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89-490: The name "Wilshire Center" is a relatively modern moniker that refers to much of the eastern portion of the Wilshire Community Plan area (CPA), generally from Virgil Avenue and Hoover Street on the east to Wilton Place and Crenshaw Boulevard on the west. It borders Hollywood to the north at Melrose Avenue , and Koreatown and part of Harvard Heights to the south. The area was historically known as part of

178-564: A hot-summer Mediterranean climate ( Köppen : Csa ) or dry-summer subtropical climate . Winters are typically mild and with light rain, but there are still plenty of warm, sunny days in the winter, as well. Summers are hot, sunny and dry, with virtually no rain falling between April and October; while summer days can be warm, they are considerably cooler than in the San Fernando Valley . Spring and fall are generally warm, sunny, and pleasant. Santa Ana winds typically occur during

267-420: A sound film in 1931 . Talmadge and Anna May Wong turned the first spadeful of earth using a gold-plated shovel at the groundbreaking ceremonies for Grauman's Chinese Theatre on January 5, 1926. The theater's official account also credits Talmadge as having inspired the theater’s tradition of putting footprints in concrete when she accidentally stepped into wet concrete. However, in a short interview during

356-593: A campaign for the area to secede from Los Angeles and become a separate municipality. In June of that year, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors placed secession referendums for both Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley on the ballot. To pass, they required the approval of a majority of voters in the proposed new municipality as well as a majority of voters in all of Los Angeles. In the November election, both measures failed by wide margins in

445-449: A classmate from Erasmus Hall High School who modeled for popular illustrated song slides (which were often shown before the one-reeler in movie theaters so the audience could sing along), Mrs. Talmadge decided to locate the photographer. She arranged an interview for her daughter, who after an initial rejection, was soon hired. When they went to the theater to see her debut, Peg resolved to get her into motion pictures. Norma Talmadge

534-411: A few months, she asked to be released from her contract. She never again appeared on screen. (Goldwyn eventually made the film version of The Greeks Had a Word for It under the title The Greeks Had a Word for Them in 1932.) Upon leaving the movie world, Norma Talmadge rid herself of all the duties and responsibilities of stardom. She told eager fans who were pressing her for an autograph as she left

623-582: A financial adviser and guiding her business affairs. In 1937, Talmadge and Schenck bought the Villa Riviera in Long Beach, California for $ 1.5 million. Talmadge's last professional works consisted of appearances on Jessel's radio program, which was sagging in the ratings. The program soon ended, and the marriage did not last; the couple divorced in 1939. Schenck's business acumen and her mother's watchful ambition for her daughters had resulted in

712-506: A huge fortune for Talmadge, and she never wanted for money. Restless since the end of her filmmaking days, Talmadge traveled, often shuttling between her houses, entertaining, and visiting with her sisters. In 1946, she married Dr. Carvel James, a Beverly Hills physician. In her later years, Talmadge, who had never been comfortable with the burdens of public celebrity, became reclusive. Increasingly crippled by painful arthritis and reported to be dependent on painkilling drugs, she moved to

801-508: A more glamorous image. She also worked with top-flight directors such as Frank Lloyd , Clarence Brown , and Frank Borzage . With help from films directed by her first husband Joseph M. Schenck , she became one of the highest-paid actresses of the 1920s. In 1923, a poll of picture exhibitors named Norma Talmadge the number-one box office star. She was earning $ 10,000 a week, and receiving as many as 3,000 letters weekly from her fans. Her film Secrets (1924), directed by Frank Borzage, marked

890-640: A restaurant in a mini-mall. In 1929, the elegant Art-Deco Bullocks Wilshire was built at Wilshire and Westmoreland as the city's first branch department store in the suburbs. It closed in 1993 and now houses the library of Southwestern Law School . A section of Germain Pellessier's sheep farm became the site of the Pellessier Building and Wiltern Theatre , which began construction at the corner of Wilshire and Western in 1929. The theater, operated by Warner Brothers , opened in 1931. In 1929,

979-683: A restaurant, "Get away, dears. I don't need you anymore and you don't need me." Some time before late 1932, Talmadge decided against marrying Gilbert Roland, as he was 11 years her junior and she feared he would eventually leave her. Mother Peg fell ill, and died in September 1925. In late 1932, Talmadge began seeing her ex-husband Joseph Schenck's poker friend, comedian George Jessel . In April 1934, Schenck, from whom she had been separated for seven years, finally granted Talmadge her divorce, and nine days later, she married Jessel. Schenck continued to do what he could for Norma and her sisters, acting as

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1068-612: A small part for her as a young girl who is kissed under a photographer's cloth in The Household Pest (1909). Thanks to Breuil's continued patronage, between 1911 and 1912 Talmadge played bit parts in over 100 films. She eventually earned a spot in the stock company at $ 25 per week and got a steady stream of work. Her first role as a contract actress was 1911's Neighboring Kingdom , with comedian John Bunny . Her first real success came with Vitagraph's three-reel adaptation of A Tale of Two Cities (1911), in which she played

1157-539: A two-year contract with National Pictures Company for eight features at $ 400 per week. Talmadge's last film for Vitagraph was The Crown Prince's Double . In the summer of 1915, she left Vitagraph. In the five years she had been with Vitagraph, she made over 250 films. In August, the Talmadges left for California , where Norma's first role was in Captivating Mary Carstairs . The whole enterprise

1246-645: A year in New York between 1917 and 1921. Under Schenck's personal supervision, other films followed, including Poppy (1917), in which she was paired with Eugene O'Brien . The teaming was such a hit they made 10 more films together, including The Moth and The Secret of the Storm Country , a sequel to Tess of the Storm Country (1914), starring Mary Pickford . Throughout the 1920s, Talmadge continued to triumph in films such as 1920's Yes or No , The Branded Woman , Passion Flower (1921), and The Sign on

1335-417: Is 112 °F (44 °C) on June 26, 1990, and the all-time record low temperature is 24 °F (−4 °C) on both December 8, 1978, and December 23, 1990. The 2000 U.S. census counted 77,818 residents in the 3.51-square-mile (9.1 km ) Hollywood neighborhood—an average of 22,193 people per square mile (8,569 people/km ), the seventh- densest neighborhood in all of Los Angeles County . In 2008

1424-431: Is a neighborhood and district in the central region of Los Angeles County, California , mostly within the city of Los Angeles . Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Sony Pictures , Walt Disney Studios , Paramount Pictures , Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures , are located in or near Hollywood. Hollywood

1513-464: Is also served by the Metro B Line , which continues north through Hollywood to North Hollywood . Wilshire Boulevard is named for Henry Gaylord Wilshire —a millionaire who in 1895 began developing a 35-acre (140,000 m) parcel stretching westward from Westlake Park (MacArthur Park) for an elite residential subdivision. A socialist , Wilshire donated to the city a strip of land for a boulevard on

1602-794: Is part of the ongoing rebirth of Hollywood. The Art Deco-style studio complex, completed in 1938, was once the Hollywood headquarters for CBS . It became home to a new generation of broadcasters when cable television networks MTV , Comedy Central , BET and Spike TV consolidated their offices there in 2014 as part of a $ 420 million office, residential and retail complex. Since 2000, Hollywood has been increasingly gentrified due to revitalization by private enterprise and public planners. Over 1,200 hotel rooms have been added in Hollywood area between 2001 and 2016. Four thousand new apartments and over thirty low to mid-rise development projects were approved in 2019. In 2002, some Hollywood voters began

1691-676: Is responsible for police services. The Hollywood police station is at 1358 N. Wilcox Avenue. Los Angeles Fire Department operates four fire stations, 27, 41, 52, and 82 in the area. The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services operates the Hollywood-Wilshire Health Center in Hollywood. The United States Postal Service operates the Hollywood Post Office , the Hollywood Pavilion Post Office, and

1780-501: Is served by city buses, including several Metro Rapid lines, and three subway stations along Wilshire Boulevard . The Metro D Line , which begins at Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles , has stations at Vermont Ave., Normandie Ave., and Western Ave., at which it currently terminates. An extension of the D Line subway under Wilshire Boulevard to Westwood is scheduled for completion in 2027. The Vermont station

1869-633: The 1992 Los Angeles riots and the 1994 Northridge earthquake . Subsequently, the Wilshire Center Streetscape Project [2] used federal funds to rejuvenate Wilshire Boulevard. It was one of the most ambitious and significant urban rehabilitation projects found anywhere in America and in 1999 was awarded the Lady Bird Johnson Award from The National Arbor Day Foundation . Wilshire Christian Church

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1958-617: The East Coast . Talmadge's first film for her studio, the now lost Panthea (1917), was directed by Allan Dwan with assistants Erich von Stroheim and Arthur Rosson . The film was a dramatic tour de force for her in a story set in Russia of a woman who sacrifices herself to help her husband. The film was a hit, turning Talmadge into a sensation and established her as a first-rate dramatic actress. Talmadge's acting ability improved rapidly during this period. She made four to six films

2047-677: The Los Angeles Public Library is located at 7th and Oxford Streets. The Anderson-Munger branch of the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles is at 3rd and Oxford Streets. There are no city parks or community gardens in Wilshire Center, and only small parks in the surrounding communities. This is one of the most 'park-poor' areas of the city. Hollywood, Los Angeles This is an accepted version of this page Hollywood , sometimes informally called Tinseltown ,

2136-482: The Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles is named in honor of the silent screen star. Also, the community of Talmadge, San Diego is named for her and her sisters, and one of the community's streets is named Norma in her honor. A New York Times article from March 14, 2010, says that Talmadge is misremembered, having inspired two unfair caricatures that have lived on in a pair of popular films. In Singin' in

2225-536: The vineyards , barley fields, and citrus groves. A single-track streetcar line ran down the middle of Prospect Avenue from it, but service was infrequent and the trip took two hours. The old citrus fruit-packing house was converted into a livery stable , improving transportation for the inhabitants of Hollywood. The Hollywood Hotel was opened in 1902 by Whitley, president of the Los Pacific Boulevard and Development Company. Having finally acquired

2314-428: The 1920s, Hollywood was the fifth-largest industry in the nation. By the 1930s, Hollywood studios became fully vertically integrated , as production, distribution and exhibition was controlled by these companies, enabling Hollywood to produce 600 films per year. Hollywood became known as Tinseltown and the "dream factory" because of the glittering image of the movie industry. A large sign reading HOLLYWOODLAND

2403-470: The 1930 film Du Barry, Woman of Passion . With incompetent direction and Talmadge's inexperience at a role requiring very demanding vocal acting, the film was a failure, in spite of the elaborate sets by William Cameron Menzies . On March 29, 1928, at the bungalow of Mary Pickford , United Artists brought together Talmadge, Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks , Charlie Chaplin , Gloria Swanson , John Barrymore , Dolores del Río , and D.W. Griffith to speak on

2492-458: The 53.8% of the residents who were born abroad, a figure that was considered high for the city as a whole. The median household income in 2008 was $ 33,694, considered low for Los Angeles. The average household size of 2.1 people was also lower than the city norm. Renters occupied 92.4% of the housing units, and home- or apartment owners the rest. The percentages of never-married men (55.1%), never-married women (39.8%) and widows (9.6%) were among

2581-536: The Chapman Market drew motorcars to the world's first drive-through grocery store at Sixth St and Alexandria. The San Francisco-based I. Magnin opened a store in 1939 at Wilshire and New Hampshire. In 2001, David Y. Lee was the largest landlord in the district, owning 20 buildings comprising about 7 million square feet of space in Mid-Wilshire and three buildings in nearby Park Mile . In 1952, on

2670-788: The Door (1921). The next year, she had the most popular film of her entire career, Smilin' Through (1922) directed by Sidney Franklin . One of the greatest screen romances of the silent film era, it was remade twice, in 1932 with Norma Shearer , and in 1941 with Jeanette MacDonald . After Smilin' Through , Schenck closed the New York studios and Norma and Constance moved to Hollywood to join Keaton and Natalie. Talmadge's Hollywood films were different from her New York films. Bigger and glossier, they were fewer but more varied, often with period or exotic settings. She teamed with cinematographer Tony Gaudio and some of Hollywood's finest costume designers for

2759-505: The Hurd ranch and subdivided it, Whitley built the hotel to attract land buyers. Flanking the west side of Highland Avenue , the structure fronted on Prospect Avenue (later Hollywood Boulevard ). Although it was still a dusty, unpaved road, it was regularly graded and graveled. The hotel became internationally known and was the center of the civic and social life and home of movie stars for many years. Whitley's company developed and sold one of

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2848-631: The Kodak Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center mall, is the site of the annual Academy Awards programs. The mall is located where the Hollywood Hotel once stood. After the neighborhood underwent years of serious decline in the 1980s, with crime, drugs and increasing poverty among some residents, many landmarks were threatened with demolition. Columbia Square , at the northwest corner of Sunset Boulevard and Gower Street ,

2937-501: The L.A. sewer system. With annexation, the name of Prospect Avenue was changed to Hollywood Boulevard and all the street numbers in the new district changed. For example, 100 Prospect Avenue, at Vermont Avenue, became 6400 Hollywood Boulevard; and 100 Cahuenga Boulevard, at Hollywood Boulevard, changed to 1700 Cahuenga Boulevard. By 1912, major motion-picture companies had come West to set up production near or in Los Angeles. In

3026-453: The Rain (1952), she is parodied as Lina Lamont ... More malignantly, Billy Wilder used Norma Talmadge as the obvious if unacknowledged source of Norma Desmond, the grotesque, predatory silent movie queen of his 1950 film Sunset Boulevard . Lina Lamont bears little resemblance to Talmadge's personality either on or off the screen, and, unlike the delusional Desmond, Talmadge was not stuck in

3115-485: The September 13, 1937, Lux Radio Theatre broadcast of a radio adaptation of A Star Is Born , Sid Grauman related another version of how he got the idea to put hand and foot prints in the concrete. He said it was "pure accident. I walked right into it. While we were building the theatre, I accidentally happened to step in some soft concrete. And there it was. So, I went to Mary Pickford immediately. Mary put her foot into it." Talmadge's last film for First National

3204-579: The Stairs , young Sonny Flood, the son of Robert Preston 's character Rubin Flood, collects pictures of motion picture stars. When he asks his aunt and uncle if they would like to see them, his uncle asks, "Have you got any of Norma Talmadge?" Aunt Lottie (played by Eve Arden ) goes on a rant about Talmadge being a Catholic. She says, "Norma Talmadge! Norma Talmadge! That's all I hear, is 'Norma Talmadge'! Maybe you'd like to marry Norma Talmadge some day, and let

3293-737: The Sunset Post Office. Hollywood is included within the Hollywood United Neighborhood Council (HUNC), Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council, and the Hollywood Studio District Neighborhood Council. Neighborhood Councils cast advisory votes on such issues as zoning, planning, and other community issues. The council members are voted in by stakeholders, generally defined as anyone living, working, owning property, or belonging to an organization within

3382-483: The Talmadges returned to New York. At a party, Talmadge met Broadway and film producer Joseph M. Schenck , a wealthy exhibitor who wanted to produce his own films. Immediately taken by Talmadge both personally and professionally, Schenck proposed marriage and a production studio. Two months later, on October 20, 1916, they were married. Talmadge called her much older husband "Daddy". He supervised, controlled, and nurtured her career in alliance with her mother. In 1917,

3471-735: The Wilshire District. As the Wilshire area expanded westward, neighborhood names emerged to distinguish parts of the district from each other. Wilshire Center includes some of the Wilshire CPA's oldest streetcar suburbs dating to the early 20th century. Historic Preservation Overlay Zones within Wilshire Center include Wilshire Park and Country Club Park. Within the neighborhood, the Wilshire Center Regional Commercial Center, as defined in

3560-516: The boundaries of the council. Hollywood residents aged 25 and older holding a four-year degree amounted to 28% of the population in 2000, about the same as in the county at large. The Will and Ariel Durant Branch, John C. Fremont Branch, and the Frances Howard Goldwyn – Hollywood Regional Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library are in Hollywood. Norma Talmadge Norma Marie Talmadge (May 2, 1894 – December 24, 1957)

3649-520: The box office, she retired still a very wealthy woman. According to her birth certificate, Talmadge was born on May 2, 1894, in Jersey City, New Jersey . Although it has been widely reported she was born in Niagara Falls, New York , after achieving stardom, she admitted that she and her mother provided the more scenic setting of Niagara Falls to fan magazines to be more romantic. Talmadge

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3738-675: The capital of the film industry in the United States. The mountains, plains and low land prices made Hollywood a good place to establish film studios. Director D. W. Griffith was the first to make a motion picture in Hollywood. His 17-minute short film In Old California (1910) was filmed for the Biograph Company . Although Hollywood banned movie theaters—of which it had none—before annexation that year, Los Angeles had no such restriction. The first studio in Hollywood opened in early 1913, on Formosa Avenue down

3827-415: The city estimated that the population had increased to 85,489. The median age for residents was 31, about the city's average. Hollywood was said to be "highly diverse" when compared to the city at large. The ethnic breakdown in 2000 was 42.2% Latino or Hispanic , 41% Non-Hispanic White , 7.1% Asian , 5.2% Black , and 4.5% other. Mexico (21.3%) and Guatemala (13%) were the most common places of birth for

3916-510: The city's general plan, is generally bounded by 3rd Street on the north, 8th Street on the south, Hoover Street on the east, and Wilton Place on the west. Google Maps uses the general boundaries of the Regional Commercial Center for the neighborhood. Services provided by the business improvement district are limited to the commercial area between Wilton Place, Hoover Street, Third Street and Eighth Street. Wilshire Center

4005-526: The city's less congested Westside as well as the San Fernando Valley, and businesses and affluent residents eventually followed. I. Magnin closed, while Bullocks Wilshire held out until 1993. Rental rates in office buildings plummeted from an average of $ 1.65/sq ft to a dollar between 1991 and 1996; property values dropped from a high of $ 120/sq ft to $ 30 or $ 40 per foot in 1998. Wilshire Center lost most of its remaining original glitter following

4094-533: The citywide vote. According to the Mapping L.A. project of The Los Angeles Times , Hollywood is flanked by Hollywood Hills to the north, Los Feliz to the northeast, East Hollywood or Virgil Village to the east, Larchmont and Hancock Park to the south, Fairfax to the southwest, West Hollywood to the west, and Hollywood Hills West to the northwest. Street limits of the Hollywood neighborhood are: north, Hollywood Boulevard from La Brea Avenue to

4183-402: The conditions that it would be named for him and ban public transit, railroad lines, and commercial or industrial trucking and freight trains. A Los Angeles Times overview of the area referred to "the corridor's former glory as a haven for blue-chip corporations and fine shopping." In the early 1900s, steam-driven motorcars started sharing Wilshire Boulevard with horse-drawn carriages . At

4272-512: The county's highest. There were 2,640 families headed by single parents, about average for Los Angeles. In 2000, there were 2,828 military veterans, or 4.5%, a low rate for the city as a whole. These were the ten neighborhoods or cities in Los Angeles County with the highest population densities, according to the 2000 census, with the population per square mile: In 2022, there were 1,374 homeless individuals in Hollywood. KNX

4361-545: The couple formed the Norma Talmadge Film Corporation, which became a lucrative enterprise. Schenck vowed he would make his wife the greatest star of all, one to be remembered always. The best stories, most opulent costumes, grandest sets, talented casts, and distinguished directors, along with spectacular publicity, would be hers. Before long, women around the world wanted to be the romantic Norma Talmadge and flocked to her extravagant movies filmed on

4450-688: The driving range on the south side of Wilshire between Mariposa and Normandie, the first three 12-story Tishman Plaza buildings were built in 1952 (they're now known as Central Plaza), designed by Claude Beelman . Insurance companies began locating their West Coast headquarters in Wilshire Center because of tax incentives provided by the State. Some 22 high-rise office buildings were erected on Wilshire Boulevard from 1966 to 1976 to provide office space for such companies as Getty Oil Co., Ahmanson Financial Co., Beneficial Standard Life Insurance, Wausau, and Equitable Life Insurance. The Chapman Park Hotel, built in 1936,

4539-493: The early 1900s, most motion picture camera and equipment patents were held by Thomas Edison 's Motion Picture Patents Company in New Jersey , which often sued filmmakers to stop their productions. To escape this, filmmakers began moving to Los Angeles, where attempts to enforce Edison's patents were easier to evade. Also, the weather was ideal for filmmaking and there was quick access to various settings. Los Angeles became

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4628-597: The early 1950s, the State of California constructed the Hollywood Freeway through the northeast corner of Hollywood. The Capitol Records Building on Vine Street , just north of Hollywood Boulevard, was built in 1956. The Hollywood Walk of Fame was created in 1958 as a tribute to artists and other significant contributors to the entertainment industry. The official opening was on February 8, 1960. The Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District

4717-549: The early residential areas, the Ocean View Tract. Whitley did much to promote the area. He paid thousands of dollars to install electricity and arrange for electric lighting, and he built both a bank and a road into the Cahuenga Pass . The lighting ran for several blocks down Prospect Avenue. Whitley's land was centered on Highland Avenue . His 1918 development, Whitley Heights , was named for him. Hollywood

4806-522: The east boundary of Wattles Garden Park and Franklin Avenue between Bonita and Western avenues; east, Western Avenue ; south, Melrose Avenue , and west, La Brea Avenue or the West Hollywood city line . In 1918, H. J. Whitley commissioned architect A. S. Barnes to design Whitley Heights as a Mediterranean-style village on the hills above Hollywood Boulevard. It became

4895-459: The fall and winter months, although they can occur during any month; Santa Ana winds bring heavy winds, higher temperatures and lower humidity levels, which increases the risk of wildfires , especially in dry years. Smog can sometimes occur during the summer months. May and June can be foggy and cloudy in Hollywood, a phenomenon known by southern California residents as "May Gray" or " June Gloom ". The all-time record high temperature in Hollywood

4984-553: The first celebrity community. Other areas within Hollywood are Franklin Village , Little Armenia , Spaulding Square , Thai Town , and Yucca Corridor . In 1994, Hollywood, Alabama , and ten other towns named Hollywood successfully fought an attempt by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to trademark the name and force same-named communities to pay royalties to it. Like the rest of Los Angeles , Hollywood has

5073-760: The former site of Reuben Schmidt's dairy farm. In approximately 1929, the Academy Awards ceremony was moved from the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel to the Ambassador Hotel . It closed in 1989 and, despite efforts of historic preservationists, has been demolished. The site is owned by the Los Angeles Unified School District , which in 2010 opened the Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools and a small park on

5162-661: The last broadcasters (television or radio) with Hollywood addresses, but KCET has since sold its studios to the Church of Scientology on Sunset, and plans to move to another location. KNBC moved in 1962 from the former NBC Radio City Studios at the northeast corner of Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street to NBC Studios in Burbank. KTTV moved in 1996 from its former home at Metromedia Square on Sunset Boulevard to West Los Angeles, and KCOP left its home on La Brea Avenue to join KTTV at

5251-678: The modern-day Fox Television Center. KCBS-TV and KCAL-TV moved from their longtime home at CBS Columbia Square on Sunset Boulevard to a new facility at CBS Studio Center in Studio City . As a neighborhood within the Los Angeles city limits, Hollywood does not have its own municipal government. A person was appointed by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to serve as an honorary " Mayor of Hollywood " for ceremonial purposes. Johnny Grant held this position from 1980 until his death on January 9, 2008. The Los Angeles Police Department

5340-602: The new town with General Harrison Gray Otis , publisher of the Los Angeles Times , and Ivar Weid, a prominent businessman in the area. Daeida Wilcox , who donated land to help in the development of Hollywood, learned of the name Hollywood from an acquaintance who owned an estate by that name in Illinois. Wilcox is quoted as saying, "I chose the name Hollywood simply because it sounds nice and because I'm superstitious and holly brings good luck." She recommended

5429-408: The opening of a plush, $ 35-million spa, mall and golf complex called Aroma Wilshire Center just east of Western Avenue that caters to the city's affluent Korean population, many of them entrepreneurs who own businesses in the area." Distinguished high-rise apartment buildings and hotels were erected along Wilshire Boulevard. The lavish Ambassador Hotel was built in 1921 on 23 acres (93,000 m) of

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5518-570: The past and had left her stardom behind her with considerable relief. Talmadge is referenced by name in Woody Allen's film Sweet and Lowdown (1999), in which the Hattie character, played by Samantha Morton , is cast in a silent film as her younger sister, and described by one character as, "...a dead ringer for May Talmadge." In the 1960 film adaptation of William Inge's The Dark at the Top of

5607-454: The past. Talmadge had been increasingly bored with filmmaking before the talkie challenge came along, and this setback seems to have discouraged her from further attempts. She still had two more films left on her United Artists contract. In late 1930, Samuel Goldwyn announced he had bought the film rights to Zoë Akins ' comedy play The Greeks Had a Word for It for her. She reportedly did some stage rehearsals for it in New York, but within

5696-419: The pinnacle of her career, with her giving her best performance and receiving the best reviews. In 1924, Schenck had moved over to head United Artists , but Talmadge still had a distribution contract with First National . She continued to make successful films such as The Lady (1925) directed by Frank Borzage and the romantic comedy Kiki (1926) directed by Clarence Brown, remade later by Mary Pickford as

5785-416: The radio show The Dodge Brothers Hour to prove that Griffith could meet the challenge of talking movies. Talmadge's sister Constance sent her a telegram with this advice: "Quit pressing your luck, baby. The critics can't knock those trust funds Mama set up for us". As time passed, it became increasingly clear that the public was no longer interested in its old favorites, and Talmadge was seen as an icon of

5874-501: The same name to her husband, Harvey H. Wilcox , who had purchased 120 acres on February 1, 1887. It was not until August 1887 that Wilcox decided to use that name and filed with the Los Angeles County Recorder's office on a deed and parcel map of the property. By 1900, the region had a post office, newspaper, hotel, and two markets. Los Angeles, with a population of 102,479, lay 10 miles (16 km) east through

5963-911: The site. It is the most expensive public school in the United States. The area nearby became the site of elegant New York-style apartment buildings such as the Asbury, the Langham, the Fox Normandie, the Picadilly, the Talmadge (after Norma Talmadge ), the Gaylord, and the Windsor. Many film stars lived in these buildings. As of 2021, a building boom fueled by density bonuses and the City of Los Angeles's Transit-Oriented Community incentives has increased

6052-472: The small role of the unnamed seamstress who accompanies Sidney Carton to the guillotine. With help from the studio's major star, Maurice Costello , the star of A Tale of Two Cities , Talmadge's acting improved. She continued to play roles from leads to extras, gaining experience and public exposure in a variety of characters—from a colored mammy to a clumsy waitress to a reckless young modern. She began attracting both public and critical notice. By 1913, she

6141-686: The street from Helen Muir's home. Her father John Muir returned from his tour of Europe and East Africa a few months later and continued work on Yosemite and his book, The Yosemite . The Nestor Film Company was the first studio, established in October 1911 by the New Jersey–based Centaur Film Company in a roadhouse at 6121 Sunset Boulevard (the corner of Gower ). Four major film companies – Paramount , Warner Bros. , RKO , and Columbia – had studios in Hollywood, as did several minor companies and rental studios. In

6230-419: The strength of The Battle Cry , Talmadge got a contract with Griffith's Fine Arts Company. For eight months, she starred in seven features for Triangle, including the comedy The Social Secretary (1916), written by Anita Loos and directed by John Emerson , which gave her an opportunity to disguise her beauty as a girl trying to avoid the unwelcome attentions of her male employers. When the contract ran out,

6319-534: The supply of apartments and condominiums in the area, and older office buildings have been converted into apartments and condos. Large apartment buildings have been constructed at the Metro stops at Wilshire/Western and Wilshire/Vermont. Gloria Swanson 's husband, Herbert Somborn, opened the Brown Derby Restaurant, a hat-shaped building at Wilshire and Alexandria, in 1926. The hat now sits on top of

6408-469: The turn of the century, Germain Pellissier raised sheep and barley between Normandie and Western Avenues. Reuben Schmidt purchased land east of Normandie for his dairy farm. In the mid-1990s, it had a reputation for "crime and grime," and many businesses had left the area, but by 2001 it had recovered. The Los Angeles Times noted that: "Another sign of the district's popularity emerged this summer with

6497-467: The warm climate of Las Vegas for her final years. According to Anita Loos' memories of Talmadge, the drug addiction came first which caused arthritis and was the basis of Norma's interest in her physician husband. After suffering a series of strokes in 1957, Talmadge died of pneumonia on Christmas Eve of that year. At the time of her death, her estate was valued at more than US$ 1,000,000 (equivalent to $ 10.8 million in 2023). Talmadge Street in

6586-501: Was Camille (1926), an adaptation of a novel by Alexandre Dumas the younger later remade by Greta Garbo . During filming, Talmadge fell in love with leading man Gilbert Roland . She asked Schenck for a divorce, but he was not ready to grant it. Despite his personal feelings, he was not going to break up a moneymaking team and continued casting Roland in Talmadge's next three films released by United Artists . Talmadge and Schenck separated, though he continued producing her films. He

6675-519: Was Vitagraph's most promising young actress. That same year, she was assigned to Van Dyke Brooke 's acting unit, and throughout 1913 and 1914, appeared in more films, frequently with Antonio Moreno as her leading man. In 1915, Talmadge got her big break, starring in Vitagraph's prestigious feature film The Battle Cry of Peace , an anti-German propagandist drama, but ambitious Peg saw that her daughter's potential could carry them further, and got

6764-471: Was a fiasco; the sets and costumes were cheap and the studio itself lacked adequate backing. The film was a flop, and the small new studio shut down after the film's release. The demise of National Pictures Company left the family stranded in California after only one picture. Deciding it was smarter to aim high, they went to Triangle Film Corporation , where D. W. Griffith was supervising productions. On

6853-565: Was also a movie star. Talmadge married millionaire film producer Joseph M. Schenck and they successfully created their own production company. After reaching fame in the film studios on the East Coast, she moved to Hollywood in 1922. Talmadge was one of the most elegant and glamorous film stars of the Roaring '20s . However, by the end of the silent era, her popularity with audiences had waned. After her two talkies proved disappointing at

6942-589: Was an American actress and film producer of the silent era. A major box-office draw for more than a decade, her career reached a peak in the early 1920s, when she ranked among the most popular idols of the American screen. Talmadge specialized in melodrama . Her most famous film was Smilin’ Through (1922), but she also scored artistic triumphs teamed with director Frank Borzage in Secrets (1924) and The Lady (1925). Her younger sister Constance Talmadge

7031-475: Was erected in the Hollywood Hills in 1923 to advertise real estate developers Woodruff's and Shoults' housing development. In 1949, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce entered a contract with the City of Los Angeles to repair and rebuild the sign. The agreement stipulated that LAND be removed to spell HOLLYWOOD so the sign would now refer to the district, rather than the housing development. During

7120-448: Was incorporated as a municipality in 1903. The northern and eastern parts of the neighborhood were consolidated with the City of Los Angeles in 1910. Soon thereafter a prominent film industry emerged, having developed first on the East Coast. Eventually it became the most recognizable in the world. H. J. Whitley , a real estate developer, arranged to buy the 480-acre (1.9 km ) E.C. Hurd ranch. Whitley shared his plans for

7209-455: Was incorporated as a municipality on November 14, 1903, by a vote of 88 for and 77 against. On January 30, 1904, the voters in Hollywood decided, 113 to 96, to banish the sale of liquor within the city, except for medicinal purposes. Neither hotels nor restaurants were allowed to serve wine or liquor before or after meals. In 1910, the city voted for a merger with Los Angeles in order to secure an adequate water supply and to gain access to

7298-625: Was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. In June 1999, the Hollywood extension of the Los Angeles Metro Rail Red Line subway opened from Downtown Los Angeles to the San Fernando Valley , with stops along Hollywood Boulevard at Western Avenue ( Hollywood/Western Metro station ), Vine Street ( Hollywood/Vine Metro station ), and Highland Avenue ( Hollywood/Highland Metro station ). The Dolby Theatre , which opened in 2001 as

7387-408: Was now president of the prestigious but theater-poor United Artists Corporation, and the rest of Talmadge's films were released for that company. UA's distribution problems, however, began to erode her popularity. Her first films for this studio, The Dove (1927) and The Woman Disputed (1928), were box-office failures and ended up being her last silent movies. By the time Woman Disputed (1928)

7476-430: Was released, the talking film revolution had begun, and Talmadge began taking voice lessons in preparation. She worked diligently with voice coaches for over a year so she could make her sound debut. Her first talkie, New York Nights (1929), showed that she could speak and act acceptably in talkies. While her performance was considered to be good, the film was not. Talmadge next took on the role of Madame du Barry in

7565-609: Was the eldest daughter of Frederick O. Talmadge, an unemployed chronic alcoholic, and Margaret "Peg" Talmadge. She had two younger sisters, Natalie and Constance , both of whom also became actresses. The girls' childhoods were marked by poverty. One Christmas morning, Fred Talmadge left the house to buy food, and never came back, leaving his wife to raise their three daughters. Peg took in laundry, sold cosmetics, taught painting classes, and rented out rooms, raising her daughters in Brooklyn , New York . After she told her mother about

7654-477: Was the eldest of the three daughters and the first pushed by their mother to look for a career as a film actress. Mother and daughter traveled to Vitagraph Studios in Flatbush , New York, just a streetcar ride from her home. They managed to get past the studio gates and in to see the casting director, who promptly threw them out. However, scenario editor Beta Breuil , attracted by Talmadge's beauty, arranged

7743-489: Was the first church on Wilshire Boulevard in 1911. The church property at Wilshire and Normandie was donated by the Chapman Brothers, owners of Chapman Market, whose historic building remains nearby on Sixth Street. Some of the buildings are: Wilshire Center is zoned to the Los Angeles Unified School District . All areas are zoned to Los Angeles High School . Schools include: The Pio Pico–Koreatown branch of

7832-586: Was the last radio station to broadcast from Hollywood before it left CBS Columbia Square for a studio in the Miracle Mile in 2005. On January 22, 1947, the first commercial television station west of the Mississippi River , KTLA , began operating in Hollywood. In December of that year, The Public Prosecutor became the first network television series to be filmed in Hollywood. Television stations KTLA and KCET , both on Sunset Boulevard, are

7921-432: Was torn down to make way for the 34-story Equitable Plaza office building erected in 1969. By 1970, firms such as CNA, Pacific Indemnity, and Pierce National Life were starting construction of their own high-rise buildings. Southwestern University School of Law moved from its downtown location of 50 years to a four-story campus just south of Wilshire Boulevard on Westmoreland in 1973. In the 1970s and 1980s, commerce moved to

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