By Donald H. Harrison
HOLLYWOOD — We went to Hollywood Boulevard on Saturday, July 23, and had the uncanny feeling that we had never left San Diego– at least not the Convention Center area where Comic-Con is currently holding forth.
Similiar to the mega event in San Diego, Hollywood Boulevard offers views of people of various sizes and hues dressed up as Action Heroes and as other familiar characters of the movies, all ready to strike a pose with passing tourists — especially for a tip!
There were crowds that first pressed forward and then unexpectedly stopped at photo-worthy sights. There were hawkers selling endless varieties of souvenir items relating to Hollywood stars and the entertainment industry.
And, similar to Comic-Con, there were exhibits meriting a visit, which, in our case, turned out to be the Hollywood Wax Museum and its companion attraction, the Guinness Book of Records Museum, as well as the plaza of footprints and handprints of famous actors and actresses outside the fabled Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. All of these are connected by a walk covered with five pointed, pinkish stars bearing the names of Hollywood luminaries of the past and present. All in all, it is a pleasant–if crowded–trip through the nostalgia of our lives of viewing television and movies, and it is topped off with a view of the iconic “Hollywood” sign that has appeared in so many of those movies.
During the four days of Comic-Con, it would be impossible for any one person to visit all the booths and panels, and similarly Hollywood Boulevard cannot be taken in all at once. We had to save for some other time visits to the Ripley’s “Believe it or Not” museum, and also had to pass up the Hollywood history museum. Being a Saturday, other attractions were not open – for example the possibility of sitting in the audience of the Jimmy Kimmel television show which is broadcast from a studio on Hollywood Boulevard.
Out of the question, given our limited time frame for visiting, was a bus or limousine tour to the homes of the Hollywood stars, which hawkers assured passersby would offer glimpses of the lifestyles of screen celebrities.
The Hollywood Wax Museum poses wax figures in costumes and settings of their famous movies – with one gallery able to be bypassed by the weak of heart. In this gallery are lodged the monsters and murderers of the scary movies . Not to worry, the Hollywood Wax Museum also features the denizens of adventure and romantic movies. Readers of San Diego Jewish World may be pleased to learn that some members of the Jewish community are featured including Gwyneth Paltrow (with whose wax figure our nephew Edward Zeiden happily posed), Ben Stiller and Adam Sandler.
Our grandson, Shor Masori, got his “own” star on the sidewalk — or so it appeared through the magic of Photoshop. The Hollywood Wax Museum sells vouchers enabling anyone to get a simulated star on the Hollywood walk of fame, and take home a photograph to prove it.
At the Guinness Book of Records museum, across the street from the Hollywood Wax Museum, the Jewish community can shep nachas that Steven Spielberg is heralded as the most successful director of movies, with a wax figure of the space alien E.T. riding in a bicycle basket featured alongside one of the director. And the musical that had amassed the greatest number of Tony’s was “The Producers,” which was also made unforgettable on film by Mel Brooks.
Walking on Hollywood Boulevard, staring down at the names on the stars on the sidewalk, I was pleased to note one for Victor Mature of “Samson and Delilah” fame , whom my 93-year-old father-in-law Sam Zeiden remembers from his Louisville days prior to Mature’s rise to stardom. My grandson Shor, who the day before had attended a press conference at Comic-Con featuring William Shatner, Avery Brooks and Scott Bakula, was quick to spot the star of Shatner, who, like his co-star Leonard Nimoy in the original Star Trek series, is a Jewish community member.
At Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, Nancy and I were pleased to spot the handprints of such beloved Jewish comedians as Jack Benny, George Burns and Danny Kaye, as well as that of actor Kirk Douglas.
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted at donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com File: US Canada West 02