HAUNTED HOLLYWOOD
 

An Original Series by Troy Taylor

Los Angeles... the fabled City of Angels. Home to the rich and famous, palm trees, sandy beaches, orange groves, Disneyland and most of all, to that wonderful place of the American Dream known as Hollywood. Like many of you, I have always been fascinated by the glamour, the glitter and the decadence of old Hollywood. I have walked the Hollywood streets, searching for the names of favorite celebrities along the Walk of Fame. I have stared in awe at the elaborate facades of the Chinese Theater and have pressed my own palms into the solidified handprints of film greats like Humphrey Bogart. I have always been intrigued by the tales of the movie stars and the secret inner workings of the great film studios. But like the city of Hollywood itself, the legends of the place have a dark side. About the time that I got interested in ghosts and hauntings, I also got interested in the less glamorous side of Hollywood. I learned that the bright photographs of the sunny streets hid whispers of crime and corruption and that the elaborate homes and architecture hid tales of spirits who did not rest in peace. There are many unsolved mysteries connected to Hollywood... not the least of which are its ghosts. And not surprisingly, this has never curbed the interest in the place and in fact, has probably enhanced it.

Follow these links to Discover the Ghosts, Legends and Haunted History of Hollywood! Haunted Hollywood! The History of Tinseltown, First Scandals & the Fall of Fatty Arbuckle Haunted Hollywood Sign Haunts of the Sheik Remnants of Valentino Haunted Hollywood Movie Studios The House in Laurel Canyon Houdini's Hollywood Haunt Hollywood's Haunted Hotels Hot Toddy! Hauntings of Thelma Todd Ghosts of Harlow's House The Ghost of Superman The Mysterious Death of George Reeves Hollywood's Favorite Gangster Ghost of Bugsy Siegel Hollywood's Haunted Movie Theaters

The lure of Tinseltown has been a part of America since the first silent film makers came west to the small town of Los Angeles at the turn of the century. What began as a scheme for movie maker Mack Sennett to make some extra money with a low-cost housing area called “Hollywoodland” became a movie colony for artists, writers and actors who came west to make it big.

Today, Hollywood remains not so much a place as a state of mind. In fact, it has not even been incorporated as a city since 1910, when in joined Los Angeles to share its water supply. However, it still retains that strange allure for those of us who have an interest in history and hauntings and for those who have lived their lives against the backdrop of the mythical silver screen.

Of course to understand how Hollywood earned such a starring role in the hearts and minds of America, we have to first look at the history of the city and of the city of Los Angeles... the place which actually invented the Hollywood we all know.

The history of the region is a dark journey through tales of crime, corruption, death, murder and of course, Hollywood-style scandal. Nearly every tale of ghosts and hauntings in Hollywood involves some sort of terrible crime or an unsolved murder. Why is this? Well, we don’t really know for sure, but perhaps there is something about the region itself which attracts both the brightest lights and the darkest shadows to its streets.

In the section on the history of the region, we will introduce you to the bloody history of the area, along with some of the most terrifying crimes ever committed in our country.

Some of this will not be for the faint of heart.....

After that, we will journey through the origins of Hollywood itself and we’ll introduce you to some of the most engaging ghosts of the early days of the movie colony.

Our series will continue on with each article taking a look at a legendary Tinseltown haunting... from spirit-infested studios to homes where the stars of yesterday still linger behind.

Welcome to the dark side of Hollywood.

Follow the links above to begin your journey!

© Copyright 2001 by Troy Taylor. All Rights Reserved.