This isn’t a photograph but a screenshot I took while watching restored footage taken during the premiere of MGM’s “Grand Hotel” at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on the night of April 29, 1932. The 8-minute video is worth watching as you get a terrific feel for the tumult of that night. It was the first time a Hollywood studio had made a movie with an all-star cast (an idea of MGM’s Irving Thalberg) so movie fans turned out in super-excited droves. But it was this image taken, I assume, from across the street, that gives us a terrific glimpse of studio-era Hollywood at its most golden peak.
You can see the video HERE.
For a deeper dive, go to Kurt Wahlner’s site and scroll down to “Grand Hotel” where you can see the incredible program mounted that night: GRAND HOTEL.
This could happen again if the business wanted it to. Thanks for sharing.
That video was amazing
Of all those restored videos, I think this one is my favorite.
Where are all the stars??? I loved all of those great cars!!! What I would give to go back to that evening!!!! What it must have been like to be alive in those days.
My question is whether the original sourced material is from pieced together scenes of more than one event? Been a long time since I’ve seen Grand Hotel and wonder what do the Airship and Airplane over the entrance have to do with that film? In the final “Great White Way” pano from the rooftops, are we seeing rain falling suggesting another date? If the original film stock exists it would be an amazing thing to have each frame individually copied for a thorough and precise analysis. Unfortunately, what’s been happening in the digital age is that once images are recorded the negatives and prints have been often discarded under the claim that they are a fire hazard. This might prove to be another major mistake but it is ongoing with many collections. Hopefully, they’ve saved this footage, even if only a reprint on safer stock.
Could part of it be related to Hell Divers which showed in late 1931?
AFI says Hell Divers had a sneak preview in San Berdoo in October. The link list for Wahlner indicates it premiered at the Chinese on 25 Dec. 1931 running for a five week engagement. (AFI does not note this.) The screenshot shows the ZR-3 Los Angeles and one of the planes above the entrance? For Grand Hotel they set up a fake hotel lobby desk shown in the thumbnail in the link. What is this windowed-box thing out front?
I’ve never seen that structure with the windows before so I’m guessing it was constructed especially for that evening.
Oddly similar to forward structure of the island of the Lexington-class carrier “Sister Sara” (CV-3 Saratoga). The ship is seen in Hell Divers. This deck level room had the three windows (or doorways) facing inboard towards the planes. At some point a gun emplacement went up top. Maybe all the celeb guests were welcomed aboard at this set-up? Or perhaps a dress-up for flyers in outfits to come out. They loved to ham up the deviled eggs at Grauman’s.
This is one of my favorite movies. So neat to see how everyone turned out to catch a glimpse of the stars. This was a neat video. Thank you for sharing, Martin. I wonder, does anyone know if Garbo was at the premiere? Good stuff!
I think I read somewhere that she didn’t and she was en route back to London. She was one of the few big stars who didn’t attend what was an eventful premiere.
Apparently a gag that went wrong with a dude in drag as a stand in for her.
I got it. At about 3:14 we see the change from street level. Sailors are now out in front of the block structure and the lobby desk is missing. A quick glimpse of the bottom of a black banner to the left reads “IBLE” so it is likely to be the film “DIRIGIBLE” from 1931. The box structure is probably meant to be the cabin or gondola area of airship Los Angeles. People are looking out of the windows and there’s a standing spotlight (blacked out) on the left front corner. For the Grand Hotel premiere, people are sitting above the entrance as though they were in a hotel common area. This stuff’s fantastik!
I see what you mean. Well, spotted, Sherlock!