The Chaotic Origin Story of the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Hollywood Walk of Fame

For decades, people thought Joanne Woodward was first. She got the best photos with her star, so newspapers ran with that story.

The truth was messier: eight temp stars, legal fights, and false starts.

Here’s what really happened during Hollywood’s chaotic first attempt at sidewalk fame and where to find it.

The First Stars of the Walk

On August 15, 1958, workers placed eight temporary stars at Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue. The Chamber of Commerce picked these eight names from their approved list of 1,558 honorees.

The first group included Olive Borden, Ronald Colman, Louise Fazenda, Preston Foster, Burt Lancaster, Edward Sedgwick, Ernest Torrence, and Joanne Woodward. The sample stars showed what the Walk would look like once built.

Each star featured brass letters on black and coral stone.

Joanne Woodward’s Rise to Stardom

Joanne Woodward worked her way up from Broadway understudy to Oscar winner by 1957. She won her Academy Award for playing a woman with multiple personalities in “The Three Faces of Eve.”

After this big win, Fox Studios pushed Woodward to star status. Her career rose alongside her personal life when she married actor Paul Newman in January 1958. They fell in love while filming “The Long, Hot Summer.”

By early 1960, movie studios saw Woodward as one of Hollywood’s best actresses.

Stars Under Shops

Workers started building the permanent Walk of Fame on February 8, 1960 after several delays from lawsuits and zoning issues. City leaders and Chamber members gathered near Hollywood Boulevard and Gower Street for this event.

Crews began preparing sidewalks for what would grow into miles of star-covered walkways. The construction plan covered 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street. Workers tried to avoid disrupting local shops and foot traffic.

A Misunderstanding is Born

The Chamber of Commerce held a special event for Joanne Woodward on February 9, 1960. They presented her as the first star recipient on the Walk of Fame during this media gathering.

Photographers took pictures of Woodward with her star. These photos helped create the story that she was the first honoree. News reports rarely mentioned that this was just a ceremony with her prototype star, not a permanent installation.

This event created lasting confusion about Woodward’s place in Walk history.

Word on the Walk

Los Angeles news outlets widely covered Woodward’s February 9 ceremony.

Entertainment reporters called her the first star honored with a Walk of Fame marker. Publications like Variety and Hollywood Reporter ran stories about the event and upcoming construction.

Photos of Woodward with her star appeared in newspapers across the country, spreading word about the Hollywood project.

The First Permanent Star

The first permanent Walk of Fame star was installed on March 28, 1960, near Hollywood Boulevard and Gower Street. It was for producer and director Stanley Kramer, who was chosen for his film contributions and for helping start Marlon Brando’s career.

Workers embedded the star in the sidewalk using the now signature design that uses brass and colored stone.

This true first star installation remains overshadowed by Woodward’s earlier ceremony.

A Thousand Stars is Serious Work

Workers placed all 1,558 initial stars between March 1960 and spring 1961. They worked section by section, adding stars without special ceremonies for each person.

The stars lined both sides of Hollywood Boulevard from Gower to La Brea and parts of Vine Street. It was at this time that Joanne Woodward’s permanent star found its home at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard.

Let the Tours Begin

The Walk of Fame was officially opened on November 23, 1960, during the Hollywood Christmas Parade. E.M. Stuart, who first proposed the Walk, led the committee that planned this event.

City leaders and entertainment executives gathered to mark the project’s progress. This dedication made the Walk of Fame a permanent Los Angeles landmark even though construction was still underway.

The Historical Confusion

Records show Stanley Kramer got the first permanent star while Joanne Woodward was the first celebrity photographed with a star.

The confusion comes from three separate events: the 1958 prototype display, Woodward’s February 9, 1960 ceremony, and the first permanent installation on March 28, 1960.

Writers and tour guides have repeated the story that Woodward received the first star for decades. Even Chamber of Commerce materials sometimes mix up the timeline.

Historians now explain that Woodward had a ceremonial “first star” event, but her actual star came months later.

Their Light Endures

The Walk stopped growing after the initial installation. No new stars appeared between 1961 and December 1968, when Richard D. Zanuck received the next star at a ceremony hosted by Danny Thomas.

The original stars like Woodward’s made the Walk famous during this time. Los Angeles named the Walk of Fame a Historic-Cultural Monument in 1978.

Johnny Grant, Hollywood’s honorary mayor, brought back star ceremonies in 1980. His work turned star unveilings into media events, building on what the Chamber of Commerce started.

Visiting the Hollywood Walk of Fame

The Walk of Fame stretches along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street. The section between Highland Avenue and La Brea Avenue offers the densest concentration of stars.

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