The doors to undoubtedly the most famous movie theater in the world opened on May 18, 1927. Grauman’s Chinese Theater screened the Cecil B. DeMille film “The King of Kings.” Since that time the 2,000-seat-capacity theater has screened literally thousands of films.
Image by The City Project via Flickr
The theater is equally famous for the collection of autographs, handprints and footprints left in the cement in the theater’s courtyard, referred to as the “Forecourt of the Stars.” There you’ll find footprints of such well known stars as Douglas Fairbanks (also a founding partner of the theater) and the fingerprints of Jennifer Aniston. You’ll also find the gun prints of Roy Rogers along Trigger’s hoof print. And while most stars have generally left a footprint or handprint you will also find the cigar prints of Groucho Marx and George Burns. In the case of other stars known for certain “impressions” they left on the industry you will also find Betty Grable’s legs, John Wayne’s fist and the noses of both Bob Hope and Jimmy Durrante. And not be left to Muggles alone, the wand prints of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson have also magically appeared in the cement of this famous courtyard.
Grauman’s Chinese Theater also hosted the Academy Awards – from 1944 to 1946. It was made a historical and cultural landmark in 1968. For a brief period of time the theater was owned by Ted Mann of “Mann Theatres” notoriety and was renamed the “Mann Chinese Theater”; but by 2001ownership shifted to Paramount and Warner Brothers, who though they acquired the Mann brand name as well turned the name of theater back to Grauman’s Chinese Theater.




