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Hollywood Sign

Coordinates: 34°8′02.77″N 118°19′18.10″W / 34.1341028°N 118.3216944°W / 34.1341028; -118.3216944
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Hollywood Sign
The Hollywood Sign as it appears today.
Map
General information
Town or cityLos Angeles, California
CountryUnited States
Construction started1923
Completed1923
ClientWoodruff and Shoults (Hollywoodland)
Technical details
Structural systemWood and sheet metal (1923–1978)
Steel (1978–present)
Size45' high; about 200' long
Design and construction
Architect(s)Thomas Fisk Goff

The Hollywood Sign is a famous landmark in the Hollywood Hills area of Mount Lee in Los Angeles, California, spelling out the name of the area in 50 feet (15 m)[1] high white letters. It was created as an advertisement in 1923, but garnered increasing recognition after its initial purpose had been fulfilled.[2] The sign was a frequent target of pranks and vandalism but has since undergone restoration, including a security system to deter vandalism. The sign is protected and promoted by the Hollywood Sign Trust, a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to physically maintain, repair and secure the sign, to educate the world about its historical and cultural importance, and to raise the funds necessary to accomplish these projects.

From the ground, the contours of the hills give the sign its well-known "wavy" appearance. When observed at a comparable altitude, the letters appear straight-across.[citation needed]

The sign makes frequent appearances in popular culture, particularly in establishing shots for films and television programs set in or around Hollywood, and appears in the background of the current CGI fanfare logo of 20th Century Fox. Signs of similar style, but spelling different words, are frequently seen as parodies.

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 Avenue. He suggested to his friend Harry Chandler, the owner of the Los Angeles Times, that the land syndicate in which he was involved 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." (An unrelated film named Hollywoodland was made in 2006.)

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 30 ft (9 m) wide and 50 ft (15 m) 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[who?] 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 recognized symbol, and was left there.

In September 1932, Broadway actress Peg Entwistle, a resident of Beachwood Canyon, committed suicide by jumping to her death from the letter H.[3]

Deterioration

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

During the early 1940s, Albert Kothe (the sign's official caretaker) caused an accident that destroyed the letter H,[4] 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 drove off the cliff behind the H. While Kothe was not injured, the 1928 Ford Model A was destroyed, as was the letter.

In 1949, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce began a contract with the City of Los Angeles Parks Department to repair and rebuild the sign. The contract stipulated that "LAND" be removed to spell "Hollywood" and reflect the district, not the "Hollywoodland" housing development.[5] The Parks Department dictated that all subsequent illumination would be at the cost of the Chamber, so the Chamber 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, due in large part to the public campaign to restore the landmark by shock rocker Alice Cooper (who donated the missing O), the Chamber set out to replace the intensely deteriorated sign with a more permanent structure. Nine donors gave $27,777 each (totaling $250,000) to sponsor replacement letters made of steel, guaranteed to last for many years (see Donors section below).

The new letters were 45 ft (13.7 m) high and ranged from 31 to 39 ft (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, donated by Bay Cal Commercial Painting,[6] 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.[7] Bliss sold the sign to artist Bill Mack.

Donors

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

Following the 1978 public campaign to restore the sign, the following nine donors gave $27,777 each

Location

File:La 09 bg 052806.jpg
View from West Hollywood, near Santa Monica Boulevard a few blocks south of Hollywood Boulevard 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.

In 2000, the Los Angeles Police Department installed a security system featuring motion detection and closed-circuit cameras. Movement any closer than 50 yards activates an alarm which notifies the police.[citation needed]

Land in the vicinity of the sign remains privately owned. Much of it was owned by the estate of Howard Hughes, who had once planned a hilltop mansion at Cahuenga Peak; part of that tract was sold in 2002, and the new owners are interested in exploiting a route for a road to access the property granted in 1945 by the Los Angeles City Department of Water and Power. As a result, the city of Los Angeles is considering buying the property, possibly by raising money from celebrities as was done for the 1978 restoration.[8]

Alterations

It is illegal to make unauthorized 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, following the passage of a state law decriminalizing marijuana.
  • HOLLYWEED – December 1983, for the opening scene of the film Hollywood Hot Tubs.
  • HOLYWOOD – April 1977, for Easter sunrise service, viewable from the Hollywood Bowl.
  • 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 of the television network.
  • CALTECH – May 1987
  • OLLYWOOD – July 1987, during the Iran-Contra hearings.
  • HOLYWOOD – September 1987, for Pope John Paul II's arrival.
  • USCWOOD – 1987, for the annual USC-UCLA football game.
  • As part of a promotion for the 1992 film Cool World, a 75-foot-tall cutout of Holli Would was installed, appearing to sit on the sign. The alteration angered local residents,[9][10] who picketed the unveiling of the altered sign.[11]
  • OIL WAR – 1991, for the Gulf War.
  • PEROTWOOD – During the 1992 presidential election, showing support for candidate Ross Perot.
  • PINKYWOOD – for the 1992 Don Bluth film Rock-a-Doodle during a chase scene around the "Pinky Pictures" studio back lot.
  • GO UCLA – 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 1994 installation of a $100,000 security system featuring video surveillance and motion detection.
  • PEROTWOOD – During the 1996 presidential election in support of candidate Ross Perot.
  • JOLLYGOOD – When Virgin Atlantic began flying nonstop from LA to London.
  • On January 1, 2000, the sign was lit up in an array of flashing colors in celebration of the new millennium.
  • CALTECH – 2003, on Hollywood's centennial (of its incorporation as a municipality).[12]

Imitations

Cities

Mosgiel, New Zealand
Braşov, Romania
Think Blue sign in the mountains north of Dodger Stadium.

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

Other areas

Mutanj[15], a village in Serbia (population: 104).
  • Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier, California has a sign with the words "ROSE HILLS". It glows neon pink in the evening.
  • The logo of the video rental chain Hollywood Video incorporates an artistic rendering of the sign.
  • Presumably as a version of the famous letters, there is a large W on a hill in the town of Winnemucca, Nevada.
  • The cover of System of a Down's 2001 album Toxicity spells out the band's name in letters similar to that of the Hollywood Sign.

Use in films

In several movies the Hollywood Sign can be seen being damaged or destroyed from the events of a particular scene. It is an example of national landmarks being destroyed, a common feature seen in many movies to increase drama.

In The Day After Tomorrow film, a tornado is seen destroying the sign.[17]

In The Rocketeer, the villain crashes the rocket pack into the "LAND" part of the sign, changing it to "HOLLYWOOD".

See also

References

  1. ^ Renée Montagne (2002-10-28). "The Hollywood Sign". Present at the Creation. National Public Radio Crime Library. Retrieved 2006-09-20.
  2. ^ Hollywood Sign Trust (2005-05-19). "The Hollywood Sign" (PDF). A Beat-by-Beat Plotline. Hollywood Sign Trust. Retrieved 2007-08-12.
  3. ^ "Suicide Laid To Film Jinx". Los Angeles Times. 1932-09-20. pp. A1.
  4. ^ Summer 2006 edition of The Beachwood Voice
  5. ^ "The Hollywood Sign, Present at the Creation". NPR. October 28, 2002.
  6. ^ "Hollywood Sign Restoration Project 2005". Bay Cal Painting. Retrieved 2008-01-01.
  7. ^ Jessica Seid (2005-11-17). "Buy a piece of HOLLYWOOD". CNN.
  8. ^ Associated Press (April 17, 2008). "Chicago investors' sale puts famous Hollywood sign in jeopardy, residents say". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2008-04-17.
  9. ^ Schoch, Deborah (July 6, 1992). "Hollywood Residents Can't Shroud Anger Promotion: Paramount Pictures defends attaching a movie cartoon character to the famous sign. Citizens fear a tourist invasion and say that the landmark is being commercialized". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
  10. ^ Associated Press (July 7, 1992). "Cartoon Character Opens Landmark Rift". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
  11. ^ Chazanov, Mathis (July 7, 1992). "'D' as in Disagreement Cartoon Character Atop Landmark Sign Sets Off Protests". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
  12. ^ Laura Fitzpatrick (November 2008). "Nerd Humor Meets California Landmark". Time Inc. Retrieved 2008-11-24.
  13. ^ Map of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico
  14. ^ Ingvar Ericsson (22 September 2007). "Bygget av jätteskylten över Hammarstrand är i full gång" (in Swedish). Länstidningen.
  15. ^ Glas Javnosti: Holivud na Rudniku
  16. ^ Tamara Race (May 23, 2008). "Iconic Hollywood Sign Comes East". The Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 2008-11-16.
  17. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319262/synopsis

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

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