The Archaeology of Hollywood: Traces of the Golden Age

275 Pages·2014·4.46 MB·English

by  Paul G. Bahn

The Archaeology
of Hollywood
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The Archaeology
of Hollywood
Traces of the Golden Age
P A U L G . B A H N
ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD
Lanham • Boulder • New York • Toronto • Plymouth, UK
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The author attempted to contact all permissions holders with due diligence,
so any oversight of permissions can be remedied through the publisher.
Published by Rowman & Littlefield
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706
www.rowman.com
10 Thornbury Road, Plymouth PL6 7PP, United Kingdom
Copyright © 2014 by Rowman & Littlefield
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or
by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and
retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a
reviewer who may quote passages in a review.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bahn, Paul G.
The archaeology of Hollywood : traces of the golden age / Paul G. Bahn.
pages cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7591-2378-6 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-7591-2379-3
(electronic) 1. Hollywood (Los Angeles, Calif.)—History. 2. Hollywood
(Los Angeles, Calif.)—Social life and customs. 3. Motion picture
industry—California—Los Angeles—History. I. Title.
F869.H74B35 2014
979.4'94—dc23 2013040684
™
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements
of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of
Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.
Printed in the United States of America
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For Debbie and Jim,
and in memory of Dominique Cazenave
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xiii
1 The Prehistory of Hollywood 1
2 Why Hollywood? The Historical Background 11
3 Riddle of the Sands: Hollywood Egyptology 29
4 The Industrial Zone: The Industrialization of Dreams 41
5 The Entertainment Areas: Bread and Circuses 77
6 The Residential Areas: The Original Beverly Hillbillies 93
7 Hollywood Hieroglyphics: Cult Centers and
Sacred Rituals 113
8 Stardust: Cities of the Dead 135
Conclusion: Twilight of the Gods 165
vii
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CONTENTS
Appendix: Lists of Resting Places 169
Whereabouts of Celebrities in the Los Angeles Area 169
Hollywood Memorial Park (Hollywood Forever) 188
Out-of-Towners List 215
References 245
Index 247
About the Author 255
viii
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Acknowledgments
The origins of this book really lie with my mother, who not only
transmitted to me her love of history but also took me at an early
age to London and Paris. Together we visited Westminster Ab-
bey, St. Paul’s, and the three main Paris cemeteries, both of us
taking pleasure in seeing the last resting places of so many ce-
lebrities of different kinds—rulers, generals, writers, scientists,
artists, thespians. . . . Thus began a lifelong hobby which seems
morbid to many, but which I have never ceased to find fascinat-
ing. One can no longer meet celebrities who have died, so a
visit to their graves is the closest one can come to them. It’s an
opportunity to pay one’s respects in some cases and even to say
thank you in others. For example, whenever I see their graves, I
always give my thanks to Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, and Buster
Keaton for the enormous pleasure their work has given me.
Clayton Moore was one of the heroes of my childhood through
my love of The Lone Ranger on TV; Charlton Heston was one of
the heroes of my youth through his roles in Ben-Hur and El Cid.
ix
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