Los Angeles is associated primarily with Hollywood, and Hollywood is associated with the stars, so it’s no surprise that the Walk of Stars is rightfully considered the city’s most popular landmark. Each year more than 10 million tourists stroll down the Walk of Stars, excitedly and tremblingly reading the names of idols immortalized in the stone slabs of the sidewalk in the glory of the entertainment industry. As befits any landmark “with a name,” the Walk of Stars has a long, varied, and very interesting history that continues to this day: new “stars” are laid here about twice a month.
A little history
The Avenue of the Stars didn’t spring up spontaneously: the idea for the new attraction came from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, both as a way of keeping celebrities in the public eye and as a way to provide the city with an extra infusion of money. The original plan was not to use a star shape with the actor’s name written in it, but a brass caricature, but they proved to be quite complicated and costly to execute. So the Hollywood City Hall decided not to be sly, and took an ordinary five-pointed star as a model, “drawing” it from the ceiling of the Hollywood Hotel.
The stars include one of five icons in addition to the celebrity’s name: a movie camera, television, phonograph, radio microphone and two masks, thus indicating to which area of show business the owner of the star belongs.
The first commemorative plaque appeared on the Walk of Stars in 1958. More precisely, these were the first eight slabs of the 1,550 celebrities chosen by the members of the Chamber of Commerce who would in the future be honored with their “star”. Since 1960, the regular laying of the slabs began, continuing to this day. However, the history of the Alley knows a lot of defeats: in the 60-70’s there was almost fifteen years of stagnation, complicated by litigation, and then the heyday began again. Today, the Avenue of the Stars has more than 2,500 nameplates.
It is not free to get your name on the Walk of Stars: the lucky recipient will have to pay 30 thousand USD in “organizational costs”.
What to see
The Hollywood Walk of Stars is one of the longest tourist attractions: its total length is more than 18 city blocks! The main part stretches for 15 blocks along Hollywood Boulevard, and since its length was obviously not designed for numerous bohemians, there is also a three-block “tail” of the Alley on Vine Street. Only avid showbiz fans are capable of seeing them all, so before you go to the Alley, it makes sense to consult the official site of the landmark and find out the exact location of the “star” of the idol.
Some particularly prominent members of the entertainment industry have two stars each on the Walk of Stars: for example, John Lennon, Ringo Star and George Harrison are immortalized as members of The Beatles and as solo performers. And in exceptional cases, the Walk has also included stars who do not fall into any of the show-business categories – for example, Mohamed Ali (in his case, the Committee equated the boxing duels of the prominent athlete with theatrical art).
And of course, we could not do without mythical characters: Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Snow White and the Gnomes, Shrek, The Simpsons and many other cartoon characters are on a par with the names of real people.
Getting to the ceremony of laying the nameplate of the star is quite easy: just read the schedule of events on the website of the Alley of Stars in advance and come to the place early. Ceremonies usually begin at 11:30 a.m. and last about 45 minutes. Admission is free; you should keep in mind that climbing on anything (companion shoulders, a chair or a ladder) will not be allowed. The prerequisite for laying the “star” is the personal presence of the celebrity.