Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
154
Grauman's is one of the world 's great movie palaces and one of H ollywood's finest
landmarks. The theater was opened in 1927 b y impr esario S id G rauman, a brilliant
promoter who's credited with originating the idea of the paparazzi-packed mo vie “pre-
miere.” Outrageously conceived, with both authentic and simulated Chinese embellish-
ments, Grauman's theater was designed to impress. Original Chinese heavenly doves top
the facade, and two of the theater 's columns once pr opped up a M ing dynasty temple.
The theatre is located at 6925 Hollywood Blvd. (btw. Highland and La Brea aves.), Hol-
lywood. Movie tickets cost $13. Call for & 323/464-8111 or go to www.manntheaters.
com/chinese for show times.
When the Hollywood honchos realized how limited the footprint space was at G rau-
man's Chinese Theatre, they came up with another way to pay tribute to the stars: The
Hollywood Walk of F ame , located on H ollywood Boulev ard betw een G ower
Street and La Brea Avenue and Vine Street between Yucca Street and Sunset Boulevard.
Since 1960, mor e than 2,200 celebrities hav e been honor ed along the world 's most
famous sidewalk. Each bronze medallion, set into the center of a terrazzo star, pays hom-
age to a famous television, film, radio, theater, or recording personality. Although about
a third of them are now obscure—their fame simply hasn't withstood the test of time—
millions of visitors are thrilled by the sight of famous names like James Dean (1719 Vine
St.), John Lennon (1750 Vine St.), Marlon Brando (1765 Vine St.), Rudolph Valen-
tino (6164 Hollywood Blvd.), Marilyn Monroe (6744 Hollywood Blvd.), Elvis Presley
(6777 H ollywood B lvd.), Greta G arbo (6901 H ollywood B lvd.), Louis Ar mstrong
(7000 Hollywood Blvd.), Barbra Streisand (6925 Hollywood Blvd.), and Eddie Mur-
phy (7000 H ollywood B lvd.). Gene Autry is all o ver the place: The singing co wboy
earned five different stars (a sidewalk record), one in each categor y.
The sight of bikers, metalheads, homeless wander ers, and hordes of disoriented tour-
ists all tr eading on memorials to H ollywood's greats makes for a bizarr e and some what
tacky tribute. But the Hollywood Chamber of Commer ce has been doing a terrific job
sprucing up the pedestrian experience with filmstrip cr osswalks, swaying palms, and
more. And at least 1 weekend a month, a group of fans calling themselves Star Polishers
busy themselves scrubbing tarnished medallions.
The legendary sidewalk is continually adding ne w names, such as Muhammad Ali in
front of the K odak Theatre. The public is invited to attend dedication cer emonies; the
honoree—who pays a whopping $15,000 for the eternal upkeep—is usually in atten-
dance. Contact the Hollywood Chamber of Commer ce, 6255 Sunset Blvd., Ste. 911,
Hollywood, CA 90028 ( & 323/469-8311; www.hollywoodchamber.net), for informa-
tion on who's being honored this week.
Yet another Hollywood icon, the famous 50-foot-high white sheet-metal letters of the
HOLLY WOOD sign have come to symbolize the movie industry and the city itself. The
sign was er ected on M ount Lee in 1923 as an adv ertisement for a r eal-estate develop-
ment. The full text originally r ead holl ywoodl and and was lined with thousands of
20-watt bulbs around the letters (changed periodically by a caretaker who lived in a small
house behind the sign). The sign gained dubious notoriety when actr ess Peg Entwistle
leapt to her death from the “H” in 1932. The l and section was damaged b y a landslide,
and the entire sign fell into major disrepair until the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce
spearheaded a campaign to repair it (Hugh Hefner, Alice Cooper, Gene Autry, and Andy
Williams were all major contributors). O fficially completed in 1978, the 450-foot-long
installation is no w pr otected b y a fence and motion detectors. The best vie w is fr om
down below, at the corner of S unset Boulevard and B ronson Avenue. Tip: It may look
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