Eye on LA explores the history of Hollywood

Saturday, March 30, 2013

By 1920, Hollywood had become the epicenter of the film industry. Many studios celebrated their 100-year anniversary. Pictured is Walt Disney.

Hollywood hot spots that the big stars loved in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, are still around today.

Author Michael Gross took Eye on L.A. on a tour of classic Hollywood estates owned by the biggest stars of the time. Pictured is Greystone Mansion and Park.

The legends of Hollywood live on forever at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

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hollywood, west hollywood, eye on l.a.

By Tina Malave

HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Hooray for Hollywood! Eye on L.A. went back in time to discover the stories of Hollywood stars and how Hollywood itself became the entertainment capital of the world.

Early Hollywood

Marc Wanamaker, a Los Angeles historian and expert on Hollywood history, tells us how Hollywood became the epicenter of the film industry. His archival photos at BisonArchives.com are amazing.

The studios arrive

We took a tour of Raleigh Studios on Melrose Avenue with Raleigh's president, Mark Rosenthal, who took us through the early 1900s when the studios first arrived and set up house in Hollywood. In fact, many of the studios just celebrated their 100-year anniversary in 2012.

Disney Archives

By 1920, Hollywood had become the epicenter of the film industry. Later, it would become home to the first feature-length animated film, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."

The Hollywood Museum at the Max Factor Building

There's a building smack in the middle of Hollywood that's one of the district's best-kept secrets. Discover how cosmetics pioneer Max Factor turned everyday women into goddesses and so much more at the Hollywood Museum at 1660 N. Highland Ave. It's open Wednesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit TheHollywoodMuseum.com.

Old Hollywood hot spots

Two places that the big stars loved back in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, are still around today.

The Musso & Frank Grill at 6667 Hollywood Blvd. was a favorite of Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. Stars like Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Steve McQueen would later keep that "Old Hollywood" feel alive and well at this local landmark.

Formosa Café at 7156 Santa Monica Blvd. in the city of West Hollywood has also had its share of celebrity regulars, including Clark Gable and Humphrey Bogart. The area around it has changed quite a bit, but Formosa is still standing in its original, legendary spot. [Watch video]

Hollywood homes tour

"Unreal Estate" author Michael Gross took us on a tour of classic Hollywood estates owned by the biggest stars of the time. Gaelyn Whitley Keith, who wrote "The Father of Hollywood," talks about her great grandfather Hobart J. Whitley, who was the developer behind Whitley Heights, one of Hollywood's first residential neighborhoods. [Watch video]

Hollywood hotels

Hollywood stars loved some local hotels, too. Some of them, like the Beverly Hills Hotel and Roosevelt Hotel, are still around and still thriving today. They've become an indelible part of Hollywood history. You can learn more about the history of the Beverly Hills Hotel with the book "The Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows: the First 100 Years," by Robert S. Anderson.