Hollywood Walk of Fame

Street performers on the Hollywood Walk of Fame near Grauman's Chinese Theatre.

The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a series of sidewalks along either side of a 15-block segment of Hollywood Boulevard and a 3-block segment of Vine Street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA that serves as a permanent public monument to achievement in the entertainment industry. More than 2,400 5-pointed terrazzo and brass stars are embedded at 6-foot intervals over a combined 1.7 miles. The stars recognize an eclectic mix of actors, musicians, directors, producers, musical and theatrical groups, fictional characters, and others for their entertainment contributions. The Walk is administrated by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and maintained by the self-financing Hollywood Historic Trust.

According to a report by the market research firm NPO/Plog Research, the Walk attracts about 10 million visitors annually - more than Sunset Strip, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, the Queen Mary, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art - and has played an important role in making tourism the largest industry in Los Angeles County.^[1]

Béla Lugosi, an actor famous for his portrayal of Dracula.

Description

The Walk of Fame runs 1.3 miles (2.1 km) east to west on Hollywood Boulevard from North Gower Street to North La Brea Avenue, plus a short segment of Marshfield Way that runs diagonally between Hollywood and La Brea; and 0.4 miles (0.7 km) north to south on Vine Street between Yucca Street and Sunset Boulevard.^[2]

Each monument consists of a coral-pink terrazzo five-point star rimmed with brass (not bronze, an oft-repeated inaccuracy) inlaid into a charcoal-colored terrazzo background. In the upper portion of the pink star field, the name of the honoree is inlaid in brass block letters. Below the inscription, in the lower half of the star field, a round inlaid brass emblem indicates the category of the honoree's contributions.

The emblems symbolize five categories within the entertainment industry:

• Classic film camera representing motion pictures
• Television set representing broadcast television
• Phonograph record representing audio recording
• Radio microphone representing broadcast radio
• Comedy/tragedy masks representing theater/live performance (added in 1984)

One of the four Moon landing monuments at Hollywood and Vine.

To date, 47% of the stars have been awarded in the motion pictures category, 24% in television, 17% in audio recording, 10% in radio, and less than 2% in the live performance category. (See complete list.) Twenty to thirty new stars, on average, are added to the Walk each year.

Nineteen "special category" stars recognize miscellaneous contributions by corporate entities, service organizations, and special honorees, and display emblems unique to those honorees. For example, the Los Angeles Police Department star's emblem is a replica of an LAPD badge; former Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley's star displays the Seal of the City of Los Angeles;^[3] and stars representing corporations, such as Victoria's Secret and the Los Angeles Dodgers, display the honoree's corporate logo.^[4]

There are two exceptions to the trademark "star" shape of the monuments. The Apollo XI mission to the Moon is commemorated in four identical, circular "moons" containing the names of the astronauts (Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin E. ("Buzz") Aldrin Jr) the date of the first Moon landing ("7/20/69") and the words "Apollo XI", set on each of the four corners at the intersection of Hollywood and Vine. The "moons" are silver and dark grey terrazzo circles rimmed in brass on a square pink terrazzo background, with the television emblem (dubious rationale discussed below) inlaid at the "twelve o'clock" position on the circles.^[5]

The other exceptions are the two "Friends of the Walk of Fame" monuments, which are simple charcoal squares, rimmed by miniature replicas of the pink terrazzo stars displaying the five standard category symbols, along with the sponsor's corporate logo, with the sponsor's name and sponsorship recognition in the usual inlaid brass block lettering.

Complete list of honorees

History

Origin

Walk of Fame, 6800 block of Hollywood Boulevard, looking eastward. The Kodak Theatre is in the foreground at left. In the upper left quadrant is the famous intersection of Hollywood and Highland.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce credits E. M. Stuart, its president in the early 1950s, with the original idea for creating a Walk of Fame. According to a 1953 Chamber press release, Stuart proposed the Walk as a means to “maintain the glory of a community whose name means glamour and excitement in the four corners of the world.”^[6] Harry Sugarman, another Chamber member and president of the Hollywood Improvement Association, receives credit in some independent accounts.^[7] A committee was formed to flesh out the idea, and an architectural firm was retained to develop specific proposals. The exact origin of the "star" concept is not certain, but the historic Hollywood Hotel, which stood for over 50 years on Hollywood Blvd. at the site now occupied by the Hollywood and Highland complex and the Kodak Theatre, painted stars on its dining room ceiling over tables favored by its most famous celebrity patrons, and that may have served as an early inspiration.^[8] Another theory involves a popular Hollywood restaurant of the era called The Tropics,^[9] whose menu featured celebrity photos framed in gold stars.^[7]

By 1955, the basic concept and general design had been agreed upon, and plans were submitted to the Los Angeles City Council. In February 1956 a prototype was unveiled that featured a caricature of a "sample" honoree (John Wayne, by some accounts^[10]) on a brown star with blue background. However, caricatures proved technically too difficult to execute in brass with the technology available at the time; and the brown and blue motif, it is said, was nixed by C. E. Toberman, the legendary real estate developer known as "Mr. Hollywood", because the colors clashed with a new building he was erecting on Hollywood Blvd.^[6][11]

Selection and Construction

By March, 1956 the final design and coral-and-charcoal color scheme had been approved, and between the spring of 1956 and the fall of 1957, 1,550 honorees were selected by committees representing the four branches of the entertainment industry at that time: motion pictures, television, audio recording, and radio. The committees included some of the most prominent names in entertainment, such as Cecil B. DeMille, Samuel Goldwyn, Jesse Lasky, Walt Disney, Hal Roach, Mack Sennett and Walter Lantz.^[6]

Construction began in 1958, but two lawsuits delayed completion. The first was filed by local property owners opposed to the USD $1.25 million tax assessment levied upon them to pay for the Walk, along with new street lighting and trees; the second, by Charles Chaplin, Jr., sought damages for the exclusion of his father, whose nomination had been withdrawn due to pressure from multiple quarters (see below). In October 1959 the assessment was ruled legal and Chaplin's lawsuit was dismissed, paving the way for completion of the project.^[6][12]

The Joanne Woodward Myth

While it has been widely reported that Joanne Woodward was the first celebrity to receive a star on the Walk of Fame, in fact there was no "first" recipient; all of the original stars were installed simultaneously, with no individual ceremonies. Eight stars, chosen at random from the original 1,550,^[13][14] were built first, as "examples", while litigation was still holding up construction. They were displayed temporarily on the northwest corner of Hollywood Blvd. and Highland Avenue in September 1958, to generate publicity and demonstrate how the Walk would eventually look.^[6] After the official groundbreaking, on February 8, 1960,^[8] those eight stars, representing Woodward, Olive Borden, Ronald Colman, Louise Fazenda, Preston Foster, Burt Lancaster, Edward Sedgwick, and Ernest Torrence, were installed along with the rest. The first star actually completed in its permanent location was director Stanley Kramer's, on March 28, 1960, on the easternmost end of the new Walk, near the intersection of Hollywood and Gower.^[6][15]

The precise origin of the Joanne Woodward legend is not clear; but by at least one account, she was the first celebrity to agree to pose with her star for photographers, and therefore was singled out in popular lore as the first awardee.^[16]

Stagnation

The 1960s and 1970s were a period of protracted urban decay in the Hollywood area.^[17] The Walk was originally conceived, in part, to encourage redevelopment of Hollywood Blvd., but the area continued its steady decline over the course of the 1960s. While the Walk of Fame Selection Committee continued to exist, eight years passed without the addition of a single new star.^[18]

Revitalization

Johnny Grant, center, at producer Joe Pasternak's presentation ceremony in 1991. At left is Gene Kelly.

Radio personality, television producer, and Chamber member Johnny Grant is generally credited with implementing the changes that resuscitated the Walk and established it as a significant tourist attraction. In 1968 he initiated a revival of the selection process, then created and continually reinforced public awareness by staging a presentation ceremony to unveil each new star. He further stimulated publicity and encouraged international press coverage by requiring that each recipient personally appear at his or her star's public unveiling. (Initially, in the late '60s and early '70s, Grant later said, the neighborhood's reputation had declined so precipitously that persuading celebrities to make that commitment was a significant challenge.^[19])

Grant also instituted a fee of USD $2,500 (which has increased incrementally over time to USD $25,000)^[18], payable by the person or entity nominating the recipient, to fund the Walk of Fame's upkeep and minimize further taxpayer burden. In December 1968, Richard D. Zanuck was awarded the first new star since 1960 in a presentation ceremony hosted by Danny Thomas.^[6] New stars have been added at the rate of twenty to twenty-five per year ever since.

In 1978, the City of Los Angeles designated the Hollywood Walk of Fame a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument.^[20]

Grant was awarded a star in 1980 for his television work, and in 2002 he received a second star in the "special" category to acknowledge his pivotal role in improving and popularizing the Walk. He was also named chairman of the Selection Committee and Honorary Mayor of Hollywood (a ceremonial position previously held by Art Linkletter, Lawrence Welk, and others). He remained in both offices and hosted the great majority of unveiling ceremonies from 1980 until his death in 2008. His unique, special-category star, with its emblem depicting a stylized "Great Seal of Hollywood"^[21] is located at the entrance to the Kodak Theater, adjacent to Johnny Grant Way.^[22]

Expansion

In 1984, a fifth category, “Live Theatre” was added to permit acknowledgement of contributions from the live performance branch of the entertainment industry, and a second row of stars was created on each sidewalk to alternate with the existing stars.

Hollywood Blvd., 7000 block, north side, looking westward.

In 1994 the Walk of Fame was extended one block to the west on Hollywood Blvd., from Sycamore Avenue to North LaBrea Avenue (plus the short segment of Marshfield Way that connects Hollywood and La Brea), where it now ends at the silver "Four Ladies of Hollywood" gazebo (see below) and the special "Walk of Fame" star.^[23] At the same time, Sophia Loren was honored with the 2,000th star on the Walk.^[6]

Restoration

In 2008, a USD $4.2-million restoration of the Walk was initiated.^[24] At least 778 stars will eventually be repaired or replaced during the ongoing project because of wear and tear suffered over the years, from minor cosmetic flaws to damage severe enough to constitute a walking hazard. Simultaneously, the "Friends of Walk of Fame" program was inaugurated, whereby commercial interests may contribute funds toward the restoration effort. Absolut Vodka became the first "Friend" with a donation of USD $1 million, followed by L'Oreal with an undisclosed contribution. "Friends" are recognized with honorary stars in front of the Kodak Theatre, which ironically is among the most heavily damaged stretches of the walkway.^[24]

The project began with an evaluation of all 2,365 stars on the Walk at the time, each receiving a letter grade of A, B, C, D, or F. Honorees whose stars received "F" grades, indicating the most severe damage, were Joan Collins, Peter Frampton, Dick Van Patten, Willard Waterman, Richard Boleslawski, Ellen Drew, Paul Douglas, Andrew L. Stone, Frank Crumit and Bobby Sherwood. 50 celebrities' stars received "D" grades.^[24]

The ongoing restoration project is a collaboration between the Hollywood Chamber and various Los Angeles city and county governmental offices, along with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the Metro Red Line that runs beneath the Walk, since earth movement due to the presence of the subway line is thought to be partly responsible for the damage.^[25]

The Walk Today

Multiple stars

The original selection committees chose to recognize some entertainers' contributions in multiple categories with multiple stars. Gene Autry is the only honoree with stars in all five categories.^[26] Bob Hope, Mickey Rooney, Roy Rogers, and Tony Martin each have stars in four categories. (Rooney has three of his own and a fourth with his wife, Jan; Rogers also has three of his own, and a fourth with his band, the Sons of the Pioneers.) Thirty people, including Frank Sinatra, Danny Kaye, George Burns, Ed Wynn, and Jack Benny, have stars in three categories; only five of them are women: Dinah Shore, Gale Storm, Jane Froman, Marie Wilson, and Jo Stafford.^[27]

George Eastman is the only honoree with two stars in the same category for the same achievement. His original star (for the invention of roll film) is on Vine Street; when the Kodak Theatre was built in 2002, a second, identical star was installed at its entrance at Hollywood and Highland.

Six recording artists have two stars in the same category for distinct achievements: Michael Jackson, as a soloist and as a member of The Jackson Five; Diana Ross, as a member of The Supremes and for solo work; Smokey Robinson, as a solo artist and as a member of the Miracles; and John Lennon, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison, as individuals and as members of The Beatles. Paul McCartney's nomination for an individual star, in 1993, lapsed when a presentation ceremony could not be scheduled.^[16] He has since been renominated, and will receive his second star "when a date can be arranged for him to unveil it." ^[28] Cher forfeited her opportunity to join this exclusive club by declining to schedule the mandatory personal appearance when she was selected in 1983.^[13] She did, however, attend the unveiling of the Sonny & Cher star in 1998, as a tribute to her recently deceased ex-husband, Sonny Bono.^[29]

Controversy

Charlie Chaplin is the only celebrity to be selected twice for the same star on the Walk. He was unanimously voted into the initial group of 500 in 1956, but the Selection Committee ultimately excluded him, ostensibly due to questions regarding his morals (he had been charged with violating the Mann Act - and exonerated - during the "White Slavery" hysteria of the 1940s) but more likely due to his left-leaning political views.^[30] The rebuke prompted an unsuccessful lawsuit by his son, Charles Chaplin, Jr. His star was finally added to the Walk in 1972, the same year he received his Academy Award;^[31] but even then, 16 years later, the Chamber of Commerce received angry letters from across the country protesting its decision to include him.^[32]

In 1978 the committee, perhaps recalling its Chaplin difficulties, voted against awarding a star to the brilliant but controversial opera singer, actor, athlete, writer, lawyer, and social activist Paul Robeson. The outcry from the entertainment industry, civic circles, local and national politicians, and many other quarters was so intense that the decision was almost immediately reversed.^[33][34][35] His star is on the 6600 block of Hollywood Blvd.

Ignacy Paderewski

Entertainers in politics

Ronald Reagan is the only President of the United States to have a star, and one of two Governors of California. (The other is Arnold Schwarzenegger.)

George Murphy is the only United States Senator (R-California) with a star, in recognition of his prior acting and dancing career.

Two Members of the U.S. House of Representatives have received stars: Helen Gahagan (D-California), and Sonny Bono (R-California).

Ignacy Paderewski is the only European head of government with a star. (He served as Prime Minister of Poland between the World Wars.)

Names in common

There are two pairs of stars bearing identical names but representing different people. Two Harrison Ford stars honor the silent film actor (at 6665 Hollywood Blvd), and the present-day actor (in front of the Kodak Theatre at 6801 Hollywood Blvd). There are also two Michael Jackson stars: one for the legendary singer/dancer/songwriter (at 6811 Hollywood Blvd), and the other for the radio personality (at 1597 Vine Street). When the singer/songwriter Jackson died, in 2009, fans mistakenly began leaving flowers, candles, and other tributes at the Vine Street star. Upon learning of this, the radio host Jackson wrote on his web site, "I am willingly loan[ing] it to him and, if it would bring him back, he can have it."^[36]

One might expect a common surname on the Walk to be Jones, and indeed, 12 Joneses have stars: Allan Jones, Buck Jones, Chuck Jones, Dick Jones, Gordon Jones, Jack Jones, Jennifer Jones, Quincy Jones, Shirley Jones, Spike Jones, Tom Jones, and Tommy Lee Jones. Interestingly, there are only seven Smiths: Aubrey, Carl, Smilin' Jack, Jaclyn, Kate, Keely, and Pete. The most common surname, however, with 14, is Moore: Clayton Moore, Colleen Moore, Constance Moore, Del Moore, Dudley Moore, Garry Moore, Grace Moore, Mary Tyler Moore, Matt Moore, Owen Moore, Roger Moore, Terry Moore, Tom Moore, and Victor Moore.

The largest collection of stars honoring one group of blood relatives is the widely-scattered set of seven representing the Barrymore family: John Barrymore, his brother Lionel (who has two), and sister Ethel, their uncle Sidney Drew, John's son John Drew Barrymore, and John Drew's daughter Drew Barrymore.

Bending the rules

Walk of Fame rules prohibit consideration of nominees whose contributions fall outside the five major entertainment categories, but the selection committee has been known to conjure some interesting rule interpretations to justify a selection. The Walk's four round Moon landing monuments at the corners of Hollywood and Vine, for example, officially recognize the Apollo XI astronauts for "contributions to the television industry." Johnny Grant acknowledged, in 2005, that classifying the first Moon landing as a television entertainment event was "a bit of a stretch."^[16]

The committee stretched even further for Magic Johnson, whose considerable basketball skills had no plausible connection to movies, music, TV, radio, or theater. They finally squeezed him into the motion picture category, based on his ownership of the Magic Johnson Theatre chain, citing as precedent Sid Grauman, builder of Grauman's Chinese Theatre.^[16] "[Now] people want Orville Redenbacher," Grant quipped in the 2005 interview, "because his popcorn is in all the theaters."^[16]

Muhammad Ali's star is another example of rule bending; the committee decided boxing (unlike basketball, apparently) could be considered a form of "live performance." His star is the first (and so far only) one to be installed on a vertical surface. It is displayed on a wall of the Kodak Theatre, acceding to Ali's request that his name not be walked upon.^[37][38]

Since 1968, all living honorees have been required to be present at their star's unveiling, and approximately 40 have declined the honor due to this condition.^[16] The only recipient to date who has failed to appear after having agreed to do so was Barbra Streisand, in 1976. Her star was unveiled anyway, near the intersection of Hollywood and Highland.^[39] Streisand did attend, however, when her husband, James Brolin, unveiled his star in 1998, two blocks to the east.^[40]

Unique & Unusual

Seven stars are identified with a one-word stage name. The most novel is Parkyakarkus, the principal pseudonym of Harry Einstein, the comedian and radio personality (and father of Albert Brooks and Bob Einstein). The other six are Liberace, Cantinflas, Meiklejohn, Paderewski, Mako, and Sabu.

The largest group of individuals represented by a single star is the estimated 122 adults and 12 children^[41] collectively known as the Munchkins, from the landmark 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz.

Clayton Moore is so inextricably linked with his Lone Ranger character, even though he played other roles during his career, that he is one of only two actors to have his character's name alongside his own on his star. The other is Tommy Riggs, whose star reads, "Tommy Riggs & Betty Lou."^[42]

Typical unveiling ceremony, in this case radio host Bill Handel's, in June, 2009.

For more than 40 years, singer Jimmy Boyd was the youngest star recipient at age 20, but he lost that distinction in 2004 to 18-year-old twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. Their joint star (the only one shared by twins) is outside the Kodak Theatre, near the Hollywood and Highland Center.

The Westmores received the first star honoring contributions in theatrical make-up. Other make-up artists on the walk are Max Factor and John Chambers.

Three stars recognize experts in special effects: Ray Harryhausen, Dennis Muren, and Stan Winston.

Only one costume designer has received a star, eight-time Academy Award winner Edith Head.

Sidney Sheldon is one of two novelists with a star, which he earned for writing screenplays like The Bachelor and The Bobby-Soxer before turning to novels.^[43] The other is Ray Bradbury, whose books and stories have formed the basis of dozens of movies and television programs over a nearly 60-year period.^[44]

Nine inventors have stars on the Walk: George Eastman (as mentioned); Thomas Edison, inventor of the first true film projector and holder of numerous patents related to motion-picture technology; Lee DeForest, inventor of the vacuum tube, which made radio and TV possible, and Phonofilm, which made sound movies possible; Merian C. Cooper, co-inventor of the Cinerama process; Herbert Kalmus, inventor of Technicolor; Auguste and Louis Lumière, inventors of important components of the motion picture camera; Mark Serrurier, inventor of the technology used for film editing; and Hedy Lamarr, co-inventor of a "frequency-hopping" radio guidance system used in Wi-Fi networks and cellular telephone systems.^[45]

Fictional characters (and those who create them)

In 1978, in honor of his 50th anniversary, Mickey Mouse became the first animated character to receive a star. Other animated recipients are Bugs Bunny, Donald Duck, Woody Woodpecker, Snow White, Winnie-the-Pooh, Shrek, Rugrats and The Simpsons. The star inscribed Charlie Tuna honors not the animated advertising mascot, but the long-time radio personality (real name: Art Ferguson).

Other fictional characters on the Walk include the Munchkins (as mentioned), two puppets (Kermit the Frog and Big Bird), one monster (Godzilla), and three non-animated canine characters (Strongheart, Lassie, and Rin Tin Tin). The Muppets will receive a collective star in 2011, making Kermit and Big Bird the first fictional characters to receive two stars.

Six stars recognize cartoonists and animators: Walt Disney, Friz Freleng, Chuck Jones, Walter Lantz, Charles Schulz, and Jay Ward.

Three puppeteers have stars: Fran Allison, Jim Henson, and Shari Lewis.

On the outside looking in

The most common question received by Chamber personnel is, "Why doesn't ________ have a star?"^[14] Numerous major entertainment figures and legendary show business acts are not included on the Walk of Fame, for a variety of reasons. Some, such as Julia Roberts^[16] and Clint Eastwood,^[14] have "declined to participate." (Nominations cannot proceed without the nominee's consent.) Others, such as George Clooney^[46] and John Denver,^[13] were nominated but would not agree to the mandatory personal appearance at the unveiling ceremony. Others have simply never been nominated, or do not have a nominee willing or able to front the USD $25,000 selection fee, or have less than the required five years' minimum involvement in their designated field. Still others are merely victims of selection constraints and mathematics: only about 10% of nominees are selected each year.

Location Criteria

Locations of individual stars are not necessarily random or arbitrary. Stars of legendary and world-famous celebrities, the so-called "show business royalty", are mostly found in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre. Oscar winners' stars are usually placed near the Kodak Theatre, site of the annual Academy Awards presentations. Decisions are occasionally made with a dollop of whimsy: Mike Myers's star, for example, lies in front of an adult store called the International Love Boutique, an association with his Austin Powers roles; Roger Moore's star is located at 7007 Hollywood Blvd. in recognition of his seven James Bond films; and the last star, at the very end of the westernmost portion of the Walk, belongs to The Dead End Kids. Honorees are typically given input into choice of location, although final decisions remain with the Chamber.^[16]

In her 1986 memoir, actor/comedienne Carol Burnett explained her very specific location choice: While working as an usherette at the historic Warner Brothers Theatre (now the Hollywood Pacific Theatre) during the 1951 run of Alfred Hitchcock's film Strangers on a Train, she took it upon herself to advise a couple arriving during the final few minutes of a showing to wait for the next showing, to avoid seeing (and spoiling) the ending. The theatre manager fired her on the spot for "insubordination" and humiliated her by stripping the epaulets from her uniform in the theatre lobby. In 1977 when she was awarded a star, the Chamber asked if she had a preference for its placement. "Right in front of where the old Warner Brothers Theatre was," she replied, "at Hollywood and Wilcox." And that, she added, is exactly where you will find it.^[47]

The Women of Steel

The "Four Ladies of Hollywood" gazebo at the western border of the Walk of Fame.

The "Four Ladies of Hollywood" gazebo (official name: Hollywood La Brea Gateway) stands upon a small triangular "island" formed by the confluence of Hollywood Blvd., Marshfield Way, and North La Brea Avenue, and marks the westernmost extension of the Walk of Fame. It was commissioned in 1993 by the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency, and created by the architect, production designer, and film director Catherine Hardwicke as a tribute to the multi-ethnic women of Hollywood.^[48] The gazebo is a stainless steel stylized Art Deco lattice structure. The roof is an arched square supporting a circular dome; the word "HOLLYWOOD", decorated with small motion picture camera emblems, appears within each of the four archways. The dome is topped by a central obelisk, with neon block letters spelling "HOLLYWOOD" descending vertically on each of its four sides. Atop the obelisk is a small gilded weathervane-style sculpture of Marilyn Monroe in her iconic "billowing skirt" pose from The Seven Year Itch.^[49] The domed structure is held aloft by four caryatids sculpted by Harl West^[48] to represent the African-American actress Dorothy Dandridge, Asian-American actress Anna May Wong, Mexican actress Dolores Del Rio, and the multi-ethnic, Brooklyn-born actress Mae West.^[50]

The work was dedicated February 1, 1994, to a mixed reception. Christopher Knight, the Los Angeles Times art critic, called it "...the most depressingly awful work of public art in recent years," representing the opposite of Hardwicke's intended "tribute" to women. "Sex, as a woman's historic gateway to Hollywood," he wrote, "couldn't be more explicitly described."^[51] Independent writer and film producer Gail Choice, however, called it a fitting tribute to a group of pioneering, courageous women who "...carried a tremendous burden on their feminine shoulders," as depicted quite literally in Hardwicke's gazebo. "Never in my wildest dreams did I believe I'd ever see women of color immortalized in such a creative and wonderful fashion."^[52] Hardwicke herself contended that critics had missed the "humor and symbolism" of the structure, which "embraces and pokes fun at the glamour, the polished metallic male form of the Oscar, and the pastiche of styles and dreams that pervades Tinseltown."^[53]

Theft and Vandalism

Actor Matt Damon's star under construction, August, 2007.

Four of the stars, which weigh about 300 pounds (136 kg) each, have been stolen from the Walk of Fame. In 2000, James Stewart's and Kirk Douglas's stars disappeared from their locations near the intersection of Hollywood and Vine, where they had been temporarily removed for a construction project. Police recovered them in the suburban community of South Gate when they arrested a man involved in an incident there and searched his house. The suspect was a construction worker employed on the Hollywood and Vine project. The stars had been badly damaged, and had to be remade. One of Gene Autry's five stars (it is not clear which one) was also stolen from a construction area. Johnny Grant later received an anonymous phone tip that the missing star was in Iowa, but it was never found. "Someday, it will end up on eBay," Grant once joked. The most brazen and ambitious theft occurred in 2005, when thieves used a concrete saw to remove Gregory Peck's star from its Hollywood Blvd. site at the intersection of North El Centro Ave, near North Gower. The star was replaced almost immediately, but the original was never recovered and the perpetrators never caught.^[54]

In late 2009, rumors circulated widely on media outlets and the Internet that John Lennon's star had been stolen, but it was merely being relocated further south on Vine Street to an area near the circular Capitol Records Building, adjacent to the stars of bandmates George Harrison and Ringo Starr.^[55]

Random acts of vandalism occur on the Walk on a regular basis, ranging from profanity and political statements written on stars with felt-tip markers to attempted removal of brass emblems with chisels.^[56] Closed circuit surveillance cameras have been installed on the stretch of Hollywood Blvd. between La Brea Avenue and Vine Street in an effort to discourage mischievous activities.^[57]

Errors and Mysteries

In 2010, Julia Louis-Dreyfus's star was constructed with the name "Julia Luis Dreyfus."^[58] The actress was reportedly amused, and the star was quickly corrected.^[59] A similar mistake was made on Dick Van Dyke's star in 1992 ("Vandyke"), and similarly rectified.^[60]

Film and television actor Don Haggerty's star originally displayed the first name "Dan." The mistake was fixed, but years later the television actor Dan Haggerty (of Grizzly Adams fame, no relation to Don) also received a star. The confusion eventually sprouted a mini-legend that Dan Haggerty was the only celebrity to have a star removed from the Walk of Fame.^[61][62]

For 28 years, the star of Mauritz Stiller, the Helsinki-born Swedish actor, screenwriter and silent film director who brought Greta Garbo to America, read "Maurice Diller", probably due to faulty transcription from verbal dictation. The star was finally remade with the correct name in 1988.^[8][63]

As of 2010^[update], two stars remain misspelled: Opera diva Lotte Lehmann's first name is spelled "Lottie";^[64] while Cinerama co-inventor and King Kong creator, director and producer Merian C. Cooper's first name is listed as "Meriam."^[65][66]

Monty Woolley, the white-bearded actor best known as the curmudgeonly title character in The Man Who Came to Dinner who utters the classic cliché, "Time flies when you're having fun," received a star in the television category,^[67] even though his stage, film, and radio careers eclipsed his television work.^{[68][69][70][71]}

Two stars cannot be found. The Los Angeles Times, which has documented and photographed every star on the Walk as part of its ongoing Hollywood Star Walk project, has been unable to locate the stars honoring Richard Crooks and the film career of Geraldine Farrar.^[72] (Farrar's other star, recognizing her music career, is present and accounted for on the 1700 block of Vine Street.) It is not clear if the missing stars were removed at some point, or were never installed in the first place, or perhaps are tucked away in an obscure corner overlooked by the Times crew.

Nomination process

Director James Cameron unveiling his star, December, 2009

Each year, an average of 200 nominations are submitted to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Walk of Fame Selection Committee. Anyone, including fans, can nominate anyone active in the field of entertainment, as long as the nominee or his or her management is in agreement with the nomination. (A letter of agreement from the nominated celebrity or representative must accompany the application.) Nominees must have a minimum of five years' experience in the category for which they are nominated. Posthumous nominees must be deceased at least five years. At a meeting each June, the committee selects approximately 20 celebrities to receive stars on the Walk of Fame during the following year. One posthumous award is given each year as well. The nominations of those not selected are "rolled over" to the following year for reconsideration; those not selected two years in a row are dropped, and must be renominated to receive further consideration. Living recipients must agree to personally attend a presentation ceremony within five years of selection. A relative of deceased recipients must attend posthumous presentations. Presentation ceremonies are open to the public.^[73]

A fee (currently USD $25,000), payable at time of selection, is collected to pay for the creation and installation of the star, as well as general maintenance of the Walk of Fame. The fee is usually paid by the nominating organization, which may be a fan club, or a film studio, record company, broadcaster, or other sponsor involved with the honoree's current or ongoing project.^[18][74] The Starz cable network, for example, paid for Dennis Hopper's star as part of the promotion for its series Crash. It was unveiled in March 2010, shortly before Hopper's death.^[18][75]

Traditionally, the identities of selection committee members, other than its chairman, have not been made public in order to minimize conflicts of interest and to discourage lobbying by celebrities and their representatives (a significant problem during the original selections in the late 1950s). However, in 1999, in response to intensifying charges of "back room politics" in the selection process, the Chamber disclosed the members' names: They were Johnny Grant, the longtime chair and representative of the television category; Earl Lestz, president of Paramount Studio Group (motion pictures); Stan Spero, retired manager with broadcast stations KMPC and KABC (radio); Kate Nelson, owner of the Palace Theatre (live performance); and Mary Lou Dudas, vice president of A&M Records (recording industry).^[76] Subsequently, however, the Chamber has revealed only that Lestz (who received his own star in 2004) became chairman after Grant died in 2008. Their current official position is that "each of the five categories is represented by someone with expertise in that field."^[14][73]

As of June 2010, Lestz had apparently been replaced as chairman by John Pavlik, former Director of Communications for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.^[77] While no public announcement was made to that effect, he was identified as chairman in the Chamber's press release announcing the 2011 star recipients.^[78]

Gallery

The Five Categories

Fred MacMurray (1960) Motion Pictures	Jay Silverheels (1960) Television	David Rose (1960) Recording	Meredith Willson (1960) Radio
Liza Minnelli (1991) Theater

The stars of deceased celebrities often serve as repositories for expressions of respect.

Richard Pryor (2005)	John Drew Barrymore (2005)	Michael Jackson (2009)	Ricardo Montalbán (2009)
James Doohan (2005)	Michael Jackson (2010 - first anniversary)

See also

• Bruce Torrence Hollywood Historical Collection of Photographs
• List of stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
  • Fictional characters on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
• Hollywood and Vine
• Grauman's Chinese Theater
• Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong
• Avenue of Stars, London
• Canada's Walk of Fame
• St. Louis Walk of Fame
• Birmingham Walk of Stars
• Hollywood's Rockwalk
• Paseo de las Luminarias, Mexico City
• Walk of Game

References

External links

• Hollywood Walk of Fame official website
• Hollywood Walk of Fame interactive tour guide for mobile phones - hwof.mobi
• Hollywood Walk of Fame interactive tour guide for PC - hwof.com
• Hollywood Walk of Fame at Seeing-Stars.com

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