2 Secrets about the Hollywood Sign

The Hollywood Sign is an American icon and landmark overlooking Hollywood in Los Angeles, California. It is located in the Santa Monica Mountains, on Mount Lee. The sign is spelled out in white capital letters that are 45 ft -tall and 350 feet long. Originally, it was a temporary advertisement for a local real estate development created in 1923 and was kept up because of its increasing recognition. This sign is amongst the most well-known landmarks in the United States, and there are a couple of secrets about the sign that gives it a mysterious allure.

The original Playboy, Hugh Hefner, Saved the Sign

Editor-in-chief of Playboy magazine, Hugh Hefner, was the man who saved the iconic Hollywood sign when it was torn down approximately 40 years ago. In the late ‘70s, Hefner organized a lavish auction at the Playboy Mansion with big-time celebrity guests, including Gene Autry and Alice Cooper, who were allowed to bid on the Hollywood sign letters to raise enough money to rebuild it. Contributions from leaders of Hollywood and fans from around the world were the reason this cultural landmark remains today.

Hollywood Sign Company

Struggling actress, Peg Entwistle, died on the Hollywood Sign

Peg Entwistle was a 24-year-old struggling actress during the time of the Great Depression. Legend has it that once she realized her career was failing, and she no longer had the opportunity to meet her dreams of becoming a movie star, she jumped off of  the ‘H’ to her death in 1932. A hiker found her body, and a handwritten suicide letter than she had written, below the sign. Ironically, a letter arrived for the actress several days later. She was accepted into the Bliss-Hayden School of Acting, to play the role of a young woman who commits suicide.

The iconic Hollywood landmark located in the Hollywood area of the Santa Monica Mountains holds so much historical and cultural significance, which is why it remains one of the most well-known signs in the United States to this day. Please contact Weso signs, we are Sign Specialists in West Hollywood for over 10 years.