Writer of Pop Culture

1923 – Hollywood Sign is Dedicated

In 1923, a Los Angeles developer planned for a new real estate development. He commissioned the Crescent Sign Company to build 50′ tall letters spelling out “Hollywoodland” and have them placed on Hollywood Hills. The sign was meant to be temporary lasting only a year-and-a-half at the most. Even so, it was a big deal.

The original Hollywoodland sign, fitted with 4,000 flashing lightbulbs, was dedicated on this day and quickly became a symbol of the location where stars were born. The first movie to feature the sign was 1935’s Hollywood Boulevard. Since then, over 150 films have included images of the sign.

In 1932, actress Peg Entwistle, who only starred in one movie, took her own life by climbing up and then jumping off the “H”. Some believe that the word “land” was removed from the sign because of this tragic event, but that isn’t true. In 1949, after years of disrepair, the city received complaints from people who thought the sign was an eyesore. Later that year, the word “land” was removed so that the sign promoted the district and not the housing development.

The sign was rebuilt in 1978 with stronger material and slightly shorter letters (45′). The sign was built with help from businesses and celebrities each sponsoring their own letter. Les Kelley, the founder of Kelley Blue Book, supported one of the L’s. Actor Gene Autry took care of the other one. Singer Andy Williams paid for the “W”, Warner Bros. Records supported one “O” and singer Alice Cooper supported the other one.

The Hollywood sign has been altered many times over the years, but not all of the modifications were done with permission. The sign has been changed to read “HOLLYWeeD”, “HOLYWOOD”, “PEROTWOOD”, “HOLLYBOOB” and even “JOLLYGOOD” for some reason.

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2022: Day Devoted to Fries Gets Moved

Although July 13 has long been known as National French Fry Day and celebrated at a number of fast-food outlets across the country, in 2022, the unofficial holiday spent its last day on this day – at least for a while. Blame it on fast-food chain Checkers & Rally’s who petitioned that the holiday be moved to the second Friday in July to more align with “fry day.” To avoid confusion, some chains like McDonalds and Smashburger decided to stick with the old date and offered deals on their fries in 2023 while others embraced the change. In some cases, eateries decided to give out specials on fries on both days. Sadly though, this year’s French Fry Day passed three days ago.