The Heart of Hollywood Tour

Every now and again you end up at an event that is a historical event. 95 years after being erected, and 40 since it was replaced the letter ‘H’ from the world famous ‘Hollywood’ sign was unveiled in East London, at the O2. This is not only the first time that the letter has been seen since 1978 but the first time it has been outside of America. The letter is the height of four double-decker buses and weighs in at 90 tons. It was designed to cope with the extreme weather conditions of Los Angeles, including earthquakes and even has the original graffiti from 1977 when someone declared that they only had “eyes for you”.

The show features both the iconic ‘H’ from the original Hollywood sign, Hollywood memorabilia and works of art by Bill Mack, esteemed artist and one of the biggest collectors of memorabilia in the world.

The Hollywood sign was built by George Roche in 1923 to promote a residential property development in Los Angeles called Hollywoodland. The sign was originally built with telephone poles and barn roofing at a cost of $21,000 with punched holes to allow the wind to blow through it.

4000 light bulbs are placed around the edge of the sign to illuminate it at night with Albert Kothe maintaining the lights, living in a shack behind the first ‘L’.

In 1949 the cost of Los Angeles entered into a maintenance agreement with the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to preserve the sign and it was at this point that the ‘LAND’ was removed from the end of the sign.

In 1973 the sign was designated as a landmark by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Board and

labelled as a Cultural Historical Monument #111.

Five years later in 1978, the sign had got to the point that it was beyond repair and so a public campaign by The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce was launched to save the sign. Once the money was raised the construction of the new sign started in August 1978 with the new sign being unveiled in November 1978.

The original sign remained in storage until Bill Mack purchased it in 2007 and started a project to restore the letter ‘H’ in 2012.

As darkness falls over London, the Hollywood Nights show lights up the Hollywood ‘H’ with an unforgettable projection show of the greatest moments from the past 100 years of film, forming a backdrop to spectacular musical theatre tributes to some of the best-loved musicals in Hollywood’s history directed by Internationally acclaimed Creative Director and Choreographer Nathan Clarke.

 

Attractions at the Heart of Hollywood Tour include:

• The ‘H’ from the Hollywood sign – the centrepiece of the show is the original letter ‘H’ from the iconic Hollywood sign, known globally as the entertainment industry trademark. This is its first appearance in public for 40 years. Visitors can follow in the footsteps of Hollywood greats like Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne and Charlie Chaplin, who all touched the sign for good luck.

 

• Hollywood Memorabilia Exhibition – get up close and personal with some of Hollywood’s most famous items from the Hollywood Museum and private collections. The impressive exhibition features items including Elvis Presley’s black stage suit and gold ring, a signed fedora from Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe’s dresses and jewellery, costume memorabilia from the Wizard of Oz’s most loved characters, Alfred Hitchcock’s sketches, and Christopher Reeve’s Superman costume.

• Hollywood Art Gallery – an exclusive exhibition of the artwork of respected artist Bill Mack. Artworks include original paintings of Hollywood starlets on to other parts of the old Hollywood sign, and original Hollywood pictures featuring personal effects from the subject – from Marilyn Monroe’s hair to Steve McQueen’s t shirt. This will be the first time Mack’s Hollywood collection has exhibited in London and will include his revered paintings of Audrey Hepburn, the ‘Godfather’ Marlon Brando, Grace Kelly and Frank Sinatra.

 

There is something quite impressive about being quite literally in the shadow of this iconic letter from an iconic sign. And just as the Hollywood sign has acted as a backdrop to so many films and television shows over 95 years, so the letter ‘H’ was used as a backdrop to a 90-minute tour of some of the most iconic song and dance routines from over 100 years of movies. Using the ‘H’ as a projection screen that animated for each number, a ten-strong dance troop performed on the stage.

The letter ‘H’ and the show are at the O2 for 28 days before going on to a 5-year world tour, before returning to California to mark the 100th anniversary and to hopefully have a permanent home. Alongside the show, the Heart of Hollywood Tour includes some of the most fascinating pieces of Hollywood memorabilia from Bill Mack’s collection.

Many of the items on display include items that have never been on public display before, including the chair Marilyn Monroe posed for her last photo shoot, Clarke Gable’s tuxedo from ‘Gone with the Wind’ and Superman’s costume (released in 1978 the same year as the signed was renewed, and had a European Royal Charity Premiere at the Empire, Leicester Square, London).

To get more information and tickets, visit www.heartofhollywoodtour.com

The iconic Heart of Hollywood Tour will launch in association with the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, and the Savoy Hotel.

 

The Heart of Hollywood Tour information:

Dates: 21st June – 17th July 2018

Times: 10am-5pm

Location: O2 arena

Nearest tube: North Greenwich

Tickets:  Adult: £20 + £3.25 booking fee

Concession: £15 + £2.75 booking fee

Child: £10 + £2.75 booking fee

Tickets can be purchased now from O2.co.uk 

Attraction tickets allow you to spend one-hour in the exhibition

Further information: www.heartofhollywoodtour.com

Hollywood Nights show information:

Dates: 22^nd / 23^rd / 28^th / 29^th / 30^th June & 5^th / 6^th / 7^th / 12^th / 13^th / 14^th July 2018

Times: 7:30pm – 10:30pm

Tickets: General admission tickets £49, concession £30

VIP tickets – £140 adults, concession £60

Tickets are on sale soon.

VIP tickets are available offering full access to the Heart of Hollywood exhibition, plus unlimited food and drinks.