December 7, 1996

Once upon a time, Hollywood was like something right out of a big budget extravaganza. Full of glamour, magic and money; of happy endings, sometimes tragic ones, and fortunes made overnight.

From the 1910s through the 1950s, Hollywood was where a new art form developed, and where America's dreams became reality. The rich and famous and the soon-to-be-famous lived and worked here. Walking the streets, you might have seen Marilyn Monroe, Lana Turner or Judy Garland.

If, walking the streets now, you're more likely to see streetwalkers than stars, that doesn't mean Hollywood has lost its appeal, or even its magic. The Hollywood of legend still lives, and not just in our imaginations. Monuments left from the glory days are still glorious in their own ways.

The Hollywood Sign

In the hills to the north of Hollywood, overlooking it all, is that infamous sign. Built in 1923 as an advertisement for a new subdivision, the white Hollywood sign became as symbolic of the district as the glitter below. The city of Los Angeles acquired it in 1978 and restored the 45-foot-tall (14 meter) letters. Through the years, pranksters have altered the letters to read "Ollywood" (for Lt. Col. Oliver North), "Perotwood" (for then presidential candidate Ross Perot) and "Hollyweed" (you figure it out). Radar-activated infrared cameras now guard against such shenanigans -- while you can drive close by, get too close and you risk a $103 fine.

Mann's Chinese Theater

The most famous tourist attraction in Hollywood is Mann's Chinese Theater and its accompanying concrete chronicle of the stars. Known as Grauman's in its heyday, the venue was once the site of routine movie premieres. And on one of those nights in 1927 -- legend has it -- actress Norma Talmadge accidentally stepped in wet cement. Over the years, more than 160 celebrities have purposely followed suit, usually with their feet, but sometimes with a leg (Betty Grable), knees (Al Jolson), nose (Jimmy Durante), hooves (Trigger), paws (Rin Tin Tin) and wheels (R2D2).

Walk of Fame

Similar in spirit to Mann's Chinese Theater, if not impact, is the Walk of Fame, which contains the names of more than 2,000 celebrities embossed in brass, each set in a pink star. The Walk, begun in 1960, fans out from Hollywood's most famous intersection, Hollywood and Vine.

Hollywood Wax Museum

Hollywood is, not surprisingly, home to several museums -- from the serious to the campy to the downright tacky. The Hollywood Wax Museum boasts more than 200 figures, including Elvis Presley, Clark Gable, Kevin Costner, Patrick Swayze, Rambo, and even Jesus Christ. Its famous "Chamber of Horrors" honors Frankenstein's Monster, Dracula, the Wolfman, Elvira and the Phantom of the Opera. Down the street is Frederick's of Hollywood, whose popular bra museum reveals some stars' inner secrets, and the Max Factor Museum, which bares their beauty secrets.

Hollywood Studio Museum

The Hollywood Studio Museum, in the parking lot of the Hollywood Bowl, commemorates the early days of film-making, when director Cecil B. DeMille set up shop in a barn in 1913. It features antique cameras, costumes, movie clips and a gift shop that sells vintage photographs and autographs. Other museums in the area are Ripley's Believe it or Not! Hollywood and the Hollywood Guinness Book of World Records.

Paramount Studios

Of the great studios that once graced Hollywood, only Paramount remains. Since 1926, Paramount -- once home to Mae West and John Barrymore -- has made more than 3,000 films, including the modern hits "Forrest Gump," "Mission: Impossible," and the "Star Trek" movies. You can see the studio by taking a two-hour guided walking tour, or get tickets for the taping of television shows such as "Frasier."

Universal Studios

Universal Studios, in the San Fernando Valley to the north of Hollywood, offers far grander -- and twice as expensive -- tours as Paramount. In fact, some run as long as seven hours. Much of the action-packed tour is modeled like an amusement park ride, featuring encounters with King Kong, a "Jaws" shark, a runaway train, an avalanche, a flood, an earthquake, and the Nile River. Universal also has a heart-shaped museum dedicated to television's "I Love Lucy," including a re-creation of the set.

Pink's Famous Chili Dogs

Hollywood is a great place to eat cheap. There are some expensive "fine" restaurants, but because most residents are young and single and struggling with steep rents, budget dining abounds. Perhaps most famous is Pink's Famous Chili Dogs (711 La Brea Ave), in business since 1939. With self-promotion and a bit of hype appropriate to its location, Pink's calls its 25 varieties of hot dogs "the best in the world." Pink's also has made some movie history of its own. It was here, the owners say, Bruce Willis proposed to Demi Moore.

Other things to see include the Capitol Records building (1756 N. Vine St.), which is shaped like a stack of records, and Bronson Caves (at the end of Canyon Drive), the site of the "Bat Cave" of the 1960s "Batman" series (it was also the setting for "Invasion of the Bodysnatchers").

Hollywood Memorial Cemetery

Perhaps a fitting place to end a tour would be the Hollywood Memorial Cemetery (6000 Santa Monica Blvd.), where Cecil B. DeMille, Peter Lorre, Nelson Eddy, and, most famously, Rudolph Valentino, are buried. Since Valentino's death on August 23,1926, fans have come to his grave on the anniversary. These dedicated fans are known as the "Ladies in Black."

Pocket history: Hollywood

Despite its flashy image, Hollywood has fairly prudish roots. In 1877, a group of temperance advocates trying to escape the evils of downtown Los Angeles moved to the area and started a colony. Their haven became a town in 1903, but in 1910, Hollywood's own voted to join Los Angeles to gain access to the water supply.

The next year, the Nestor Company built the first movie studio in Hollywood. Within three years, much of the fledgling movie industry moved from the East Coast, drawn by the perfect climate, variety of shooting locations, and freedom from patent laws.

The new industry exploded,u with would-be actors, writers, directors, technicians and entrepreneurs heading into the area. Soon newcomers outnumbered the original inhabitants, no doubt shocking them with their "intemperate" lifestyles.

In the 1960s, as the big movie companies moved to the more spacious San Fernando Valley, Hollywood fell on hard times, and the buzzword became seediness rather than success. Urban renewal projects have helped, but you still have to look past some nitty-gritty realities to see the magic.

Related sites:

• Hollywood Locator