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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.
Location within Los Angeles
Location within Los Angeles
Location within Los Angeles
General information
LocationHollywood, Los Angeles, California
CountryUnited States
Construction started1923
Completed1923
ClientWoodruff and Shoults (Hollywoodland)
Technical details
Structural systemWood and sheet metal (1923–1978)
Steel (1978–present)
Size45 ft (13.7 m) tall, 350 ft (106.7 m) long
Original: 50 ft (15.2 m) tall
Design and construction
Architect(s)Thomas Fisk Goff

The Hollywood Sign is a famous landmark in the Hollywood Hills area of Mount Lee, Santa Monica Mountains, in Los Angeles, California. The iconic sign spells out the name of the area in 45-foot-tall (14 m)[1] and 350-foot-long (110 m) white letters. It was created as an advertisement in 1923, but garnered increasing recognition after the sign was left up.[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, as in the photo to the right, the letters appear level.

The sign makes frequent appearances in popular culture, particularly in establishing shots for films and television programs set in or around Hollywood, furnished the title for the film The Hollywood Sign,[3] 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 was first erected in 1923 and originally read "HOLLYWOODLAND". Its purpose was to advertise the name of 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 newspaper, that the land syndicate in which he was involved make a similar sign to advertise their land. [4] 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".[5] (An unrelated film named Hollywoodland was made in 2006.[6])

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 feet (9.1 m) wide and 50 feet (15 m) high, and was studded with some 4,000 light bulbs. The sign was officially dedicated on July 13, 1923. It was not intended to be permanent. Restoration company Bay Cal Painting says on its website that the 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.[7]

Deterioration

In the 1970s, the sign reached its most dilapidated state.

Over the course of more than half a century, the sign, which was originally meant to be temporary, sustained a wide array of damage and deterioration.

During the early 1940s, Albert Kothe (the sign's official caretaker) caused an accident that destroyed the letter H,[8] as seen in many historical pictures. Kothe, driving while inebriated, was nearing the top of Mount Lee when he lost control of his 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.[9] 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 sign's unprotected wood and sheet metal structure continued to deteriorate. Eventually the first O splintered and broke, resembling a lowercase u, and the third O fell down completely, leaving the severely dilapidated sign reading "HuLLYWO D".

Restoration

The sign from the Hollywood Hills.

In 1978, in large part because of 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 US$27,700 each (totaling US$249,300) to sponsor replacement letters made of steel, guaranteed to last for many years (see Donors section below).[citation needed]

The new letters were 45 feet (14 m) tall and ranged from 31 to 39 feet (9.4 to 11.9 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.[citation needed]

Refurbishment, donated by Bay Cal Commercial Painting,[10] 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.[11] Bliss sold the sign to artist Bill Mack.

Donors

The letters on the sign today are 5 ft (1.52 m) shorter than the original

Following the 1978 public campaign to restore the sign, the following nine donors gave $27,777 each (which totaled $250,000):

Location

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.

The sign is located on rough, steep terrain, and is encompassed by barriers to prevent unauthorized access. In 2000, the Los Angeles Police Department installed a security system featuring motion detection and closed-circuit cameras. Any movement in the marked restricted areas triggers an alarm that notifies the police.[12]

Surrounding land

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,[13] 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. These owners are also interested in building four luxury mansions along the ridgeline.[14] As a result, the City of Los Angeles considered buying the property, possibly by raising money from celebrities as was done for the 1978 restoration.[15]

Environmentalists and preservationists were also concerned about the possible real estate development in the area. On February 11, 2010, as part of a campaign to help raise money to buy and protect the 138 acres next to the sign, The Trust for Public Land, with the full blessing of both the city and the Hollywood Sign Trust, covered the sign with a large banner reading "SAVE THE PEAK".[16][14] By April 26, The Trust for Public Land announced it had raised enough money, with Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner stepping forward to donate the final $900,000 toward the total $12.5 million needed.[13][17]

Alterations

It is illegal to make unauthorized physical 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. Among the more famous modifications:

  • HOLLYWeeD – January 1976, following the passage of a state law decriminalizing marijuana.[18]
  • HOLY WOOD - 1978 the second L was covered for Pope John Paul II when he visited.[19]
  • HOLYWOOD – April 1977, for Easter sunrise service, viewable from the Hollywood Bowl.[18]
  • FOX - April 1987, for the promotion of the network.
  • OLLYWOOD – July 1987, during the Iran-Contra hearings.[18]
  • 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,[20][21] who picketed the unveiling of the altered sign.[22]
  • OIL WAR – 1991, for the Gulf War.[18]
  • 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.
  • CALTECH – 2003, on Hollywood's centennial (of its incorporation as a municipality), also one of Caltech's many senior pranks [23]
  • SAVE THE PEAK - February 11, 2010, the original letters were covered with a large banner reading "SAVE THE PEAK", part of a campaign by The Trust for Public Land to protect the land around the Hollywood Sign from real estate development (see above).[16]
  • GO NAVY for a football game, JOLLY WOOD for an airline and RAFFEYSOD for an obscure rock band - dates unknown.[24]

Imitations

Mosgiel, New Zealand.
Râşnov, Romania.
Saint John, New Brunwsick, Canada.
Think Blue sign in the mountains north of Dodger Stadium.
South San Francisco The Industrial City
Mutanj,[25] a village in Serbia (population: 104).

Cities

Other areas

Other cities have imitated the sign in some way.

  • A "Hollinwood" sign was erected in Hollinwood, which is near Manchester in the United Kingdom, to celebrate the city's twinning with Los Angeles. The sign was erected during the night and then taken down by the Highway agency, as the sign was considered a distraction.[30]
  • In March 2010, it was announced that the Wellington Airport in New Zealand would erect a WELLYWOOD sign on the hillside of the Mirimar Peninsula. This was to reflect the film-making community in Wellington, notably Weta Digital which produced effects for Lord of the Rings, King Kong and Avatar. Wellington mayor Kerry Prendergast felt confident in proceeding with the production of the sign, having been given the blessing of Weta's Sir Peter Jackson and Richard Taylor despite the proposed sign's widespread unpopularity with local residents. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce immediately asserted trademark rights over the name or variations, and the matter is currently in the hands of lawyers.
  • Basildon, in Essex, England, erected its own 'Hollywood' style sign in March 2010. It is on a hill near the turnoff for Basildon on the A127. It stands at 5 ft high and is part of a £400,000 project to spruce up the town. The Festival Leisure Park in Basildon is also sometimes referred to as Bas Vegas due to its nightclubs, hotels and restaurants, although there are no casinos.
  • In 2010 Paddy Power, a large Irish betting company, erected a 270 ft wide and 50 ft high 'Hollywood' style sign reading "Paddy Power" on Cleeve Hill, in the regency town of Cheltenham, as part of a publicity campaign for Cheltenham Festival. It became the world's largest free-standing sign of its kind.[31]
  • The neighborhood of Caurimare, in southeast Caracas, has a Caurimare sign.[32]

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce claims trademark rights over the sign's image and demands license fees for commercial use.[33] In several films and television shows, the Hollywood Sign is seen getting 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 disaster movies to increase the drama and excitement. Examples include:

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. ^ The Hollywood Sign at IMDb
  4. ^ The Father of Hollywood by Gaelyn Keith (2006)
  5. ^ Williams, Gregory. "The Story of Hollywoodland". Beachwood Canyon Neighborhood Association. Retrieved 2010-04-27. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ http://www.hollywoodland.com Official film site
  7. ^ "Suicide Laid To Film Jinx". Los Angeles Times. 1932-09-20. pp. A1.
  8. ^ Long, Raphael F. (Summer 2006). "Tommy Lee and the Hollywoodland Sign" (PDF). Beachwood Voice. 9 (2): 10–11. Retrieved 2010-04-30. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  9. ^ "The Hollywood Sign, Present at the Creation". NPR. 28 October 2002.
  10. ^ "Hollywood Sign Restoration Project 2005". Bay Cal Painting. Retrieved 2008-01-01.
  11. ^ Jessica Seid (2005-11-17). "Buy a piece of HOLLYWOOD". CNN.
  12. ^ "Hollywood Sign". Hollywood Sign Trust. 2009-08-02. Retrieved 2009-08-02.
  13. ^ a b "Hugh Hefner is Final Donor, Land Around Hollywood Sign Saved". Save Cahuenga Peak. The Trust for Public Land. 2010-04-26. Retrieved 2010-04-27. Archived version April 27, 2010
  14. ^ a b "Preservation campaigners cover Hollywood sign". KABC-TV. February 11, 2010. Retrieved March 2, 2010.
  15. ^ Associated Press (17 April 2008). "Chicago investors' sale puts famous Hollywood sign in jeopardy, residents say". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2008-04-17.
  16. ^ a b "Behind the Sign: The Great Cover-Up". Save Cahuenga Peak. February 2010.
  17. ^ "Original Benefactor Hugh Hefner Returns as Final Donor to Save Land Surrounding Hollywood Sign". Hollywood Sign Trust, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, and City of Los Angeles. 2010-04-26. Retrieved 2010-04-27. Archived version April 27, 2010
  18. ^ a b c d Nelson, Valerie J. (January 28, 2009). "Danny Finegood, who found fame with "Hollyweed" stunt, dies at age 52". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
  19. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2004/jun/11/
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ Associated Press (July 7, 1992). "Cartoon Character Opens Landmark Rift". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
  22. ^ Chazanov, Mathis (July 7, 1992). "'D' as in Disagreement Cartoon Character Atop Landmark Sign Sets Off Protests". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
  23. ^ Laura Fitzpatrick (November 2008). "Nerd Humor Meets California Landmark". Time Inc. Retrieved 2008-11-24.
  24. ^ Los Angeles Times (22 September 1990). "Hollywood Sign Gets New Look--Briefly". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-03-20.
  25. ^ Glas Javnosti: Holivud na Rudniku
  26. ^ Map of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico
  27. ^ Ingvar Ericsson (22 September 2007). "Bygget av jätteskylten över Hammarstrand är i full gång" (in Swedish). Länstidningen.
  28. ^ Picture of Cullera, Spain
  29. ^ Tamara Race (May 23, 2008). "Iconic Hollywood Sign Comes East". The Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 2008-11-16.
  30. ^ Lashley, Brian (August 14, 2009). "Hollinwood sign mystery solved". Manchester Evening News. Manchester, England. Retrieved September 9, 2009. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  31. ^ The Guardian (Wednesday 17, 2010). "Upset racecourse officials with Hollywood-style sign stunt". {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  32. ^ Fundación para la Cultura Urbana (2010). "Valla de Caurimare, Protección de Espacios Urbanos".
  33. ^ "Licensing Inquiries". Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
  34. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319262/synopsis
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hollywood Sign.

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

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