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The Hollywood Sign is a famous landmark in the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles, California, spelling out the name of the area in 50 feet (15 m)[1] high white letters. It was created as an advertisement in 1923, but garnered increasing recognition after its initial purpose had been fulfilled.[2] The sign was a frequent target of pranks and vandalism but has since undergone restoration, including a security system to deter vandalism. The sign is protected and promoted by the Hollywood Sign Trust, a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to physically maintain, repair and secure the sign, to educate the world about its historical and cultural importance, and to raise the funds necessary to accomplish these projects. From the ground, the contours of the hills give the sign its well-known "wavy" appearance. When observed at a comparable altitude, the letters appear straight-across. The sign makes frequent appearances in popular culture, particularly in establishing shots for films and television programs set in or around Hollywood, and for example in the background of the current CGI fanfare logo of 20th Century Fox. Signs of similar style, but spelling different words, are frequently seen as parodies.
[edit] HistoryThe sign originally read "HOLLYWOODLAND", and its purpose was to advertise a new housing development in the hills above the Hollywood district of Los Angeles. H.J. Whitley had already used a sign to advertise his development Whitley Heights, which was located between Highland Avenue and Vine Avenue. He suggested to his friend Harry Chandler, the owner of the Los Angeles Times, that the land syndicate in which he was involved make a similar sign to advertise their land. Real estate developers Woodruff and Shoults called their development "Hollywoodland" and advertised it as a "superb environment without excessive cost on the Hollywood side of the hills." (A movie named Hollywoodland was made in 2006.) They contracted the Crescent Sign Company to erect thirteen letters on the hillside, each facing south. The sign company owner, Thomas Fisk Goff (1890–1984) designed the sign. Each letter of the sign was 30 ft (9 m) wide and 50 ft (15 m) high, and was studded with some 4000 light bulbs. The sign was officially dedicated on July 13, 1923. It was not intended to be permanent. Some sources[who?] say its expected life was to be about a year and a half, but after the rise of the American cinema in Los Angeles it became an internationally recognized symbol, and was left there. It became so associated with Hollywood that in September 1932, actress Peg Entwistle committed suicide by jumping to her death from the letter "H", as she saw the sign as a symbol of the industry that had rejected her.[citation needed] [edit] DeteriorationOfficial maintenance of the sign ended in 1939, and it rapidly began to deteriorate. During the early 1940s, Albert Kothe (the sign's official caretaker) caused an accident that destroyed the letter H,[3] as seen in many historical pictures. Kothe was driving his car up to the top of Mount Lee drunk, lost control of the vehicle, and drove off the cliff behind the H. While Kothe was not injured, the 1928 Ford Model A was destroyed, as was the letter. In 1949, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce began a contract with the City of Los Angeles Parks Department to repair and rebuild the sign. The contract stipulated that "LAND" be removed to spell "Hollywood" and reflect the city, not the "Hollywoodland" housing development.[4] The Parks Department dictated that all subsequent illumination would be at the cost of the Chamber, so the Chamber opted not to replace the light bulbs. The 1949 effort gave it new life, but the wooden and sheet metal sign continued to deteriorate in the open air of the Hollywood Hills. Eventually the first O splintered and broke off, resembling a lowercase u, and the third O fell down completely, leaving the severely dilapidated sign reading "HuLLYWO D". 
In 1978, due in large part to the public campaign to restore the landmark by shock rocker Alice Cooper (who donated the missing O), the Chamber set out to replace the intensely deteriorated sign with a more permanent structure. Nine donors gave $27,777 each (totaling $250,000) to sponsor replacement letters made of Australian steel, guaranteed to last for many years (see Donors section below). The new letters were 45 ft (13.7 m) high and ranged from 31 to 39 ft (9.3 to 11.8 m) wide. The new version of the sign was unveiled on Hollywood's 75th anniversary, November 14, 1978, before a live television audience of 60 million people. Refurbishment, donated by Bay Cal Commercial Painting,[5] began again in November 2005, as workers stripped the letters back to their metal base and repainted them white. Also in 2005, the original 1923 sign was put up for sale on eBay by producer/entrepreneur Dan Bliss.[6] Bliss sold the sign to artist Bill Mack. [edit] Donors
[edit] Location
The sign is located on the southern side of Mount Lee in Griffith Park, north of the Mulholland Highway. A good viewpoint within 100 yards of the sign can be reached by driving north up Gower Street from Hollywood Boulevard and then north along Beachwood Drive. In 2000, the Los Angeles Police Department installed a security system featuring motion detection and closed-circuit cameras. Movement any closer than 50 yards activates an alarm, and the police are called.
[edit] Alterations
It is illegal to make unauthorized alterations to the sign. Although the city has occasionally allowed it in the past for commercial purposes, current policy does not permit changes to be made. This is largely due to neighborhood opposition and to past accidents. However, the sign has been unofficially altered a number of times, often eliciting a great deal of attention. Some of the more famous modifications have included: 
[edit] Imitations
Numerous towns around the world have created their own signs that deliberately mimic the look of the Hollywood Sign:
Other Southern California cities have imitated the sign in some way. In Duarte, California, the Duarte D can be seen from Interstate 210. A sign next to Dodger Stadium features the words "THINK BLUE". Rose Hills Memorial Park has a sign with the words "ROSE HILLS". It glows neon pink in the evening. In Riverside, CA and Moreno Valley, CA, there are letters on each side of Box Springs Mountain - a "C" on the west-facing side, facing towards Riverside, and an "M" on the east-facing side, facing towards Moreno Valley. The sign has been replicated on the side of a small hill next to the bar Legends on Bradford Road in Batley, West Yorkshire, England. The logo of the video rental chain Hollywood Video incorporates an artistic rendering of the sign. The campus of Loyola Marymount University has its acronym (LMU) displayed on a hill looking down the Playa Vista and Marina Del Rey neighborhoods. A sign in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas reads "Vinewood". "Vinewood" in San Andreas is the in-game replica of Hollywood, where in-game movies were made. The cover for the album Toxicity by System of a Down features cover art depicting the sign spelling out the band's name. Presumably as a version of the famous letters, there is a large W on a hill in the town of Winnemucca, Nevada. [edit] References
[edit] External links
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