Hollywood: There's no business like show business :-)
Read the text. Then answer the questions in your personal word document!
If you go to Hollywood and plan to take pictures of film stars, or if you hope to see a
beautiful city with palm trees and lovely shops, you will be disappointed, because
Hollywood isn`t so much a place, it`s a dream. It`s a magic word that means a world of
fantasy, a world of entertainment, and a world of big business. Of course you`ll find
Hollywood on a map. But it isn`t really an official town. Since 1910 it has been part of
the city of Los Angeles.
In the 1870`s farmers and small businessmen and their families went there from colder
parts of America. They liked the warm weather and they planted orange trees there.
They lived simple lives and many of them were against smoking and drinking- These
hard-working people were not very happy when the film industry found that Hollywood
was an ideal place to make films.
In the early days of movies, most of the scenes were filmed outside, because they didn`t
have lights strong enough for inside. The California sun was just right to use for light.
and with mountains, deserts, the ocean, flat land, and grassy hills all near the city of
Los Angeles the film-makers could have any background scene they wanted without
travelling too far.
Today the centre of Hollywood is not very beautiful. Most of the old trees are gone,
the traffic is bad, the shops are old and not very attractive. If you want to see where
the stars live, you can go on a bus tour through Beverly Hills. Or if you have a car,
you can buy a map and look for the houses yourself. There are people who stand on
the street corners and sell address lists which show the tourists the way to the houses of famous
stars. But the superstars usually aren’t at home. And there are big bushes
and high fences around most houses. So don’t plan to see very much.
- Why is Hollywood a magic word?
- Why did farmers and small businessmen move to California?
- Why was California the right place to make films?
- Describe the centre of Hollywood today
- How can you find out where the superstars live?
- Could you imagine living in California? Why / Why not?
- What are your favourite film stars or films?