Hollywood Blog

The Hollywood Sign

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Image: paintsquare

The Hollywood Sign is an icon itself and is very much part of an industry that is largely known by the same name.  It signifies hope for many aspiring artists and serves as a welcome sign into the glamorous movie world.  It was never intended to serve the purpose which it has been serving for a  long time until the present and was initially installed by a real estate development as an advertisement as Hollywood Land.

The sign was not designed for long-term use and was created only with the intention of having it stand for about 18 months.  History decided that it will stand for many years to come.  It has since been repaired after suffering extensive damage and deterioration through works of man and nature.  Vandalism and natural reaction of elements necessitated a major restoration project for the famous sign.

The letters had to be replaced by steel for the intended permanent structure.  A different personality donated for each letter including Terrence Donnelly, Giovanni Mazza, Les Kelley, Gene Autry, Hugh Hefner, Andy Williams, Warner Bros. Records, Alice Cooper for Groucho Marx, and Thomas Pooley for Matthew Williams.  It is considered illegal to make alterations to the sign although there have been several instances when this was allowed.

The Hollywood Sign is considered a tourist attraction.  It is guarded by a security system to discourage vandals and other pranksters.  The sign was recently been spruced up by repainting to befit its status.  At least 275 gallons of paint have been used up plus 110 gallons of primer to finish the project.

Originally posted on December 31, 2012 @ 4:57 pm

Hollywood Sign: Hefner To The Rescue

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For some people, the Hollywood Sign is what will come to mind when this place is mentioned. Indeed, movies, print media, and television shows have immortalized this landmark more than anything else. And, for a lot of us, the loss of the Hollywood Sign is just unthinkable!

However, development has its price. The 138-acre (56-hectare) piece of land surrounding the ridge where the sign is located is supposed to be used by developers as an area for luxury homes. We know what this means: either the sign will be demolished or the astounding view will be marred by buildings and other construction. Either way, things will change – and probably not for the better.

Lucky for the world, billionaire Hugh Hefner has come to the rescue. He lent a helping hand to a conservation group that has been trying to raise enough funds to purchase the land. Their goal is to gain control of the land and turn it over to the city government so that the area can be incorporated into Griffith Park. This will ensure that any development will not endanger the Hollywood Sign.

So how much of a helping hand did Hefner give? A whopping $900,000! This amount has certainly helped the fundraising efforts greatly. They need $12.5 by the end of the work week, and it looks like they will reach their goal. This is not the first time that Hefner has helped save the sign, by the way.

Also worth mentioning are the other major players who have given their share in this effort: Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. With this combination, the Hollywood Sign is sure to be safe, right?

Originally posted on April 27, 2010 @ 3:31 am

HollywoodLand to Hollywood

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Original Hollywood Sign Bult in 1923Hollywood is synonymous to the entertainment industry and the stars that have shaped the glamorous it made it into the tinseltown everyone loves. To represent the glamour of Hollywood is the world famous sign HOLLYWOOD that can be spied from quite a distance not just across the city but continents away thanks to the numerous films the sign appears in! However, did you know that the original HOLLYWOOD sign actually read HOLLYWOODLAND?

The first HOLLYWOODLAND “billboard” was put up by Los Angeles Times Publisher Harry Chandler in 1923 to advertise his upscale real estate development. The huge billboard was lit up at night and blinked one syllable/word after the next ending with a huge dot/period. The sign was supposed to last only for about 6 months but was such a huge hit and came to embody the spirit of the whole city that it was maintained with great care until the depression hit and the real estate company went under in 1944.

In 1949 the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce took pity on the neglected sign and got it to look more like the sign we now know by shortening the word to denote just eh city and not the real estate company as well as doing necessary repairs to give the sign a badly needed face lift. During the 1970s the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce decided that it was time to say goodbye to the decades old sign and build a new one. They had a hard time raising the amount needed to build the new sign ($.025 million!) until Hugh Hefner (yes Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner) came to the rescue by holding an gala to auction of each letter and the new sign was torn down and rebuilt by 1978.

Nowadays the sign, with all the prestige and history attached to it, lacks no sponsors when it needs a little facelift. In 1995 it got a new coat of paint thanks to Dutch Boy Paints. In 2000 it went hi-tech and was installed with a security system. In 2005 the security system was upgraded. And in 2005, a year after its 80th birthday it got another fresh coat of paint. Whatever happens, it seems that we’ll be seeing that HOLLYWOOD sign for a long long time. And that it a good thing….

Originally posted on May 17, 2008 @ 11:17 pm

The birth of the Hollywood sign

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Hollywood sign

Before the studios and the stars, Hollywood was pastureland — dotted by citrus groves, barns, and large herds of cows (and the occassional camel). That all changed in the 1920’s. The film industry had boomed, and the large barns were easily converted into studios. Real estate companies tried to take advantage of the sudden growth, and one erected a very large (and at that time considered very tacky) ad: the word “Hollywood” displayed on the hills.

The movie industry survived the Great Depression and two world wars, but the sign barely did. In 1976 some very bored truants manipulated it to read “Hollyweed”. Two years later, another group edited it to “Holywood” (because of a visit by Pope John Paul). In the 80s, during the Iran contra scandal, it was once again vandalized into “Ollywood”.

The sign was falling apart, sparking a community-wide “Save the Sign” campaign. About $250,000 was raised — and now, it stands proud.

Originally posted on November 3, 2007 @ 4:41 pm