“Forgotten Hollywood”- Map to the Stars, circa 1937…

Posted on May 23, 2014 by raideoman1 | No Comments

Manny P. here…

   This map of Hollywood Starland, which was advertised as a moviegraph, was sold to film-crazy fans in the late 1930s. During the Depression, people went to the movies at a amazingly high rate, as the industry adapted to prevailing financial conditions by offering all kinds of cheap rates, sweepstakes, and giveaways. Movie magazines like Photoplay let fans into the lives of the stars, and a map like this one was designed to cater to the desire to know all about where the stars live, work, and play.

StarMap1937_jpg_CROP_original-original

   The faces of favorite actors decorate the border of the map, and the interior is full of little figures playing golf, beach volleyball, polo, and tennis. Starland, from the point of view of the fans, looked like an endless round of fun and games. Viewers pouring over the map could try to match the stars’ faces to the cartoons.

   The map is vague about the locations of stars’ houses, giving only a general sense of their neighborhoods (Marlene Dietrich lived in Beverly Hills) and a likeness of their facades, without offering street names. Other maps from the time didn’t skimp on this information, so the choice to remain figurative must have been deliberate. The map may have been intended as a tourist souvenir rather than a literal guide to star-gazing.

   The original version of the map rests in the Library of Congress for the classic movie lover to enjoy!

———————————————————-

godzilla cartoon

   One of those Hollywood-and-Vine moments where cinema and real life intersect. I love satire.

   Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

This entry was posted on Friday, May 23rd, 2014 at 12:04 am and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.


Bookmark this post:
Digg Del.icio.us Reddit Furl Google Bookmarks StumbleUpon Windows Live Technorati Yahoo MyWeb



Comments are closed.