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Glitz and Glamour of Hollywood Walk of Fame

The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a sidewalk monument paying tribute to Hollywood luminaries who have made contributions in showbiz.

A star in Hollywood's Walk of Fame signifies recognition for one’s effort in making a difference in Hollywood. To belong here is an inimitably great honor.

It is an accolade to the Hollywood celebrities (including public servants, fictional characters and behind the scenes players) of both today and the yesteryears. Stars coming from the different fields of the showbiz industry such as television, live theatre, music, motion pictures, and radio are immortalized in this hall of fame.

The Hollywood Walk of Fame is built and arranged with over 2,500 glossed marble stars. It covers 5 acres of bronze stars implanted in pink terrazzo and encircled by charcoal squares. Every pink star contained the bronze carved name of each personality as well as an idiosyncratic round insignia classifying which industry field the artist came from.

These are the insignias/emblems are for television, motion picture or film, phonograph (music), twin comedy (live theater) and radio.

There are some exceptions to the emblems. The Apollo XI mission team members were given 4 moons (instead of stars) and placed at the junction of Vine Street and Hollywood Boulevard. Johnny Grant, Hollywood’s respected mayor has a star of the Great Seal of Hollywood, while past LA mayor Tom Bradley has the Los Angeles City seal.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is both the administrator and decision maker. Every May 31, nominations are delivered and the committee for Walk of Fame convenes by June to choose the following year’s honorees. Before his passing in 2008, Mayor Johnny Grant used to head the Star ceremonies held open to the general public.

Oliver Weismuller, an artist from Southern California, designed the legendary sidewalk. The formal ground breaking rites took place in 9th of February 1960. When the structure was finished after nearly one and a half years, 1,558 top names were immortalized in the sidewalk perpetually. Ever since, roughly one to two personalities each month were added.

In 1978, the Walk of Fame was elected as a Historical and Cultural Landmark by the Los Angeles City. It is the Hollywood Historic Trust, a self-financing structure that upholds and preserves the cultural and artistic excellence of the Walk.

A luminary has to appear at a presentation rite within 5 years of selection. A fee needs to be paid to the Hollywood Historic Fund for security expenditures at the star ceremony. Sometimes the fee is absorbed by an electing group or a fan club.

This monument is a sidewalk down the two sides of Vine Street and both sides of Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. The Walk was pictured in 1958 as a lifelong tribute to the many names and faces who contributed in creating Hollywood the most prominent entertainment district on earth. At present, it remains a world class pride of Hollywood, keeping alive the impression that has made the city tantamount with glamour.