Address: 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90028
Phone: (323) 464-8111 for show times
Metro: Red Line to Hollywood and Highland
Parking: at Hollywood and Highland shopping and entertainment complex, $2 for 4 hours with validation or metered street parking on side streets. Beware of designated tour bus parking.
Tours: VIP Tours are offered daily. Call 323-463-9576 for prices and tour times.
Website: www.manntheatres.com/chinese/index.php
No trip to Hollywood is complete without a visit to Grauman's Chinese Theatre (AKA Mann's Chinese Theatre) to step into the footprints of the stars.
The tradition started when the palatial Asian-inspired cinema was under construction. Owner Sid Grauman accidentally stepped into a freshly paved sidewalk. This inspired him to invite film stars Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and Norma Talmadge to provide the first celebrity footprints on opening day in 1927 initiating the now famous Forecourt of the Stars. Since then over 200 celebrities have had their footprints, hand prints and hoof prints immortalized in front of this Hollywood landmark. Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe and Sydney Poitier are perennial favorites. Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington and Adam Sandler are relative new kids on the block.
The Chinese is considered by many to be the most spectacular cinema ever built. At the time, Grauman needed special government permission to import the pagodas, stone Heaven Dogs and temple bells from China. The building, which received historic-cultural landmark status in 1968, got a facelift when the Hollywood & Highland shopping and entertainment complex was built next door.
Grauman's or Mann's
The cinema has been operated for many years by Mann Theatres. Angelenos resisted the name change to Mann's Chinese Theatre and continued to refer to it as Grauman's, so in 2001, they officially reinstated the name Grauman's, which once again adorns the historic landmark.Grauman's Chinese Theatre is a popular location for Hollywood Movie Premieres. You can check the Premiere Scheduleon their web site. You can't buy tickets to premieres, but you can line up with other fans to get a glimpse of the stars on the red carpet or you can watch from the comfort of your home via the Forecourt web cam.
In 2009, Madame Tussauds wax museum opened adjacent to Grauman's Chinese Theatre. The Hollywood Walk of Fame runs in front of the complex.
