Top 10 Facts about the Walk of Fame

Top 10 Facts about the Walk of Fame

The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a famous boulevard in Los Angeles California. This iconic avenue hosts about 24 induction ceremonies annually, an event that gets broadcasted all over the world. 

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It is one of the top tourist attractions in Los Angeles. You will be amazed to learn that the Walk of Fame was a marketing idea. The most successful one to ever be produced.

Several Hollywood celebrities aspire to have a star on the Walk of Fame. This is always a constant physical reminder that their talent is appreciated and recognized.

Interestingly, not all famous celebrities get to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Some refuse to pay for it while others choose not to get involved in the long process.  

That said, this is not the only Walk of Fame in the world, there is another Walk of Fame, a replica, in Singapore at the Universal Studios in Sentosa.

Here are the top 10 facts about the Walk of Fame.

1. The Hollywood Walk of Fame was a marketing strategy

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The idea for the Hollywood Walk of Fame was conceived in 1953. It was a marketing strategy by the Chamber of Commerce.

M Stuart devised a way to have the names of famous people that could be seen in public. This way, even if one never got to meet the celebrity, there will be some sense of proximity.

He believed this idea would promote both local and international tourism. They presented the proposal to the proposal to the Los Angeles City Council in 1956.

Construction of the walkway work did not start until 7 years later. In 1958, they unveiled a sneak peek of 8 famous celebrities, however, this was temporary.  

2. The Walk of Fame was inspired by images on the ceiling of the Hollywood Hotel

There was an original idea of having names of popular and famous actors on walls. This was in the historic Hollywood Hotel where names of famous celebrities were on the ceiling of the dining area.

Stuart and his colleagues borrowed the idea and thought of moving it to the sidewalk.

3. The initial proposal was not a star on the Walk of Fame

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As plans to have the historic walkway progressed, there were different concepts that were reviewed.

In 1956, there was a proposed adaptation of a star that had a distorted image of the celebrity.

Some of the honourees sampled were Olive Borden, Ronald Colman, Louise Fazenda, Preston Foster, Burt Lancaster, Edward Sedgwick, Ernest Torrence, and Joanne Woodward.

However, the production cost of the caricature was said to be expensive.

they also proposed that the sidewalk be brown and blue. The colour was later changed to black and coral.

This new colour was the idea of Toberman who thought blue and brown would not compliment the new building constructed on the avenue.

4. Construction of the Walk of Fame was delayed

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Construction of the Walk began in 1958 but there were two lawsuits that delayed its completion.

The first lawsuit was filed by local property owners who challenged the authenticity of the $1.25 million tax assessment.

This tax was levied on them to pay for the Walkway together with new street lighting and trees. In 1959, the assessment was ruled legal.

The second lawsuit was filed by Charles Chaplin Jr. He wanted to be paid for damages after his father was excluded from the committee. His father’s name had been withdrawn due to public pressure.

His plea was dismissed in 1960 and shortly after, the boulevard was completed.

5. There were no new starts on the Walk of Fame for 8 years

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With the construction of the Walk of Fame, it was expected that businesses along the boulevard would flourish.

The committee that proposed the idea believed that the area would get redeveloped.

This was especially during the 60s and 70s when there was urban decay in Hollywood. Several residents had moved to the suburbs.  

After they installed the first 1,500 stars in 1960 and 1961, the next star was added 8 years later.

It was in 1968 when Richard D. Zanuck was awarded the first star in 8 years. The star was presented to him by Danny Thomas.

In 1978, the City of Los Angeles voted the Hollywood Walk of Fame a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument.

6. Muhamad Ali’s star is on the wall and not on the Walk of Fame

There are celebrities that agreed to receive the star on the Walk of Fame, however, there was a condition, theirs will be on the wall.

One such celebrity was Muhamad Ali; he did not want his star to be stepped on. He, therefore, asked him to be put on the wall.

To get a star with its name on it, a celebrity is required to pay a fee of $50,000. The fee caters for the creation, installation and maintenance of the star.

7. The Walk of Fame has fictional characters too

The Walk of Fame has starred for fictional actors such as Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, Kermit the Frog, Donald Duck, and Tinker Godzilla.

The awarding of stars to these characters started in 1978, Mickey Mouse was the first to accept a star.

This was to honour his 50^th anniversary. About 20 more fictional characters received their stars in the following decades.

8. The Walk of Fame is not just for famous TV celebrities

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Although the initial plans were to have the stars bearing the names of famous celebrities, they were not limited to just Hollywood actors.

Victoria’s secret, a lingerie company, has a star on the Walk of Fame, LA Dodgers, a basketball club also accepted a star.

Writer Sydney Sheldon, Hollywood costume designers Edith Head and Ruth E. Carter have stars too.

9. Former actors-turned-politicians have stars on the Walk of Fame

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There are actors-turned-politicians who have accepted stars on the Walk of Fame too.

Arnold Schwarzenegger was the second Governor of California, Ronald Reagan retired US President, and Donald Trump 45^th US president, are some politicians who accepted a star.

Other legislators that received a star on the Walk of Fame are George Murphy, Helen Gahagan, William Harrison Hays, and former Los Angeles civic chairman Tom Bradley.

The only European politician to accept a star was Ignacy Paderewski. He served as Prime Minister of Poland during World War I and World War II.

10. The stars were vandalized at the Walk of Fame

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The stars get vandalized by thieves who use concrete saws. One star was stolen and never recovered, it belonged to Gene Autry.

If you are wondering what is special about the stars, well, 300 pounds of gold is used to make a star. In 2000, two stars were stolen but were recovered.

Donald Trump’s star was also vandalized multiple times. The first culprit was arrested and sentenced to 3 years’ probation in 2016.

It happened again in 2018 when another culprit vandalized the repaired star. He was arrested but got bailed out by the 2016 culprit.