What do you think of when looking at the Hollywood sign? For many, it represents hopes and dreams, the pinnacle of what we aspire to be. For others it could be a relic of the film industry’s history. The sign is one of the most recognizable images in the world; the sight of it ignites thoughts of today’s stars and America’s style of moviemaking. It is “what dreams are made of.” However, it is also what nightmares are made of. The world around the sign both physical and fantastical is represented by one word, Hollywood.
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Local filmmaker Hope Anderson set out to chronicle the beginnings of the Beachwood community, where the Hollywood sign resides on top of Mt. Lee. Throughout Under the Hollywood Sign we learn a great deal about how the land was settled, the origins of the film industry, and the local history in terms of the culture of its progressing community as told by residents of Beachwood Canyon. There is a lot more to “Hollywood” than meets the imagination. Below the sign is a small town, deep with history that only adds to the iconic image of the Hollywood sign.
In an area that was once owned by Mexico and was a place of vast orchards and was famous for its rural appeal, the community began to grow as a spiritual epicenter that reveled in alternative religions. For example, The Theosophical Society sought to combine many denominations but never took off on a large scale due to its tendency for cult-like practices. At the same time, the film industry was on the rise, and quickly. It didn’t take long before Beachwood became home to an emblem that is a celebrity all on its own.
The Hollywood sign was erected in 1923 as a real estate advertisement and read “Hollywoodland.” Up until 1939, the sign was lit by light bulbs that illuminated the sign in three sections, “Holly,” “Wood,” “Land,” before flashing as one word. The sign wasn’t originally meant to stay up forever, so it was built cheaply and quickly (some letters propped up by ladders). The “Land” part was demolished in 1949 and by the 1970s the sign was a crumbling disaster. Many celebrities such as Hugh Hefner came to the rescue, helping raise enough money to demolish and restore the sign in 1978.
The history of the Beachwood community is not all hopes and dreams, however. In 1932, struggling actress Peg Entwistle was in a difficult place. After losing her parents at a young age and going through an ugly marriage, her once promising film career began to show signs of weakness. Uncertainty brought on by the Great Depression was hitting everyone, Peg was no exception. After giving up hope of her next potential employer, she decided to climb Mount Lee, ascend a latter that was holding up the “H” of the Hollywood sign and jumped to her death. Her suicide changed the sign from a billboard to a cultural icon as well as sparked the well-known stereotype of the desperate, struggling actress.
Anderson also made a short film about Entwistle’s last walk to the sign, see it here. Without question, the sign represents progress and destruction, success and failure. It has dream-like qualities that attract tourists by the droves but also has a looming dark side. Like any major monument, the sign represents an extensive spectrum of feelings and emotions. As a graduate film student the sign means new things to me every day, but even as a child the sign was seen a beacon of hopeful uncertainty. There is a reason people used to refer to the studios in Hollywood as “dream factories.” Though, there is also truth behind dark films such as Sunset Boulevard, In a Lonely Place, and Mulholland Drive that bring us face to face with Hollywood’s dark side.
The beautiful photography and extensive research presented in Under the Hollywood Sign gives us a new prospective of the famous sign as well as the surrounding village. Anyone who has been to Beachwood knows that it gives off a very small town feel, even though it is so near to gridlock traffic and pedestrian congestion. The film tells the fascinating story of this neighborhood that “hides in plain sight.” From billboard to monument, the Hollywood sign represents the many transformations of the people and region that surround it. This film shows us why we should not ignore the sign’s dynamic nature and overwhelming significance.
The History of Beachwood parallels both the history of Los Angeles and the film industry. The sheer sight of the famous sign is only the beginning; in order to truly grasp the meaning of it you must read deeper. Anderson makes a useful comparison to the Vietnam War Memorial, which also has to be read in order to be really understood. There is much more than meets the eye to the Hollywood sign, which begins with the story of Beachwood. If you are interested in the history of the film industry or otherwise, make a point to take a look at this documentary that highlights the little town that resides under the Hollywood sign.
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