Before Sid Grauman opened his Egyptian Theatre (1922) and his Chinese Theatre (1927) he opened his more prosaically named Grauman’s Theatre at 307 S. Broadway. In this photo, we can see eager fans packing the theater on its February 1, 1918 opening night. The film chosen for the debut was “The Silent Man” with a personal appearance of the film’s director and star, William S. Hart. Ever the showman, Grauman renamed it the Million Dollar Theater one year later, I guess because it sounded classier.
This Million Dollar is still a working cinema. This is how it looked in February 2023.
My wife and I have had the chance to see several classic movies here, thanks to the LA Conservancy’s Last Remaining Seats program. It’s a thrill to see the inside.
The current marque covers up a good portion of the beautiful arch. Why would they do that? I am glad the building is still there but common get a marque that is like the original one!!!!!
Who knows why people do what they do?
I believe it was named the “Million Dollar” because it cost a million dollars to build.