The Story Of… The Hollywood Sign in Hollywood, California

Exclusive Interview by Karen Beishuizen

Photo Credits: the Hollywood Sign Trust and HollywoodPhotographs.com, RD Willis.

High above Hollywood a famous sign can be seen from afar. It appeared in many movies, TV shows, documentaries and music videos. It started out as a billboard for a real estate development called Hollywoodland. With the last four letters falling off, it became the most famous sign on the planet: The Hollywood Sign! In 1932, Peg Entwistle, an aspiring 24-year-old silver screen actress, reportedly climbed 50 feet up a workman’s ladder and jumped off the letter “H” to her death following a series of rejections from film studios. Hugh Hefner came to the rescue to help rebuild the Sign in 1978 when he hosted a gala fundraiser at the Playboy Mansion. Individual Sign letters were ‘auctioned’ off to celebrity sponsors (including Alice Cooper, Gene Autry, and Andy Williams). The Hollywood Sign is the global symbol of the entertainment industry—and all that the industry involves— and because of that the Sign is on the “must see ” list for millions of visitors to Los Angeles each year. So go check it out!

KB: How was the Hollywood Sign founded? Tell me the history.

The Hollywood Sign was first erected in 1923 by a syndicate composed of Eli Clark, General Moses Sherman, Tracy Shoults, Sydney Woodruff and Los Angeles Times publisher Harry Chandler as a $21,000 billboard for an upscale Hollywoodland real estate development. The start date of the project can’t be verified, but it was definitely completed prior to December 8th, 1923. A Los Angeles Evening Express newspaper article published on that date stated… “immense Hollywoodland Sign, believed to be the largest in the world, will be illuminated tonight.” As an aside, The Sign’s 3,700 light bulbs were installed by workmen using ladders, bosun’s chairs, which were lowered and raised by ropes, and horizontal supports—all of which had to be hauled up the steep final slope to the construction site. Intended to last just 18 months, the Sign has transcended all expectations.

KB: How big are the letters on the hill and at what height?

• Length of Sign: 450 feet
• Height of Sign: 45 feet
• Square footage of the Sign: 11,850 square feet
• Girders and steel columns: 66,683 pounds
194 tons of cement
• Corrugated baked metal sheet metal: 20,000 pounds
Sign’s total weight: 240 tons, or 480,000 pounds

KB: Were there many fatalities over the years of people jumping of the sign?

There have been many rumors over the years about movie stars jumping from the Sign. The only documented one is Peg Entwistle, known as “The Hollywood Sign Girl”. In 1932, the aspiring 24-year-old silver screen actress reportedly climbed 50 feet up a workman’s ladder and jumped off the letter “H” to her death following a series of rejections from film studios. There was also news of a suicide note found in her abandoned handbag: “I’m afraid I’m a coward. I am sorry for everything. If I had done this a long time ago it would have saved a lot of pain.” PE. Her body was recovered in a ravine below the Sign by the Los Angeles Police Department.

KB: I read some famous people donated to get the sign restored over the years. Who are they and how many times was the sign restored?

The cultural and historic landmark has been repaired and refurbished over the years and even completely rebuilt in 1978. The Sign was built to last just 18 months, and, after years of neglect, it was repaired in 1949 by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and the word “LAND” removed pivoting the purpose of the Sign from an advertising billboard for a land development to a monument symbolizing the entertainment industry and a place. In 1973, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce gave the aging star another facelift, and in 1978, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce launched a “Save the Sign” campaign, with a goal of raising $250,000 to build a new, more permanent Hollywood Sign of the same design and size as the original.

Hugh Hefner came to the rescue to help rebuild the Sign in 1978 when he hosted a gala fundraiser at the Playboy Mansion. Individual Sign letters were ‘auctioned’ off to celebrity sponsors (including Alice Cooper, Gene Autry, and Andy Williams). The rebuilt Hollywood Sign was unveiled on November 11, 1978, and The Hollywood Sign Trust was also formed in 1978 to preserve and maintain the Sign and is the official source for news and information about the Sign. Late last year, to help usher in the Hollywood Sign’s 100th anniversary, the Sign had a well-documented and dazzling makeover with 400 gallons of fresh ‘Hollywood Sign Centennial’ paint from Sherwin-Williams which definitely prepared the Sign ready for its close up in 2023.

KB: How can people get access to the sign?

Although you can’t get right up to the letters, there are a variety of ways to really experience the Sign with stunning views of the Hollywood Sign that unfold on Griffith Park’s hiking trails. The Trust’s top three trails rank from easy to difficult — Mt. Hollywood (a 5.0 mile fairly easy loop), Brush Canyon (a fairly easy hike in Griffith Park) and Cahuenga Peak Trail (the highest summit in Griffith Park) for the more intrepid adventurers. Another option for adventurers is to view the Sign by horseback: Sunset Ranch offers a fantastic way to view the Hollywood Sign while riding into the sunset.

KB: What movies and series did the sign appear in?

The Hollywood Sign has starred in many award-winning films, television shows and music videos over the years, including: Mrs. America, Hollywood, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Rock of Ages, L.A. Noire, Argo, Friends with Benefits, Valentine’s Day, The Runaways, Bruno, 90210, The Hills, 9-1-1, Heroes, Hollywoodland, the Black Dahlia. For a full list check out The Hollywood Sign website.

KB: Why should people come and visit the Hollywood Sign?

People from all over the world are captivated by the Hollywood Sign, and the renewed love of the Sign in this centennial year, along with the incredibly extensive interest in last year’s transformation of the Hollywood Sign, continue to underscore something I’ve always known having grown up literally underneath the Sign….people are still inspired by the epic hopes and dreams the Sign represents. And because the Hollywood Sign is the global symbol of the entertainment industry—and all that the industry involves— the Sign is on the “must see ” list for millions of visitors to Los Angeles each year. Learn more about the Sign’s history at their website.

Check out The Hollywood Sign website: HERE
Find The Hollywood Sign on Facebook: HERE
Find The Hollywood Sign on Instagram: HERE

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