Beachwood Canyon Community
The Los Angeles community of Beachwood Canyon winds along Beachwood Drive from the Hollywood sign to Franklin Avenue. This canyon community was formerly known as Hollywoodland and is located just north of Hollywood . It is a cul-de-sac community that is often overlooked by visitors to the area.
The views from Beachwood Canyon have always been a big attraction. Coming down out of the canyon there are beautiful views that go from downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Ocean. Going north up the canyon along Beachwood Drive is the best place to get a great shot of the Hollywood sign that was originally used for promoting a real estate development called Hollywoodland. The easiest access to get within 300 feet of the sign is to go north up Gower Street to north on Beachwood Drive.
Horseback riding is a popular activity in the Beachwood Canyon community. The Sunset Ranch is available for horse boarding purposes. On Friday nights they offer a four hour tour through Griffith Park to the Viva Fresh Mexican Restaurant for margaritas and an inexpensive meal and then back to the stables. The Sunset Ranch calls this a sunset dinner ride. The way back to the stables is well lit by the moon and stars.
Hikers enjoy the six sets of stairs created in the 1920s by the Italian stonemasons who also built other stone elements in the canyons. One set of steps is even home to a cascading style pond. Residents of the Beachwood Canyon Community can often be found walking to Lake Hollywood.
The natural beauty of the cliffs and canyons in the Beachwood Canyon community are accented with oak trees and many other beautiful plants including poppies, sage, and eucalyptus. The canyons provide privacy for the residents making it seem like it is miles away from civilization, yet it is very convenient to downtown Los Angeles.
Beachwood Canyon community members have a strong sense of community. The most active organization is the Hollywoodland Homeowners’ Association. They put out a community newsletter that is delivered on foot by volunteers to the residents of the Beachwood Canyon community, called The Hollywoodlander. Other associations in the Beachwood Canyon community include the Neighborhood Association and the Hollywood United Neighborhood Council.
The commercial center in the middle of the community is still vibrant today. Offering shopping at boutiques, a market to buy groceries, and a drug store for your convenience. The Spanish style building fits right in with the other Mediterranean, English and French architecture of the residences in the area.
For anyone visiting the Beachwood Canyon community it is clear that this area is an area created by artists. Later additions of more modern homes like the cantilevered cliffhangers made it necessary for the area to put in place a Historic Preservation Overlay Zone that makes residences subject to a design review.
Visitors to the Beachwood Canyon community should be aware that at any given time along Beachwood Drive, they may find someone standing in the middle of the road to get a picture of the most notable landmark in the area, the Hollywood sign.
Hollywood Sign / Hollywoodland
The Hollywood Sign is a famous landmark in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, spelling out the name of the area in 50-foot[1] (15.2 m) high white letters. It was created as an advertisement in 1923, but garnered increased notoriety after its initial purpose had been fulfilled. The sign is a frequent target of pranks and vandalism, and has undergone periodic restoration over the years. The sign is now a registered trademark and cannot be used without the permission of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which also manages the Walk of Fame.
History:
The 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. He suggested to his friend Harry Chandler, the owner of the Los Angeles Times, that a land syndicate he was involved in 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."
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 feet (9 m) wide and 50 feet (15 m) high, and was studded with light bulbs. The sign was officially dedicated on July 13, 1923. It was not intended to be permanent. Some sources say its expected life was to be about a year and a half. In September of 1932, actress Peg Entwistle committed suicide by jumping to her death from the letter "H."
Official maintenance of the sign ended in 1939 and it rapidly began to deteriorate.
According to the summer 2006 edition of "The Beachwood Voice," during the early 1940´s, Albert Kothe (the sign´s official caretaker) caused an accident that destroyed the letter "H," as seen in many historical pictures. This established a contrary notion to the story that the consonant was beaten down by the weather. On page 10, it was published that Kothe, on a drunk night, was driving his car up to the top of Mount Lee, when he lost control of the vehicle and stumbled off the cliff behind the "H." While Kothe had no injuries, the 1928 Ford Model A was destroyed, as was the "H."
In 1949, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce stepped in, offering to remove the last four letters and to repair the rest. Because the city dictated that all subsequent illumination would be at the cost of the Chamber, it 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 a trailing "O" splintered and broke off, resembling a lowercase "u." The object was becoming somewhat of an eyesore.
In 1978, the Chamber set out to replace the intensely deteriorated sign with a more permanent structure. Nine donors, including actor Gene Autry, publisher Hugh Hefner, singer Andy Williams, and rock star Alice Cooper, gave $27,700 apiece to sponsor replacement letters made of Australian steel, guaranteed to last for many years. These new letters were each 45 feet (13.7 m) high and ranged from 31 to 39 feet (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 began again in November 2005, as workers stripped the letters back to their metal base and repainted them white. Also in 2005, parts of the 1923 sign were being auctioned on eBay, with a starting bid of $300,000.
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 (90 m) of the sign can be reached by driving north up Gower Street from Hollywood Boulevard and then north along Beachwood Drive.
In Popular Culture:
The sign makes frequent appearances in popular culture, particularly in establishing shots for films and television programs set in or around Hollywood. Signs of similar style, but spelling different words, are frequently seen as parodies.
Film & Television:
The sign is used as the dancing stage for the opening credits by S Club 7 of "Hollywood 7".
The sign appears in the background at the beginning of 20th Century Fox's current opening logo animation.
In the film Career Opportunities, the epilogue features Frank Whaley as Jim residing in Hollywood and seeing the sign turn into one reading "Jimwood."
In the film 10.5, the letters "L" and "W" fall off and slide down the mountain.
In the film Ed Wood, the Hollywood sign is featured both at the start and at the end of the film in a wide-angle pan.
The 2003 remake of The Italian Job features the main villain, Steve Frazelli (played by Edward Norton) flying past the sign to track a car chase below.
In the film 1941, an alternate explanation is given to how the sign lost the letters that spell out "LAND", being destroyed by P-40 pilot "Wild Bill" Kelso.
In the film The Truman Show, the enormous dome containing the town of Seahaven was located just north of the sign.
In the film Austin Powers in Goldmember, Dr. Evil's secret lair was in the hill behind the sign.
A mural of the Hollywood sign was used on the turntable from September 2002 until March 2003 during the thirty-first season of The Price is Right.
In the film The Day After Tomorrow, the sign is destroyed by a tornado and kills a news reporter
The film The Day of the Locust has a scene set at the base of the sign where a tour guide relates the story of "Camille McRae, 1929 Clam Queen of Pismo Beach" leaping to her death from "the great H" in 1932.
The film Demolition Man begins with an overhead shot of a violence-wracked Los Angeles, zooming out from behind a burning Hollywood sign.
In the film Earthquake, the sign is destroyed in the quake and the letters fall down the mountain.
In the film Superman, the Hollywood Sign leans over during the earthquake.
In two episodes of the sitcom Ellen, Ellen DeGeneres hung out in the sign to get away from stressful situations.
An episode of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends features a sign that reads "HOKEYWOOD".
The film RKO 281, set before the last four letters were removed, begins with an establishing shot of the sign, complete with those letters.
In the film The Rocketeer, another explanation is given for how the sign lost the letters that spell out "LAND", when villain Neville Sinclair (played by Timothy Dalton) crashes into them with a faulty rocketpack.
The film Shrek 2 features a "FAR FAR AWAY" sign, similar in appearance to Hollywood's.
The animated television series The Simpsons parodies the sign with their own giant set of white letters, spelling out "SPRINGFIELD", on the hills above the fictional town from the series. In another episode, Silicon Valley has their own version of the sign.
In the film SuperBabies: Baby Geniuses 2, an immortal kid who never grows a second older has a secret lair inside the "H" in "HOLLYWOOD".
In the film Volcano, it can be seen when the tower falls down to dam the lava.
In the film The Wizard of Speed and Time, an impact distorts the sign to read "WHOLLY ODD".
In the 2006 film, The Black Dahlia, the sign which in 1940 still read HollywoodLand, was the site for the infamous murder of an actress. It is shown with the damaged "H".
In an episode of Chappelle's Show, Hollywood is portrayed as the Emerald City from The Wizard of Oz. The Hollywood sign can be seen prominently next to the tall green buildings.
The film Orgazmo opens with a shot of the Hollywood sign. After a few beats of just the sign, a caption fades up indicating "Hollywood, USA".
The film Bugsy has an early scene with the sign displaying "Hollywoodland" on Mount Lee in the background.
In a poster for the film Bean, Mr Bean is seeing carrying one of the O's from the sign down a Los Angeles street, with the sign in the background saying 'HOLLYWO D'.
The fourth season finale of Nip/Tuck features the two main characters, Sean and Christian standing in front of the sign after they move their practice from Miami to Los Angeles.
In Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Robin Hood arrives at the coast of England, to see a sign spelling out England, styled after the Hollywood sign.
In one episode of the Nickelodeon cartoon The Fairly Oddparents, the main character wishes for kids to rule the world. As he does, a sign reminiscent of the Hollywood sign that reads "DIMMSDALE" is shown as a helicopter carries the "DIMM" of the sign, replacing it with "KIDS" to read "KIDSDALE."
In 1986 comedy Ruthless People the murder Barbara Stone was supposed take place "not far from Hollywood sign".
In the 1993 season finale of Beverly Hills 90210, the graduating seniors of West Beverly High changed the sign to read "W Bev Hi '93."
Video Games:
In SimCity 4, players can "purchase" the sign and place it in their game city as a landmark.
In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, a similar sign on a hill reads "VINEWOOD" in the area of Vinewood, Los Santos (take-offs of Hollywood and Los Angeles respectively).
In Tony Hawk's American Wasteland, based in the city of Los Angeles, California, the sign appears in the Bronson section of the Hollywood area of the city. This can be seen from the game's beginning. Later in the game, one of the goals requires players destroy the sign, the pieces of which are shipped to the skate park. The sign's letters are changed to read "WASTELAND".
Need for Speed: Underground 2 takes place in the fictional city of Bayview. A sign on a hill reads "BAYVIEW".
In Civilization IV, it is featured as one of the many wonders of the world.
In Crimson Skies, it apperas on the "Studio" map. Players can even fly the plane through the "O"s of the sign.
In We Love Katamari, the sign can be rolled up on the bird-and-elephant level when the player is trying for the largest katamari possible. The letters are rearranged when the player is trying to finish the katamari as fast as possible.
In Command & Conquer: Yuri's Revenge, it appears in the second mission of the Allies single player campaign. It has been taken over by Yuri, who has placed Gatling cannons on either side of it as a defense for his base.
In The Movies, the sign can be seen in the background during the game.
In Twisted Metal: Head On, there is a similar sign the reads: "LA WOOD".
In Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, the sign is visible in the background of the Los Angeles level.
In LA Rush, the player can travel up Mount Lee and crash through the Hollywood sign.
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Information on Beachwood Canyon Community provided by AboutHollywoodHills.com
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