The Hollywood Walk of Fame is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the Los Angeles area. Only the elite have their names etched on the tiles that make up the Hollywood Walk of Fame! Show business couldn’t have a better way to honor its stars!

If you’re a movie buff, three and a half miles of sidewalk, 2,400 stars emblazoned with the best of stars and 100 plus years of history ensconced in a museum format makes the Hollywood Walk of Fame the ultimate destination!

It is an honor in a class by itself; just like the Oscars and the Grammys’—being on the Walk of Fame. It is permanent and it seals the honorees past, present and future in glorified stars and stones!

History

In 1958, artist Oliver Weismuller was hired by the city of L.A to give Hollywood a makeover. Prostitution and drugs ran rampant on the streets and creating the ‘Walk of Fame’ would bring about an element of respect. Thinking in those lines, they thought that the sidewalk could be a tribute to successful people in show business.

Stars would be given to honorees who had achieved excellence in movies, theater, radio, television, and music! The proposal for the first star had John Wayne on it.

The Walk became so popular that within a couple of decades, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce designated it as a historic and cultural landmark. The entertainment industry was at its peak, as it is now! Tourists flock to have their pictures clicked alongside their favorite stars not to mention the thrill of catching celebrities around the corner.

In the Details

The Walk of Fame runs on both sides of the famous Hollywood Boulevard. Five acres of bronze stars embedded in pink terrazzo are surrounded by charcoal terrazzo squares.

Each star has the classic bronze engraving with the honoree’s name and a distinctive emblem indicating the category they have been awarded varying from Motion Pictures, Television, Radio, Recording to Live Theatre.

2,500 blank stars were allocated initially but within three years, 1,558 stars already had names on them.

The process behind getting a star is unlike other nominations! New stars are chosen in the most unusual manner. The candidate does not know who is selecting them.We can only imagine that Russell Crowe, Adam Sandler and Ringo Starr are thinking the same thing this year as they have their names added to Hollywood Walk of Fame.

An interesting fact is that honorees have to pay a $2500 maintenance fee for the Walk of Fame’s upkeep.

Although these celebrities are picked elusively and honored with a star, it is after all, on the world’s most famous sidewalk! It’s a tribute to their work and perseverance and just like that, an actor’s life becomes the stuff of legends!

Trivia

So who are some of the stars who’ve made it to the Walk of Fame? A select few are Michael Jackson, Gregory Peck, Elton John, Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger; the list goes on!

Trivia abounds at the Walk of Fame! Here are some:

• Michael Jackson was the first to have two stars in the same category! One as a solo artist and the other for his work with The Jackson Five!
• Mickey Mouse became the first cartoon character to have a star on the Walk of Fame! It was his 50th anniversary in show business!
• Muhammad Ali is the only personality who has his star displayed on a wall! His request that ‘he not be walked on’ was honored!
• The celebrity with the most stars is singing-cowboy Gene Autry, who earned five stars in all five categories!

For More Information on SOTC Tours & Packages click here.