The giant letters of Hollywood, world symbol of cinema, celebrate their centenary

Erected on the heights of Los Angeles, the nine letters of the Hollywood emblem were exceptionally illuminated Friday evening to celebrate their hundred years.

Nestled in the heights of Los Angeles (California), the giant letters of Hollywood, initially erected in wood and 15 meters high, are celebrating their centenary. On this occasion, the nine letters which over time have become almost more famous than movie stars, were lit up on Friday, December 8, in the evening, an exceptional event that had not happened for decades. Because unlike most world monuments, the Hollywood sign is not lit up at night because of nearby homes.

These famous letters have been, throughout their history, the stars of a multitude of films and series set in Los Angeles, and were many times destroyed with special effects as if to symbolize the risk of disappearance of cinema and music. ‘America. The sign has also been the site of real tragedies, such as when British actress Peg Entwistle committed suicide by jumping from the top of the letter H in 1932.

Clever kids had fun changing the iconic letters twice: in 2017, marijuana enthusiasts wrote “Hollyweed” (“weed” means “cannabis”), and in 2021, activists replaced the “W” and the “D” with “B” thus giving “Hollyboob” (“boob” means “breast” in English) to raise awareness about breast cancer.

A little-known story

However, the history of this brand remains little known. Eerected in 1923, it was originally composed of 13 letters, “HOLLYWOODLAND”, intended to promote a new residential district. The gigantic billboard, whose thousands of bulbs lit up regularly to draw attention to the houses built just below, established itself as an emblem thanks to the growth of the industry cinematographic in the city of Angels.

However, the letters were almost destroyed. In the 1940s, residents asked the city to remove the sign whose H was damaged by the wind. But the municipality finally decided to repair the sign and remove the “LAND” in 1949, to keep “HOLLYWOOD” as we know it today.

But after three decades of burning sun and bad weather, the 15 meter high wooden letters are once again in a sorry state. The first O shrunk to a lowercase u and the last one collapsed.

Alice Cooper to the rescue

Enter Alice Cooper, founding father of shock rock, who leads a vigorous campaign to restore the brand to its former glory by donating $28,000. Eight other people, including actor Gene Autry, Playboy founder Hugh Hefner and singer Andy Williams, did the same and each sponsored a letter.

The new letters erected are a little lower but made of steel and therefore more resistant. They’ve been pampered ever since: The Hollywood Sign Trust, which manages the sign, said last year that renovating the letters for their 100th anniversary required nearly 1,500 gallons of paint and primer.

Their lighting on Friday was exceptional, but according to Jeff Zarrinnam, president of the Hollywood Sign Trust, the sign could light up again: “We have some very important sporting events coming to Los Angeles, like the FIFA World Cup, the Olympics (in 2028), so those are the types of events that we would probably want to light up the Hollywood sign for.”