Walking Hollywood by Kathy Flynn
D
o you know what Hollywood’s first tourist attraction was? Are you familiar with the Idle Hour, Hollywood’s first movie theatre? Do you know the story of Hollywood’s first hotel? Or why radio towers were added to the Pacific Theatre? You’ll learn all this and more in the Old Hollywood Walking Tour, a decidedly different take on the history of Hollywood, that is as enjoyable for longtime residents as it is for tourists. The Old Hollywood Walking Tour is a 2-hour trip back in time to the very beginnings of Hollywood. Its focus is more on the founding of the area than the Golden Age of Hollywood, so you will learn about many places and locations that date back more than 100 years. Don’t let the two-hour tour length deter you—this is a leisurely tour taking you both outside and inside key locations along a fiveblock stretch of Hollywood Blvd, between Las Palmas and Cahuenga, an area recently used for the filming of Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming
ABOVE: Hollywood’s first movie theatre, the Fox, has gone through one restoration and two name changes. RIGHT: The Janes House, built in 1903, is the oldest building on Hollywood Blvd. 20 DISCOVER HOLLYWOOD / WINTER 2018
LEFT: Guide April Clemmer’s tour reveals some of the famed boulevard’s secrets.
Manson opus, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The tour starts at Hollywood and Wilcox, at the offices of the Hollywood Property Owners Alliance. Tour guide April Clemmer, not only knows her stuff, but looks the part as well, as she gives the tour dressed in vintage fashion. She begins the tour with maps and photos of Hollywood before the turn of the (last) century, preparing you for the sites to come. Everyone is provided with headsets which allow you to hear April above the din of traffic—a brilliant idea. The tour’s first stop is the Hillview Apartments, the first apartment building in Hollywood which was built specifically to house actors. Built in 1917, it’s still standing today and has changed very little in 100 years. Hollywood’s first movie theatre can be found across the street. Known today as the Fox Theatre, it was originally named the Idle
