The tradition of grand Hollywood premieres was pioneered by master showman Sid Grauman. The very first gala premiere took place in 1922 with the grand opening of Grauman's Egyptian Theatre and the spectacular premiere of "Robin Hood," a silent screen version starring Douglas Fairbanks.

That first premiere at the Egyptian featured all the bright lights and hoopla which we've now come to associate with movie premieres - and the basic form has been repeated ever since. (Five years later, in 1927, Grauman topped himself by opening his new Chinese Theatre with the star-studded premiere of DeMille's "King of Kings.")

Over the years, Hollywood premieres grew more and more elaborate.

When "The Wizard of Oz" premiered at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in 1939, over ten thousand spectators showed up to greet Judy Garland, the entire Oz cast, and other M-G-M stars. The studio even recreated the Yellow Brick Road and a small cornfield in the famous Grauman's courtyard, and populated it with a scarecrow and several Munchkins in full costume.

Three years later, in 1942, fear of enemy attack during World War II led to all Hollywood premieres (and their bright lights) being banned for the duration. The last pre-war premiere was held on August 19, 1942, for "Pride of the Yankees" at the Pantages Theatre, and was attended by (among others) Bob Hope, Ginger Rogers, Ronald Reagan, Jack Benny, Mickey Rooney, Ava Gardner, Charles Boyer, Rita Hayworth, Victor Mature, Hedy Lamarr, Irene Dunne, Dorothy Lamour and Sam Goldwyn.

I often get asked how one can get tickets to these premieres. The answer is, you can't. Generally speaking, the public can't get tickets to movie premieres. But the good news is that you really don't need them.

The seats inside the theatres during premieres are reserved for the stars, the film makers, their friends and family and whoever they choose to invite. The rest of us mere mortals usually have to settle for standing outside, watching the stars as they arrive in their limos, say a few words, wave, and walk the red carpet into the theatre. But that can actually be a lot of fun, and it doesn't require tickets. (And actually, you probably have a better view of the stars in the bright lights outside than you would if you were inside the dim theatre.)

(They occasionally have charity premieres, where they will sell tickets to raise money for a cause, or radio promotions where DJs give away tickets as part of a contest, but those are rare.)

Until very recently, it was unusual to see a star leave the red carpet area and go out to the crowd (which is often across the street). However, this has changed. I've seen Will Smith, Vin Diesel, Tom Cruise and Jennifer Lopez (among others) all go out to meet the crowds at premieres, shake hands, and occasionally sign autographs. But even when this happens, the star is only able to make contact with a small number of fans. Short of wearing something attention-getting or yelling out their name, there's not much one can do to get the celebrity to come to you. Generally, if they do go out to the crowd, they just walk quickly past, shaking as many hands as they can like a politician on the stump (usually reaching only the people in the front row or two), and perhaps stopping to sign an autograph. Keep your expectations low. Come out to see them, not to touch them, and you won't be disappointed.

Some large premieres have bleachers for fans to sit in. Most do not. Most of the time you just have to stand (behind police barricades), and since you need to arrive early in order to get a front row location, that means a lot of standing and waiting. It can be boring, and if you don't wear comfortable shoes, painful. If you go, bring something to read or snack on while you wait, to help pass the time. Be sure to dress warmly if the premiere is scheduled after dark (especially during the winter); wear comfortable shoes, and arrive in plenty of time to get a good spot at the front of the crowd. Be prepared for a wait, and have some fun with it.

People also ask me how early one must show up to get a good viewing spot. Unfortunately, that's almost impossible to answer. It depends upon the premiere and the stars of the movie. The general rule is that the bigger the movie and the bigger the stars, the bigger the crowd. With minor films, one can often walk up during the premiere and still get a good viewing spot. For most films, arriving an hour or two early will do the trick. But when it comes to monster premieres like "Star Wars" or "Harry Potter", some fans camp out for days. It pays to come by early and check out the scene. See whether or not there are bleachers and whether or not a crowd is already gathering... Both Westwood Village and Hollywood Blvd offer plenty to do in terms of shopping and restaurants, so if you come too early, you can always kill some time at a spot like Hollywood & Highland.

Location plays a role in how crowded the premiere might be. Grauman's and the El Capitan are located in the heart of the Hollywood tourist district, with lots of foot traffic on the boulevard that can quickly swell the size of the waiting crowd (especially in Summer). On the other hand, the Cinerama Dome is a bit farther off the beaten path, so crowds there tend to be lighter.

Most premieres take place at one of three places: Grauman's Chinese (in Hollywood), Mann's Village (in Westwood) or the Cinerama Dome (at Sunset & Vine). The exceptions are films made by Disney, which usually premiere at the El Capitan theatre (Across from Grauman's). Occasionally, Universal will premiere one of their films up at their Universal CityWalk. And you'll find a handful of premieres scheduled for The Director's Guild or the Academy HQ, but those are exceptions.

People also ask me when a particular movie will have its premiere.

I've found that most premieres take place just a few days before the movies' general release date. And premieres are usually held on weekdays, not weekends (except for children' films), and are usually held in the evening (around 5 or 6 PM) rather than in the daytime. There are exceptions, but that's the general rule.

While most premieres take place in Los Angeles, that's not always the case. A few are held in New York. And sometimes a studio will opt for an unusual location (such as Hawaii for "Pearl Harbor" or Atlanta for "Gone With The Wind"). And some movies don't have premieres at all (especially if the producers are trying to hide a weak film from movie critics until after its release).

When I do find out about an upcoming premiere, I post it immediately on my Calendar of Events, at http://www.seeing-stars.com/Calendar. So there's no need to write and ask - if you'll keep an eye on that page, you'll know about it as soon as I do.