I've noticed that outside the Warner Theatre are a few artist names, with a star in the cement. What's the story behind them? Are they only for artists who have appeared at the Warner? Are more going to be added as time goes on?
David King, Washington
_____Children's Campaign_____
•
Washington Post columnist John Kelly is raising money for the Children's National Medical Center, one of the nation's leading pediatric hospitals. You may make a tax-deductible contribution online anytime between Nov. 29th and Jan. 21st. Thank you for your support.
|
| |
_____By John Kelly_____
•
Coincidence Makes Small World Go 'Round (The Washington Post, Mar 18, 2005)
•
A Seat on Metro, a Stand for Manners (The Washington Post, Mar 17, 2005)
•
Coming Soon to a Black-and-White TV (The Washington Post, Mar 16, 2005)
•
A Big Crowd at the High End (The Washington Post, Mar 15, 2005)
•
More Columns
_____Live Discussions_____
•
John Kelly's Washington Live (Live Online, Mar 25, 2005)
•
John Kelly's Washington Live (Live Online, Mar 18, 2005)
•
John Kelly's Washington Live (Live Online, Mar 11, 2005)
|
| |
|
What do "Carol Burnett Show" funnyman Harvey Korman, Jethro Tull flutist Ian Anderson and diminutive music recluse Prince all have in common?
No, it's not that they all wear a codpiece. Only Ian Anderson and, arguably, Prince qualify on that score.
It's that each has a star on the Warner Theatre's Walk of Fame.
The Warner Walk might be less famous than Hollywood's Walk of Fame, but then the celebrity factor here in the District is a shade cooler than it is out west.
Our walk -- which features brass stars set into the pavement next to the celebrity signatures -- dates to 2001.
"When we renovated the theater, we thought it was an elegant addition to downtown," Mitchell Schear of property management company Kaempfer told The Post that year. "This Walk of Fame will help people see, feel and touch something of the people who have performed here."
The Warner has a rich history. It was built by the Cosmos Theater Co. at a cost of $2.5 million. When it opened Dec. 27, 1924, it offered "Vaudeville and Pictures," according to a story in The Post. A seat in the balcony for a matinee cost 30 cents, while a box seat for an evening performance was $1.
In addition to its movies and performers, the theater was known for its Rockettes-style dancers, the Roxyettes, and its swanky basement restaurant, the Neptune Room.
For its first 23 years, it was the Earle Theatre, but by 1947 controlling interest had gone to Warner Bros., and the theater had become a showcase for Warner films. When Henry Warner visited Washington in 1947, he supposedly said, "I own that theater, put my name up there!" They did.
Rock-and-roll replaced vaudeville and movies, and over time the theater fell into disrepair. It was closed in 1989 but reopened in 1992 after undergoing a $10 million restoration. Shirley MacLaine and Frank Sinatra performed at the gala celebrating the Warner's rebirth.
Both penned their signatures in wet cement, but neither slab was put on immediate display. Theirs, as well as those of 26 other performers, were warehoused until 2001, when they were set into the sidewalk. They were officially dedicated May 16. David Copperfield -- the illusionist, not the Dickens character -- was in attendance.
The Warner Theatre's Maria Lang said a committee meets to decide who would be good to add to the Walk of Fame. Honorees must have performed at the theater.
