THE SIGN NEEDS YOU! CLICK HERE TO MAKE A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION TO THE SIGN

The Hollywood Sign

Main Navigation
  • Seeing the Sign
    • DASH to See the Sign
    • Hiking to the Sign
    • 247 Webcams
    • Best Viewpoints
      • Griffith Observatory
      • Hollywood & Highland
    • Filming the Sign
    • Featured Photographers
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • History
    • The Saga of the Sign
    • Step by Step History
    • The Hollywood Sign in Popular Culture
      • In the Movies
      • On Television
      • In Video Games
      • In Song Lyrics
      • In Music Videos
    • The History of Griffith Park
    • Copycat Signs
  • Education
    • Teaching the Sign
    • The Plants and Animals of Griffith Park
  • Press
    • New Webcams Connect Hollywood Sign with Fans Around the Globe
    • Fast Facts
    • News Updates
    • Videos About the Sign
    • Camera Ready Art, B-Roll, More
    • Cahuenga Peak Preservation Campaign
    • Sherwin-Williams Sign Repainting
    • Rebuilding the Hollywood Sign Documentary
  • Walk of Fame
  • About
    • Hollywood Sign Trust
    • Board of Trustees
    • History & Mission
    • Permits & Filming
    • Tax Information
  • Contact

The Sign in the Movies

SEE:

MOVIES

|

TELEVISION

|

VIDEO GAMES

|

SONG LYRICS

|

MUSIC VIDEOS


The Sign in Popular Culture: Movies

Here’s a quick look at all of the Sign's many roles through the years, including each film's year of release, the Sign's co-stars and director, and a brief description of its big screen moment...

Are we missing a movie? Let us know and get credit for your discovery!



Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970)

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970)

Starring Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Marcia McBroom, John Lazar, Michael Blodgett.
Directed by Russ Meyer.

The Sign is shown near the beginning of this unabashedly ribald film, when the main characters are moving to Los Angeles. True to its time, the Sign is noticeably worn. Interestingly, this film was written by film critic Roger Ebert (one of three he penned for Meyer)!

(Contributed by Paul Hennessy)

Down Three Dark Streets (1954)

Down Three Dark Streets (1954)

Directed by Arnold Laven

Down Three Dark Streets is a 1954 film in the documentary-style film noir genre. The screenplay was written by Gordon and Mildred Gordon, based on their novel Case File FBI. FBI agent John Ripley investigates the three cases his murdered partner was working on, hoping to find the killer. The film’s climax takes place around the famous Hollywood Sign in Los Angeles.

(Contributed by Ron Pierson and E Morrison)

Man in the Dark (1953)

Man in the Dark (1953)

Director: Lew Landers
Stars: Edmond O’Brien, Audrey Totter, Ted de Corsia

About a third of the way in, he is chased by a detective and policemen over Columbia Studios sound stages. Visible north and behind them, the letters “HO” of the Hollywood Sign can be seen just to the left of a stage.

Fun and Fancy Free (1947)

Fun and Fancy Free (1947)

Directed by Jack Kinney, Bill Roberts, Hamilton Luske, William Morgan.
Produced by Walt Disney.

One of Walt Disney’s wonderful “package films” that helped rebuild the famous studios after the war, this collection included Bongo and Mickey and the Beanstalk. This film marks the last time Walt voiced the Mickey character. At the end of the Beanstalk story, the giant strides across spotlit Los Angeles at night, right past the Hollywood Sign on Mt. Lee, before donning the Brown Derby and heading out of town.

(Contributed by Mary Mallory)

DANGER SIGNAL (1945)

DANGER SIGNAL (1945)

Starring Zachary Scott

The Hollywood Sign appears in the 1945 Warner Bros. film DANGER SIGNAL starring Zachary Scott near the beginning, as he takes the bus from a town to California. The camera pans past the Hollywood Sign west as you see the Hollywood Tower, Argyle Apartments, etc., and then dissolves into a shot looking west on Hollywood Blvd from the Pantages all the way down to the bank building at Hollywood/Highland. This film is on DVD and just played on TCM’s Noir Alley.

(Contributed by Mary Mallory)

Hollywood Canteen (1944)

Hollywood Canteen (1944)

Starring Bette Davis, John Garfield, The Andrew Sisters.
Directed by Delmer Daves.

We cut from a view of the Sign that still says Hollywoodland to downtown L.A. where two soldiers are looking for the famous L.A. haunt from the title.

A Ducking They Did Go (1939)

A Ducking They Did Go (1939)

Starring Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Lynton Brent.
Directed by Del Lord

This famous short, the 38th in a total of 190 shorts that the Three Stooges made for Columbia Pictures, has the bumbling trio unwittingly taking a job with two con men as salesmen for their scheme (a job at which the Stooges excel). During the scene where a dog peers around a corner as the Stooges hide and wait for the dog to tell them the coast is clear, the original Hollywoodland Sign is seen behind the action in the distance.

(Contributed by Darren Nemeth)

HOLLYWOOD CAVALCADE (1939)

HOLLYWOOD CAVALCADE (1939)

Starring Alice Faye and  Don Ameche
Directed by Irving Cummings
Written by Ernest Pascal and Hilary Lynn

Starting in 1913 movie director Connors discovers singer Molly Adair. As she becomes a star she marries an actor, so Connors fires them. She asks for him as director of her next film. Many silent stars shown making the transition to sound.

In a nighttime shot, Alice Faye and Don Ameche stand on a balcony and watch the Hollywood Sign flashing on and off.

(Contributed by Mary Mallory)

Hollywood Boulevard (1935)

Hollywood Boulevard (1935)

Starring John Halliday, Marsha Hunt, Robert Cummings, C. Henry Gordon.
Directed by Robert Florey

The Sign’s debut performance!

In the opening montage of sights around Hollywood, the Hollywoodland sign is seen.

(Contributed by Mary Mallory)

FAST AND FURIOUS (Universal, 1927)

FAST AND FURIOUS (Universal, 1927)

Starring Reginald Denny

The current Fast and Furious films get their name from this film, as it’s also about a driver who ends up in a car race. The Sign appears in a scene where he’s actually inside a building at Hollywood and Cahuenga looking north, and part of the Sign can be glimpsed on the hill between a Ford Sign and a building.

(contributed by Mary Mallory)

 

 

  • «
  • ‹
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10

WEBCAMS

Provided by
Hitachi Kokusai
Maintained by
Skylite Media Inc.
Webmaster
RBI Creative

MADE POSSIBLE BY

Hollywood Sign Trust
Hollywood Chamber of Commerce
City of Los Angeles

RESOURCES

Press Room
News Updates
History of the Sign
Seeing the Sign
Education
Dash to the Sign
Best Viewpoints

CONTACT US

info@hollywoodsign.org
Official Facebook Page
Official Twitter Page
Official Instagram
Copyright © 2015-2017 All Rights Reserved.
Design and Search Marketing by Amplitude Digital
.
  • Stay Connected
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google Plus