Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1950s
On a witch hunt for communists, the federal House Un-American Activit-
ies Committee investigates and blacklists many Hollywood actors, dir-
ectors and screenwriters, some of whom leave for Europe.
1975
The age of the modern blockbuster begins with the thriller
Jaws,
by a
young filmmaker named Steven Spielberg, whose later blockbusters in-
clude
ET
and
Jurassic Park
.
2001
In the Hollywood & Highland Complex on Hollywood Blvd, the new
Kodak (now Dolby) Theatre becomes the permanent home of the
Academy Awards ceremony.
The Industry
You might know it as TV and movie-making entertainment, but to Southern Californians
it's simply 'The Industry'. It all began in the humble orchards of Hollywoodland, a resid-
ential suburb of Los Angeles, where entrepreneurial moviemakers established studios in
the early 20th century. German-born Carl Laemmle opened Universal Studios in 1915,
selling lunch to curious guests who came to watch the magic of moviemaking. One year
earlier, Polish immigrant Samuel Goldwyn joined with Cecil B DeMille to form Para-
mount Studios. Jack Warner and his brothers, born to Polish parents, arrived a few years
later from Canada.
SoCal's perpetually balmy weather (over 315 days of sunshine per year) meant that
most outdoor scenes could be easily shot here, and moviemaking flourished in Los
Angeles. What's more, the proximity of the Mexican border enabled filmmakers to rush
their equipment to safety when challenged by the collection agents of patent holders such
