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GYPSYBAZAAR
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The Egyptian, built by Sid Grauman in 1922 on the site of an old lemon ranch, was the first of the great movie palaces on Hollywood Boulevard and the birthplace of the movie premiere itself. In October of that year, the theater opened with Douglas Fairbanks in Robin Hood. FIRST NIGHT AUDIENCE RIVALS PARIS IN STYLES, blared a chest-thumping local headline trumpeting the parade of such couture-crazy notables and glittering movie royalty as Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, John Barrymore and the Talmadge sisters, all of whom attended the opening, many after small, exclusive dinner parties.
Originally Spanish in theme, the structure's design was "Egyptianized" in the planning stage to reflect a sudden '20s craze for all things pharaonic. Props from the current attraction lined the spectacular 150-foot-long forecourt, while along the roof, an actor paraded in full Bedouin mufti announcing movie times. Such mythological figures as the dog-headed man were etched into the faux sandstone walls. The mock-serious silliness of the decor delighted patrons and made a trip to the Egyptian an event in itself. Inside the 1,200-seat theater, the tones of a mighty Wurlitzer organ rumbled from a giant sunburst incised into the ceiling. Ranks of chubby columns decorated with hieroglyphs supported an imposing scrolled proscenium, which framed the very deep stage, where Grauman trotted out as many as 100 performers for prologue extravaganzas themed to the film playing. But after Grauman moved on to the Chinese in 1927, time and various commercial expedients demanded unfortunate architectural face-lifts that disfigured the Egyptian almost beyond recognition. In the '40s, a canopy was flung down the middle of the forecourt and a huge scrolled marquee was thrown up at the entrance, walling off the forecourt from the sidewalk. In the '50s, when Mike Todd owned the theater, the proscenium and the stage were jettisoned in favor of wide-screen Todd-AO projection. Owner succeeded owner until, finally, mercifully, in 1992, the theater closed. The theater was almost totaled in the 1994 earthquake, but has since been fully remodeled and is open to the public. It is located near the Chinese Theater on Hollywood Blvd.
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