Theater magnate Sid Grauman opened Grauman’s Egyptian Theater in 1922 on Hollywood Blvd. It was the site of the first Hollywood premiere, Robin Hood, with Douglas Fairbanks. In 1927, Grauman’s Chinese Theater opened farther west on Hollywood Blvd., where Cecil B. DeMille premiered King of Kings. The entrance is renowned for its elaborate pagoda, dragon, and two Ming Heaven dogs guarding the door. Jean Klossner (later dubbed Mr. Footprint) was hired to create a concrete forecourt to preserve the hand and footprints of stars. Sid Grauman got the idea when he accidentally stepped in wet cement during construction. Read more Hollywood and Los Angeles history in A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (see NOVELS).
