, reproduced in a
Grauman's Egyptian post on his Theatre Talks blog.
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 program noted
that "nothing but masterpieces of the cinema art" would be shown at the
Egyptian where each "would have its world premiere months before being
shown at any of the downtown theatres." At the beginning,
the Egyptian was running only 2 shows a day (with reserved seats) at
legit prices and getting long profitable runs from its pictures. In the
first 3 years of operation, the Egyptian Theatre ran only 4 movies.
"Robin Hood" ran nearly five months.
The second film to play the theatre was "The Covered
Wagon," opening April 10, 1923. Sid's prologue, "Pioneer Days," was "A Pageant of the Plains including Twenty-five Arapahoe Chiefs." The program from the collection of
Hollywood Heritage was on display in October 2022 as part of a celebration of the theatre's 100th Birthday.
A special invitation on the back of the "Covered Wagon" program.
The inside of Eric's "Covered Wagon" flyer.
The third film was a seven month run of Cecil B. DeMille's "The Ten
Commandments" starting December 4, 1923. "Take P.E. Hollywood Cars direct to the main entrance." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the ad.
"Stars Appear Personally at every performance this week only." Estelle Taylor, Jack Holt and Hoah Beery were at the theatre to promote the film. It's an ad that appeared in the L.A. Times on April 17, 1924. See a photo of
Estelle and Noah at the boxoffice and
Estelle in the forecourt.
The cover of a program that was used during the 1923-1924 run of "The Ten Commandments."
A pricey $5.00 ticket for the July 10, 1924 premiere of "The Thief of Bagdad" starring Douglas Fairbanks. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this via the site Worthpoint for a Facebook post on
Ken's Movie Page.
The back of the ticket. "Void Unless Countersigned By Sid Grauman."
An ad during the run of "The Thief
of Bagdad."
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.
John Ford's "The Iron Horse" was up next, opening February
21, 1925. This photo is of several Pacific Electric Red Cars taking 180 boys from the Pasadena YMCA to the opening of the film. It's from the Mt. Lowe Preservation Society collection on the
Pacific Electric Railway website. See the
forecourt page for photos of the locomotive that Sid had on display for the film.
A March 5, 1925 ad for "The Iron Horse" that appeared in the Times.
A March 7, 1925 Times story about Sid's Prologue for "The Iron Horse."
An ad for "The Iron Horse." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating it.
Chaplin's "The Gold Rush" opened June 26, 1925. Thanks to Kurt Wahlner for locating this image of the cover of the premiere's souvenir program when it was offered on eBay. For the premiere Gino Severi conducted the orchestra. Julius K. Johnson was at the "Mighty Egyptian Organ." Kurt also grabbed the image below of two of the inside pages. Visit the site he curates about the Chinese:
GraumansChinese.org.
The prologue to "The Gold Rush," titled "Charlie Chaplin's Dream," included a balloon dance and an ice skating ballet choreographed by Fanchon. See a closer look at the "
Charlie Chaplin's Dream" program page for details of the presentation. The blacked-out line probably meant a change of cast for the Robert W. Service "Spell of the Yukon" unit of the show. It was deleted from the prologue later in the run.
Included in the program was an article about the theatre, "A Playhouse Magnificent," by Walter B. MacAdams, the theatre's "Director of Ancient Arts."
part one |
part two |
part three |
The back page of the program for "The Gold Rush." Thanks to Comfortably Cool for locating this for a post on
Cinema Treasures.
An ad for "The Gold Rush" that was located by Ken McIntyre.
"Breaking Records Into Smithereens." It's an August 1925 "The Gold Rush" ad.
November 1 was the final day for the film. This article appeared in the L.A. Times the last week of the run. It was included in a huge 100th anniversary post on the
Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation Facebook page that included 20 images with many, many program pages, ads and articles.
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.
Two inside pages of the program for "The Big Parade."
Some of the costumes for "The Big Parade" prologue. Thanks to Comfortably Cool for posting this on
Cinema Treasures with the comment "Produced by Sid Grauman, 'Pageant of the Allies' featured a bevy of beauties in spectacular costumes representing nations in the 'Great War' of 1914-18."
Page five of a program for "The Big Parade" shows the orchestra for that film gathered in the forecourt. Of interest at the top of the page is the credit for D. J. Grauman as the "founder" of the Egyptian. David was Sid's father.
Thanks to Jack Tillmany for finding this at the AMPAS
Margaret Herrick Library. It's from the Sherwood Mertz collection. Jack's father, a violinist, is in the back row, the third from the right. He worked for MGM at the time -- perhaps some of their personnel were used to augment the house orchestra.
An ad for "The Big Parade" on the side of "America's First Trans-Continental Trackless Train." The photo is in the
California State Library collection. It was evidently taken in Sierra Madre -- we have a guy's name embossed on the card from that town. Thanks to Noirish Los Angeles contributor Godzilla, who included the photo in his
Noirish post #10861.
Offering a "Holiday Surprise" for the ladies with weekday matinee tickets purchased before Christmas 1925. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the ad.
"The Big Parade" was followed by the only double feature to play during
Grauman's tenure. So, of course, he held a massive "duplex premier." The
films opening May 14, 1926 were "The Black Pirate," in Technicolor,
with Douglas Fairbanks and "Sparrows," with Mary Pickford. The two big stars did not make an appearance for the event but sent their apologies. Thanks to Scott Collette for locating this May 8 ad in the Times.
This illustration by A.L. Ewing was part of the coverage for the new program that appeared in the May 9 issue of the Times. Thanks to Scott Collette for locating it. Visit his Facebook page:
Forgotten Los Angeles. The Times noted: "Romance and pathos, glowing adventure and chilling melodrama will be balanced with nice precision on the new bill at Grauman's Egyptian Theater, to be presented Friday night."
The cover of the souvenir program for the "World's First Twin Premiere" on May 14, 1926. Thanks to Kurt Wahlner for spotting this when it popped up on eBay.
"Come early and enjoy the free attractions in the in the Egyptian Forecourt." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this 1926 ad for the Grauman double feature for a post on the private Facebook group
Photos of Los Angeles.
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.
A look at Sid Grauman (second from left) and his staff at the theatre in 1926. Check out the costumes for those usherettes. Thanks to the extraordinary McAvoy/Bruce Torrence
Historic Hollywood Photographs collection for the photo. The collection has many more
Egyptian Theatre photos to look at when you have the time.
Another shot of Sid and his staff in the forecourt. It's a photo in the
Los Angeles Public Library collection from the L.A. Chamber of Commerce. That's Sid third in from the left.
The premiere of the silent version of Warner Bros.' "Don Juan" with John
Barrymore was August 20, 1926. It was accompanied by Sid's prologue "A Venetian Festival." He planned "an elaborate
electrical display with its crowning feature a titanic rainbow projected
by searchlights from the Egyptian roof and for the illumination of
Hollywood Boulevard in the vicinity of the theatre like midday."
The L.A. Times article appearing on August 20, the day of the premiere.
The Times ad for August 20, 1926. Thanks to Kurt Wahlner for locating it.
The embossed cover for the August 20 premiere of "Don Juan." Kurt Wahlner spotted it when it was for sale online.
The front of a program used later in the run of the silent version of "Don Juan." Also see
the credits page and the
backpage ad for Peralta photo studio from a copy of this that appeared on eBay.
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.
A 1926 Vitaphone demonstration by Western Electric engineer E.B. Craft (left) using a turntable geared to a Simplex projector. The 16" 33 1/3 rpm records were designed to be good for twenty plays and then would be discarded. The photo is from the University of San Diego, appearing with Wikipedia's article on
Vitaphone.
The ad for the 2nd premiere that appeared in the October 27, 1926 issue of the Times. Thanks to Kurt Wahlner for locating it. Well, this is is only the top of it. See the
bottom 2/3 of the ad which was headed "Here is partial list of celebrities who will be attending." Also see "
Sid's Latest Feat," an item in the "Intermission" column of Herbert Moulton that appeared on the same page of the Times. The feat was, of course, holding two gigantic premieres for the same film.
"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.
Next
up was Syd Chaplin's "The Better 'Ole," opening November 17, 1926 with Vitaphone shorts and no prologue. Like "Don Juan," it was basically a silent feature with an added music and effects track. The shorts were more interesting from a technical standpoint.
An ad in the November 15 issue of the L.A. Illustrated Daily News for the shorts that would be appearing with "The Better 'Ole." Thanks to Don Tamblyn for sharing it with the
Vitaphone Project private Facebook group. Elsie Janis was onstage in August 1927 at the
Mayan Theatre as the star of "Oh, Kay!," the Gershwin musical that opened the theatre.
The cover of the four-page program used during the ten week run run of "The Better 'Ole." Thanks to Kurt Wahlner for spotting this when it popped up on eBay. Visit his site about the Chinese:
GraumansChinese.org
The inside of the program. Some patrons complained about the lack of a prologue. Actors who
were out of work perhaps complained the loudest. The prologues were
reinstated for Sid's final two presentations. L.A. didn't hear any more sound film until the opening of the
Tower Theatre in October 1927.
"Old
Ironsides," opened January 28, 1927. This ad appeared in the L.A. Times on April 30.
The cover for the "Old Ironsides" program. Thanks to Eric Lynxwiler for sharing this from his collection on
Flickr. And thanks to Michelle Gerdes for spotting Eric's post and including the progam in the
Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation Group Pool.
The film was known for (in some theatres)
its use of Magnascope, whereby at a climactic scene (such as a ship
coming toward you) the masking opened and the picture got larger and
larger. Then back to the regular format until the next "big" scene.
Evidently the process wasn't used at the Egyptian. There's no mention of Magnascope in these program pages that Eric shared on
Flickr.
"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.
Opening of the Chinese: Sid's focus had moved up the street to the
Chinese, which opened May 18, 1927. In July the Egyptian's management was taken over by West Coast Theatres, a firm soon to be called Fox West Coast. It
went dark July 20 and on July 22 reopened under the new management with continuous performances, second-run films, and no more Grauman prologues.
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 ads. They had a nice tagline: "Where The Stars See The
Pictures."
The theatre got its second installation of sound equipment in 1928. This item appeared in the December 13 issue of the L.A. Times.
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."
UATC gave the Egyptian quite a remodel before the "Battleground" premiere on December 1, 1949. Work included modern art in the enlarged lobby, a hard-top canopy the length of the forecourt, a new curvy boxoffice and the towering, wavy new facade out at the street.
The ad for "Battleground" that appeared in the Times on December 2, 1949. Thanks to Kurt Wahlner for locating it.
A closer look at the bottom of the ad: "Redecorated! Refitted! Refurnished! Reseated!"
The 1949 renovations are reflected in this in this detail from an updated version of page 1048 of volume 10 of the
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map
that's in the Library of Congress collection. On the LOC site it's
image 46. Note the theatre's
curvy new marquee, boxoffice, and hardtop canopy down the length of the forecourt. That square box on the roof above the middle of the auditorium is the booth.
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.
"Gone With the Wind" in Perspecta Sound in 1954. "Greater Than Ever On Wide Screen" -- yet advertised as the "Original Version." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this August 13 ad. Fairchild's Perspecta Sound was a process using 30, 35 and 40 Hz
control tones on the optical track so it could be directed to any of the three stage
speakers in whatever combination was desired. There's more about the process on our VistaVision page. Jack Theakson notes: "This
was also the release that MGM cut in several opticals into the original
negatives to reframe a handful of shots for 1.75-1. Fortunately for
the restorations later, the backup elements were untouched."
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.
A
Los Angeles Public Library photo of ladies getting the the neon on the Egyptian marquee ready for the roadshow presentation of "Oklahoma!" in TODD-AO.
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. On December 24 "Oklahoma!" opened at the
United Artists downtown while continuing at the Egyptian. It ended up with 51 week runs at both theatres.
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.
Wide film was nothing new. There was a flurry of activity in the late 20s and early 30s and it might have become the new standard except the depression doomed further experiments. The
Warner Hollywood ran several films in the 65mm Vitascope process and both the
Chinese and the
Carthay Circle had projectors installed to run the 70mm Fox Grandeur process.
TODD-AO was noteworthy because its film format became the 70mm industry standard and the projector designed for it won an Academy Award. The aspect ratio is 2.21 to 1. Some later 70mm processes such as Ultra Panavision used anamorphic lenses to get a wider aspect ratio. TODD-AO was shot on 65mm film stock with 70mm release prints to allow soundtrack room outside the sprocket holes. It used 5 perforations per frame and was originally envisioned to run at 30 fps for improved picture quality. Only the first two features were shot at 30 fps -- for "South Pacific" and later it was 24 fps. The screen was deeply curved, similar in size and curvature to a Cinerama installation. TODD-AO, however, used a single sheet rather than the narrow vertical strips favored by Cinerama.
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.
The system was originally to be called "Magna," which was the name of the company set up to develop the technology and produce the films. It ended up as TODD-AO because Todd, ever the showman, wanted his name on it. American Optical, who developed the optics, wanted recognition also.
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.
A look at one of the early TODD-AO projectors from "
The Story of the DP70 Projector" on the wonderful website
In70mm.com, which is all about TODD-AO and later 70mm processes. See the site's
DP70 Projector section for as much detail as you can absorb. And check out the separate
TODD-AO section.
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.
The convoluted financing of Magna and TODD-AO were detailed in "New Processes' Slow Payoff - TODD-AO Echoing Cinerama Saga" in the November 2, 1955 issue of Variety. TODD-AO was 37 1/2% owned by American Optical and 62 1/2% by Magna Theatre Corp. TODD-AO was licensing the process and, at the time, also the distributor of the projection equipment. Magna was owned by the United Artists Theatre Circuit and Rogers and Hammerstein. TODD-AO got a 5 cent royalty for each attendee in the U.S. The films were distributed by Magna at cost and it got 40% of the net profits, 60% going to the film's producer. The company's profit participation on "Oklahoma!" was eventually cut in half due to various later partnership deals and sales of warrants.
article part one |
article part two |
More 70mm at the Egyptian: Other 70mm reserved seat runs included:
"Ben Hur" - MGM, MGM Camera 65 - premiered November 24, 1959 and ran 98 weeks.
We were going to get a permanent museum in the forecourt dedicated to items from the film. See "
Theater to Have Museum," an article located by Lisa Kouza Braddock.
"King of Kings" - MGM, Super Technirama 70 - premiered October 12, 1961.
"Mutiny on the Bounty" - MGM, Ultra Panavision 70 - premiered November 15, 1962.
"The Cardinal" - Columbia, blowup from 35mm scope - opened December 20, 1963.
"South Pacific" - Magna Pictures reissue, TODD-AO - opened April 1, 1964 - not reserved seats.
"My Fair Lady" - Warner Bros., Super Panavision 70 - opened October 28, 1964 - ran 68 weeks.
"Hawaii" - United Artists - blowup from 35mm Panavision - opened October 12, 1966 - 52 week run.
-- 70mm not confirmed -- sound may have been a mono mix.
"Around The World in 80 Days" - Magna /UA reissue - opened March 15, 1968 - not reserved seats.
An ad for "My Fair Lady" in 1964. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for adding it as a comment to a post of a postcard view of the October 28 premiere on the
Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page.
Dimension 150 at the Egyptian: A 1968 remodeling increased the screen width to 70 feet for a D-150 system installation. The 1955 TODD-AO remodel had left much (but not all) of the sides of the proscenium and the stage in place. In the new round of renovations the remains of the proscenium as well as the stage were removed and the orchestra pit was covered. The new screen went almost to the theatre's back wall. A new projection booth was installed on the main floor. The remodel was accomplished in six weeks. The project was outlined in "
A $250,000 Renovation in Six Weeks for UA's
Egyptian Meets Film Deadline," a January 13, 1969 article in Boxoffice.
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.
Other 70mm bookings in later years included a sub-run engagement of "Patton" in January 1971, "Waterloo" in April 1971, a reissue of "The Sound of Music" in 1978, a reissue of "Oklahoma!" (with a new print) beginning April 29, 1983.
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 was 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 was 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
The schedule for the September 2003 World 3-D Film Expo, a Jeff Joseph/SabuCat production. Also see
the back of the schedule. Thanks to Bob Furmanek's
3-D Film Archive Facebook page for sharing this. There was also a
second post. He noted that this event attracted cinephiles from around the world with thirty-four features presented. Twenty of those came from the
3-D Film Archive. 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.
The Los Angeles Business Journal's July 19, 2019 article "
Will LA Stall Netflix Plan?"
raised a few questions about the Cinematheque's old agreements with the
City and the now-defunct Community Redevelopment Agency and whether or
not these would be obstacles to the sale of the building. On a similar
theme see Hollywood Reporter's August 9 story "
Will Netflix's Ownership of L.A.'s Egyptian Theatre Spark Backlash?"
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.'"
The AC issued a jigsaw-puzzle-like announcement in 6 parts on
Instagram in May 2020 that declined to even acknowledge that the building was sold. They referred to it as a "collaboration." In "
After the Nexflix Deal...,"
a November 16, 2020 Hollywood Reporter article by Scott Feinberg, he
dropped a few hints about the Netflix plans and discussed things with Cinematheque director
Ken Scherer and other AC
staffers. The sale price was noted as $14.4 million in a December 2020 post on the site
What Now Los Angeles. In addition to that amount, Netflix reportedly put $6.1 million into an excrow account for mndated seismic retrofitting and annother $2.5 million for other improvements.
The Netflix redesign: Head to our
Netflix renderings page for
10 drawings of the redesign that were
presented at several Cultural Heritage Committee meetings in 2021. Nearly all
of what the American Cinematheque installed in their 1997-1998
renovation was removed. The balcony is gone and the 78 seat
Spielberg Theatre has vanished.
Much of the exterior stucco and hollow
tile wall sections were removed for installation of a waterproofing
membrane and to facilitate part of the seismic retrofit. Among
other work on the multi-million dollar project: the lobby was redesigned, the seating area was widened out to the original
configuration, a basement mechanical room took the place of the Spielberg, and a new proscenium was constructed. As with the
Cinematheque's scheme, it is still a small auditorium: 516 seats instead of the 1,340 it had at the closing in 1992.
Ross Brennan was the principal architect on the project. Peyton Hall of Historic Resources Group was the project's historic consultant. Others
on the team were Melineh Zomorrodian from the firm Structural Focus as the lead structural engineer,
Syska Hennessey Group was the MEP consulting engineer, Sightline Design Group was the
lighting designer, Venekklasen Associates was a noise and vibration
consultant, Silverlake Conservation was the architectural conservator,
Visioneering Design Co. and David Carroll Associates were "system
integrators." Whiting/Turner was the general contractor. Tony Hambarchian was the supervising architect for Netflix.
The theatre celebrated its 100th Birthday on October 18, 2022 while construction was still underway.
Reopening: The theatre's public opening was November 9, 2023
with screenings of David Fincher's "The Killer" and a short by Angus Wall titled "Temple of Film: 100 Years of the Egyptian Theatre." Earlier there were various press events, test screenings for invited audiences, and an invitational American Cinematheque "grand opening" screening of "Singin' in the Rain" on November 7. The reopening was followed by a twelve day 70mm festival from the Cinematheque.
Status: Netflix normally programs the house Mondays through Thursdays, the
American Cinematheque books it on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. There are sometimes tradeoffs of days during awards season, for film festival bookings, etc.
Jonathan Clough is the theatre's General Manager. |
Cinematheque tickets |
Netflix event tickets |
Not that it effected anything at the Egyptian, but in 2024 Metropolitan Theatres, who operates the theatre for Netflix,
filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The news was covered in "
Iconic movie theater chain files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy," a March 1 article in TheStreet. Thanks to TJ Edwards for spotting the story.
The Egyptian Theatre in the Movies:
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 murky view of the top of the "Grauman's" vertical near the lower right in this shot from c.1929 footage used in "It
Happened in Hollywood" (Columbia, 1937). We're told that there's going
to be a location shoot for a gangster picture at Hollywood and Vine. Fay
Wray and Richard Dix star. She's a
glamorous actress, he's a western star down on his luck since talkies
came
in. Harry Lachman
directed.
By 1932 the "Grauman's" sign would be replaced with a new one saying "Egyptian" on the other side of the entrance. The
Warner is in the upper left, not yet with the radio towers. That "Oriental Cafe" vertical in the lower right is on Christie Hotel building, now part of the Scientology empire. See the
Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for an earlier shot looking toward the El Capitan during a premiere at the Chinese.
We get a shot of a Bedouin patrolling the roof in "Hollywood Cavalcade" (20th Century Fox, 1939). Alice Faye plays film star Molly Adair and we're at the Egyptian for the premiere of her first talkie. Also starred are Don Ameche, Buster Keaton and Al Jolson. See the
Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for several more shots plus a fine lobby card showing the theatre's entrance.
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.
We get the vertical signs of the Egyptian and Hollywood theatres behind the opening credits for "Nocturne" (RKO, 1946). Later we pay a visit to the Pantages as George Raft checks out an alibi for murder suspect Lynn Bari. Edwin L. Marin directed. See the
Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for some shots.
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.
The theatre is seen 2:38 into Dennis Ray Steckler's "Wild Guitar" (Fairway International, 1962). We also get views of the Chinese and the Pantages. The full film is available on
YouTube. Arch Hall, Jr. and Nancy Czar star.
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 get a nice view west toward the Pussycat and Egyptian theatres near the beginning of "Cheech and Chong's Next Movie"
(Universal, 1980). The film was directed by Tommy Chong.
Thanks to Jonathan Raines for spotting the theatres. See the
Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for shots of the Ivar and El Capitan theatres in the film.
We a murky drive-by shot in Robert
Hammer's "Don't Answer the Phone!"
(Crown Int'l, 1980). Here the crowd is lined up for a screening of "Alien." 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 shots of the Chinese, Paramount, Cave, Vine, Pantages and Pussycat Sunset theatres.
John Candy drives toward the Egyptian in Mark Lester's "Armed and Dangerous" (Columbia, 1986).
He's working as a security guard after a frame-up by corrupt cops got him kicked off the police force. The film also stars Eugene Levy and Meg Ryan. The cinematography was by Fred
Schuler. Thanks to Sean Ault for spotting the theatre in the film. See the
Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for shots of the Paramount, the Cave Theatre, the Westlake and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
We get a quick look at the boxoffice in Garry Marshall's "Pretty
Woman" (Touchstone, 1990). "Field of Dreams" was running in the big house. The film stars Richard Gere,
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 shots of the Chinese, Vogue and Pantages theatres from the film.
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.
Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan buy a ticket for a show at the Egyptian in Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris's "Ruby Sparks" (Fox Searchlight, 2012). Personal problems intervene and we don't get to come back for the film. We also visit the Billy Wilder Theatre. See the
Historic L.A. Theatres In Movies post for a couple shots there.
A view west from the initial trailer for
Paul Schrader's "The Canyons" (IFC Films, 2013). The
film, written by Bret Easton Ellis, is a thriller about some sad people
on the fringes of the film business that stars Lindsay Lohan, James Deen, Nolan Funk and Amanda Brooks.
The cinematography was by John Paul DeFazio. Thanks to former Egyptian head projectionist Paul Rayton for spotting the theatre and getting the screenshot. The film begins and ends with views of various abandoned movie theatres. See the Historic L.A. Theatres In Movies post for shots of the X Theatre, Regent and Fox Inglewood.
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.
We get a quick shot of the Egyptian in Fred Durst's "The
Fanatic" (Quiver Distribution, 2019). John Travolta plays a fan with behavioral issues who gets
carried away when his favorite star won't give him an autograph. Also starring are Ana Golja as a friend who tries to help and Devon Sawa as the
star who gets into big trouble by not being a good celebrity. See the
Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for several shots of the Chinese, the El Capitan and the Dolby.
Australian director Rob Murphy paid a visit to the Egyptian in "
Splice Here: A Projected Odyssey"
(Picture Start, 2022). His film tracks the decline of projection on
film and interviews projectionists, archivists and historians who are
helping keep the tradition alive. Local interviewees included
Quentin Tarantino, Leonard Maltin,
Douglas Trumbull, Cinerama restorer Dave Strohmaier, former Cinematheque
programmer Dennis Bartok and projectionists Paul Rayton, Mike
Schleiger and Ben Tucker. The cinematography was by Joanne
Donahoe-Beckwith. The film also visits the Chinese, the Warner Hollywood and the Cinerama Dome.
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.
More information: See
Charles Beardsley's "Hollywood's Master Showman - The Legendary Sid
Grauman" (Cornwall Books, 1983) for a nice rundown of the productions at
the Egyptian during Grauman's tenure. Our dates on the early shows are
from his research.
See the page on
Cinema Treasures
for a nice history of the Egyptian by Howard B. Haas and Ken Roe plus
miles and miles of additional comments. And now lots of photos as
well. Go to the
Cinema Tour page for more photos of the theatre.
A 42" wide light fixture allegedly from the Egyptian was offered for sale on
eBay in 2021 by Eric's Architectural Salvage, 1540 W. 6th St. in Los Angeles. Thanks to David Wentink for spotting the post. It turned out to not be from this theatre but most likely from one of the Egyptian themed interiors in the Lou Bard circuit.
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 |
structural + 2021 renderings |
Egyptian 2 & 3 / Arena Stage |
along Las Palmas Ave. | along McCadden Place |
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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.
Delete