Hollywood Sign Unveiled After 90th Birthday Makeover

The refurbished Hollywood sign was presented in all its freshly-painted glory Tuesday, after its biggest makeover for 35 years in time for 90th birthday celebrations next year.

Published

6 months ago

Categories

Lifestyle

Topics

United States, Movies

People

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks

Places

United States of America, California, Los Angeles

Transcript

SHOTLIST: LOS ANGELES, DECEMBER 4, 2012, SOURCE: AFPTV SOUNDBITE 1 Chris Baumgart (man), Chairman, Hollywood Sign Trust (English, 18 sec): "That sign represents the dreams, the dreams of people that come here and want to try to get in the business. It also represents the dreams that are put on screens, large and small, around the world. And it has morphed into not just representing the film industry, it's also the face of the Los Angeles lifestyle." SOUNDBITE 2 Victor Galindo (man), Foreman (English, 12 sec): "I am proud, yeah, I am proud to paint the Hollywood sign. My kids are proud that their daddy painted the Hollywood Sign. I was the foreman out here so it's 'oh, my daddy is the foreman for the Hollywood sign!'" - VAR of the Hollywood sign - VAR of the Hollywood sign shot from the hill - VAR of the press conference - VAR of the men painting the sign ------------------ AFP TEXT STORY Entertainment-US-tourism-sign Hollywood icon unveiled after 90th birthday makeover =(PICTURE+VIDEO)= LOS ANGELES, Dec 4, 2012 (AFP) - The refurbished Hollywood sign was presented in all its freshly-painted glory Tuesday, after its biggest makeover for 35 years in time for 90th birthday celebrations next year. Some 360 gallons of fresh bright white paint was applied over the last two months to the Tinseltown icon, which sits atop Mount Lee in the Hollywood Hills north of Los Angeles. "This sign is so beautiful. It's where people, when they get off the plane at LAX (airport), this is where they want to come to. It's a special day," said LA City council member for Hollywood, Tom LaBonge. He and other dignitaries spoke at a press conference held beneath the sign by the Hollywood Sign Trust, which manages the structure, to announce the completion of the paint job. Over the last two months workers have used window-cleaner style platforms to strip down the 50-foot (15-meter) tall letters, powerwash the corrugated iron and apply fresh primer and topcoast paint. "The sign was scrubbed to the bone, and two tonnes of makeup was put on her best side. A lot was done to her backside but we've leaving that her secret," quipped Trust head Chris Baumgart. The original sign was erected in 1923 to advertise a property development called Hollywoodland, but the last four letters were removed in the 1940s. One of the City of Angels' most beloved attractions, the sign had fallen into disrepair until it was restored in the 1970s after a campaign that saw nine donors pay $27,777 to "adopt" one letter each. It was threatened again more recently when investors who own land surrounding the giant white letters indicated plans to sell the plot to developers. But Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner helped secure the sign in 2010, along with then-California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and other Hollywood luminaries including Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. Although members of the public are forbidden from accessing the area around the landmark -- a sophisticated alarm system including motion sensors has been set up to deter trespassers -- the sign has a grisly history. In 1932, British actress Peg Entwistle infamously committed suicide by throwing herself off the top of the letter H.