A glass of wine in a very nice wine bar with my backpacking pal almost knocked me out after the 13 hour flight and excitement of arriving in LA. I barely noticed having to climb into a bunk bed for the first time since I was about 14 years old.
The next day (my first real day in LA), I was on a mission to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in West Hollywood. Rumour has it that you need a car to get around LA, and that nobody travels by bus. But this isn’t true – the bus system is extensive, people friendly and it’s really cheap. If you have time on your side (most tourists do) then the buses are an easy way to get around. Unless the driver doesn’t tell you when the stop is and you watch the cemetery whizzing past and you have to fling yourself to the front of the bus to get off in time to not get carried all the way to Pasadena.
The Art Deco Society were set up just inside the gates, taking groups of people through on the tour every 20 minutes or so. The sun drenched, palm tree-lined manicured cemetery is pretty similar to other cemetaries I've seen in both real and reel life, except that the graves had a lot more space around them, making the gravesites amongst the most expensive real estate in LA. Not surprising then that the long term tenants are also amongst the most famous and moneyed stars and investors of Hollywood history. Many of the headstones and mausoleums were built during the 1920’s and 1930’s. Much of the design was a symptom of the Egyptian fever that swept the world when King Tut’s tomb was discovered in the early 1920’s. Towering granite obelisks and toga-clad sculptures rest precariously on plinths – secured only by their own weight – a little frightening considering LA is earthquake country. A tongue in cheek warning from our Great Gatsby-esque guide that ‘not everything large and made of granite is stable’ had the guests crab-walking besides the headstones rather than leaning against any of them.
Many of the stars buried in the cemetery are stars from the Art Deco period – Mary Pickford, Fatty Arbuckle
Cecil B. DeMille
Rudolph Valentino
There were more recent additions:
The pink granite headstone of Jayne Mansfield
Bronzed statue of Johnny Ramone rocks out for eternity while facing the Douglas Fairbanks garden and memorial pond.
The Art Deco Society team hammed up their impersonations and telling of the stories of the more famous resting places. There were 6 ‘docents’ (The word docent comes from the Latin docere which means to teach, inform, or tell) altogether and they sweltered in the autumn glare in authentic vintage costumes.
It was here that I got my first glimpse of the famous sign.
Hollywood was just a few blocks away. I passed film studios, photographic labs, digital retouching, sound engineering houses, and a massive warehouse costume hire shop that had actual movie props and wedding dresses hanging from the ceiling.
The cogs are props from Inspector Gadget movie.
About 20 mins walk and my feet hit the walk of fame. A quick walk up to the Hollywood and Highland shopping complex gave me one of the best views of the sign. But it looked tiny through the viewfinder and the German tourist I asked to take my picture got a bit distressed that he couldn’t get both me and the sign in focus.
I got a massive Starbucks coffee (the smallest they had held enough caffeine to wake the dead) and wandered around to Graumann’s Chinese Theatre. Here the crowds bowed their heads and twisted their necks to read the looped cursive on the concrete hand and foot prints of the rich and famous. Right by Hugh Jackman’s size 11 feet was the stand for the Homes of the Stars tours. Like the savvy shopper who waits until the end of the market day to buy their fruit, I slipped in last minute to a tour that was about to depart, for $10 less than the normal price. The last tour of the day – sometimes it helps to travel alone!
Homes of the Stars tours have a reputation for being a scam. And it’s true that the tour leaders could drive the 20 seater open air bus up to just about any gate in Hollywood and tell the open-mouthed tourists that it’s Tom Cruise’s house. But when you’re relying on public transport to get around, there is no quicker way to see all the hotspots of celebrity mythology. ‘Here’s The Viper Room where River Phoenix died’ said the tour guide, but I don’t need to be told – we all saw it enough on the TV when it happened in 1993. Same for the room in the corner of the house where Michael Jackson took his last breath. And if this is true, then I believe the other stuff we’re told is true as well. To believe in Hollywood you have to suspend your disbelief. I was surprised though that the houses were so close together. I expected huge fences, sprawling front lawns, modern day moats and drawbridges, but instead they were close to the road, close to the public and close to each other. Just neighbours who all do similar jobs, who live close to work.
The House of Blues owned by the original Blues Brothers Dan Akroyd and Jim Belushi.
Ben Stiller's house in Runyon Canyon behind the Hollywood Bowl.
One for the Entourage fans - The exterior used for E's house when he moves out from living with the boys.
Nicolas Cage's house (apparently)
Orlando Bloom's house
Ron Howard's house / LA office at the top of Runyon Canyon overlooking Hollywood and all of LA. I'd be inspired if I had that corner office too!
Hollywood was so much fun to walk around and look at that I didn't get on the bus home to Santa Monica until about 11pm. The 90 minute journey home alone reminded me why it's best to get home at a pretty normal time, as the witching hours produce the lesser spotted odd-bods of society.
