Which films does the original HOLLYWOOD LAND sign appear in?

Darren Nemeth · Post by **Darren Nemeth** » Sun Oct 10, 2010 10:50 am

I returned from a Three Stooges Festival in Redford, MI last night where I saw a brief glimpse of the HOLLYWOOD LAND sign in the distance in "A Ducking They Did Go" (1939), I believe it was IIRC.

What other films does the original HOLLYWOOD LAND sign appear in?

Brooksie · Post by **Brooksie** » Sun Oct 10, 2010 5:09 pm

I became curious about this myself during the recent campaign to preserve the sign from nearby development. The sign's official website (http://www.hollywoodsign.org/movies.html) claims it wasn't in a feature film until 1954 (at which point the `land' had already been taken down), but I felt certain it must have cropped up in a short somewhere before then. Guess that was correct!

Darren Nemeth · Post by **Darren Nemeth** » Sun Oct 10, 2010 6:22 pm

Brooksie wrote:I became curious about this myself during the recent campaign to preserve the sign from nearby development. The sign's official website (http://www.hollywoodsign.org/movies.html) claims it wasn't in a feature film until 1954 (at which point the `land' had already been taken down), but I felt certain it must have cropped up in a short somewhere before then. Guess that was correct!

Thanks for the link! I just submitted the information to them. Lets see what they say. Perhaps I've contributed to Hollywood history or something. lol

Jim Reid · Post by **Jim Reid** » Sun Oct 10, 2010 7:15 pm

I know I've seen it in more than one film. One I remembered being surprised the "land" was still there that late. It may have been a 30s Columbia short.

rollot24 · Post by **rollot24** » Sun Oct 10, 2010 9:06 pm

The first time I remember seeing it in a movie was Marty Feldman's "Last Remake of Beau Geste" where they used a lot of older clips and visual tinkering so I can't guarantee it was from a real clip.

Darren Nemeth · Post by **Darren Nemeth** » Sun Oct 10, 2010 9:11 pm

Jim Reid wrote:I know I've seen it in more than one film. One I remembered being surprised the "land" was still there that late. It may have been a 30s Columbia short.

The LAND was removed around 1949-50.

I am surprised to find out that the current sign there is a newer one. The original letters built in 1923 are gone from the site and in someones collection.

silentstar5 · Post by **silentstar5** » Thu Oct 14, 2010 3:21 pm

The LAND was removed in 1949. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce sold small portions of the original sign in 1980 that were presented in a wooden frame and numbered. I own one which I purchased years ago on Ebay. It is a unique souvenir of Hollywood's heyday.

missdupont · Post by **missdupont** » Thu Oct 14, 2010 9:43 pm

The original Hollywoodland sign was constructed in 1923 merely as a giant billboard for the Hollywoodland real estate development at the top of Beachwood Canyon. The sign was constructed using only telephone poles, lumber, wires, and the like, as it was only to be temporary, and it was ringed with 20 watt light bulbs. They lit up the whole sign at night and supposedly spelled out "Holly" "wood" "land" and then "Hollywoodland." Permanent maintenance was halted in 1939, and the sign was vandalized, bulbs taken, and falling into disrepair. The M. H. Sherman Co. donated it to the City of Los Angeles in 1945, under the care of the Department of Parks and Recreation. The "H" fell off in late 1948-1949, and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce repaired it and removed the world "land." Thus the Hollywood sign. They only conducted superficial maintenance over the years. It had to be stripped and painted in 1973, and then in 1978, when it was on the verge of falling down, a campaign raised enough money for the wooden letters to be replaced with steel letters.
DOWN THREE DARK STREETS was the first feature to employ the sign and in a big way. The film climaxes with a car chase up Beachwood Dr. and through the development, ending with a fight at the sign. I'm sure there were newsreels and travelogues that probably also showed it too, but nothing is known on that at the moment.

Brooksie · Post by **Brooksie** » Sat Mar 19, 2011 6:07 am

The picture gallery that accompanies Slate.com's recent article on the Hollywood sign (http://www.slate.com/id/2288342/) includes a sighting of the sign in 1936's `Hollywood Boulevard'. That's now the earliest appearance I'm aware of.

The final picture in that series really gives a good idea of how decrepit the sign had become by the late 70s.

Darren Nemeth · Post by **Darren Nemeth** » Sat Mar 19, 2011 7:40 am

Darren Nemeth wrote:I returned from a Three Stooges Festival in Redford, MI last night where I saw a brief glimpse of the HOLLYWOOD LAND sign in the distance in "A Ducking They Did Go" (1939), I believe it was IIRC.

In October I asked the Hollywood Sign org if they knew about its appearance in "A Ducking They Did Go" (1939) and it turns out that I am the first to ever spot it.

My name and submission were just added to their site. lol

http://www.hollywoodsign.org/movies.html

Brooksie · Post by **Brooksie** » Sun Mar 20, 2011 10:22 pm

Nice!

Post by **silentfilm** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 11:02 am

Mary hasn't mentioned this yet, but her book on Hollywoodland will be released soon...

http://www.amazon.com/Hollywoodland-Ima ... 0738574783

rudyfan · Post by **rudyfan** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 11:14 am

silentfilm wrote:Mary hasn't mentioned this yet, but her book on Hollywoodland will be released soon...

http://www.amazon.com/Hollywoodland-Ima ... 0738574783

Yes!

If anyone is coming to the SF Silent Film Fest in July, I believe Mary will be signing copies over that weekend.

missdupont · Post by **missdupont** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 3:16 pm

I'll also be signing at Niles Essanay Silent Film Festival in late June, and at Hollywood Heritage's event in early June.

Which films does the original HOLLYWOOD LAND sign appear in?

Which films does the original HOLLYWOOD LAND sign appear in?

Re: Which films does the original HOLLYWOOD LAND sign appear