No Hollywood vacation tour is complete without visiting the Grauman's Chinese Theater. It is located at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. This movie theater was commissioned in the year 1927 by a partnership headed by Sid Grauman. The theater looks like a giant Chinese pagoda, a huge dragon in the front and two stone lion-dogs guarding the entrance. Over two million visitors visit the Grauman's Chinese Theater every year.
The most attraction here is the Grauman's Forecourt where Hollywood stars have been immortalizing themselves by implanting their hands and feet in cement. Every major Hollywood star has had their hands & footprints embedded in the Grauman's Forecourt. It is open free to all visitors and can be visited at any time but the facade is pretty at night. At present the forecourt adds prints only once or twice a year due limited space.
Grauman's Chinese Theater was opened on May 18th 1927 with the premiere of Cecil B. DeMille's The King of Kings. The theater is a popular spot for movie premieres and therefore every visitor can see the forecourt filled with cameramen, technicians, lights and carpets. It is therefore better to arrive there at early morning to avoid disruption by the movie peoples.
The theater has hosted the annual Academy Award ceremonies also. It has appeared in some movies like "Singing in the Rain," and "Speed." In A recent film, the "Mighty Joe Young," a giant gorilla climbs up the side of the theater and perches atop its roof. In another TV show, "I Love Lucy," there is a scene when Lucy stealing the cement block of John Wayne's footprints at the forecourt. Long back the theater was renamed "Mann's Chinese Theater" after it was purchased by Ted Mann but later it regained its original name.
Even after seven decades the interior of the theater is in still in good condition. The theater's interior is a dazzling blur of exotic Asian motifs. The lobby has elaborated wall murals and a colossal Chinese chandelier. The vast auditorium has 2,200 red seats with red carpeting kept in a good condition. The balcony has been divided into four private opera boxes for visiting celebrities. Anybody can see the interior of the theater and watch the well maintained furniture and costumes for the price of a movie ticket.
The theater offers 70mm projection and THX sound system. The Grauman's Chinese Theater is located at the northeast corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Orange Drive. Guided walking tour is available at the theater for a small charge. The tour takes guests inside the theater and the guide tells about the history of the theater, about the footprints and handprints in the forecourt and about the world premieres that have been held there. The Grauman's Chinese Theater is a must see in any Hollywood vacation package.
