 |
Seeing Stars: Where the Stars are Immortalized

The Gene Autry
Statues
There are two different
statues dedicated to singing cowboy Gene
Autry:
The
first statue is inside the gates of Angels Stadium, located at the NE corner of State College
Drive & Orangewood in Anaheim (a few miles southeast of Disneyland).
Gene Autry founded the California Angels baseball team (now named the Los Angeles
Angels of Anaheim.) He eventually sold the team to the Walt Disney company, which
erected a life-size bronze statue of Gene in the gardens of the baseball
park. It's located just to the west of the main gate. Gene stands, cowboy
hat in one hand, his other hand extended as if to shake hands. And indeed,
many fans do indeed shake the statue's hand! 
The second Gene Autry
statue is outside the Gene Autry
Museum of Western Heritage, located across the street from the Los
Angeles Zoo, at 4700 Western Heritage Way, in Griffith Park.
This outstanding
statue of Gene is larger-than-life. The singing cowboy sits strumming his
guitar, next to his horse Champion. 
In
1998, a year after the death of beloved actor Jimmy Stewart
("It's A Wonderful Life," "Mr. Smith
Goes to Washington," "The Philadelphia Story"),
the city unveiled a monument to Mr. Stewart in Griffith Park, where Jimmy
hosted his annual Jimmy Stewart
Marathon. The monument consists of a 25-foot flagpole, atop a rock
pedestal, with a plaque praising the actor. It was dedicated on what would
have been Mr. Stewart's 90th birthday. In part, the plaque reads:

"In honor of the great American
whose humanity touched us all through his work as one of the favorite actors
of our time."
It's located off Crystal Springs Drive, near the
main rangers' station, south of the Zoo, and just east of the merry-go-round.

The Michael Jackson
Mural:
In 2010, a year after Michael Jackson's untimely
death, artist Rudy Martinez created a 100'x30 foot purple mural of the
gloved one, titled "MJ2010".

You'll find it on the west-facing wall of the Graff
Lab (a legal graffiti gallery). at 1038 Venice Blvd,
in the Pico-Union district of Los Angeles.
(That's a few blocks west of the Staples Center.) 

77 Sunset Strip:
Remember the old TV series "77 Sunset
Strip"? If you do, you'll no doubt remember "Dino's
Lodge," which was featured in the credits. It was an actual building,
but it's gone now.

However, a plaque on the sidewalk outside its former location notes that
this was indeed the legendary "77 Sunset Strip."
You'll find the plaque in front of the doorway to
8524 Sunset Blvd., in West Hollywood. 
The Laurel & Hardy
Stairs:
 In
the hilly Silver Lake district (northwest of downtown L.A.), just south
of Sunset Boulevard, you'll find a long outdoor staircase. This
is where Laurel & Hardy struggled futilely to haul a heavy
piano up all those steps, in their classic 1932 comedy "The Music
Box." It was shot at 927 Vendome Street; just to the west of Silver Lake
Blvd (from Vendome up to Descanso Drive ). If you look carefully, you'll
spot a memorial plaque in the sidewalk bearing images of the boys. 
A
high school in the San Fernando Valley (formerly known as "West Granada
High School") has been re-named Kirk Douglas
High School in honor of the actor, whose foundation provided
a $25,000 matching grant to the school. It marks the first time in history
that L.A. school has been named for a living person, and Mr. Douglas himself
showed up for the dedication. The school, re-named in 2000, is dedicated
to helping bright students with problems, who are on the verge of dropping
out. You'll find it at 10500 Lindley Ave., just north of Cal-State Northridge.


Also see the imposing monuments that mark the graves
of superstar Al Jolson (at Hillside
Cemetery) and the legendary Douglas Fairbanks
(next to the lake at Hollywood
Forever.
Looking
for something in particular? Search the Seeing-Stars website!
|
|
|