好莱坞Cahuenga山上那九个英文字母「HOLLYWOOD」

　　 Movies were first made in Hollywood before World War 1. The constant sunshine and mild climate of southern California made it an ideal site for shooting motion pictures. Hollywood’s fame and fortune reached its peak in the 1930s and 1940s, the golden days of the black and white movies. Most of the famous motion pictures corporations（团体，公司）of those days, Columbia and Warner Brothers are still very much in business and great stars like Greta Garbo, Marlen Dietrich, Charlie Chaplin, Gary Cooper, and many other besides, have become immortal（永生的，不朽的）.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
　　好莱坞大道La Brea Ave及Gower St区段，和介于Yucca St及Sunset Blvd之间的Vine St，乃是全球闻名的步道区，也是好莱坞最著名的「星光大道」(Walk of Fame)所在地。

　　In those days Hollywood was like a magnet（磁石）, drawing ambitious（有雄心的，有野心的）young men and women from all over the world. Most of them had only their good looks to recommend them and had no acting experience—or ability—whatsoever（无论哪一点）. Occasionally they got jobs, if they were lucky enough to be noticed. Gary Cooper was one of the few who was noticed. He started as a stunt（特技）rider, and from there rose to be one of the great stars of the early Westerns. Many girls got jobs in cafes or gas stations, and as they served their customers they tossed their heads and swung their hips, hoping to attract the attention of some important person connected with the movies. Most them hoped in vain.

　　As for the stars themselves, they were held on a tight rein（缰绳）by the studio chiefs who could make and break all but stars with really big appeal. The stars were “persuaded” to sign seven-year contracts, during which time the studio built up their images. Under their contracts the stars did not have the right to choose their parts. Their studios decided everything. Stars were often typecast（固定形象）and if he or she appealed to the public as a lover, then he or she always played the part of a lover. A star who was a hit（走红）as a cowboy or a bad guy, got the same kind of role again and again. There was little arguing. “You are the perfect blonde, baby, and that’s how you are going to stay,”they would say. They even tried to interfere（干涉）in their stars’ private lives: “No, sugar! You just can’t marry Mel Billigan. He is too intellectual（智力的，理性的）. He’d destroy your image.”only when they ceased to be stars did some of them discover that they were good actors!

　　Hollywood is no longer the heart of the world’s motion picture industry. Most movies today are filmed on location, that is to say, in the cities, in the countryside, and in any part of the world that the script demands. The Hollywood studios are still standing, but most of them have been leased（出租）to television networks. About 80% of all American TV entertainment（娱乐）comes from Hollywood. Yet Hollywood has not lost all its glamor. Movie stars still live there, or in neighboring Beverley Hills, and so do many of the famous and wealthy people who have made their homes in southern California.


　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　好莱坞

　　好莱坞意味着魅力，是那些崇拜明星的年轻人稍有好运便能实现梦想的地方。好莱坞意味着豪华的住宅，巨大的由棕榈树环绕的游泳池，鸡尾酒吧，以及百万富翁所用的家具。有的大腕明星一夜之间便成了百万富翁。许多人不惜重金购买游艇、劳斯莱斯车和钻石。他们有的人突然间又魅力全无，只落得空虚失意和债台高筑。
　　第一次世界大战之前好莱坞便开始拍摄电影了。加利福尼亚南部一年四季的阳光与温和宜人的气候，使好莱坞成为电影拍摄的理想场所。本世纪30年代和40年代，好莱坞在名和利两方面都达到了登峰造极的状态，这也是黑白电影的黄金时代。当年就已出名的电影公司，如哥伦比亚和华纳兄弟公司现在仍很活跃。而当时的杰出演员，如葛利泰.嘉宝，玛琳.黛德丽，查理.卓别林，贾利.古柏及其他许多演员已永垂青史。
　　当年的好莱坞曾像磁铁一般吸引着来自世界各地的青年男女。他们大部分人毫无演技和表演经验或能力可言，惟一的资本便是漂亮的外表。偶尔有幸运者被人看中而找到工作，贾利.古柏就是其中一位。他最初只是一名替身骑手，日后一跃成为早期西部片的巨星之一。许多女子在咖啡店或加油站找工作，在为顾客服务时，她们不时地摇晃头，或扭动臀部，以期赢得电影界某位要人的注意。她们大部分人的希望都落空了。
　　而那些明星们则被制片商牢牢控制在手心里。这些制片商既可以造就也可以毁灭那些明星，除非他们真的魅力无穷。明星们接受“劝告”而签定长达7年的合同，在此期间，由制片厂塑造他们的银幕形象。在合同的约束下，明星们无权选择自己的角色，一切由制片厂决定。明星们常被固定于某一形象。如果他或她以情人的形象而受到观众的喜爱，那么，他或她则将一直扮演情人的角色。如果某演员是因为扮演牛仔或坏蛋而一举成名，那他就会不断担任同样的角色。这是不容争辩的。“宝贝，你是无可挑剔的金发女郎，你将保持这一形象，”他们会这样说。他们甚至还干涉影星们的私人生活：“不行，美人儿，你不能和梅尔?比利甘结婚。他太有思想，会毁了你的形象。”直到他们退出影坛之后，他们其中的一些人才发现自己原来是多棒的演员！
　　好莱坞不再是世界影视业的中心。大多数电影都在剧本要求的场所——在城市、乡村或世界的任何地方拍摄。好莱坞的摄影棚仍高高矗立，但许多已出租给电视网络。全美80％的电视剧都来自好莱坞。好莱坞的魅力并未丧失殆尽。电影明星们仍居住在那里，或在相邻的贝弗利山；还有许多名人和富人也在加利福尼亚南部安了家。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　摘自作文英语酷