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For such a towering
Hollywood star, the Sign was a relatively late comer to films,
appearing in its first feature-length motion picture (1974’s
“Earthquake") at the age of 51. The reason for the snub? While
the vast majority of American movies were filmed in Hollywood
before then, very few were set in Hollywood – so the
Sign’s presence would have been a dead giveaway. Hollywood, at
least in the mainstream imagination, was a place where movies
were made, not a place populated by real people, dramas
and stories. Still, you might have thought it would have made a
cameo in, say, an industry genre film like “Sunset Boulevard”
(1950) … but, alas, the Billy Wilder classic focused instead on
another imperious Hollywood giant.
It may have taken a
while, but once the Sign's career got going, it took off fast.
From 1974 to 2006, the Sign appeared in, according to our count,
26 films - 10 in the past decade alone Through the years, it's
appeared in movies with the likes of Warren Beatty, Marlon
Brando, Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, Johnny Depp, and Jim
Carrey. Strangely, the Sign has co-starred in more than one
film with four different actors: Jennifer Connelly ("The
Rocketeer" and Career Opportunities"). Charlize Theron
(*The Italian Job" and Mighty Joe Young"). Mike Meyers
("Austin Powers in Goldmember" and "Shrek II"0, and Donald
Sutherland ("The Italian Job" and "The Day of the Locust").
True, the Sign may
have had an opportunity to “rub letters” with some of the
biggest names in Hollywood, but it’s also had its share of
career challenges. For one thing, the Sign has struggled to move
beyond its typecast role as a signifier of massive-scale
destruction, having been destroyed no less than 10 times on
screen – by everything from earthquakes and global warming, to a
giant gorilla and, most fearsome of all, John Belushi.
While the roles
haven’t always been great, the Sign has added something to every
film it’s been in, whether it’s being used to quickly establish
a setting, deliver a visual punch-line, or add a chilling note
of “reality” to a depiction of disaster or a future gone awry.
Here's a quick look
at all of the Sign's many roles through the years, including
each film's year of release, the Sign's co-stars and director,
and a brief description of its big screen moment ...
FILM
“Earthquake” (1974)
Starring Charlton Heston, Ava
Gardner.
Directed by Mark Robson.
Rocked by a monster
quake, the Sign’s letters topple down Mt. Lee, one by one. The
idea was to shock viewers with a realistic image of a familiar
monument’s destruction, which, in a sense, was an important
validation of the Sign’s pop culture significance. Since then,
the Sign’s destruction has been used time and again by
filmmakers to bring home the devastation of major natural (and,
as we’ll see, supernatural) catastrophes.
“Day of the Locust” (1975)
Starring Donald Sutherland, Karen
Black.
Directed by John Schlesinger.
Based on
Nathanael West's dark satire of Hollywood, the movie features a
scene where a tour guide at the base of the sign recounts how
"Camille McRae, 1929 Clam Queen of Pismo Beach" leapt to her
death from "the great H" in 1932. McRae's story refers to
that of Peg Entwistle, a dispirited would-be starlet who
actually did commit suicide in 1932 by jumping off of the "H."
“Superman” (1978)
Starring Christopher
Reeve, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder and Marlon Brando. Directed
by Richard Donner.
During a series of
scenes depicting worldwide destruction, the Sign leans
precariously during an earthquake – quickly communicating that
Los Angeles/the West Coast is part of the devastation.
“1941” (1979)
Starring Charles Bronson.
Directed by Michael Winner.
The very first scene of the movie features the Hollywood Sign. (Contributed by Andy Mills)
“Death Wish II ” (1982)
Starring John
Belushi, Treat Williams.
Directed by Steven Spielberg.
1941 is one of two
movies that offer humorous alternate explanations as to how the
“LAND” portion of the Sign was removed. Here the culprit is a
psychotic, trigger-happy P-40 pilot, "Wild Bill" Kelso, played
by John Belushi.
“Ruthless People”
(1986)
Starring Danny DeVito,
Bette Midler.
Directed by Jim Abrams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker.
Okay, it doesn’t really count
as screen time, but the murder
of Barbara Stone (Midler) was
supposed to have taken place "not far from Hollywood Sign."
“Dragnet”
(1987)
Starring Dan Aykroyd, Tom Hanks.
Directed by Tom Mankiewicz.
The characters drive up a (fictional) road that ends in front of the Hollywood Sign. (Contributed by Marcel Pazzin)
“Slam Dance ”
(1987) -- Contributed by Rocky Rockmaker.
Written by Don Keith Opper.
Directed by Wayne Wang.
Slam Dance included Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Virginia Madsen, and the always superb Harry Dean Stanton. There were at least a couple of defacto contemporaneous punkers in the film -- Adam Ant, and L.A. staple John Doe of "X."
“The Wizard of Speed
and Time” (1989)
Starring Mike Jittlov,
Richard Kage.
Directed by Mike Jittlov.
This feature-length
adaptation of the cult classic short film offers one of the most
creative uses of the Sign to date, as a futuristic technology
transforms “HOLLYWOOD” into “WHOLLY ODD.” … Now why didn’t
CalTech think of that?
“Pretty Woman” (1990)
Starring Julie Roberts and Richard Gere.
Directed by Garry Marshall.
The establishing shot at the beginning of the picture uses the Hollywood Sign. (Contributed by Marcel Pazzin)
“Predator 2” (1990)
Starring Kevin Peter Hall, Danny Glover.
Directed by Stephen Hopkins.
The movie opens with a helicopter shot that comes up the back side of the Hollywood Hills meant to recall the jungle setting of the first movie. Then the helicopter flies over the hills to reveal the city of L.A. in the distance, and the Hollywood sign. (Contributed by Don Solosan)
“Bugsy” (1991)
Starring Warren
Beatty, Annette Bening, Ben Kingsley.
Directed by Barry Levinson.
Depicted in its
original "Hollywoodland" form, the Sign is used to efficiently
communicate place (Los Angeles) and time (relatively early in
the 20th century) during an establishing scene in the
film. (Contributed by Marcel Pazzin)
“Career
Opportunities” (1991)
Jennifer Connelly,
Frank Whaley, Dermot Mulroney.
Written by John Hughes.
The film’s epilogue
features Frank Whaley as Jim. As he reads a book, he fantasizes
that the Sign’s letters transform to read "Jimwood."
“The Rocketeer”
(1991)
Starring Bill
Campbell, Jennifer Connelly.
Directed by Joe Johnson.
The film offers the
other alternate explanation for the loss of the “LAND” portion
of the Sign: Villain Neville Sinclair (Dalton) crashes into them
with a faulty rocketpack. Whatever else she achieves during her
career, Jennifer Connelly will almost certainly go down as the
only actor/actress to star alongside the Sign in two films in
the same year.
“Doc Hollywood”
(1991)
Starring Michael J. Fox, Julie Warner.
Directed by Michael Caton-Jones.
In the poster picture, they added Doc to the front of the Hollywood Sign. (Contributed by Chuck Williams)
“Chaplin”
(1992)
Starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Kevin Kline.
Directed by Richard Attenborough.
The movie features a great scene where Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. ride horses up to the sign (Fairbanks even takes a leak on the sign) and discuss the rising tide of Americanism sweeping the country as Fairbanks proceeds to climb the sign and even performs some gymnastics on one of the letters as the camera pulls back to reveal the entire "Hollywoodland" sign. (Contributed by Leslie A. Turner)
“Demolition Man”
(1993)
Starring Sylvester
Stallone, Wesley Snipes.
Directed by Marco Brambilla.
Again, the Sign is
used to establish setting – in this case, a dystopian,
violence-wracked future Los Angeles.
“Robin Hood: Men
in Tights” (1994)
Starring Cary
Elwes, Richard Lewis, Dave Chappelle.
Directed by Mel Brooks.
There’s a hilarious
scene in which Robin Hood arrives at the coast of England. How
do we know? A giant Hollywood Sign-style sign spells out
“ENGLAND” on the distant hillside. It was the Sign’s first
comedic role … but not its last.
“Ed Wood” (1994)
Starring Johnny
Depp, Sara Jessica Parker, Martin Landau.
Directed by Tim Burton.
The Sign is featured
during the first and final shots of the film as part of a
wide-angle pan. The purposefully artificial-looking,
miniaturized depiction of Hollywood serves as the perfect
introduction to Wood’s world.
“Escape from L.A.”
(1996)
Starring Kurt
Russell, Peter Fonda, A.J. Langer.
Directed by John Carpenter.
This barbed satire of
L.A. (and, in turn, American) pop culture features a shot of the
Sign with the Hollywood hills on fire in the background –a
poignant image of just how badly things have gone in Los
Angeles’ future as imagined by Carpenter.
“Independence Day” (1996)
Starring Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum.
Directed by Roland Emmerich.
As the aliens are introduced to us by the director he gives us a great shot of the Hollywood sign to make sure that we know where the alien invasion is taking place. (Contributed by Angel Frost)
“Volcano” (1997)
Starring Tommy Lee
Jones, Anne Heche.
Directed by Mike Jackson.
Remarkably, the Sign
is spared. It is, however, the compositional centerpiece of a
shot featuring a tower (in the foreground) that’s knocked over
to dam a river of molten lava.
“Orgazmo” (1997)
Starring Trey
Parker, Dian Bechar.
Directed by Trey Parker
This comedy about a
naïve young Mormon missionary who’s recruited to star in a
sci-fi porn movie opens with a prominent shot of the Sign, under
which the humorously obvious title card “Hollywood, U.S.A.”
fades up.
“Bean” (1997)
Starring Rowan
Atkinson, Peter MacNicol, Burt Reynolds.
Directed by Mel Smith.
The Sign’s comedy
calvacade continues. … Actually, the Sign isn’t featured in the
film itself, but it’s the focus of a promotional poster. In the
poster, Bean (Atkinson) proudly marches down Hollywood Blvd.
with a giant “O” under his arm. In the background, we can
clearly see the Sign – which now reads “HOLLYWO D.”
“The Truman Show”
(1998)
Starring Jim
Carrey, Lara Linney.
Directed by Peter Weir.
The film is about a
man who discovers that what he thought was his life is, in fact,
a TV show. His existential crisis is punctuated by a shot
revealing that his hometown (“Seahaven”) is actually a set built
inside of an enormous dome … located just north of the Hollywood
Sign.
“Mighty Joe Young”
(1998)
Starring Bill
Paxton, Charlize Theron.
Directed by Ron Underwood.
The Sign is once
again destroyed, but at least it’s in an interesting way. “Joe,”
the giant, enraged gorilla, picks up an “O” and hurls it at his
attackers.
“South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut”
(1999)
Written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
Directed by Trey Parker.
When Stan, Kyle, Eric, and Kenny see the R-rated Canadian movie "Terrance & Phillip: Asses of Fire", they are pronounced "corrupted". Kyle's mom Sheila, with the rest of the parents, pressure the United States to wage war against Canada. The Sign is used as a backdrop when the Canadian Air Forces bomb the Baldwin brothers' mansion. (Alec, Stephen, etc.). (Contributed by Steve Etzkorn)
“RKO 281” (1999)
Starring Live
Schriebner, James Cromwell, Melanie Griffith.
Directed by
Benjamin Ross.
The Sign (again
depicted in its original “Hollywoodland” incarnation) serves as
the perfect backdrop for this film about Orson Welle’s struggle
to make “Citizen Kane.” The film is accurate in that the “LAND”
portion of the Sign, which wasn’t scrapped until 1949, would
have been standing during the time of Citizen Kane’s filming
(1940-41). Still, the Sign would have looked much worse for wear
than it appears here.
“Man On The Moon” (1999)
Starring Jim Carrey.
Directed by Milos Forman.
It is a helicopter shot from behind the sign on Mt. Lee and the camera nearly passes through. The purpose of the shot is to establish the all-powerful presence of Hollywood as an industry, a place where anything can happen. (Contributed by Daniel Ferry)
“Bowfinger" (1999)
Starring Steve Martin, Heather Graham, Eddie Murphy.
Directed by Frank Oz.
One of the actresses that Steve Martin's character was hiring for his movie is sitting on a park bench underneath the sign. (Contributed by Dave Lepkowski)
“Scream 3” (2000)
Starring David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox. Directed by Wes Craven.
The main plot of the movie is in Hollywood and the sign appears at the very beginning of the movie right before the scene with Cotton weary in his car. (Contributed by James Stewart)
“Mulholland Drive ” (2001)
Starring Naomi Watts.
Directed by David Lynch.
The Hollywood Sign appears in about 20 minutes in. It is shown after Naomi Watts arrives in Los Angeles. (Contributed by Julie King)
“Austin Powers in
Goldmember” (2002)
Starring Mike
Meyers, Beyonce Knowles.
Directed by Jay Roach.
Dr. Evil's secret
lair was built into the hill behind the Sign … Talk about your
glamorous digs.
“The Italian Job”
(2003)
Starring Mark
Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Edward Norton, Donald Sutherland.
Directed by F. Gary Gray.
The film's villain,
Steve Frazelli (Norton) files past the sign to track a car chase
below, adding an epic touch to the scene.
“The Day After Tomorrow” (2004)
Starring Dennis
Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal.
Directed by Roland Emmerich.
You KNOW the climate
is getting weird when it’s a tornado, not an Earthquake, that
knocks the Sign over – in this case, killing an innocent
reporter who’s covering the freak storm from the street below.
“Shrek II” (2004)
Mike Meyers, Eddie Murphy.
Directed
by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, Conrad Vernon.
Our heroes arrive in
a land far far away … as evidenced by a ridiculous “FAR FAR
AWAY” Sign that’s similar in appearance to the Hollywood Sign.
“Super Babies:
Baby Geniuses 2” (2004)
Starring Jon
Voight, Scott Baio.
Directed by Bob Clark.
The film’s villain
(an immortal baby who never ages) has a secret lair inside of
the Sign’s “H.”
“10.5” (2004)
Beau Bridges, Kim
Delaney.
Directed by John Lafia.
This emmy-nominated
TV movie depicts what would happen to Los Angeles in the event
of a 10.5 earthquake. Given the magnitude of the quake, the
damage isn’t that bad: Only one of the “L”s and a “W” go
toppling over the hillside this time. Heck, the Sign probably
looked worse circa 1976.
“The Black Dahlia”
(2006)
Starring Josh
Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, Hillary Swank.
Directed by Brian
DePalma.
The Sign, which at
the of the film’s setting (1940) still read “HOLLYWOODLAND,” was
near the site of the grisly “Black Dahlia” murder. It’s shown,
accurately, with the "H" damaged, as it would have been before
the Chamber of Commerce’s 1949 refurbishment.
“Hollywoodland”
(2006)
Starring Adrien Brody, Diane Lane, Ben Affleck.
Directed by Allen Coulter.
(Contributed by Jim Pinard)
“Vantage Point”
(2006)
Starring Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox.
Directed by Pete Travis.
(Contributed by Steven Etzkorn)
Plus - the Current
20th Century Fox opening logo animation
20th Century Fox knows that nothing says "showbiz" like the
Hollywood Sign, which is why the world-famous icon is now being
used to open all of the studio's releases ... Looks like we'll
be seeing even more of the Hollywood Sign at the movies in the
very near future!
TELEVISION
“I Love Lucy”
(1951-1957)
Starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz.
Directed by Ralph Levy.
When the Ricardo's moved to Hollywood to bolster Ricky's career. The sign was visible on the backdrop to their hotel room. (Contributed by Jim Pinard)
“The Simpsons”
(1989-????)
Created by Matt Groening.
In the episode "The Simpsons Go to Hollywood," the Hollywood Sign appears. (Contributed by Robert Oranchuk)
“Beverly Hills 90210”
(1990-2000)
Starring Jason Priestley, Tori Spelling, Jenni Garth.
Directed by Darren Star.
There is a framed picture in The Peach Pit of the sign reading "Hollywoodland." (Contributed by Meredith Gardner)
Calling all Film Buffs!
If you've seen the Sign in a movie that we haven't listed, we'd
love to hear from you! Just
contact us to tell us the name of the film and a brief
description of the Sign's role. We'll review and add it to
our list, along with a special "screen credit" for your
contribution. |
