Why was the Hollywood sign destroyed?
Why was the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles destroyed in the movie "Argo"? Was the sign also destroyed in real life during 1980?
Best Answer
I assume you are referring to this scene
Was the sign also destroyed in real life during 1980?
Yes...and No.
It's not destroyed, rather it had fallen in to a state of disrepair.
In 1949, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce began a contract with the City of Los Angeles Parks Department to repair and rebuild the sign. The contract stipulated that "LAND" be removed to spell "Hollywood" and reflect the district, not the "Hollywoodland" housing development.[16] The Parks Department dictated that all subsequent illumination would be at the Chamber's expense, so the Chamber opted not to replace the lightbulbs. The 1949 effort gave it new life, but the sign's unprotected wood and sheet metal structure continued to deteriorate. By the 1970s, the first O had splintered and broken, resembling a lowercase u, and the third O had fallen down completely, leaving the severely dilapidated sign reading "HuLLYWO D."
In 1978, in large part because of the public campaign to restore the landmark by Hugh Hefner, founder of Playboy magazine, the Chamber set out to replace the severely deteriorated sign with a more permanent structure. Nine donors gave US$27,777.77 each (totaling US$249,999.93) to sponsor replacement letters, made of steel supported by steel columns on a concrete foundation.[20]
The new letters were 45 feet (13.7 m) tall and ranged from 31 to 39 feet (9.4 to 11.9 m) wide. The new version of the sign was unveiled on November 11, 1978, as the culmination of a live CBS television special commemorating the 75th anniversary of Hollywood's incorporation as a city.
In fact, there are comparison shots of the real people and places in the end credits of which the sign is one.
However, if you note the dates above, the sign had been restored in 1978 so, in fact, the movie is NOT accurate as it takes place in 1980.
A little historical licence there...
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Why did the Hollywood Sign get destroyed?
The original 1923 sign was presumed to have been destroyed until 2005, when it was put up for sale on eBay by producer/entrepreneur Dan Bliss. It was sold to artist Bill Mack, who used the sheet metal as a medium to paint the likenesses of stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood.What happened to the Hollywood sign in 1979?
At the time of the Iran Hostage Crisis, which began on November 4, 1979, the Hollywood Sign\u2013the same one being repainted today\u2013was not only rebuilt but had stood for over a year. The old 1923 Sign began to be dismantled on August 8th, 1978. The new Sign was completed on October 30th, 1978.Did they destroy the Hollywood sign in the 80s?
It changed from "Hollywoodland" to just "Hollywood," was almost destroyed before being saved by Playboy's Hugh Hefner, and starting this week in 1978, it was completely torn down.What happened to the rest of the Hollywood sign?
Four letters on the sign were eventually removed. Recreation and Parks Commission apparently wanted it razed. But the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce stepped in, and in 1949 it removed the last four letters and restored the rest.The Infamous Death of Peg Entwistle \u0026 The Hollywood Sign
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