The Chinese Theater in Hollywood is the most famous movie theater in the world.  Over 4 million visitors make the trek to Grauman's each year, most of them drawn by its legendary forecourt with its footprint and handprints of the stars.

This unique theater was conceived by showman Sid Grauman in 1926, who chose as his architect, Raymond Kennedy.  Grauman had a flair for the dramatic and his concept was of a Chinese Temple.  The forecourt was designed to provide an exotic setting.  Surrounded by 40-foot high curved walls with bronze ornamentations, it invited visitors into another world.  Originally there were plants on the roof with hanging baskets filled with vines which created a unique hanging garden.

The 2000 seat auditorium rises 90 feet high and two gigantic coral red columns topped by wrought iron masks hold aloft the bronze roof.  Between the columns is a 30-foot high dragon carved from stone.  Guarding the theater entrance to this day are the two original giant Heaven Dogs brought from China.  Authorization had to be obtained from the U.S. Government to import these stone figures from China.

The Chinese Theater opened in 1927 with the debut of the original silent version of "King of Kings", produced by Cecil B. DeMille.  This was the most spectacular opening in motion picture history.  Thousands lined Hollywood Boulevard and a riot broke out as fans tried to catch a glimpse of the celebrities as they arrived.  Since then, the theater has been the site of more Hollywood movie premieres than any other theater.  It remains the most sought after theater in Hollywood for studio premieres.

The tradition of the footprints began in 1927, when silent movie actress Norma Talmadge blundered into a patch of wet cement as Grauman was showing her around the construction site.  Always one to sense a good thing when he saw it, a light bulb went off in Grauman's head.  Since then almost 200 movie stars have had their footprints and handprints enshrined in the cement outside the theatre. What began as a clumsy accident has resulted in the elevation of the theatre to one of Los Angeles' foremost tourist attractions.  (The origin of the footprints is disputed.  There are those who claim that one of the contractors started the idea, when he left his handprint in wet cement as his "signature" that he worked on the building.

Grauman never owned the theater outright, but held a one-third interest with his partners Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks.  Today the theater is part of the Mann Theater Chain, and in 1973 the name was changed to Mann's Chinese Theater.  Nobody ever called it by that name.  And in 2001, the original name was restored.  The same year the theater underwent a major renovation which was timed to coincide with the opening of the Hollywood-Highland Mall and the Kodak Theater - the new home of the Academy Awards. 

Back in the 1940's the Chinese Theater hosted the annual Academy Award ceremonies.  And in 1968 it was declared a Historic-Cultural landmark.