Places With Big Signs

[ursus arctos]

Places With Big Signs

That one definitely counts

[Reed John]

Places With Big Signs

Incandenza wrote:

I think Hugh Hefner's greatest contribution to life in LA is pretty much single-handedly saving the Hollywood sign by making its shabby state in the 1970s an issue and raising money to have it restored. If you saw Argo, you may remember a shot showing it falling apart, which it actually was. It's hard to believe now that it got this bad:



(the H being gone completely)

I was just thinking about posting that after this thread sent me into a Wikipedia rabbit hole and I read about the Hollywood sign and Hefner's contribution to it.

I can't imagine Hollywood without it. In fact, would we even still refer to the entertainment industry as "Hollywood" if not for this icon reinforcing that? I mean, how many movies and movie people are actually in Hollywood proper?

[Incandenza]

Places With Big Signs

Paramount is the only studio in Hollywood proper. There used to be many more, but even in the early days, not all studios were in Hollywood. The sign originally read HOLLYWOODLAND, and it was erected to advertise for a real estate development, which is quintessentially Los Angeles.

The big news around the sign lately is that the people that live closest to it have exerted pressure on their city councilmember, and now all online map services direct you to a lookout point near Griffith Observatory if you search for directions to the Hollywood sign. It's actually about a mile away. The residents were annoyed with tourists driving through the neighborhood and people parking in permit only spots on the street and idling tour buses, etc. They've also somehow been able to put up a big fuck you-looking gate when the paved road ends on the road that leads up there, making it look like it is protecting private property. But it's perfectly legal to walk up the fire road that continues there, and there's a small door on the side of the fence. They're counting on people unfamiliar with the area assuming that it's private property and turning around and leaving. A lot of people that live here are assholes.

[Reed John]

Places With Big Signs

Incandenza wrote: Paramount is the only studio in Hollywood proper. There used to be many more, but even in the early days, not all studios were in Hollywood. The sign originally read HOLLYWOODLAND, and it was erected to advertise for a real estate development, which is quintessentially Los Angeles.

Yeah, and the sign was only built to stay up for about a year and a half, so no wonder it turned to shit.

It still said HOLLYWOODLAND until a bit after the war, as I recall. CGI has made it possible to put that in seemlessly in movies about old-time Hollywood. I feel like I've seen that recently, but can't recall in what. The film Hollywoodland is about the 50s, I think.

This is my favorite tid-bit.

During the early 1940s, Albert Kothe (the sign's official caretaker) caused an accident that destroyed the letter H. Kothe, driving while inebriated, was nearing the top of Mount Lee when he lost control of his vehicle and drove off the cliff directly behind the H.
While Kothe was not injured, his 1928 Ford Model A was destroyed, as was the original 50 foot tall (15.2m) illuminated letter H.

Must have been a scene to behold from down below.

The big news around the sign lately is that the people that live closest to it have exerted pressure on their city councilmember, and now all online map services direct you to a lookout point near Griffith Observatory if you search for directions to the Hollywood sign. It's actually about a mile away. The residents were annoyed with tourists driving through the neighborhood and people parking in permit only spots on the street and idling tour buses, etc. They've also somehow been able to put up a big fuck you-looking gate when the paved road ends on the road that leads up there, making it look like it is protecting private property. But it's perfectly legal to walk up the fire road that continues there, and there's a small door on the side of the fence. They're counting on people unfamiliar with the area assuming that it's private property and turning around and leaving. A lot of people that live here are assholes.

It's now on public property, right? But that was under threat from developers, as I recall.

It shouldn't be too much trouble for some enterprising vandals with the right tools to get rid of that gate.

[Incandenza]

Places With Big Signs

It's technically public property, but the area closest to the sign is fenced off and has heavy electronic surveillance, to prevent vandalism and changes to the sign that there have been over the years:

[Sits]

Places With Big Signs

ursus arctos wrote:

Creedence earworm.

[Havencheese]

Places With Big Signs

Spent a new year's eve here a decade ago, County Wicklow. Population of about 100.

[Ginger Yellow]

Places With Big Signs

The big news around the sign lately is that the people that live closest to it have exerted pressure on their city councilmember, and now all online map services direct you to a lookout point near Griffith Observatory if you search for directions to the Hollywood sign.

What does the councilmember have to do with online map services?

[beak]

Places With Big Signs

Wouter D wrote:

I'm more annoyed than I reasonably should be by the University of Salford (or the "University of Salford Manchester" as their geographically illiterate rebranding would have it) lifting Mokum's style for this tawdry bit of shit:

[RobM]

Places With Big Signs

San Bernardhinault wrote: There's this one, just above Mesa, Az.

There's another one just along the road in Tempe, big A on the side of the monuntain.

[Stumpy Pepys]

Places With Big Signs

There are some big letter Ms by Munich airport, for some reason or other.

[Crusoe]

Places With Big Signs

Mmm...attessons moved there?

[Crusoe]

Places With Big Signs

A classy example close to the heart:

[longeared]

Places With Big Signs

[Boris Carpark]

Places With Big Signs

It's difficult to get a good view of this as the picture shows but no time to look for a better one. It's the North Downs above the Channel Tunnel site

[Boris Carpark]

Places With Big Signs

Crusoe wrote: A classy example close to the heart:

This is ace & reminds me of...
...knackers, can't get it to work. Anyway it was the Supper Furries in front of the It's Brains you want sign in Cardiff, I think.
Taken from the inner sleeve of Fuzzy Logic, pop pickers.

[ad hoc]

Places With Big Signs

Brasov in Romania has a Hollywood sign. For a brief time in the 50s the town was called Stalin and had that name on the mountain side

[ad hoc]

Places With Big Signs

Am on my phone so can't do pics but details here http://rachelrettaliata.org/when-in-romania/brasov-aka-stalin-city/

[ursus arctos]

Places With Big Signs

Didn't we have a thread on that a dozen or so years ago?

For Mr Carpark

[Wouter D]

Places With Big Signs

ad hoc wrote: Am on my phone so can't do pics but details here http://rachelrettaliata.org/when-in-romania/brasov-aka-stalin-city/

[Reed John]

Places With Big Signs

Wouter D wrote:

Am on my phone so can't do pics but details here http://rachelrettaliata.org/when-in-romania/brasov-aka-stalin-city/

Wow. It looks like it would take quite an effort to build and maintain that.