A tribute to the Hollywood sign

No one thought things would go the way they did. In 1923, real estate developers S. H. Woodruff and Tracy Schulz faced a problem: most people in Los Angeles at the time lived downtown, south of Wilshire. Sales of their new residential project, located at the foot of the Santa Monica Mountains, have been slow.

So, says businessman Jeff Zarenam, they had an idea: “They came up with this giant sign that said ‘Hollywoodland.’ It was only supposed to last about 18 months.”

Those 18 months have extended into 100 years. It’s a story only Hollywood could write, about a “pop-up” real estate ad that became one of the most iconic images on the planet.

And it still exists, thanks to Zarinam and his fellow members of the Hollywood Sign Trust. “Some people ask me, ‘How did you get this job?’” Zarinam said. “It’s not really a job. It’s a volunteer job. There’s no pay in maintaining the Hollywood sign. I do it for the love of Hollywood and for the sheer joy of doing it.”

Part of the reason for the brand’s popularity is the sheer number of times it has been featured in films and television over the years. The sign has also drawn countless dreamers to Los Angeles, looking for their moment in the spotlight, and that’s where Adam Burke comes in. He runs the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board. “Hollywoodland’s goal was really to put Los Angeles on the map as one of the creative capitals of the world,” Burke said. “So, it’s really set out to become what it has become, which is a global marquee, not just in Los Angeles, but also for the film and television industry.”

Burke believes this may be the most valuable mark in the world. “Last year alone, visitors to the broader Los Angeles area generated $34.5 billion in business sales for our local community,” he said.

Some of it ends up in Chris Nye’s pocket. Nai is a tour guide who leads groups of eager tourists to a spot near the sign most days. He says these tourists are excited because seeing the sign is like seeing a celebrity: “They need something, a kind of cliché, to say, you know: Live from Los Angeles, from Hollywood! So, they kept taking the same photos of those nine stupid letters on the side of Mount Li over and over again. That’s why I became so creative.”

“Now, you say ‘Nine Stupid Letters,’ but you’re leading tours there. So, you must think this is cool?” Burbank asked.

“Well, what I enjoy is the excitement people have to see the sign for the first time and share it with people,” Nye replied.

We were also excited that, thanks to Jeff Zarenam, the CBS crew was allowed to go directly to the base of the sign, to see how big these letters were.

I noticed that the letters are not on the same level, but rather are offset from each other, each facing a different direction. In fact, it is this undulation, defined by the hillside, that allows the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to trademark the sign. Otherwise it would be just a word.

The first version of the sign was made of wood and sheet metal and covered in thousands of lights. But by 1944, high winds and weather were taking their toll. Even the letter H has been dropped. “Ollywoodland has been talked about for a long time,” Zarinam said.

By the late 1970s, the letters LAND were long gone, and the sign was in very poor condition. So, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce looked for $250,000 to replace it, and got the money from some unexpected donors. Rock star Alice Cooper was the first to donate $27,777, as did Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner, singer Andy Williams, actor and cowboy Gene Autry, and car dealer Les Kelly, who invented the car price guide, “Kelly’s Blue Book.”

Of course, this is Hollywood, the home of facials, and the Hollywood sign has had its share over the years.

“Do you think he’ll be here a hundred years from now?” Burbank asked.

“One hundred percent,” Burke said. “The boldness of the project to me remains emblematic of the way Los Angeles approaches anything. We don’t do things halfway. It’s really, go big or go home.”

As it turns 100, the Hollywood sign is (as they say here) “ready for its next close-up.”

for further information:

The story was produced by Jay Kernes. Editor: George Bozderick.