Egyptian turns 85

posted by Michael Zoldessy on October 19, 2007 at 7:45 am

HOLLYWOOD, CA — The Egyptian Theatre (or what many would say what’s left of it) celebrated its 85th yesterday.

The term “Hollywood” conjures myriad images — many of them contradictory. But before Hollywood was a state of mind or a brickbat, it was a place. Not much remains of the original Hollywood now, but a few landmarks still command respect, even reverence. Among the oldest is the Egyptian Theater on Hollywood Boulevard. Less storied and glamorous than the Chinese, its younger sibling a few blocks west, it almost didn’t live to celebrate its 85th birthday this month.

Yet about a decade ago, some determined and enterprising folks decided the save the then-bedraggled Egyptian, preserving it as the oldest functioning cinema on Hollywood Boulevard. Not a commercial house, it instead serves as the locus of the American Cinematheque.

Read more in Variety.

Theaters in this post

Comments (1)

Simon Overton
Simon Overton on November 4, 2007 at 4:49 pm

My wife and I went to the final screening before the Egyptian closed as a real movie theater, which was later destroyed beyond all help.

At the shows conclusion, the audience begged the manager to bring up the house lights for one last look and a photograph… sadly, he didn’t give a damn, so we were all deprived of actually seeing that stunning stage and auditorium.

Thank you Sid and I thank God for early photographs!

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