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Grauman's Egyptian Theatre
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, at 6712 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California is a world famous movie theater that opened in 1922.
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The Egyptian was built by showman Sid Grauman, who subsequently built the nearby Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard and the Million Dollar Theater on Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles. The theatre cost $800,000 to build and took 18 months to construct. Architects Meyer & Holler designed the Egyptian Theatre, and it was built by The Milwaukee Building Company.
The Egyptian Theatre was the site of the first-ever Hollywood premiere. The film was Robin Hood starring Douglas Fairbanks. The grand opening premiere was on Wednesday, October 18, 1922. The film reportedly cost over $1 million. Tickets were $5.00 for the premiere of Robin Hood. One could reserve a seat up to two weeks in advance for the daily performances. Evening admission was $.75, $1.00 or $1.50. The film was not shown in any other Los Angeles theater that year.
In 1927, Grauman opened a second movie theater further west on Hollywood Boulevard. In keeping with the public's then fascination with international themes, he named his second theater the Chinese Theatre. It eventually surpassed the Egyptian in fame.
The layout and design of the Egyptian was emulated by other movie palaces in the US - with some even naming themselves after the Egyptian. Peery's Egyptian Theatre in Ogden, Utah, which opened in 1924, being a prime example [1]. The name Egyptian Theatre has become a popular name for other movie theaters to use [2].
The exterior of the theater is in the Egyptian Revival style. However, the attentive visitor will notice roof pans above the main entrance, items which are not quite ancient Egyptian. Originally, plans showed a Hispanic styled theatre, but these plans where changed to Egyptian style after the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb by archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922. Since at that time the pans had already been delivered and paid for, they were kept.
The exterior and interior walls contain Egyptian-style paintings and hieroglyphics. The four massive columns that mark the theatre's main entrance are 4 1/2 feet (1.3 m) wide and rise 20 feet (6 m).
Capitalizing on Southern California's sunny weather is the large courtyard (45 feet wide {13.7 m} and 150 feet {45.7 m} long) in the front, complete with a fountain and queen palm trees. This is actually the "entrance hall" (the theatre doors used to open directly into the auditorium) and was specifically designed to host the famous red carpet ceremony.
Guided tours are offered by American Cinematheque's staff on weekends.
The American Cinematheque purchased the theatre from the City of Los Angeles in 1996 for a nominal one dollar with the provision that this historical landmark would be restored to its original grandeur and re-opened as a movie theatre showcasing the organization's celebrated, public programming.
The Egyptian Theatre was re-opened to the public on December 4, 1998 after a $12.8 million renovation. The original theatre capacity topped 2,000, but has been reduced to 616 to make way for another smaller screening theatre. The 616-seat theatre is named after Los Angeles philanthropist Lloyd E. Rigler. The smaller, 77-seat theatre is named for Hollywood producer / director Steven Spielberg.