The Hollywood Sign

We've all seen it.  Those big white block letters, planted in the the hillside overlooking Hollywood and the rest of Tinsel Town. When it was first put up, it used to read" Hollywood Land'. The "Land" part of the sign was removed in 1949. It used to light up as well, but that also changed over time.  What hasn't changed is what the landmark symbolizes: Fame, Fortune and Bloody, Ambition!

I look up at  Mount Lee, at that monolith, with lust in my eyes. Hollywood was a woman I had to have, and ended up conquering. But the conquest came at a price-- one I paid for in blood and soul! The blood was replenished but my soul never returned. This woman, sometimes  gentle lover, but most times, a harpie, took my vitality and squashed it like a grape for fine wine. Then left it in the desert to bleach in the scorching sun. Oh Hollywood you unforgiving she devil! I fed you and clothed you, and you returned the favor by sucking the marrow out of my creative bones and leaving the filament to scatter in the hot Santa Ana wind! As I shield my eyes from the glare glinting off those nine letters, I am reminded of my pal and mentor Murray Lipschlitz.


Murray was a viral man. His frame topped out 6'1 and 210 pounds. Very burly, with a pronounced nose. He was bald on top, but had sterling silver wings emanating from the sides of his head, just above his ears. He was poetry on the dance floor. All the women loved him: his Rasputin eyes, his manly, hairy chest, and those ropey gold chains. Even though he dressed like a Cuban pimp, he wore the duds well.

Murray was also a writer; in the same vein as Sheldon and Robbins. The difference is, he told his tales of passion and greed in the world of swords, sweaty flesh and sorcery.

I write about Murray because he truly understood the symbolism behind The Hollywood Sign. And he was able to highlight those sentiments when he described the lives of elves, orcs, and faeries-- a rare talent that Lipschlitz!

Murray was a soulful white knight walking hip deep through a city of lost humanity. He had a head full of fantastic stories which only met with minor success. But, he was another literary hero of mine.

Which is why, I gaze so fondly today at The Hollywood Sign and treat her with the respect she deserves-- and in some small way, honor my great friend Murray Lipschlitz.