Of the many times I have been to California and trod the sidewalks of Hollywood Boulevard, gaping at the many stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, I seldom took any photos of the area – even during recent visits. In fact, the best I did was a lone photo of me in front of the lion statue at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre (which was known as Mann’s Chinese Theatre at the time) and some shots of the stars without me in them from 1988 ! So after we finished up with our lunch with Adam Sadowsky on Monday, October 6, 2008, Jimmy drove me over to the Walk of Fame area where we parked the car and simply browsed the area.
We walked around for a little over an hour down Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, in search of some of the most ‘important’ stars – at least to me. We had to call Bob one time to get help on the location of Oliver Hardy’s star, but other than that we found everyone I was searching for. I am ashamed to say that I missed out on seeing The Wizard of Oz Munchkins’ star as it just completely slipped my mind to look for it.
To date, I have never seen a movie inside Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and although we considered possibly doing it this time, I settled for a few important photos outside the 1927 Hollywood mecca. Just across the street was the El Capitan Theatre, where Jimmy and I had been seen in the audience of Jimmy Kimmel Live! three years earlier.
The photos below generally speak for themselves…
Find me waving in front of the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre
From the other angle, in front of the El Captian Theatre where we saw Jimmy Kimmel in 2005
With the Harold Lloyd slab at the Chinese Theatre, also significant as being the spot where Laurel and Hardy stood when they were interviewed for radio during the premier of their film The Rogue Song in 1930
Trying to remove the John Wayne slab as Lucy and Ethel somehow managed to do on I Love Lucy
Standing under Laurel and Hardy (painted in Babes in Toyland garb) at the You are the Star mural on Wilcox Avenue
With Stan Laurel’s star at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard
With Babe’s star at 1500 Vine Street
Another major Roach star, Charley Chase
And the man who made the three above possible, Hal Roach
The only Presidential star on the Walk of Fame
The stars intersect at Hollywood and Vine, and the four corners pay tribute to the first landing on the moon. Note the Pantages Theatre behind me – for the third time so far this week.
It always elicits a very neat feeling that is hard to describe to be in this vicinity. Not only is it nostalgic in a Hollywood history sort-of way, but it brings back all the wonderful memories of my first visits to Hollywood in the 1980’s and 90’s.
As the California sun began to set, we began to head back to the car and headed back to San Pedro at about 7:30pm. We met up with Big Jimmy and Kris at their house and we all went out for a late dinner at the Olive Garden (one of our American traditions).
With the folks at the end of a great day. The chicken alfredo pizza really hit the spot.
After dinner, Jimmy and I settled in back at his place and stayed up until after midnight as I forced him to watch some more episodes of It’s Your Move – in honor of the lunch that we had shared that day with one of the cast members. The next day would not be taken at quite such a breakneck speed…which was good. The all-time great days in your life need to be rationed out a little bit.
The California 2008 trip will continue…
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