Hollywood Studio Magazine (1978)

ee | HOLLYWOODS FAMOUS LANDMARKS Hollywood has often been called the world’s most glamorous city because the magic of the motion pictures created here has enlivened the dreams of people everywhere. Implanted in the public eye in the 1920s as a land of milk and honey, of big money and small passions, its image altered little till the arrival of the era of Television, and international production, deprived it of much of its magic. It has not lost all of that magic yet, nor will it yet awhile. Lacking a satisfactory equivalent elsewhere, the land of the beautiful people, still attracts millions each year with many of its famous landmarks still intact. The Hollywood leaders are now pouring millions of dollars into a fabulous program of redevelopment that portends to restore the eminence it enjoyed when every corner was a location for a camera crew. THE HOLLYWOOD LANDMARK, four story-high sign announces to tourists that they are in the movie capital of the world. The gargantuan HOLLYWOOD sign was built in 1923 at a cost of $21,000 on land once owned by Mack Sennett. At night the brilliant HOLLYWOODLAND sight could be seen for miles, attracting countless tourists and local residents. To many, Hollywood signified the highest hopes, the ultimate attainment. But to 24-year-old Peg Entwhistle, a Broadway actress, it spelled only shattered hopes, defeat and despair after only one film, “Thirteen Women.” Misfortune and trouble haunted her steps and in September, 1932 she climbed to the top of the glittering litter ““H” that had grimly mocked her for months and jumped to her death 50 feet below. The LAND was gone by the late 1930s when maintenance of the sign was discontinued. The sign was vandalized over the years. But in 1973 the HOLLYWOOD sign was declared a HistoricCultural Monument and a massive restoration was completed. Once tourists arrive, they find there is more to see than the stars set in the Walk of Fame sidewalks of Hollywood Boulevard. Upon completion of construction in June, 1961 dedication ceremonies were conducted at Hollywood & Highland where notables’ Olive Borden, Ronald Colman, Louise Fazenda and Burt Lancaster were installed. The walk contains 2,518 bronze stars embedded in charcoal terazzo squares, each one with its distinctive emblem identifying the category in which the recipient is being honored. You might remember when Marian Martin’s ‘Star’ was to be moved from the front of the Chinese Theatre to make room for Barbra Streisand’s ‘“‘star” to consign with her STAR IS BORN release—Martin’s “star” stayed. LaStreisand is yet to be walked upon. THE WALK OF FAME with Marilyn Monroe & Jane Russell placing their famous hand prints & signatures in cement. THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL The Hollywood Bowl occupies a natural amphitheater in the foothills in summer with everything from opera to rock concerts. Across the pass on the opposite side of the freeway from the Bowl, The Pilgrimage Play, the story of Christ, has been reverently and beautifully enacted each summer since 1920. Over at the Universal Amphitheatre, set for the 77 season is an impressive list of superstars, including the incomparable Kris Kristofferson. Very beautiful, too, is. the Greek Theatre with its rustic charm of Griffith Park making an ideal setting for a summer of outstanding outdoor entertainment. Each season has something for every musical taste. If your a James Dean fan, you might want to see the Griffith Park Observatory Planetarium where key scenes from “Rebel Without a Cause” were filmed.