Walk the walk
The world’s most famous sidewalk, the Hollywood Walk of Fame is a must-see when taking our Los Angeles bus tour. Located on Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, this globally recognised tourist attraction has become iconic to the city. The idea for it was originally proposed to “maintain the glory of a community whose name means glamour and excitement in the four corners of the world”. And that, it certainly delivers.
The idea
The Hollywood Walk of Fame was founded by E.M. Stuart, a volunteer president of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce in the 1950s. It is rumoured that inspiration for the Hollywood Walk of Fame was taken from the dining room ceiling of the Hollywood Hotel, where stars were once painted with the names of celebrities on them. Originally, a caricature of the honoree was also incorporated into the design, but this was later vetoed as it was deemed too difficult to achieve.
The unveiling
On August 15, 1958, the Walk of Fame was unveiled with eight stars to give a sneak peak of what the final attraction would look like. The honorees of the eight stars were: Olive Borden, Ronald Colman, Louise Fazenda, Preston Foster, Burt Lancaster, Edward Sedgwick, Ernest Torrencem, and Joanne Woodward. From this point as many as 150 names of potential honorees per week were submitted, and at times the final selection controversial.
Other interesting facts about the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles
- One celebrity not approved for the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the initial phase was Charlie Chaplin
- The cost to build the Hollywood Walk of Fame, including new street lighting and trees to line the Boulevard, was $1.25 million
- The original colours planned for the Hollywood Walk of Fame were brown and blue, but a new building being erected on the Boulevard at that time didn’t complement this theme
