hollywood sign history.pps

8/11/2019 Hollywood Sign History.pps

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The Historyof L.A.s Famous

Hollywood SignBy Kevin Polowy


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Humble Beginnings

The sign, located on GriffithPark's Mount Lee in theHollywood Hills (which arepart of the Santa MonicaMountains), was erected in1923 as an advertisement fora real estate company. Itinitially spelled out"HOLLYWOODLAND", thename of a new housingdevelopment in the hills. Thisbit of clever marketing wasonly intended to stay up for

18 months, but quicklybecame synonymous with thetown's burgeoning movieindustry, and ultimatelybecame a permanent fixturein the L.A. landscape.


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Flashing Lights The sign was originally a lot flashier literally. Studded with roughly 4,000 bulbs,the sign was lit up in three segments: first, "HOLLY", then, "WOOD", and, finally, "LAND". A largesearchli ht was laced below the si n to further illuminate it. (Here it's seen lit u a ain in 2000).


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2 Fast 2 Furious Though the sign's constantly deteriorating condition has led to variousrestoration efforts, it was human recklessness that first put a hurtin' on the old Hollywoodlandsign. In the early '40s, Albert Kothe, the sign's caretaker, was driving drunk above the sign when

he veered off the cliff. Somehow, Kothe escaped uninjured, but both the sign's huge "H" and his1928 Ford Model A were destroyed.


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Losing the LAND In 1949, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce stepped in to rebuild thesign. A contract with the City of Los Angeles Parks Department required that the "LAND" bedropped (as it no longer represented the housing development). And now given the responsibilityof a in for the electricit bills, the fru al Chamber removed the ni httime illumination.


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The Misspelled Phase Even after the local government took over, the sign would continue toshow wear and tear. Within only a few decades of the restoration efforts, the sign's first "O" had

cracked in half, making it resemble a lower-case "u," and the entire third "O" had fallen off androlled down the hill. By the mid-1970s the sign read "HuLLYWO D".


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Unofficial Versions Much less frequent these days (mostly due to security measures more onthat in a bit), the sign was often tweaked, both by pranksters and legit sponsors (like FOX, who

promoted their 1987 broadcast television launch). Among the most famous: The 1976 alterationto "HOLLYWeeD" that celebrated the decriminalization of Marijuana in California.


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Celebrity Endorsements

In the late '70s, another movementsought to rehabilitate the sign, leadthis time by Playboy founder HughHefner. Nine donors (one for each

letter) contributed $27,777 to funda $250,000 dollars restorationproject that would add a few moreyears to the landmark. Among thosewho gave to the cause were cowboystar Gene Autry and shock-rockerAlice Cooper, who reportedlydedicated his donation in memoryof his late friend Groucho Marx.


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Look But Don t Touch

For more than 50 years, residents and tourists could hike right up to the sign. But vandals soregularly defaced the landmark, that in 1978 the Hollywood Sign Trust was created to helpprotect it. This included installing a high-tech security system that was put in place with the help

of city officials, the fire and police departments, park rangers, and (more recently) the Office ofHomeland Security.


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Hot Property Another threat to the sign's well being is wildfire. In 2007, a 150-acre [61Ha.]

blaze that started near Warner Bros. studios in Burbank swept through the hills, sending billowingsmoke up behind the landmark.


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Size Matters The sign currently stands 45-feet tall [14m.] (or about five stories) and is 350-feetwide [107m.] (about the length of a football field).


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View From the Top Just like the vistas found on Runyon Canyon and other high points along the

Hollywood Hills, the view from the sign presents a beautiful panoramic look at Los Angeles, withskyline sights of downtown, central Hollywood, Century City and more.


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By Land and Sea

Lake HollywoodPark in Griffith Parkoffers one of thebest views of thesign, especially for

nature lovers who'drather not brave thecrowds at theHollywood &Highland Centeroutdoor mall(another populardestination forsnapping pics of thelandmark).


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Save the Peak Preservationists and friends of the sign long worried that, like much of theHollywood Hills, the foliage surrounding the landmark (once owned by Howard Hughes), wouldbe razed to make way for real-estate developments. In 2009, the Trust for Public Land signed onto buy the land for a discounted $12.5 million; a year later the organization covered the sign withbanners that read "SAVE THE PEAK", to raise the needed capital. It worked (with Hugh Hefner

once again stepping up as one of the major donors), and in 2010, the land officially became partof Griffith Park.


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Here to Stay For Now The latest efforts to preserve the sign which included peeling the

letters back to their original metal foundations and repainting them white is predicted to last atleast another 40 years so Hugh Hefner shouldn't have to get his wallet out again anytime soon

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