GRAUMAN’S CHINESE THEATRE DRAGON

1957

Donated by Paramount Pictures, with thanks to Hollywood Heritage

Restored, 2018, with funding from A-Mark Foundation, by an incredibly gifted group of artisans and professionals:

RICHARD ANKROM / Pattern maker, painter

SHAWNA PETERSON / Peterson Neon, neon bender of the dragon’s body

PAUL GREENSTEIN / Installer and wiring

ALBERT RODRIGUEZ / Universal Neon & Cathode, neon bender of the “Chinese” text

RAMIRO RODRIGUEZ / Universal Neon Plus, pattern maker of the “Chinese” text

STAN SCHROEDER / Assistant

DAVID SVENSON / Facilitator and installer

KURT WAHLNER / Grauman’s Chinese Theatre sign expert

WILLIAMS SIGN COMPANY / Transport

Sid Grauman opened his renowned Chinese Theatre on May 18, 1927, as a first-run movie palace seating nearly two thousand patrons. The spectacular theatre became the home of the world’s most lavish movie premieres, but didn’t begin with a dedicated marquee to promote its movies. After several extravagant attempts at illuminated promotions, the Chinese gained two large neon dragon marquees in 1957. Those neon wonders scintillated in sequence, from pointed tail to spiny head. The twin dragons welcomed countless premiere crowds until their removal in 2001. Six years of unprotected storage later, the dragons were donated in shattered pieces to the Museum of Neon Art and Hollywood Heritage.

The Museum’s 40-foot dragon is one of the crown jewels in its vast collection of neon signs and artwork. Millions of people have seen the Chinese Theatre’s dragons, which represent all the spectacle of Hollywood and an apex in neon design.

Restoring the dragon to its 1957 beauty has been a daunting task for the artists and craftspeople listed above. We thank them for their rare talents and we thank the A-Mark Foundation for making it all possible.

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