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The HOLLYWOOD sign is a famous landmark in Los Angeles, California that dates back to 1923 , with periodic restoration since then.

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. The sign's letters were 30 feet (9 m) wide and 50 feet (15 m) high, and were originally 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.

The sign began to take on some notoriety, after its initial purpose had been fulfilled. In 1932 , actress Peg Entwistle committed Suicide by jumping to her death from the letter "H". Seven years later, in 1939 , official maintenance of the sign ended, and it rapidly deteriorated.

In 1949 , the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce stepped in and offered to remove the last four letters ("LAND"), and repair the rest. As 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 sign continued to deteriorate in the open air of the Hollywood Hills. Eventually one of its trailing O's splintered and broke off, resembling a lower case "u", and the object was becoming somewhat of an eyesore.

In 1978 , the Chamber set out to replace the intensely deteriorated sign again, with a more permanent structure. Donors paid $27,700 USD to buy replacement letters, which are all made of Australian steel, guaranteed to last for many years. The new version of the sign was unveiled live on Hollywood's 75th anniversary, 14 November , 1978, before a television audience of 60 million people.

Starting November 2005, the sign was again refurbished, as workers stripped the letters back to their metal base and repainting them white.

The sign is now a registered Trademark and cannot be used without the permission of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which also manages the venerable Walk Of Fame .


LOCATION


The sign is located on the southern side of Mount Lee in Griffith Park (north of the Mulholland Highway ). To get a good view you can drive north up Gower St. from Hollywood Blvd and then north along Beachwood Drive. You can get to within 100 yards (90 m) of the sign. Currently, the letters are each 45 feet (13.6 m) high and range from 31 to 39 feet (9.3 to 11.8 m) wide.



IN POPULAR CULTURE


  • The sign makes frequent appearances in establishing shots for Film s and Television Series set in or around Hollywood. 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 the film '' Volcano '', it can be seen when the tower falls down to dam the lava.


  • In the film '' Demolition Man '', the film begins with an overhead shot of a violence-wracked Los Angeles, zooming out from behind a burning Hollywood sign.



  • In the 1974 film '' Earthquake '', the sign is destroyed in the quake and the letters fall down the mountain.


  • 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 (John Belushi).


  • In the film '' 10.5 '', the letters L and W fall off and slide down the mountain.


  • In the film '' The Rocketeer '', another alternate explanation is given to how the sign lost the letters that spell out "LAND".


  • In the film '' Shrek 2 '', a "FAR FAR AWAY" sign is featured, similar in appearance as Hollywood's.


  • In the film '' Super Babies 2 '', an immortal kid who never grows a second older has a secret lair inside the "H" in "HOLLYWOOD".



  • 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 computer game '' SimCity 4 '' players can "purchase" the sign and place it in their game city as a landmark.


  • In the video game '''' which is itself based on the state of California, a similar sign on a hill is present which reads "VINEWOOD", a reference to one of the game's neighborhoods.


  • In the video game '' 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 start. Later in the game, a goal will have players destroy the sign, the pieces of which are shipped to the skatepark. The sign's letters are changed, and the new sign reads "WASTELAND".


  • In the video game '''', the setting is a city known as Bayview. There is a sign on a hill which reads "Bayview," similar to the Hollywood sign.


  • The video rental chain called ''Hollywood Video'' uses an image of the sign as part of its logo, including the apparent up-and-down curve of the sign. Presumably the sign could appear "normally", but only from an altitude that would directly face the sign.


  • On the website, LiquidGeneration.com, in a cartoon featuring the best places in Los Angeles, it is said that the last four letters were demolished by an epic tsunami.


  • System of a Downs album Toxicity features the bands name in the style of the Hollywood sign and features the up and down movement of the letters.



ALTERING THE SIGN


It is illegal and highly dangerous to make alterations to the sign. Although the city in the past has allowed it on occasion for commercial purposes, current city policy does not permit changes to be made, due to neighborhood opposition and accidents that have occurred in the past. However, a great deal of interest has been shown in some of the times that the sign was unofficially altered. Some of the more famous modifications have included:
  • On January 1 , 2000 The Sign was lit up in an array of flashing colors in celebration of the New Millennium .

  • USCWOOD - Fall 1987, for the annual USC-UCLA football game

  • HOLYWOOD - September 1987, for Pope John Paul II 's arrival

  • OLLYWOOD - July 1987, during Iran-Contra hearings

  • CALTECH - May 1987, on Hollywood's 100th birthday

  • FOX - April 1987 , promotion for the TV network

  • HOLLYWOOD II - April 1986 , to mark revitalization of area

  • RAFFEYSOD - January 1985 , reportedly done by a band called "The Raffeys", who were trying to drum up publicity. There was a small item in the Los Angeles Times about this at the time.

  • HOLLYWEED - December 1983, for a movie filming

  • GO NAVY - November 1983 , before that year's Army-Navy Game at the Rose Bowl stadium

  • HOLLYWEED - January 1976 , noting new state Marijuana law

  • PEROTWOOD - During the 1992 Presidential Election in favor of candidate Ross Perot


Also, for the movie Cool World, a giant cartoon character (played by, and modeled on, Kim Basinger in the movie) was installed appearing to sit on the sign. This was designed as publicity for the movie, and it remained there for a long time.


IMITATIONS


Numerous towns around the world have created their own signs deliberately echoing the look of the Hollywood Sign. The following is a list of some of the places with such imitations:


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