MARY C BROWN AND THE HOLLYWOOD SIGN

Year Published: 1970s

Format: 16mm

Description: This untitled music video-esque film from the mid-1970s is a film interpretation of American lyricist, singer-songwriter and poet.Dory Previn’s song "Mary C. and The Hollywood Sign". It was made by Robert Fentress, who later became a film producer. At the time of the production, Fentress was a student at the Southern California Film Institute. The four-minute color film includes footage of scenes and sites around the famous Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, California including of course the world-famous Hollywood Sign. At the time it was shot, the sign had not been restored -- and you can see that it is in very poor condition. The sign was originally created in 1923 as a temporary advertisement for a local real estate development, but due to increasing recognition (and thanks to celebrity support including by Hugh Hefner) the sign was left up and replaced in 1978 with a more durable all-steel structure. Among the most well-known landmarks in both California and the United States, the sign makes frequent appearances in popular culture, particularly in establishing shots for films and television programs set in or around Hollywood. As stated previously, the film acted as a film interpretation of Dory Previn’s song "Mary C. Brown and the Hollywood Sign" from her fourth solo LP released in November 1972, which was a thematic album about Hollywood misfits. The songs were part of a musical revue that debuted in Los Angeles, with hopes that it would open on Broadway. Unfortunately, the show didn't make it. At 1:01, the film shows the wall of the 20th Century Fox studio, and at 1:05 a sign advertising a burlesque type show. At 2:21, close shots of the Hollywood Sign reveal it to be covered in graffiti and in disrepair.