Sid Grauman opened his Egyptian Theater on Hollywood Boulevard in 1922 and we’re lucky that it’s still around and actively hosts a wide-ranging program of films. These days, the forecourt has only palm trees in it, but back when it opened, the world was obsessed with the discovery of King Tutankhamen and all things Egyptian. So Hollywood’s greatest showman filled the forecourt of his theater (his Chinese-themed theater didn’t open for another 5 years) with Egyptian artifacts. I don’t know how historically accurate they are, but they sure look impressive.
Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre opened October 18, 1922 with Douglas Fairbanks starring in Robin Hood
I don’t know of any Egyptian statue with a scarab beetle attached to the face. Having two elephants decked out rajah style and a Chinese pagoda makes this a real hodgepodge of historical kitsch. The inside of the theater does have nice Egyptian tomb painting replicas though. Wonder if Sid Grauman visited Egypt before he decorated this place. I’ve traveled extensively throughout Egypt and nothing compares to the real thing.
Hi Carole – I’ve been to Egypt too and it’s really quite wondrous. But Sid Grauman was, at heart, an unabashed showman so I think it’s a pretty safe bet to assume that whatever looked good is what got the nod, regardless of historical authenticity. During this time, running alongside the mania for all things Egyptian was an equally great passion for all things exotic. And the sorts of things that we can see in this photo all qualify as “exotic.”
Sid Grauman opened his Egyptian Theater on Hollywood Boulevard in 1922 and we’re lucky that it’s still around and actively hosts a wide-ranging program of films. These days, the forecourt has only palm trees in it, but back when it opened, the world was obsessed with the discovery of King Tutankhamen and all things Egyptian. So Hollywood’s greatest showman filled the forecourt of his theater (his Chinese-themed theater didn’t open for another 5 years) with Egyptian artifacts. I don’t know how historically accurate they are, but they sure look impressive.
I don’t know of any Egyptian statue with a scarab beetle attached to the face. Having two elephants decked out rajah style and a Chinese pagoda makes this a real hodgepodge of historical kitsch. The inside of the theater does have nice Egyptian tomb painting replicas though. Wonder if Sid Grauman visited Egypt before he decorated this place. I’ve traveled extensively throughout Egypt and nothing compares to the real thing.
Hi Carole – I’ve been to Egypt too and it’s really quite wondrous. But Sid Grauman was, at heart, an unabashed showman so I think it’s a pretty safe bet to assume that whatever looked good is what got the nod, regardless of historical authenticity. During this time, running alongside the mania for all things Egyptian was an equally great passion for all things exotic. And the sorts of things that we can see in this photo all qualify as “exotic.”