Interesting Facts about Hollywood

Hollywood is one of the districts of Los Angeles, California. It is identified as one of the most happening places in world. Hollywood is the metonym for the motion picture industry of the United States. The nickname of the Hollywood is "Tinseltown". In February 2006, Goldberg and Koretz, the Assembly members introduced a bill to specify the geographical boundaries of Hollywood. Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and the City Council of LA supported this bill and on August 28,2006, this bill was approved by the Governor of California.

The official borders of Hollywood are Beverly Hills on the east, Mulholland Drive, Laurel Canyon, Barham Boulevard and Cahuenga Boulevard on the south, Melrose Avenue on the north, Hyperion Avenue and the Golden State Freeway on the west. Chamber of Commerce, Hollywood, appointed an official who serves as "Honorary Mayor of Hollywood".

Historical Facts about Hollywood

In 1906, a streetcar line was constructed in the Hollywood district down the middle of "Sandy Road". This lane was known as the "Rose City Line". The establishment of the streetcar route facilitated the growth of the suburb of Hollywood.

In 1923, Harry Chandler, a real estate agent and investor built the famous Hollywood Sign to advertise the area "Hollywoodland". The total expense for this advertisement was $21,000. Initially, it was built to last only for eighteen months. However, as of today, the Hollywood Sign has lasted for eighty years.

In 1939, four thousand twenty-watt bulbs were put to illuminate the signboard and a caretaker was appointed to maintain the same. The part of land, which included the "Hollywood" sign, was sold to the city of LA.

In 1949, the alphabets "L, A, N & D" were removed. The board has read "HOLLYWOOD" ever since 1949.

The alphabets of the signboard began to fall down. To restore the same, in 1978 an auction of the alphabets was held by Hugh Hefner, founder of the magazine "Playboy". This auction was held for a period of three months. Alice Cooper, American rock singer, sponsored the alphabet "O". Gene Autry and Paul Williams sponsored the alphabets "L" and "W" respectively.

In 1995, a trust known as "Hollywood Sign Trust" was setup to maintain the Hollywood sign.

Theaters of Hollywood

Hollywood is known as the Cinema district of the United States. The reason is it houses many famous theaters and it is the home of many famous and popular film stars.

On May 1927, a Chinese theater known as "Grauman’s Chinese Theatre" was opened in Hollywood. It is one of the most popular and legendary theaters in the world. This Chinese theater is one of the major tourist attractions of the entertainment district. An attractive feature of this theater is its jade-green bronze roof, which is 90 feet high. Grauman’s Chinese Theatre houses many artifacts from China and is truly a Chinese landmark in Hollywood. One of the courts of the theater has the foot and hand prints of various Hollywood legends such as Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, John Wayne, Jack Nicholson and so on.

"El Capitan Theatre" hosts many live stage shows and world premieres of the movies. The Walt Disney Company and Pacific Theaters of Warner Brothers renovated it in 1989.

In November 2001, "Kodak Theatre" with the seating capacity of over 3000 was opened in the heart of Hollywood. This theater has become the first permanent location of the Academy Awards.

The other famous theatres include the "Egyptian Theatre" and "Pantages Theatre". These theaters run behind-the-scenes of movies and features dance performances and musical concerts.

Interesting Landmarks of Hollywood

Did you know C.C. Brown’s Ice Cream in Hollywood made hot fudge sundae?

Hollywood Hotel near Northwest Corner of Hollywood and Highland was the first hotel where the elite and movie stars of the yesteryear and those of today gather for lunch or dinner.

In 1920s, the Embassy Club located in Christie Realty building catered to the elite of the Hollywood.

Montmarte Café was the first nightclub of Hollywood. It is believed the actress Joan Crawford was discovered here.

One of the oldest restaurants favored by many in Hollywood is "Musso and Frank Grill". An oldest and the first tourist attraction of Hollywood is Paul DeLongpre Home.

"Capitol Records" is the world’s first circular office where the musical nights of The Beatles, Nat King Cole, The Beach Boys and Frank Sinatra were hosted.