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Bogart
& Bacall, Bette Davis, Jimmy Stewart, Jack Nicholson, Dean Martin,
Jack Benny, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Sidney Poitier, George Burns,
Joanne Woodward & Paul Newman, Shirley MacLaine & Jack Lemmon,
Shirley Temple, Doris Day, Marilyn Monroe & Jane Russell, John
Travolta, and Mickey Rooney). Also notice that two of the lobby walls
have actual size photographs of many of those signed concrete slabs
from the forecourt of this great movie palace of yesteryear. The large
gazebo and door arch is 150 year old hand-carved teak shipped in from
Rajistan with over 2000 man hours of work invested in the on-site
restorations. There are only two such gazebos in the United States,
the other being in the Animal Kingdom at Disney World. Make sure and
notice the intricate detail in its ceiling. The entry arch itself
was originally the frame of the matching garden swing, the chains
of which are now used on the entry doors. The seat of the swing has
been converted to a bench and is now found under the gazebo's back
wall. The brass Fortune Bells hanging from the gazebo are also a direct
Chinese import.
The
terra cotta statutes of war horses and soldiers are reproductions
from the Qin Dynasty architectural digs in Xian Province and were
brought to this project direct from Beijing along with the twin 5
foot tall gold Ho Tai Buddha's, the reclining Buddha on the back bar,
the White Buddha in the hall, and the dragon wrapped jars on the blvd.
The large red lacquered Temple “Fu Dogs” were imported from
Fujian Province and guard the 200 year old temple doors which are
from rural China. You'll notice other Temple Dogs throughout the facility.
These legendary creatures have the head of a lion and eat wicked people,
so don't complain about your service. The male's right foot always
rests on the world, protecting possessions and success while the female's
left foot rests an infant dog; protecting home and family. The
lanterns and 100 year old Chinese silk wall hangings are all from
antique stores in Los Angeles' Chinatown. The rice paper painting
of the five seated Chinese gentlemen is also from mainland China and
is about 200 years old. The triple arch is actually an antique window
frame from India which was in a seriously dilapidated condition and
was painstakingly restored here with support columns carved by Navaho
Indians and matched to the woodwork. The classic movie posters adorning
the walls are primarily originals ranging from “Cinderella”
to “SuperVixens”, and “Woodstock” to “The
Ghost in the Invisible Bikini”. The oldest is from the 1917 silent
“Good Night Paul” starring Constance Talmadge, made by Lewis
Selznick (father of “Gone with the Wind” producer David
O. Selznick).
The
200 foot long boulevard is paved with tennis court paint, dyed black
for the feel of asphalt. The parking meters are actually from along
Hollywood Blvd., removed during a recent renovation of that famous
street for the “Hollywood & Highland” development which
is now the permanent home for the Academy Awards. Notice the newly
restored antique grillwork with the hand carved bird-of-paradise above
the White Buddha in the hall. There are over 600 black & white
photographs lining both sides of the boulevard from the silent film
era through to the golden age of Hollywood. (The picture of partially
clad Cindy Crawford is a modern exception and just there because the
owner liked the picture.) Also notice the washrooms are a tribute
to film making great Alfred Hitchcock. We don't have a Men's and Women's
room, it's “Norman's” and “Mother's”. Make sure to check out the maps of the stars' homes mounted on the washroom
walls, the Winona Ryder shopping spree is a favorite designation.
These maps are also for sale in our lobby.
Our
“Pulp” kitchen is on the Boulevard and churns out a thousand meals
an hour. When we say we're cook'n, we really mean it. By the way,
please be patient for your food order. We often seat many, many people
at the same time so there are a lot of orders to enter into the computers,
then have cooked and delivered to your table. Sometimes it takes a
little while, but then you're trapped in the
movie for several hours so it's not like your going anywhere! It's
better than buffet food or banquet style where everyone has to eat
the same thing, but volume custom cooking does take a little longer
and we feel that good food is worth the extra time.
There
are nine auditoriums and each has its own separate color scheme and
special décor centered on the California movie experience. The largest
is our “red” auditorium which also features some great stuff
ranging from 26 foot tall palm trees to full size Chinese New Years
parade dragons. The 24 foot long frame of the “Nine Manchurian
Dragons” on the back wall was carved in Taiwan and hand painted
here. The 6 foot tall gold & bronze Temple Dogs under the screen
were also imported from Beijing. The large medallions hanging
in front of the curtains were restored here, but were found dirty
and dilapidated in a rear storeroom of a Chinese antique store and
are thought to be about 200 years old.
There
are several intimate executive style auditoriums seating up to 100 people which are perfect for
private functions and each has its own mini-lobby lounge. The
first street side lounge contains a portrait gallery of large color
photos of Marilyn Monroe taken by her favorite photographer, Milton Greene. Passing through this lobby, the adjacent
auditorium follows a black and crimson color scheme with a star studded
Academy Awards decorative theme replete with 8 giant Oscar Statues.
Another streetside lobby has our own theaterical crypt. Yes, you heard it right.
The room is another one of our traditional photo-mosaic walls, but
with life size (or death size?) grave markers of our favorite show
biz celebrities. Humphrey Bogart, Sammy Davis, John Wayne, Hope &
Cosby, Elmo Lincoln, Marilyn Monroe, Sharon Tate, John Candy, John
Belushi, Bela Lugosi, Laurel & Hardy, The Three Stooges, The Marx
Bros, the cast of the Wizard of Oz, Walt Disney, Jack Warner, Louis
B. Mayer, W.C. Fields, Clark Gable, Buster Keaton, Jimmy Stewart,
Valentino, Jean Harlow, Earl Flynn, Natalie Wood, Rita Hayworth, Jayne
Mansfield, James Cagney, Jimmy Dean and many more. Some of the
epitaphs are terrific; Benjamin Siegel's is "from the
family" (but which one?), Frank Sinatra has "The Best is
Yet to Come", Dean Martin with "Everybody Loves Somebody
Sometime", George Reeves "My Beloved Son, Superman",
Burns & Allen "Together Again", and Looney Tunes voice artist Mel Blanc's is
inscribed with "That's All Folks" (because it was). Check out our cemetary page on for all the photos of the grave markers and descritions of the details. Matching our Boulevard's
thematic elements the car bar in the hallway is a 1957 Chevy turning
out into traffic, (pedestrians beware!).
Another auditorium pays tribute to Sid's first movie palace on Hollywood
Blvd, Grauman's Egyptian Theater. Over three tons of decor
were shipped from overseas to adorn these now sacred walls.
Sarcophagus, papyrus, cartouches, scarabs, Tut & Nefertiti, Ramesses
& Imhotep, Horus, & Anubus - the ancient gang is all here!
Another auditorium, our "Rainbow Room", pays tribute to L. Frank Baum's classic story, "The Wizard of Oz". Enter under the Rainbow and through Dorothy's House, take a left at our haunted forest (watch out for the witch) and you are in an emerald green Auditorium!!! Keep an eye in the sky for falling houses!
Our "Coconut Grove", named after the famous old Hollywood night club, is entered by elevator (for whimps) or a trip up the stairs of our medievil Moroccan tower. Straight from the Casbah and out of the desert you'll find yourself sitting under a starry desert night sky (actually thousands of fiber optic twinkle lights) in a Casablancan plaza. Built with meticulous attention to detail, you will be surrounded by a dozen Arab buildings, each facade being different and fitted out with nine types of decorative Moroccan ceramic tiles, three colors of barrel roof tiles, over 100 authentic pieces of Arab woodwork and light fixtures including doors, windows, shutters, columns, arches, balconies and railings, Islamic carpets, drapes, tapestries and even Beduin tent sides and zebra hides. The authentic decorative Moroccan light fixtures range from small hand made lanterns to large chandeliers made with stain and cut glass, beads, fringe, copper, tin and brass. Of special note are the pair of ornate wood columns by the elevator with intracately hand carved feathers spiraling up from base to crown. Nearby is a large metal urn with very delicate cut copper Arab caligraphy inlaid into the hand-forged brass. On the South wall are a pair of very intricate windows hand-chiseled from Berber red sandstone quarried from the famous Rift Valley. The entry plaza is seperated from the seating area by a series of five arches spanning over 40 feet and carved from native timber over 100 years ago. (Note the flock of vultures perched on one end, they are obviously hungry and scavangers by nature so keep a close eye on your popcorn.) There is also a 150 year old door deeply carved with Arabic caligraphy and highlighted in blue. Humphrey Bogart is in the corner keeping watch over your movie experience. He came to this auditorium for the waters.
Don't miss our museum space in the back. Both permanant and revolving displays include items from "Gone with the Wind", "Desperate Housewives", "The Wizard of Oz", "It's a Wonderful Life", "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", "Kill Bill", "Resevoir Dogs" and much, much more!
Hollywood continues to bring in audiences based on providing great
experiences and attention to detail in everything we do. Come
visit and you will agree that we are the only movie theater you'll
ever need!
The
Ancient Doors
Listen
carefully for the Usher to announce seating for your film and then
enter through these 200 year-old dungeon doors imported from China.
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The Hollywood Lobby!
We've imported tons of antique
Oriental woodwork and used dozens of classic movie posters for that
full Hollywood effect!
Hand-Carved Oriental Woodwork
Custom made and imported from from Taiwan.
The Lobby Bar!
You can purchase
a drink here prior to entering the Auditoriums or just wait until
you get inside!
On top of the Bar...
Enjoy Photos of Movie Stars
playing in Cement! Behind the bar, lots of bartenders playing with tasty beverages!
The Entrance to the Auditoriums
Don't forget to have your
tickets ready!
Hand carved, 150 year old oriental teak restored on premise with almost 2000 hours of work. Take a picture with the Blues Brothers! Jake & Elwood are back in town!
After
Touring the Boulevard
Sit
next to Fu Manchu and check out the intricate hand carved patterns
in the antique promenade above.
Terracotta Soldiers and Horses
Imported from Xian Provence in China, these soldiers and horses now
guard the theater exit are exact reproductions of the originals made
from the same clay and ancient processes.
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to tour
