Editor’s Note: Hugh Hefner died Sept. 27, 2017 at the age of 91. In honor of his legacy, read this 2010 piece on his campaign to save the Hollywood sign.
Hugh Hefner just pulled a rabbit out of his hat to save Hollywood – the iconic sign, that is.
The Playboy founder has donated the final $900,000 needed to preserve 138 acres behind the film capital’s most famous visual symbol on Mount Lee, just as time was running out.
“It would have been a real shame after having restored it if it wound up sold,” Hefner, 84, told PEOPLE on Monday at the Hollywood premiere of Iron Man 2, with the legendary 45-foot white letters looming in the background. “It’s become something iconic and represents not only the town but represents Hollywood dreams, and I think that’s something worth preserving.”
Developers have been eyeing the hillside, once owned by Howard Hughes, for luxury mansions, but a nonprofit land-conservation group was given the chance to buy the land for $12.5 million. As an April 30 deadline neared, the group was nearly $1 million short.
“I was aware of the fact that they were raising the money, but I only learned about a week ago that they were running out of time,” said Hefner. “They only had about a week and a half left to go.”
The sign was built in 1923 as part of a real-estate promotion, originally spelling out “Hollywoodland” (the “land” was removed in 1949). In 1978, after years of neglect, Hefner was one of a number of patrons who donated funds to restore it.
Meanwhile, Hefner continues to develop his own Hollywood fantasy: a feature film chronicling his life, with Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. potentially in the lead role.
“It would be my hope and dream,” said Hefner. “Right after Iron Man first came out, he called me the following week and said, ‘When are we going to start the Playboy film?’ So, we have to get a good screenplay.”
Sumit316 on September 28th, 2017 at 13:53 UTC »
He actually saved it twice
"Erected in 1923, the Hollywood sign (which originally spelled out “Hollywoodland”) was long a symbol of glamorous Tinseltown dreams. But by 1978, it had started to deteriorate after years of neglect. By that time, Hugh Hefner was already a famous L.A. resident and a household name. The Chamber of Commerce needed a quarter of a million dollars to revitalize the sign—and got just that after Hefner became involved in restoration efforts.
As The Hollywood Reporter writes, he threw a lavish fund-raiser, auctioning off letters from the old sign for $27,000 each. Buyers included rock stars like Alice Cooper and actors like Gene Autry, who ended up giving enough to restore the Mount Lee plot with new letters. The Hollywood Hills were empty for about three months after that until the chamber was able to replace it with a new sign."
"Back in 2010, a conservationist group—the Trust for Public Land—was rallying to protect the 138 acres around the sign from developers, who wanted to build luxury properties on Mount Lee. The trust was given an ultimatum of sorts: pay $12.5 million now, and the acres are yours. As the deadline approached, it was able to raise nearly all the cash, but ended up short about $1 million. And it only had about a week and a half left to raise the rest.
Cue Hefner, who was alerted in the nick of time and donated the final $900,000."
TooShiftyForYou on September 28th, 2017 at 13:25 UTC »
In 1978, Hefner helped organize fund-raising efforts that led to the restoration of the Hollywood Sign. He hosted a gala fundraiser at the Playboy Mansion and personally contributed $27,000 (or 1/9 of the total restoration costs) by purchasing the letter Y in a ceremonial auction.
bolanrox on September 28th, 2017 at 13:24 UTC »
Alice Cooper also paid to have one of the O's fixed in memory of Groucho Marx.