HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME

Description

Essentials about the Hollywood Walk of Fame in brief

It is probably the most famous sidewalk in the world: the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Every year, around ten million visitors (not counting Angelenos) make the pilgrimage along the sidewalk on Hollywood Boulevard with its world-famous stars. Those who want to walk the entire Walk of Fame have their work cut out for them, because the path is about 5.5 kilometers long and now has more than 2,600 stars for famous and deserving Hollywood stars. Most tourists therefore limit themselves to one section or go specifically to the star of their beloved star.

The location and course of the Hollywood Walk of Fame

The Hollywood Walk of Fame stretches for 15 blocks on both sides of Hollywood Boulevard, from Gower Street in the east to La Brea Avenue in the west. In addition, the Walk of Fame runs three blocks northeast along Vine Street, starting at Sunset Boulevard in the south and crossing Hollywood Boulevard up to Yucca Street.

By the way, if you want to know exactly if your beloved star has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and if so, where it is located, you just have to check the Walk of Fame website (see the link below). There you enter the name of the star you are looking for and you will get both the exact address of the star and a short resume of the personality.

The stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

The stars on the Walk of Fame are awarded in five categories: film, television, music, radio and theater. Each star is made of old pink terrazzo. The name of the artist or group to be honored is inscribed in the stone, as well as in brass the symbol for the category in which the artist(s) were honored.

Of course, there is no rule without an exception, as three stars do not belong in any of the above categories. The first star is dedicated to Tom Bradley, longtime mayor of Los Angeles. The second uncategorized star was awarded to Disneyland in honor of the theme park’s 50th anniversary, and the third star honors seven LAPD police officers who died in the line of duty. Perhaps the most unusual tribute was given to the crew of the Apollo 11 lunar module, using a complete terrazzo slab with a bronze plaque in the shape of the moon instead of a star.

Probably the most controversial star is that of US President Trump, which he received in 2007 for his television broadcasts. The star has repeatedly been the target of vandalism. The West Hollywood City Council called for the star’s removal in August 2018, saying Trump’s behavior toward women and immigrants, as well as his opposition to climate action, were incompatible with the values of the area. This marks the first time in the history of the Hollywood Walk of Fame that the removal of a star has been discussed.

Incidentally, the record holder among the stars is the US actor and country singer Gene Autry. He is so far the only artist who managed to be awarded in all five star categories.

Another exceptional star is that of boxing legend Muhammad Ali. Since Ali did not want “people to trample on the name of my beloved prophet, from whom my name comes,” in 2002 his star was the only one so far not to be embedded on a sidewalk slab, but anchored in the façade of the Dolby Theatre.

And of course, stars have also been stolen from the Hollywood Walk of Fame – but “only” four so far. Three of them, namely those for Kirk Douglas, James Stewart and one of the five stars for Gene Autry, disappeared in the course of construction work and were replaced by copies before the originals could be secured later. In 2005, the star for Gregory Peck was stolen and also replaced with a duplicate.

The inclusion in the Hollywood Walk of Fame

If you think you only have to be a moderately famous star from film, music or television to be inducted into the Walk of Fame, you’re sorely mistaken. Because to earn a star, stars must actually meet the following three criteria for inclusion: Professional achievements in the respective category, a permanent presence in show business for at least five years, and charitable contributions.

In addition to a positive review, each proposal must include a photograph and a concise resume of the person proposed. The application must name a sponsor who will be responsible for paying the Hollywood Historic Trust an amount of approximately $40,000 in the event of a positive decision. This amount is used to cover the production and installation costs of the star as well as the maintenance costs of the Walk of Fame. Sponsors are, of course, often the film studios or producers of the stars, since the awarding of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame can be marketed well in the media. Fans may also submit nominations, but only with the written consent of the respective star’s management. Deceased stars can only be nominated five years after their death.

The deadline for applications is May 31 of each year. After that, a five-member selection committee makes its decisions. These must then be confirmed by the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce and the Los Angeles City Council before they are officially announced. Rejected candidates are automatically re-selected the following year; if rejected again, a new application must be submitted.

On average, there are about 200 to 300 applications per year, from which 20 to 24 stars are selected each year. According to the regulations, the public award ceremony must take place within five years of the selection in the presence of the honored person or, in the case of art figures or posthumous honors, in the presence of a representative.

The history of the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Incidentally, the idea for the Walk of Fame came from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. At the end of the 1950s, it wanted to give the then somewhat run-down district a face-lift. From thousands of suggestions, four selection committees chose a total of 1,558 artists to be the first to receive the honor. To give the public an idea of what the planned Walk of Fame would look like, stars for eight of these artists (Olive Borden, Ronald Colman, Louise Fazenda, Preston Foster, Burt Lancaster, Edward Sedgwick, Ernest Torrence and Joanne Woodward) were provisionally displayed at the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue as early as August 1958.

In February 1960, construction began on the Walk of Fame, which was officially dedicated in November of that year. Californian artist Oliver Weismuller had designed 2,518 “blank” stars to be incorporated into the Walk of Fame, of which the first 1,558 had already been awarded and engraved by the spring of 1961. Individual dedication ceremonies, as are common today, did not exist then.

After that, it took seven years to agree on the selection modalities for future honors. From 1968 to 1975, another 99 artists were added; since then, about 24 stars have been honored with a star each year. In 1984, “Theater” was finally added as a fifth arts category. In the 1990s, the two-thousand star mark was surpassed for the first time, and the Walk of Fame was expanded to its current size. To the chagrin of Americans, Italian film diva Sophia Loren received the 2,000th star in February 1994.