Hollywood-land of Opportunity

Source: theconversation.com

Hollywood-land of Opportunity

by SweisKloss
August 20, 2020

I recently had a conversation with a friend about what we missed the most during this pandemic, and without hesitation she replied, “Movie theaters. Settling in with a bag of popcorn and seeing a really good film on a giant screen. And we have so many great theaters in LA; I miss them. At least film production is slowly starting back up.” Los Angeles is where I go about my daily life so I sometimes forget that I live in a city known worldwide for being the hub and heart of the film industry. But this conversation got me thinking about our beloved Hollywood and the iconic sign that is recognized by pretty much everyone. Then I thought, how many people know the history behind it? What’s interesting is that the Hollywood sign was initially constructed in 1923 as an advertisement for a real estate development group. The sign originally read “Hollywoodland” and was built essentially as a temporary billboard to advertise for a new and exclusive housing development on the Hollywood side of the hills. Due to the fact that no one saw the sign as a permanent structure, it was made of thin sheet metal and tacked to telephone poles on a steep hill for good visibility. Each sign was 30 feet wide by 50 feet high and contained 4,000 light bulbs to illuminate it at night. By the 1940s, the sign had deteriorated so much that the city of LA considered it a hazard to public safety and was ready to tear it down. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce took over, made repairs, and dropped the “land” off the sign—a way to promote the city. The repairs weren’t enough to maintain the sign so in 1978 a committee led by Hugh Hefner and Alice Cooper raised money to properly rebuild the letters, around $27,000 each. The original sign was meant to be up for about 18 months, but here we are almost 100 years later with it still standing. Who would have thought that a real estate development ad would become the iconic symbol of entertainment that it is today. Hollywood, all of us—especially my movie-loving friend—eagerly await your return.