Photo Special: 100 Years Of Hollywood

100 Years Of Hollywood Gallery

The Hollywood film industry is 100 years old this year. In early 1910, director DW Griffith was sent by the Biograph Company to the west coast to take advantage of the Californian sunshine.

In 1910, the area where Hollywood now stands was notable only for its citrus groves and plentiful sunshine. By 1915, it was the centre of the American film business.

The gallery includes the back lot at Universal City Studios, Warner Brothers West Coast Studio, and of course the infamous Hollywood sign that originally said “Hollywoodland” when it was installed in 1923. The last four letters were deleted when the sign was refurbished in 1949.

Movie stars also featured in the pictures include Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Eva von Berne, Charlie Chaplin and Rin Tin Tin. The dog became a massive star, making 26 pictures for Warner Brothers before his death in 1932. At the peak of his career he received some 10,000 fan letters a week.

All the photographs shown were taken between 1910 and 1930.

Posted on February 26, 2010 | Filed Under Movies