CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. The Prehistory of Hollywood
2. Why Hollywood? The Historical Background
3. Riddle of the Sands: Hollywood Egytpology
4. The Industrial Zone: The Industrialisation of Dreams
5. The Entertainment Areas: Bread and Circuses
6. Residential Areas: The Original Beverly Hillbillies
7. Hollywood Hieroglyphics: Cult Centres and Sacred Rituals
8. Stardust: Cities of the Dead
Conclusion
Appendix: Lists of Resting Places
Refrences
Index
About the Author
Paul G. Bahn is a noted British, freelance archaeologist. Bahn has authored or co-authored numerous title including Disgraceful Archaeology (with Bill Tidy, 2nd ed. 2012) and Archaeology: Theories, Methods and Practice (with Colin Renfrew, 6th edition 2012). He is one of many enthusiasts of the Golden Age of Hollywood and is dedicated to its preservation.
Cinema has been powerfully shaped by Hollywood, yet few Americans
realize how much of its physical history in Tinseltown has been
lost. It’s not just the loss of the early films themselves—only ten
to 20 percent have survived—but also that studios, film sets,
celebrity homes, movie palaces, costumes, props, equipment, hotels,
and restaurants have all but disappeared. Bahn’s latest is aptly
subtitled, because, as he reveals, traces are all that are left of
early Hollywood. The author examines those remnants through a pop
culture lens, moving from industrialized areas to the final resting
places of the early industry giants and several areas in between.
It is evident that Bahn enjoyed writing this book, both when
rooting through the vestiges of an almost vanished era as well as
disproving the myth that archaeologists only investigate the
long-distant past. Verdict: This title will circulate well in
public libraries and will be of interest to those fascinated by the
iconography of Hollywood, early film history, and digging through
the past.
*Library Journal*
The Archaeology of Hollywood is a light-hearted investigation of a
magical era. . . . British archaeologist Paul Bahn has assembled. .
. a very readable volume that examines the material remains of the
film culture.
*American Archaeology*
[T]he author . . . takes the reader through the 'cities of the
dead'—the cemeteries—with a narrative that takes the reader well
behind and beyond the engraved words on stone. . . .What makes it a
very good read can best be attributed to the interesting and often
fascinating tidbits of information Bahn relates about the
personalities, dreams, plans, places and acts of the famous town's
inhabitants through those early Golden years—and not just the
celebrities, but the producers and businessmen and dreamers and
visionaries who made Hollywood what it was and is today. . . .And
if you don't have the time or inclination to read something the
length of War and Peace—this publication is a very quick read.
*Popular Archaeology*
In Paul G. Bahn’s slender and well-illustrated book, The
Archaeology of Hollywood: Traces of the Golden Age he looks at
Hollywood and how much of its past is still standing, exists or has
been memorialised. . . .It is an interesting read and does advise
that any tour of Hollywood for tourist should be taken with a pinch
of salt. It will, hopefully incite any reader take an active
interest in the conservation of Hollywood and its archaeology.
*Filmwerk*
Paul G. Bahn takes the reader on a virtual tour of some of the most
important historical spots in Hollywood in this meticulously
researched page-turner. For L.A. experts, Bahn’s thorough and
thoughtful examination of Hollywood history will provide a unique
and intimate insight into this fascinating city. For those who have
never been to Hollywood, this book will make you want to book your
flight.
*Lara Gabrielle Fowler, classic film scholar; blogger, Backlots (A
Classic Film Blog)*
A refreshing account of Tinseltown’s heyday. In this compact
narrative, Bahn describes Hollywood’s magical era from the
perspective of the material splendor of the film colony’s celebrity
mansions, elite hotels, iconic restaurants, unique cemeteries, etc.
He contends that by focusing on the tangibles, we can better
understand this long-gone lavish era, its colorful individuals, and
its majestic, privileged way of life. Enhancing his highly readable
presentation are a wonderful array of period photos and a detailed
appendix of which celebrities are buried where. Recommended
reading.
*James Robert Parish, author, The Hollywood Book of
Extravagance*
Archaeologist and lover of cinema lore Paul Bahn provides an
engaging tour of Hollywood before, during and after its Golden Age.
In this compact and engaging volume, Bahn guides readers through
the remains of long-buried monumental movie sets, studios, theaters
and other architectural treasures still standing or now covered by
parking lots, as well as celebrity gravesites that have been places
of pilgrimage for nearly a century. The fascinating stories,
legends, and gossip heard along the way buttress Bahn’s central and
well-supported argument that the remnants of Hollywood’s past are
worth preserving.
*Jennie R. Ebeling, University of Evansville; author, Women’s Lives
in Biblical Times*
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