Hollywood Turns One Hundred

"Hollywood is a place where they'll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul." ~ Marilyn Monroe

I’ve lived in Los Angeles for forty plus years. I might be infected with wanderlust but the familiar Hollywood sign visible from the Hollywood (101) freeway and the view of the San Fernando Valley at night from the top of the hill on the San Diego (405) freeway spell the comfort of home to me.

In today’s social media crazy world, the Hollywood sign is one of the most Instagrammable sights in Los Angeles. Did you know that the sign was erected a 100 years ago? Not only is the famous Hollywood sign turning a 100 but so are a lot of Hollywood mainstays and surprisingly I found as I drove up the coast this weekend that Carmel by the Sea is also turning a 100 this year.

So, for a brief history lesson: the sign was erected in July 1923 as a real estate billboard advertising a new neighborhood called Hollywood Land. This was a sign intended to be lit up at night and so it was covered in thousands of lightbulbs. A person was hired specifically to live in a shack by the sign and change out the burned-out lightbulbs.

Only intended to last about eighteen months originally, the sign has received several makeovers including some Botox shots and total plastic surgery such that it is now made of giant steel letters sunk into a concrete foundation that will allow it last at least another 100 years or more. Oh, and they dropped the land from the end of the sign during this restoration.

The land the sign originally stands on was owned by Howard Hughes who potentially wanted to build a castle here perhaps in competition with his great friend Randolph Hearst. Of course, he did not build his castle but nor did he deed the land to the local chamber of commerce. They had to figure out a way to buy the land from his estate.

The restoration of the sign and the purchase of the land to make it a part of the Griffith Park area was achieved through fund raising activities and the sponsorship of notable Hollywood greats such as Warner Brothers and Hugh Hefner among others.

One of the less busy but most beautiful viewpoints (at least in my opinion) is the Hollywood reservoir and Mulholland dam area. Work on the dam was begun in August of 1923 so this area is also coming on its own hundredth birthday.

Getting here takes some navigating along narrow streets lined with beautiful homes but when you make it here there is parking and a 3.5-mile hiking trail.

Rest assured you don’t have to do the hike to take some fabulous pictures of the iconic sign. Just walk from your parked car through the gates and up onto the bridge for some wonderful views of the sign, a panorama of Hollwood and the reservoir.

It was pretty empty on the weekday morning that I came up here. Just a handful of tourists taking pictures but a lot of what appeared to be locals hiking or walking with baby carriages.

I exited on Cahuenga Blvd off the 101 freeway and followed the directions to 6381 - 6399 Weidlake Drive. When your navigation tells you that have arrived just drive a little further to the trailhead parking.

The narrow winding roads that you take to get here have some beautiful homes with colorful bougainvillea and other flowers. There was a point where there was a few parked cars and a postman on his rounds coming from the opposite direction and one of us had to reverse so we could pass each other.

For more close-up views and easier access but a more crowded spot try the Lake Hollywood Dog Park. I found a lot of tourists and perhaps some locals with their dogs here even on a weekday morning. I ended up parking down the street a bit and walking up a steep road about 500 feet or so to the dog park.

There is another park a bit further up which you can also walk to or if you’re lucky you can score parking between the two parks for an easier time.

Here it is much more commercialized, vendors selling drinks and fruit cups do brisk business and I even saw some people picnicking out of the back of their trucks and SUVs.

The Griffith Park Observatory is worth a visit all on its own and not just for the distant view of the Hollywood sign. There is a hiking trail that goes from here to the back of the sign, but my understanding is that it is steep and definitely not my cup of tea so needless to say I did not brave the trail and cannot tell you much more about it.

Another local icon that just celebrated its centennial birthday is the Hollywood Bowl. Summer concerts at the bowl particularly the LA Philharmonic with fireworks are my jam.

The Hollywood sign in the distance is just the cherry on top and not the reason why people go to the bowl of course.

Tourists flock to see the famous Hollywood Boulevard to see the heart of Hollywood and the walk of fame. It is very easy to incorporate a photo opportunity against the Hollywood sign in this visit by visiting the lookout terraces at the Hollywood and Highland outdoor shopping center.

If you’re not taking the metro, it is very convenient and safe to park in the Loews Hollywood hotel and take the escalators up to the dining and shopping complex or step out onto Hollywood Blvd.

How could I play tourist and not visit the Mann’s Chinese Theater and Hollywood Boulevard and its walk of fame celebrating Hollywood Royalty.

Did you know that the origin of the footprints and handprints in front of the Mann’s Chinese Theater was an accident when Grauman supposedly stepped into the wet concrete and then signed his name with a nail. After that this became a feature and regular ceremonies were performed to immortalize the actors of the times.

An actor knows they have made it in Hollywood when they are awarded the iconic star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Of course, here you can stop and admire the who’s who of Hollywood, but Ryan Seacrest, TV and radio host’s star caught my eye as I recalled the recent news flash that he is going to move on to host the Wheel of Fortune in 2024.

I thoroughly enjoyed not just my walk along the Hollywood Walk of Fame but my own walk down memory lane this morning.

Once upon a time, in a galaxy far far away, I served my time in tinsel town working at several of the movie studios. As I walked along Hollywood Blvd, I recalled fond memories of a time when I had my brush with Harrison Ford during the filming of Clear and Present Danger at Paramount Pictures.

First of all, let me tell you I am terrible at face name recognition, and I am even worse at recognizing actors etc. When we crossed paths, I thought he looked familiar and in my friendly way I said hello. To his credit he paused a moment probably blinked and said hello in return. It was later that my appalled friend who was with me told me who he was.

Amoeba Music one of the world’s largest independently owned music outlets in the world has moved from its location on Sunset to Hollywood Boulevard.

If you are into Music and/or still like vinyl and other medium long forgotten this is the place to go to buy or sell.

Another Hollywood landmark is the Capital Records building that looks like an old-fashioned record player, located at Hollywood and Vine near the Pantages Theater.

While a lot of Hollywood is celebrating its centennial birthday, Madame Tussaud’s is a new but popular cornerstone on Hollywod Boulevard.

Happy Birthday Hollywood! I know that I won’t be around for the next centenary, but I am confident that one of descendants will inherit my wanderlust and hopefully write a post about your 200th birthday.