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Hollywood Sign

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File:Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Hollywoodsign.jpg
The Hollywood sign as it appears today.

The Hollywood Sign is a famous landmark in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, spelling out the name of the area in 15.2 m (50 ft)[1] high white letters. It was created as an advertisement in 1923, but garnered increasing recognition after its initial purpose had been fulfilled. 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

File:Hollywoodland.jpg
The original "Hollywoodland" sign in the 1920s.

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. Real estate developers Woodruff and Shoults called their development "Hollywoodland" and advertised it as a "superb environment without excessive cost on the Hollywood side of the hills."

They contracted the Crescent Sign Company to erect thirteen letters on the hillside, each facing south. The sign company owner, Thomas Fisk Goff (1890-1984) designed the sign. Each letter of the sign was 9 m (30 ft) wide and 15 m (50 ft) high, and was studded with some 4000 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 but after the rise of the American cinema in Los Angeles, it became an internationally recognised symbol, and was left there. It became so associated with Hollywood, that in September of 1932, actress Peg Entwistle committed suicide by jumping to her death from the letter "H", as she saw the sign as a symbol of the industry that had rejected her.

Official maintenance of the sign ended in 1939 and it rapidly began to deteriorate.

According to the summer 2006 edition of "The Beachwood Voice," during the early 1940s, Albert Kothe (the sign's official caretaker) caused an accident that destroyed the letter "H", as seen in many historical pictures. Kothe was driving his car up to the top of Mount Lee drunk, lost control of the vehicle, and stumbled off the cliff behind the "H". While Kothe was not injured, the 1928 Ford Model A was destroyed, as was the "H".

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 and sheet metal sign continued to deteriorate in the open air of the Hollywood Hills. Eventually the first "O" splintered and broke off resembling a lowercase "u", and the third "O" fell down completely leaving the severely dilapidated sign reading "HuLLYWO D".

The sign from the Hollywood Hills.

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 (see Donors section below).

These new letters were each 13.7 m (45 ft) high and ranged from 9.3 to 11.8 m (31 to 39 ft) 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, donated by Bay Cal Commercial Painting[2], began again in November 2005, as workers stripped the letters back to their metal base and repainted them white. Also in 2005, the original 1923 sign was put up for sale on eBay by producer/entrepreneur Dan Bliss.[3] Bliss sold the sign to artist Bill Mack.

Donors

The letters on the sign today are 1.5 m (5 ft) shorter than the original.


Location

File:La 09 bg 052806.jpg
View from West Hollywood, near Santa Monica Blvd. a few blocks south of Hollywood Blvd. The historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel is visible on the left.

The sign is located on the southern side of Mount Lee in Griffith Park, north of the Mulholland Highway. A good viewpoint within 90 m (100 yd) of the sign can be reached by driving north up Gower Street from Hollywood Boulevard and then north along Beachwood Drive.

Main article: Hollywood Sign 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.

Alterations

It is illegal to make alterations to the sign, and potentially dangerous, as the sign stands on steep terrain. 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:

File:Goucla.jpg
The Hollywood Sign, altered to read "GO UCLA" before the 1993 UCLA-USC Football game.
  • HOLLYWEED - January 1976, noting new state marijuana law and in December 1983, for the opening scene of the film Hollywood Hot Tubs.
  • HOLYWOOD - April 1977, For Easter sunrise service, viewable from the Hollywood Bowl and in September of 1987 for Pope John Paul II's arrival.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • OIL WAR - 1991, for the Persian Gulf war.
  • PEROTWOOD - During the 1992 Presidential election and the 1996 Presidential Election, both times showing support for candidate Ross Perot. The second time this happened, the pranksters were apparently able to dismantle the security system.
  • GO UCLA - Fall 1993, for the annual UCLA-USC football game. Twenty members of UCLA's Theta Chi Fraternity achieved the prank, and were subsequently charged with trespassing. This incident prompted the installation of a $100,000 security system in 1994, complete with video surveillance and motion detection.
  • On January 1, 2000, the sign was lit up in an array of flashing colors in celebration of the New Millennium.
  • HOLLYHOOD - In the summer of 2005 Mariah Carey released her Shake It Off video, in it the sign is seen, it reads "HOLLYHOOD".
  • HOLLOWOOD - In the Stone Sour video Made of Scars, the band are seen performing infront of the sign which says HOOLLOWOOD
  • FAR FAR AWAY - Shrek 2 movie.

Imitations

Mosgiel, New Zealand
Braşov, Romania

Numerous towns around the world have created their own signs that deliberately mimic the look of the Hollywood Sign:

Other Southern California cities have imitated the sign in some way. In Duarte, California the Duarte D can be seen off the 210 freeway. Next to Dodger Stadium is another imitation of the sign with the words "Think Blue". Rose Hills Memorial Park also has their own imitation of the sign far from the main cemetery. It is made from the same material as the real Hollywood sign, but glows pink in the evenings.

References

  1. ^ Renée Montagne (2002-10-28). "The Hollywood Sign". Present at the Creation. National Public Radio Crime Library. Retrieved 2006-09-20.
  2. ^ http://www.baycal.com
  3. ^ http://money.cnn.com/2005/11/17/news/newsmakers/hollywood_sign
  4. ^ Map of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua Mexico
  5. ^ Map of South San Francisco, California

34°8′02.77″N 118°19′18.10″W / 34.1341028°N 118.3216944°W / 34.1341028; -118.3216944

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