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The views from the Hollywood Hills take in
a bizarre assortment of opulent properties. Around these canyons and
slopes, which run from Hollywood itself into Benedict Canyon above Beverly
Hills, mansions are so commonplace that only the half-dozen fully blown
castles (at least, Hollywood-style castles) really stand out. On
Mulholland Drive are Rudolph Valentino’s extravagant Falcon Lair
(1436 Bella Drive) and Errol Flynn’s Mulholland House (7740
Mulholland Drive). Guided tours can point out which is which, but for the
most part you can’t get close to the most elaborate dwellings anyway,
and none is open to the public.
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more or less anywhere in Hollywood, you can see the Hollywood Sign,
erected as a property advertisement in 1923 (when it spelt
“Hollywoodland”; the “land” was removed in 1949). The sign is also
famous as a suicide spot, though few have followed the 1932 example of
would-be movie star Peg Entwhistle. Hers was no mean feat, the sign being
as hard to reach then as it is now: from the end of Beachwood Drive (a
route that affords a fine view of the sign) she picked a path slowly
upwards through the thick bush, to leap to her death from the 50ft
“H.” For the first time in its sixty-five-year existence, the sign is
being insured against earthquake damage. Infra-red cameras and
radar-activated zoom lenses have been installed to catch graffiti writers.
Innocent tourists who can’t resist a close look are also liable for the
$103 fine. |