Illustrated Travel Guide to Hollywood. Part 3
El Capitan and Egyptian
Right across the street from Hollywood and Highland center is El Capitan Theatre. It was built in 1926 and now is operated by The Walt Disney Company and hosts Walt Disney Picture’s movie premiers. Below the theater is a small exhibit space, often used to display props from the films, such as costumes or set pieces.
Next door is the adjacent Disney's Soda Fountain and Studio Store, where patrons can purchase ice cream themed to the film currently playing in the cinema next door. A wide variety of Disney and movie merchandise is available there.
A couple of blocks east another landmark historical movie theater is located - Grauman's Egyptian Theatre. It is the oldest among all Holywood Blvd theaters as it was opened in 1922 and was a host to venue for the first-ever Hollywood premiere. The film was Robin Hood starring Douglas Fairbanks. The theater architecture is in the Egyptian Revival style. It is probable that this was due to public fascination with the multiple expeditions searching for the tomb of Tutankhamun by archaeologist Howard Carter over the preceding years. The exterior and interior walls contain Egyptian-style paintings and hieroglyphics. The theatre's main entrance is marked with the four massive columns. Theater also has large courtyard in the front, complete with a fountain and queen palm trees. This is actually the "entrance hall" (the theatre doors used to open directly into the auditorium) and was specifically designed to host the theatre's famous red carpet ceremonies. Now this historic movie theater is operated by American Cinematheque, an independent, non-profit cultural organization dedicated to movies.
