The iconic word has loomed over Tinseltown since before movies began to be spoken, becoming a symbol of the entire film industry.
For the first time in decades, the iconic “Hollywood” sign (at least part of it) was illuminated on Friday to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the “Mecca of Cinema.”
The nine-letter sign is officially 100 years old but, as with many aging grande dames of the seventh art in Hollywood, it looks as fresh as ever.
Like the actors and actresses it observes from above, the sign has appeared in a good number of films and notable cinema events.
Directors who want their audience to know that a film is set in Los Angeles have an easy shot to fix, while a filmmaker who wants to depict the destruction of America can let his special effects team apply their imagination to the poster.
He has also witnessed a real-life tragedy: British actress Peg Entwistle took her own life by jumping from the top of the letter H in 1932.
Hooray for…real estate agents?
The sign, a must-see for any moviegoer or tourist visiting Los Angeles, initially read “HOLLYWOODLAND,” and was built in 1923 as an advertisement for a luxury real estate development.
For its first decade, it was routinely illuminated with thousands of light bulbs, with “HOLLY,” “WOOD,” and “LAND” illuminated in turn as a beacon to the desirable homes on offer below.
In the 1940s, the letters looked a little worn.
The Los Angeles Times reported that vandals or wind storms had damaged the letter H, before locals decided they had had enough and asked the city government to tear it down.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, recognizing that it had a successful brand on its hands, stepped in and offered to repair the sign.
But the last four letters had to go: the sign had to represent the entire city, not just a trendy parcel of land, and by 1949, the newly restored sign simply read “HOLLYWOOD.”
Kind donors
Three decades of scorching sun and occasional storms took their toll on the famous 15-meter-high wooden letters.
Finally, the first O was reduced to a lowercase “u” and the final O collapsed completely.
It is then that the singer Alice Cooper appears, the annoying father of the so-called “shock rock”, who led a campaign to restore the sign to its former glory. So, he ended up donating $28,000.
Eight other entertainment personalities, including actor Gene Autry, the founder of the adult magazine Playboy, Hugh Hefner, and the singer Andy Williams, did the same and each sponsored a letter.
Thus, Cooper ended up sponsoring the first O, Autry got the second L, Hefner got the Y and Williams was assigned the W.
The replacement letters are a little more compact, only about 13.5 meters high, but are made of steel, although they are still characteristically untidy.
The Hollywood Sign Trust newspaper said last year that the repainting it carried out in time for the centenary used almost 1,500 liters of paint and primer.
Friday night’s illumination was purely symbolic, said Hollywood Sign Trust president Jeff Zarrinnam, with only a small stretch of the second L breaking through the gloom.
Unlike most landmarks around the world, the Hollywood sign is not typically illuminated at night, in part due to objections from people who live nearby.
But, Zarrinnam said, it could soon begin to shine again.
“What we are working on is a plan to illuminate the sign on very special occasions,” he said.
“We have some very important sporting events coming up in Los Angeles, like the FIFA World Cup, we have the Olympic Games (in 2028), so those are the types of events where we would probably want to light up the Hollywood sign in the future,” Zarrinnam stressed.
FUENTE: AFP
