Located at the foot of the Santa Monica
mountains this was once a small, sleepy
community that came into existence around
1903 when it suddenly became “the
place to be” for movie makers. In
the early days of film it took a lot of
light to expose raw film stock, and while
the rest of the country’s light
source (i.e. the sun) was shaky, the state
of California (and Hollywood) had a never-ending
supply of sunshine. Large studios were
created to house stage reproductions of
everything form the Great Pyramids to
the African Jungles. The city was later
swallowed up by Los Angeles in 1910, but
the area manages to keep its unique identity.
As films began to incorporate sound (see
“talkies”) huge studio complexes
were created to mass-produce movies of
every kind. This became known as both
“The Studio Era” and “The
Golden Age of Hollywood”, and many
of the most legendary actors like Humphrey
Bogart and Judy Garland were created to
this era. The community of Hollywood has
come to signify the film industry in general-its
morals, manners, and characteristics.
As
time went on and things gradually changed
the Studio Era ended and the big production
houses broke up. They began to spread
out, first all over the city, then all
over the state, and eventually (as it
is today) all over the world. Most of
the major entertainment production houses
still have a home in Los Angeles, but
Hollywood itself is a mere shadow of its
former self. Despite these changes the
town of Hollywood is still the spiritual
home of the American (and some would say
the world’s) entertainment industry.
Millions of tourists flock to Hollywood
to see its attractions and perhaps get
a glimpse of what the area must have looked
like during the “golden Age of Film”.
Points of interest include Hollywood Blvd.,
Sunset Strip, Mann's (formerly Grauman's)
Chinese Theatre, and the Kodak Theatre
(site of the Academy Awards). In surrounding
hills are the Hollywood Bowl, Griffith
Park (with an observatory and planetarium),
and the homes of film celebrities.
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