Located in Los Angeles, California, Hollywood is often regarded as the capital of cinema. It is home to some of the world’s most famous studios where film stars and industry professionals come together to produce a variety of movies. Despite its humble beginnings, Hollywood has evolved over the years into a prominent tourist destination, attracting millions of visitors annually. The area boasts numerous tourist attractions, including the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and remains a key entertainment hub in the United States. It also draws global attention each year with the Academy Awards ceremony, held at the iconic Dolby Theatre, which is one of its most significant landmarks.
History of Hollywood
Founding of the Municipality
The story of Hollywood began in 1853 with a small adobe cottage in the area. Over the next two decades, it developed into a prosperous agricultural community known as “Cahuenga Valley.” In 1883, politician and real estate developer Harvey Henry Wilcox and his wife, Daeida, moved to Los Angeles from Kansas, purchasing 150 acres to establish a farm. However, their efforts were not successful, and by 1887, Wilcox submitted plans to the Los Angeles County Recorder’s Office to subdivide the land into a residential area, naming it “Hollywood” after Daeida’s acquaintance’s property in Illinois. Daeida reportedly chose the name because she believed “Hollywood” sounded pleasant and thought that “Holly” would bring good luck. By the end of the century, Hollywood had a post office, markets, a hotel, and paved streets. In 1902, real estate magnate Hubert Whitley, known as the “Father of Hollywood,” transformed it into a wealthy and popular residential area, opening the Hollywood Hotel, which became a central hub for civic and social life and a star-studded venue for years. The Hollywood Hotel now stands on the site of the Dolby Theatre, which hosts the annual Academy Awards. Whitley also developed the upscale Ocean View Tract neighborhood, funded a bank, and brought electricity to the area.
In 1903, Hollywood officially incorporated as a municipality, and its residents decided to ban the sale of alcohol except for medicinal purposes. Hotels and restaurants were prohibited from serving wine or liquor before or after meals. In 1910, Hollywood merged with Los Angeles, and Prospect Avenue became one of Hollywood’s most famous streets.
As Hollywood is part of Los Angeles, it does not have its own government. Instead, a person appointed by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce serves as the honorary “Mayor of Hollywood” for ceremonial purposes. Johnny Grant held this position from 1980 until his death in January 2008. In 2002, some Hollywood voters attempted to secede from Los Angeles to become a separate municipality, but the effort was unsuccessful.
Hollywood and the Film Industry
In 1908, around 30 film and motion picture production companies began operations near Jacksonville, Florida, attracted by the warmer winter climate and easier access to railroads and cheaper labor compared to New York City. However, the location’s fluctuating weather soon drove them to seek other areas. The first to arrive in Hollywood in 1908 was the Kalem Studios, followed by their first production near Los Angeles in 1911.
By 1912, major film and motion picture companies had established themselves around or within Los Angeles. The reason was that most patents for motion picture equipment were owned by Thomas Edison’s Motion Picture Company in New Jersey. Filmmakers were often sued for patent infringement, so they began moving to Los Angeles to avoid Edison’s patent enforcement. Additionally, Hollywood’s ideal weather, affordable land prices, and diverse landscapes made it an attractive location for film studios.
The first film completed in Hollywood was “The Count of Monte Cristo” in 1908, although it was originally produced in Chicago. The first film produced entirely in Hollywood was “In Old California” by director David Griffith in 1910. In 1911, the Nestor Film Company established the first studio in Hollywood. Subsequently, major film studios like Paramount, Warner Brothers, RKO, and Columbia built their studios in Hollywood, making it the fifth-largest film production center in the country by the 1920s. By the 1930s, Hollywood studios dominated the film production, distribution, and exhibition markets, producing around 600 films annually and earning nicknames like “Tinseltown” and “The Dream Factory” for their glamorous image.
The Hollywood Sign and Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Sign is a must-see landmark, though it was originally an electric billboard advertising a high-end residential area now known as Hollywood Hills. The original sign, reading “Hollywoodland,” was erected by real estate developer Harry Chandler in 1923 at a cost of $21,000. Each letter was 30 feet wide and 50 feet tall, with nearly 4,000 light bulbs. The sign was intended to last only a year and a half but became an enduring symbol of Hollywood. During the Great Depression, the sign deteriorated and was partially restored in 1949, with the last four letters removed in the late 1970s.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark featuring over 2,700 brass, five-pointed stars embedded in the sidewalks along Hollywood Boulevard and three buildings on Vine Street. These stars honor a mix of musicians, actors, directors, producers, musical and theatrical groups, and fictional characters. Managed by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, the Walk of Fame is a popular tourist destination, drawing over 10 million visitors annually.
Hollywood’s Golden Age in Film
Hollywood’s Golden Age began with the silent film era, although some argue it started at the end of the silent film era. Silent drama and comedy films, such as “The Kid” (1921) starring Charlie Chaplin, became immensely popular nationwide, and Hollywood film stars quickly gained fame and admiration.
With the advent of sound in films, production companies began making a wide variety of films—dramas, romances, horror, and documentaries—enhancing Hollywood’s reputation as a land of wealth and fame. Five major studios, known as the “Big Five”—Warner Brothers, RKO, Fox, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and Paramount—dominated the film industry, alongside smaller studios like Columbia, Universal, and United Artists.
World Wars I and II
During World War I, following President Wilson’s declaration of war on Germany, the Big Five studios engaged in political propaganda, producing films about war preparedness and military recruitment, often under pressure or guidance from Wilson’s administration. They also enlisted numerous prominent actors to promote American war efforts. With World War II and the news coverage dominating headlines, people needed laughter more than ever, and Hollywood responded with comedies featuring stars like Abbott and Costello, Bob Hope, and Jack Benny, and animated shorts often used to boost wartime morale. Hollywood adhered to wartime regulations, including creating bomb shelters and avoiding shooting near military installations or at night to enforce blackout rules.
In 1942, the War Production Board imposed a $5,000 budget cap on new film projects, forcing studios to find creative and economical ways to produce films. Many Hollywood stars, including Clark Gable, Henry Fonda, James Stewart, and Mickey Rooney, were enlisted in the armed forces. Most Hollywood celebrities used their fame to help sell war bonds.
By 1948, the Supreme Court ruled that studios could not own movie theaters that exclusively showed their films, forcing the Big Five to sell their theaters and become more selective about the films they produced. This marked the beginning of the end of Hollywood’s Golden Age, especially with the rise of television in the 1950s, which led to a decline in cinema attendance. Additionally, scandals and questionable behavior by many Hollywood stars damaged their public images.
The Cold War
During the Cold War, paranoia about communist ideology swept through Hollywood and the rest of the United States. In 1947, the House Un-American Activities Committee began investigating communist influences in films, summoning at least 40 individuals associated with the film industry to testify. Ten directors and screenwriters, known as the “Hollywood Ten,” challenged the legitimacy of the committee’s actions, claiming that the investigation violated their civil rights. Their efforts backfired when they were held in contempt of Congress, fined, and eventually imprisoned. One of them, Edward Dmytryk, later cooperated with authorities and named 20 of his peers as having potential communist ties.
The failure of the Hollywood Ten’s resistance led to a blacklist of suspected communists, with hundreds of actors, musicians, writers, producers, and directors, including Lena Horne, Orson Welles, Charlie Chaplin, Lloyd Bridges, Pearl Ives, and Ann Revere, being blacklisted.
The Second Golden Age
Some critics and fans of films from the 1960s and 1970s consider this period as Hollywood’s second Golden Age. The collapse of the old studio system in the 1930s and the relaxation of restrictions on certain film content allowed pioneering directors like Martin Scorsese, Stanley Kubrick, Mike Nichols, and Francis Ford Coppola to explore controversial themes in films like “Easy Rider,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “The Godfather,” and “All the President’s Men.”
Hollywood’s Dark Side
Hollywood is often seen as an iceberg, with only a small part visible above the surface related to glamour and entertainment, while the larger, darker side remains submerged. Each year, the dream of fame attracts thousands to Hollywood, where many spend their money on acting lessons and agents. When funds run out, these aspiring stars often face desperation and homelessness, with some turning to drugs, prostitution, or the area’s burgeoning pornography industry.
Even among Hollywood’s celebrities, drug and alcohol abuse is prevalent, often attributed to the pressures of fame and continuous wealth. Hundreds of celebrities have died from drug or alcohol-related causes, including Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, William Holden, Truman Capote, Heath Ledger, and Whitney Houston. In addition to substance abuse, sexual assault has been a widespread issue, with the New York Times revealing that studio mogul Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted actors and staff for decades, leading to his dismissal from his studio and numerous allegations against him.
