Hollywood Sign
Encyclopedia : H : HO : HOL : Hollywood Sign
The Hollywood Sign is a famous landmark in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, spelling out the name of the area in 45-foot (13.7 m) high white letters. It was created as an advertisement in 1923, but garnered increased notoriety after its initial purpose had been fulfilled. In 1932, actress Peg Entwistle committed suicide by jumping to her death from the letter "H". The sign is a frequent target of pranks and vandalism, and has undergone periodic restoration over the years. The sign is now a registered trademark and cannot be used without the permission of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which also manages the Walk of Fame.
History
The sign originally read "HOLLYWOODLAND", and its purpose was to advertise a new housing development in the hills above the Hollywood district of Los Angeles. H.J. Whitley had already used a sign to advertise his development Whitley Heights, which was located between Highland Avenue and Vine. He suggested to his friend Harry Chandler, the owner of the Los Angeles Times, that a land syndicate he was involved in make a similar sign to advertise their land. The original sign's letters were 30 feet (9 m) wide and 50 feet (15 m) high, and were studded with light bulbs. The sign was officially dedicated on July 13, 1923. It was not intended to be permanent. Some sources say its expected life was to be about a year and a half. Official maintenance of the sign ended in 1939 and it rapidly began to deteriorate.
In 1949, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce stepped in, offering to remove the last four letters and to repair the rest. Because the city dictated that all subsequent illumination would be at the cost of the Chamber, it opted not to replace the light bulbs. The 1949 effort gave it new life, but the wooden sign continued to deteriorate in the open air of the Hollywood Hills. Eventually a trailing "O" splintered and broke off, resembling a lowercase "u". The object was becoming somewhat of an eyesore.
In 1978, the Chamber set out to replace the intensely deteriorated sign with a more permanent structure. Nine donors gave $27,700 apiece to sponsor replacement letters made of Australian steel, guaranteed to last for many years. These new letters were each 45 feet (13.7 m) high and ranged from 31 to 39 feet (9.3 to 11.8 m) wide. The new version of the sign was unveiled on Hollywood's 75th anniversary, November 14, 1978, before a live television audience of 60 million people.
Refurbishment began again in November 2005, as workers stripped the letters back to their metal base and repainted them white. Also in 2005, parts of the 1978 sign were being auctioned on eBay, with a starting bid of $300,000.http://cgi.ebay.com/THE-HOLLYWOOD-SIGN_W0QQitemZ5637020011QQcategoryZ1469QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem
Donors
- H - Terrence Donnelly
- O - Giovanni Mazza
- L - Les Kelley
- L - Gene Autry
- Y - Hugh Hefner
- W - Andy Williams
- O - Warner Brothers Records
- O - Alice Cooper, in memory of Groucho Marx
- D - Dennis Lidtke
Location
The sign is located on the southern side of Mount Lee in Griffith Park, north of the Mulholland Highway. A good viewpoint within 100 yards (90 m) of the sign can be reached by driving north up Gower Street from Hollywood Boulevard and then north along Beachwood Drive.
- Altitude 1,578 feet (478 m)
- [Map of the location of the Hollywood sign] (GlobalGuide)
In popular culture
The sign makes frequent appearances in popular culture, particularly in establishing shots for films and television programs set in or around Hollywood. Signs of similar style, but spelling different words, are frequently seen as parodies.
- Films and television
- *In the film Career Opportunities, the epilogue features Frank Whaley as Jim residing in Hollywood and seeing the sign turn into one reading "Jimwood."
- * In the film 10.5, the letters "L" and "W" fall off and slide down the mountain.
- * In the film 1941, an alternate explanation is given to how the sign lost the letters that spell out "LAND", being destroyed by P-40 pilot "Wild Bill" Kelso.
- * In the film The Truman Show, the enormous dome containing the town of Seahaven was located just north of the sign.
- * In the film Austin Powers in Goldmember, Dr. Evil's secret lair was in the hill behind the sign.
- * In the film The Day After Tomorrow, the sign is destroyed by a tornado.
- * The film The Day of the Locust has a scene set at the base of the sign where a tour guide relates the story of "Camille McRae, 1929 Clam Queen of Pismo Beach" leaping to her death from "the great H" in 1932.
- * The film Demolition Man begins with an overhead shot of a violence-wracked Los Angeles, zooming out from behind a burning Hollywood sign.
- * In the film Earthquake, the sign is destroyed in the quake and the letters fall down the mountain.
- * In two episodes of the sitcom Ellen, Ellen DeGeneres hung out in the sign to get away from stressful situations.
- * An episode of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends features a sign that reads "HOKEYWOOD".
- * The film RKO 281, set before the last four letters were removed, begins with an establishing shot of the sign, complete with those letters.
- * In the film The Rocketeer, another explanation is given for how the sign lost the letters that spell out "LAND", when Neville Sinclair (played by Timothy Dalton) crashes into them.
- * The film Shrek 2 features a "FAR FAR AWAY" sign, similar in appearance to Hollywood's.
- * The animated television series The Simpsons parodies the sign with their own giant set of white letters, spelling out "SPRINGFIELD", on the hills above the fictional town from the series.
- * In the film Super Babies 2, an immortal kid who never grows a second older has a secret lair inside the "H" in "HOLLYWOOD".
- * In the film Volcano, it can be seen when the tower falls down to dam the lava.
- Video games
- * In SimCity 4, players can "purchase" the sign and place it in their game city as a landmark.
- * In , a similar sign on a hill reads "VINEWOOD", a reference to one of the game's neighborhoods.
- * In Tony Hawk's American Wasteland, based in the city of Los Angeles, California, the sign appears in the Bronson section of the Hollywood area of the city. This can be seen from the game's beginning. Later in the game, a goal will have players destroy the sign, the pieces of which are shipped to the skate park. The sign's letters are changed, and the new sign reads "WASTELAND".
- * In , the setting is a city known as Bayview. There is a sign on a hill which reads "BAYVIEW".
- * In Civilization IV it features as one of the many wonders of the world.
- * In Crimson Skies it is on the "Studio" map and you can fly your plane through the "O"s.
- * In We ? Katamari, the sign can be rolled up on the bird-and-elephant level when the player is trying for the largest katamari possible. The letters are rearranged when the player is trying to finish the katamari as fast as possible.
- Other appearances
- * The Ludacris video Number One Spot, spoofs the Austin Powers appearance by hiding the evil lair behind an "ATLANTA" sign.
- * The video rental chain Hollywood Video uses an image of the sign as part of its logo, including the apparent up-and-down curve of the sign. Presumably the sign could appear "normally", but only from an altitude that would directly face the sign.
- * On the website LiquidGeneration.com, in a cartoon featuring the best places in Los Angeles, it is said that the last four letters were demolished by an epic tsunami.
- * System of a Down's album Toxicity features the band's name in the up-and-down style of the sign.
- * The Los Angeles Dodgers, in the mountains north of Dodger Stadium, have a similar sign reading "THINK BLUE", a longtime slogan of the team. The sign is viewable beyond left field from within Chavez Ravine.
- * Despite the name change, the song Mary C Brown and the Hollywood Sign by American singer/songwriter Dory Previn appears to refer directly to the suicide of Peg Entwistle. First appeared on Previn�s 1971 album Mythical Kings and Iguanas and again (in a different version) as the title track of her next album in 1972.
Alterations
It is illegal and highly dangerous to make alterations to the sign. Although the city has occasionally allowed it in the past for commercial purposes, current policy does not permit changes to be made. This is largely due to neighborhood opposition and to past accidents. However, the sign has been unofficially altered a number of times, often eliciting a great deal of attention. Some of the more famous modifications have included:
- HOLLYWEED - January 1976, noting new state marijuana law. Performed by Daniel Finegood.[[Citing sources citation needed]]
- HOLLYWEED - December 1983, for the opening scene of the film Hollywood Hot Tubs.
- GO NAVY - November 1983, before that year's Army-Navy Game at the Rose Bowl stadium.
- RAFFEYSOD - January 1985, reportedly done by a band called "The Raffeys", who were trying to drum up publicity.
- HOLLYWOOD II - April 1986, to mark the revitalization of area.
- FOX - April 1987, for promotion for the TV network.
- CALTECH - May 1987, on Hollywood's 100th birthday.
- OLLYWOOD - July 1987, during the Iran-Contra hearings.
- HOLYWOOD - September 1987, for Pope John Paul II's arrival.
- USCWOOD - Fall 1987, for the annual USC-UCLA football game.
- For the 1992 film Cool World, a giant cartoon character (named "Holli Would") from the film was installed, appearing to sit on the sign. This was designed as publicity for the movie, and it remained there for a long time.
- PEROTWOOD - During the 1992 Presidential election, in favor of candidate Ross Perot.
- GO UCLA - Fall 1993, for the annual USC-UCLA football game. Twenty members of UCLA's Theta Chi Fraternity achieved the prank, and were subsequently charged with trespassing. This prompted the installation of a $100,000 security system in 1994, complete with video surveillance and motion detection.
- PEROTWOOD - During the 1996 Presidential Election, in favor of candidate Ross Perot. The pranksters apparently were able to defeat the 1994 security system in order to change the sign.
- On January 1, 2000, the sign was lit up in an array of flashing colors in celebration of the New Millennium.
Imitations
Numerous towns around the world have created their own signs that deliberately mimic the look of the Hollywood Sign:
- Braşov, Romania
- Crossways Business Park (Dartford, Kent), England
- Dingle, Ireland (Taken down after it was discovered to be 'illegal')
- Machynlleth, Wales
- Mosgiel, New Zealand
- Niles Canyon, Fremont, California (where Charlie Chaplin made "The Tramp" in 1915 for Essanay Studios).
- Reykjanesbær, Iceland
- Tucumcari, New Mexico (large 'T' on a hill south of town - which is more known as a Mountain Monogram or Hillside Letter)
- Culver City, California (on a small hill at the intersection of Sepulveda and Jefferson)
- Manhattan, Kansas
See also
References
External links
- [Hollywood Sign]
- [Virtual Earth - The Hollywood Sign]
- [The Hollywood Sign from Space (via Google Maps)]
- [Suicide and the Hollywood Sign] – Peg Entwistle Plunges to Her Death From Atop the Famous Hollywood Sign
- [AuthenticHollywood - Hollywood Sign History] – What happened to the original sign?
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