This article is about a style of US movie theaters. For the original 1922 Hollywood movie palace that inspired the style, see Grauman's Egyptian Theatre.
The first Egyptian Theatre to be constructed in the US – which inspired many of the identically-named theatres that followed it – was Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, California. For several years, Hollywood developer Charles E. Toberman attempted to convince Sid Grauman to locate in Hollywood. During a meeting, Sid told Mr. Toberman of his desire to build a theatre of Egyptian design. Mr. Toberman then secured a piece of property on Hollywood Boulevard, just east of McCadden Place. The architectural firm of Meyer & Holler were hired to design the theatre. The result was Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, with a seating of 1770. The approach to the theatre was through a courtyard in an ornate style evoking ancient Egypt, while inside, the stage was flanked by carved columns and models of the Sphinx.
The theatre was opened on October 19, 1922, with the grand premiere of "Robin Hood" starring Douglas Fairbanks. In a 1983 article in Hollywood Studio Magazine, Mike Hughes wrote of the Egyptian: "A survivor of the decay that unfortunately characterizes the Hollywood Boulevard of today, the Egyptian is a reminder of the glamour that once made the Boulevard famous. Perhaps through the dedicated efforts of such citizens as Bruce Torrence, author of Hollywood: The First 100 Years and grandson of Mr. Charles Toberman, who built the Egyptian, the Hollywood Boulevard of yesteryear will reappear some great day in the future. When that happens, the Egyptian Theatre, jewel that it is, will be there to herald in the new age of film town."" United Artists was the last owner of the Egyptian Theatre before it closed in 1992. The American Cinematheque purchased the theatre from the city for $1 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."[1]
Many of the other theatres that copied Grauman's Egyptian Theatre were part of the wave of Egyptian Revival architecture that occurred after the November 1922 discovery of King Tut's tomb by Howard Carter.
Unlike the many theatres that followed in its wake, Grauman's Egyptian Theatre was designed, built, named and opened before the 1922 discovery of King Tut's tomb. The news of the tomb's discovery reached the US a few weeks after the theatre opened.
Early in the 20th century, it is estimated that up to 100 of these theatre types were constructed across the US. Many of them no longer exist, but there are many fine examples of this style still in use today. Conrad Schmitt Studios has played a big part in the restoration of these atmospheric theatres, including Egyptian Theatres in Park City, Utah; Ogden, Utah; Boise, Idaho;[4]Delta, Colorado;[5] and DeKalb, Illinois.
Tutankhamun, Tutankhamon or Tutankhamen, also known as Tutankhaten, was the antepenultimate pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt. His death marked the cessation of the dynasty's royal line.
Grauman's Egyptian Theatre is a historic movie theater located on Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. Opened in 1922, it is an early example of a lavish movie palace and is noted as having been the site of the first-ever Hollywood film premiere. From 1998 until 2020, it was owned and operated by the American Cinematheque, a member-based cultural organization.
Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It runs through the Hollywood, East Hollywood, Little Armenia, Thai Town, and Los Feliz districts. Its western terminus is at Sunset Plaza Drive in the Hollywood Hills and its eastern terminus is at Sunset Boulevard in Los Feliz. Hollywood Boulevard is famous for running through the tourist areas in central Hollywood, including attractions such as the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Ovation Hollywood shopping and entertainment complex.
TCL's Chinese Theatre is a movie palace on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.
A movie palace is any of the large, elaborately decorated movie theaters built between the 1910s and the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opening every year between 1925 and 1930. With the advent of television, movie attendance dropped, while the rising popularity of large multiplex chains in the 1980s and 1990s signaled the obsolescence of single-screen theaters. Many movie palaces were razed or converted into multiple-screen venues or performing arts centers, though some have undergone restoration and reopened to the public as historic buildings.
El Capitan Theatre is a fully restored movie palace at 6838 Hollywood Boulevard in the Hollywood neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, United States. The theater and adjacent Hollywood Masonic Temple is owned by The Walt Disney Company and serves as the venue for a majority of the Walt Disney Studios' film premieres.
The Alex Theatre is a landmark located at 216 North Brand Boulevard in Glendale, California, United States. It is currently owned by the city of Glendale and operated by SAS. The theater's capacity is 1,400.
Peery's Egyptian Theater is a movie palace located in Ogden, Utah, United States. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
The Egyptian Theatre is located at 328 Main Street in Park City, Utah in the United States. It has also been referred to as the Mary J. Steiner Egyptian Theatre or Egyptian Theatre in Park City.
The Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb, Illinois, United States, is an Egyptian Revival theatre that is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The theatre was built in 1928 and 1929 as part of a much larger wave of national fascination with Ancient Egypt throughout the United States, due, in large part, to the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922. The theatre was added to the National Register in 1978 and its 1,430-seat auditorium is currently DeKalb County's largest.
Moore Theatre is an 1,800-seat performing arts venue in Seattle, Washington, United States, located two blocks away from Pike Place Market at the corner of 2nd Avenue and Virginia Street. It opened in 1907 and is Seattle's oldest active theater, hosting a variety of theatrical productions, concerts and lectures. The Moore is currently operated by the Seattle Theatre Group, which also runs the 2,803-seat Paramount Theatre and the Neptune Theatre.
The Egyptian Theatre is a historic movie theatre in Coos Bay, Oregon, United States.
The 3-D Film Preservation Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, dedicated to the preservation of stereoscopic motion pictures. It was formed in 2006 by Jeff Joseph of Sabucat Productions, Robert Furmanek (brother of Ron, and Daniel Symmes of Dimension-3.
Hollywood Masonic Temple, now known as the El Capitan Entertainment Centre and also formerly known as Masonic Convention Hall, is a building on Hollywood Boulevard in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, U.S., that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. The building, built in 1921, was designed by architect John C. Austin, also noted as the lead architect of the Griffith Observatory. The Masons operated the temple until 1982, when they sold the building after several years of declining membership. The 34,000-square-foot building was then converted into a theater and nightclub, and ownership subsequently changed several times, until it was bought by the Walt Disney Company's Buena Vista Pictures Distribution in 1998 for Buena Vista Theatres, Inc.
The C. E. Toberman Estate, also known as Villa Las Colinas, is a gated Mission Revival mansion and estate on Camino Palmero in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, and as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1984.
Meyer & Holler was an architecture firm based in Los Angeles, California, noted for its opulent commercial buildings and movie theatres, including Grauman's Chinese and Egyptian theatres, built during the 1920s. Meyer & Holler was also known as The Milwaukee Building Company.
John Hamrick (1875–1956) was an American entrepreneur in the theater business. He leased and owned a large number of vaudeville and movie theaters in the Northwest from at least the early 1920s until the late 1940s. Hamrick lived in Seattle, Washington and eventually assembled a string of theaters that included the Rex Theatre, which he was in charge of as early as 1913. the Oriental Theatre in Portland, Oregon, the Beverly, several Blue Mouse Theatres, the Music Box Theatre, the Riviera Theatre, and the Roxy Theatre. Hamrick also owned several theaters in Seattle and is generally credited as being the first Seattle theater owner to show "talking pictures."
Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. was an American actor and filmmaker. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films, including The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro, but spent the early part of his career making comedies.
Egyptian Theatre may refer to:
Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District consists of twelve blocks between the 6200 and 7000 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. This strip of commercial and retail businesses is recognized for its historical significance and was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
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