Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Hollywood is the metaphoric, if not exactly the geographic, center of the American film, television, cable, music, and digital media industry. Ripe with symbolic meaning for media consumers across the globe, Hollywood exists almost purely in the collective imaginary, since it is neither incorporated as a city, nor definable by strict borders as a geographic location within the city of Los Angeles. Even in terms of its real geography, Hollywood was only one of several industry centers: of the major film studios, only Paramount (Melrose Ave), RKO (Cahuenga and Gower), and Columbia (Gower Street) maintained production facilities directly in Hollywood, while Universal Studios was located in the San Fernando Valley (Universal City), Warner Brothers in Burbank, 20th Century-Fox in West Los Angeles (Westwood), and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) in Culver City. Nevertheless, millions of tourists flock each year to “Hollywood,” which has also had its ups and downs as a piece of real estate. Located approximately ten kilometers northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood got its name in 1887, when Mr Harvey Wilcox registered his ranch with the LA County Records authorities. In 1903, Hollywood officially became a city with 700 inhabitants. A year earlier, the Hollywood Hotel had been opened by Hobart Johnson Whitley (sometimes known as the father of Hollywood) at Hollywood Boulevard and Highland ... log in or subscribe to read full text