"The Majestic"

Grauman's Chinese makes a lovely appearance in Frank Darabont's film "The Majestic" (Warner Bros., 2001). The credits start with a cascade of L.A. postcards including images of the Carthay Circle Theatre, Griffith Observatory and many others before ending with a card of the Chinese. That turns into a live shot of the theatre running "The African Queen." For this they had to get rid of a few things including the dragon marquees that were still on the building when the film was shot.

Jim Carrey plays a young about-to-be-blacklisted screenwriter in Hollywood in 1951 who, after an accident, wakes up in a sleepy northern California town that needs a bit of rejuvenation. Also featured are Martin Landau, Laurie Holden, Bob Balaban, Hal Holbrook and Jeffrey DeMunn.

A closer look into the forecourt. Note the poster for "The African Queen" on the right. The film did actually play the Chinese in a moveover engagement ("first time at popular prices") for two weeks beginning June 6, 1952. It played with a short titled "Royal Journey."

In "The Majestic" there's a second feature on the bill called "Sand Pirates of the Sahara" written by Peter Appleton, the character played by Carrey.

A candy girl circulating in the lobby.  

Carrey coming down the center aisle. In the early 1950s the booth was still upstairs. It got moved down in 1958 during renovations for "Windjammer," a film in a 3 projector process called Cinemiracle, similar to Cinerama. The booth was moved back upstairs during a remodel that began in April 2001, shortly after the shoot for "The Majestic."

See the pages about Grauman's Chinese on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a history of this 1927 vintage movie palace along with hundreds of photos of various areas of the building.  

Our first look at the Majestic Theatre in the fictional town of Lawson, California. Martin Landau, on the left, had operated the theatre and still lives upstairs. He thinks Carrey is his son Luke, who never returned from the war. The set was a facade built in the town of Ferndale, CA. Later in the film we see it all restored with its extravagant neon all working.

Our first look inside the Majestic. It's a studio set.  

Landau and Carrey look toward the screen at the rundown Majestic. The set was inspired by the Egyptian interior of the Rialto Theatre in South Pasadena.

 Another shot of Carrey on the Rialto set. 

Landau looking at the "theatre" recollecting what it had been.

Laurie Holden, the former fiancee of Landau's missing son, with Carrey. The townspeople in the background are working on a restoration of the theatre. Thanks to Escott O. Norton for these last four shots. They're from a post of his on the Friends of the Rialto Facebook page.

He commented, when it was suggested that this would be a good film to show at the Rialto: "I take this movie very seriously, it is a story about the community coming together to re-open a beloved theatre! The fact that the interior is obviously based on the Rialto makes it even better! I agree, a screening IN the Rialto would be perfect!"

Head to the Los Angeles Theatres page on the Rialto Theatre, a 1925 design by L.A. Smith, for many photos of the real thing. 

On IMDb: "The Majestic"