Places
of interest Bronson Caves Brush Canyon (at the top of Canyon Drive). Used as backdrops for countless movies and TV shows such as Gunsmoke and Bonanza, the jungle island in the original King Kong, Gene Autry’s first serial, The Phantom Empire, a distant planet in Star Trek: The Movie, and the entrance to Batman’s bat-cave in TV’s Batman and the first Batman movie.
American Society of Cinematographers Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Mary Pickford Center 1313 N. Vine St. (310) 247-3000. Built in 1949, first Hollywood studio designed for television show production. Early TV shows and sitcoms including Queen for A Day and I Love Lucy were broadcast from here. Renovated facility includes 286-seat Linwood Dunn Theater, Academy offices and collections of the Academy Film Archive. www.oscars.org
Cahuenga Pass Ancient gateway to Hollywood created centuries ago by Native Americans. Called “Cahuenga” or “Little Hills,” it was traveled by Spanish explorer Don Gaspar de Portola and 80 years later by Kit Carson. In 1886, Kansas prohibitionist Harvey Wilcox and his wife, Daeida, bought 120 acres of the Cahuenga Valley and named their home “Hollywood.” Capitol Records 1750 N. Vine St. World’s first circular office building and one of Hollywood’s landmarks. Built in 1956, the light on its rooftop spire flashes “H-O-L-L-Y-W-O-O-D” in Morse code. Gold albums of its many artists displayed in lobby. John Lennon and other Capitol artists’ stars on sidewalk. Artist Richard Wyatt’s LA Jazz mural in tile depicts jazz greats. www.capitolstudios.com
Alto Nido Apartments 1851 N. Ivar Ave. William Holden’s apartment in the ‘50s film noir classic Sunset Boulevard in which he costarred with Gloria Swanson.
Church of Scientology 4810 W. Sunset Blvd. Their Los Angeles Information Center is located in the historic former Christie Hotel at 6724 Hollywood Blvd. www.scientology-losangeles.org Cinerama Dome 6360 Sunset Blvd. (323) 464-4226. Restored as part of the Arclight Hollywood movie-going experience, the unique geodesic-shaped theatre designed by Buckminster Fuller was built in 1963. www.arclightcinemas.com (See FILM)
Crossroads of the World 6671 Sunset Blvd. (323) 463-5611. Historical landmark built in 1936 as “the world’s first modern shopping center,” an architectural potpourri with Streamline Moderne, pseudo Spanish, Tudor, Moorish and French Provincal styles. Now an office complex, it is listed on National Register of Historic Places. Used for scenes in L.A. Confidential, Indecent Proposal and Argo. www.crossroadshollywood.com
American Society of Cinematographers 1782 N. Orange Dr. (323) 969-4333. Built in 1903, this classic Mission Revival residence has been lovingly cared for by the Society since 1936. www.theasc.com
Capitol Records
Avalon Hollywood (formerly The Palace) 1735 N. Vine St. (323) 462-8900. Opened in 1927 as the Hollywood Playhouse, it became the El Capitan in the 40s and hosted the famed Ken Murray’s Blackouts and Hollywood Palace TV show in the 50s. www.avalonhollywood.com (See MUSIC).
Celebrity Centre International/Manor Hotel 5930 Franklin Ave. (323) 960-3201. Built in the late 1920s, Hollywood’s first residential hotel, Chateau Elysee became known as “The Manor.” Guests included Clark Gable, Bette Davis, Carole Lombard, Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, and Ginger Rogers. Now Church of Scientology center. www.manor-scientology.org
Black-Foxe Military Academy 601 N. Wilcox Ave. Founded by Charles E. Toberman, who developed Hollywood in the 1920s, and WWI Majors Black and Foxe. Demolished except for house declared a historic landmark in 1998. Owner has created a modest museum of Black-Foxe memorabilia rescued from a dumpster and donated by alumni. www.blackfoxe.com
Charlie Chaplin Studios (Jim Henson Company) 1416 N. La Brea Ave. Built in 1918 to resemble a row of English country homes, Chaplin made many of his films here including Modern Times and City Lights. Formerly A&M Records, the studio was purchased by Jim Henson Productions, who honored Chaplin with a statue of Kermit the Frog dressed like the Little Tramp. www.leasing.henson.com/history.html
10 DISCOVER HOLLYWOOD / SUMMER 2016
Chateau Marmont 8221 Sunset Blvd. (323) 656-1010. Since 1929, this castle-like hotel has been popular with stars for its privacy. From secret romances to untimely deaths, guests include Errol Flynn, Bob Dylan, Paul Newman, John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Jim Morrison, Marilyn Monroe, Mick Jagger, and John Belushi who died there. www.chateaumarmont.com
Columbia Square 6121 Sunset Blvd. New development underway incorporates the historic broadcasting headquarters of many early radio and TV shows. The new Columbia Square will feature a 20-story residential tower, structures, two new office buildings and underground parking. www.columbiasquare.com
American Film Institute 2021 N. Western Ave. (323) 856-7600. Historic Immaculate Heart College’s 1906 campus buildings now house famed institute and one of the best film and video libraries in the world. www.afi.com (See FILM)
Autry Museum of the American West 4700 Western Heritage Way. (323) 667-2000. Founded by Gene Autry, The Singing Cowboy, outstanding state-of-the-art museum is a tribute to the spirit that settled the American West. Closed Mon; second Tues of every month Free. www.theautry.org (See VISUAL ARTS, FAMILY, MUSIC)
Chase Bank 1500 N. Vine St. (323) 466-1121. Unusual mosaics, murals and stained glass created by noted California artist Millard Sheets depict Hollywood personalities.
De Longpre Park 1350 Cherokee Ave. A lovely old “pocket” park in neighborhood one block south of Sunset Blvd. Jerry Fuller, a young songwriter, is said to have penned Travelin’ Man, a Rick Nelson hit, on a bench in the park. Features sculptures honoring Rudolph Valentino. Dolby Theatre 6801 Hollywood Blvd. (323) 308-6300. Inside the Hollywood & Highland complex. Home of the Academy Awards. Guided tours daily from 10:30am-4pm. www.dolbytheatre.com (see Theatre) Larry Edmunds Book Store 6644 Hollywood Blvd. (323) 463-3273. Believed to have the largest collection of theatre-and-film-related books in Los Angeles, offers photographs, posters and other memorabilia from the movies. www.larryedmunds.com
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