Where would premieres be without the Egyptian?

IN the 1920s, Sid Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre -- built as a cutting-edge movie house to lure premieres to the then-rustic Hollywood neighborhood -- hired a man to dress as an Egyptian, carry a wooden rifle and shout movie times from the roof.

In today’s world, that would last maybe an hour before Homeland Security surrounded him. True, an employee in ethnic drag isn’t politically correct, but in the age of the multiplex, try to imagine a creative touch beyond the greasy pattern of almost-butter on your popcorn.

“The Egyptian started it all,” Hollywood Heritage founder Marc Wanamaker said. “It was the beginning of the Hollywood premiere, the first themed movie palace. It served as an inspiration.”

Tonight, the Egyptian celebrates its 85th anniversary with a screening of “Wings,” starring Charles “Buddy” Rogers and Lohan-antecedent Clara Bow. Though it didn’t premiere at the Egyptian, “Wings” won the first Academy Award for best picture of 1927 and will be presented by the director’s son, William Wellman Jr., with live musical accompaniment by Robert Israel. A cake will be cut, and Coppola Vineyards will sponsor a toast.

Events throughout the year include historic tours and screenings of movies that premiered at the Egyptian, such as pioneer films “The Covered Wagon” and “Old Ironsides.”

These days, the theater balances the modern -- insulated sound panels, for instance -- with the vintage, such as the singer’s boxes that flank the screen, as well as the sandstone portico that boasts original light fixtures, murals, ticket booths and four massive columns.

But beyond the structure lies a storied past. Grauman opened it in 1922 with investor friends Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and Cecil B. DeMille. At the time, the architectural craze was for Renaissance-inspired Spanish, but Grauman, opening the theater five weeks before the discovery of King Tut’s tomb, somewhat presciently opted for an Egyptian theme.

Five years later, Grauman abandoned the Egyptian for the Chinese Theatre, a mightier structure built in tandem with the Roosevelt Hotel. For decades, the Egyptian thrived, but it suffered with the neighborhood in the ‘70s and ‘80s. The 1994 Northridge earthquake left the theater badly damaged, including a gaping hole in the screen. But it reopened in 1998 after a $15-million renovation led by the American Cinematheque.

“If the Cinematheque hadn’t shown up then, it would’ve sat there and gotten demolished,” Wanamaker said. “No one had a sense of history. But they rescued it, and look at it now.”

-- Margaret.Wappler@latimes.com

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EGYPTIAN THEATRE’S 85TH ANNIVERSARY

WHERE: 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood

WHEN: 6:30 tonight

PRICE: $10

INFO: (323) 466-FILM, egyptiantheatre.com