Hollywood Blog

SPECIAL! SPECIAL! SPECIAL
Thursday, January 26that 7:30 p.m.

Please join Hollywood Heritage for a tribute to 
L.A.'s first television station. 

In January of 1947, Paramount Pictures and engineer Klaus Landsberg launched commercial television in Los Angeles. KTLA was the first station to hit the airwaves and set the course for T.V. in L.A. with a mix of talk shows, wrestling, game shows, and standout music and children's programming. The pioneering station was an early showcase for Lawrence Welk, Jack LaLanne, and Beany & Cecil, and to this day is the home of L.A.'s most watched news.

History is full of dramatic tales that are well known and oft repeated. But what if some of the most famous – were not quite as we suppose? Here, Gaelyn Whitley Keith  revisits  historic mysteries many have gotten wrong…..One clear cut example is the naming of Hollywood.  Here is a hand written account from Margaret Virginia (Gigi) Whitley's memoir detailing the event that occured on her honeymoon with HJ Whitley in 1886.  Because there was no book writen others made up their own versions.  



HJ Whitley was concerned about a book that Dr. Palmer self-published which had incorrect information.  It is not surprising to find at the introduction of the book that Dr. Palmer himself stated that some information may be incorrect.  Here is a copy of a letter HJ Whitley wrote concerning this matter.  



Many people continue to circulate this map as a recorded deed.  It is actually an advertisment from a bank that was published many years after the event.  If you look at street names, location of the Hollywood Hotel and many other facts you can see it is incorrect historically.  If you have the time go to the Los Angeles County Recorder's Office.  It has the actural February 1, 1886 deed from H. H. Wilcox.  The name Hollywood is not on the deed.  Even though this picture is at the California Historical Society it does not mean it is a deed.   I hope this will clear up some historical facts about Hollywood. That is why the best source comes from the person who actually is the Father of Hollywood, HJ Whitley.

Good news, moguls. You don't need magic to unlock the doors to the wizard in world of Harry Potter.  The newest attraction at Universal Studios, Hollywood offers an adventure we all have been waiting for.

Tom Hanks, one of the greatest actors of all time  reenacted scenes from all of his famous movies in just one, seven-minute take!  Have a look for yourself!

Come to Whitley Heights and discover a little slice of Europe tucked away on a hillside in Hollywood. The early Hollywood developer H.J. Whitley commissioned architect A.S. Barnes to design “a Mediterranean hill town” in 1918. Mostly finished by 1930, the neighborhood was near all the movie studios and became the celebrity enclave of its time. Rudolph Valentino was an early resident, as were Carole Lombard, Carmen Miranda, and Maurice Chevalier.

Neighborliness was encouraged, and a strong village-like sense of community prevails. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, and now a local Historic Preservation Overlay Zone, Whitley Heights has more protections than many older places in America and perhaps it is to honor H J Whitley the Father of Hollywood. On October 26, 1911 he convinced the first movie studio to settle in Hollywood.