43. Hollywood

    To many people, the word Hollywood has two meanings. Hollywood is an area in Los Angeles. Hollywood is also the American movie industry.

    Hollywood was just farmland at the beginning of this century. Early American movies were made in other places; for example, in New York and Chicago.

    In 1917 a director was making a movie in Chicago. Because of cold weather, he couldn't finish the movie. He took a trip to southern California, and there he found just the weather and scenery he needed to finish his movie. The director realized that southern California was the perfect place for making movies. The next year his company built a movie studio in Hollywood. Other companies followed. Before long nearly all important American movie studios were in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

    The next thirty years were Hollywood's greatest years. Thousands of movies were made, most by a few large and powerful studios. Directors, actors, and writers worked for these studios. They made some movies that today are considered great art.

    Hollywood, the area in Los Angeles, also reached its high point in these years. Many famous and glamorous movie stars, like Bette Davis and Clark Gable, lived in Hollywood.

    Today, Hollywood is not what it was. More movies are made outside of Hollywood. Many studios have moved. The movie stars have also moved to areas like Beverly Hills and Malibu.

    But visitors to Hollywood today can go to the famous Chinese Theater and see the footprints and autographs of movie stars. They can go down the Walle of Fame, on Hollywood Boulevard, and see the golden stars in the sidewalk.

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