This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Watch Huell Howser Explore The Hollywood Sign
"I feel like a mountain goat out here," the late great Huell Howser intones as he climbs up a dusty part of Mt. Lee towards the base of the Hollywood Sign. "But now it just gets better, because look where we are right now!"
In 2007, Howser dedicated an entire episode of California's Gold to the history of one of L.A.'s most famed monuments. In the above clip, courtesy of KCET, Howser explores the the sign with Hollywood Sign Trust chairman Chris Baumgart and Linda Barth, vice chairperson of the Trust, who also "officially represents" the city of Los Angeles, according to Howser.
The sign, as any true Angeleno knows, was first erected back in 1923 as an epic real estate billboard, advertising the Hollywoodland development. It wasn't until 1949 that it actually represented the film industry, according to Baumgart. The full episode (watch it here!) delves into the sign's history, but the above clip starts right after our friends Huell, Linda, and Chris have daringly climbed down to the sign's base by holding onto a rope and maneuvering down a drainage pipe.
Watch Howser interview the Hollywood Sign Trust crew about what the sign represents and why it serves an icon across the world, and then see him examine the sign itself ("It's just corrugated metal!" he exclaims as he knocks on the side of one of the letters).
In other amaaaazing news, KCET will be hosting a ten-hour Huell Howser marathon on New Year's Eve, and we can't wait.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
