CALIFORNIA'S LOS ANGELES

AS A MOVIE CAST

by Lee Foster

With the average American spending several hours a day before the TV set and attending 24 movies per year, according to Warner Brothers' Dick Mason, it's no wonder that a visitor to Los Angeles, the media capital, often asks the question: how can I get close to the magical world of TV and movie production? Moreover, it's not just American travelers who are interested in these media.  The world audience tunes its TV sets to American productions and watches American films.  Even the Japanese, who often surpass the competition in hardware, from autos to VCRs, buy our media and speak our language.  Our export surplus in media is healthy and profitable, so mu ch so that media is a favorite foreign-capital investment. So it is natural, for an American or foreign traveler, landing in Los Angeles , to want a close encounter with the movie-TV world. After personally researching this matter in Los Angeles , here are my 10 suggestions:   *Stroll the historic heart of Hollywood .  Begin at Mann's Chinese Theatre ( 6925 Hollywood Boulevard , 323/464-8111), with the stars' handprints and footprints in the cement.  Across the street is the restored movie palace, the El Capitan Theatre ( 6838 Hollywood Boulevard , 323/467-7674), exquisitely re-created with mu seum-grade care to its 1925 splendor.  Look inside, then walk down the street to the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel ( 7000 Hollywood Boulevard , 323/466-7000), where the Academy Awards were first held in 1928, at a time when actors were held in low regard.  Some boarding-house window signs then read, "No dogs, no actors."  The mezzanine level of the Roosevelt features a time-line display of Hollywood memorabilia.  Back on the street, throughout this area, there are 1900 brass-and-coral stars on the sidewalks, a 1.7-mile Hollywood Walk of Fame.  Marilyn Monroe occupies a space in front of McDonald's restaurant.  Hollywood continues to revitalize itself.  Historic signage now grace s the avenue.  A gem of a theatre, the Egyptian Theatre, at 6712 Hollywood Boulevard , has also been renovated. *Visit Universal Studios ( Universal City , 818/622-3801) and take their tour.  The adventure rides and classic special effects are breathtaking, such as the Jurassic Park water ride or the Backdraft fire movie set.  Universal Studios is movie production lot as theme park.  On the E. T. Ride, for example, you make a si mu lated journey, helping E. T. find his way home amidst the galaxy.  Among other encounters during a narrated tram tour at Universal you'll remember the Earthquake and King Kong special effects, which supplement the earlier Jaws and Parting of the Red Sea experiences. *Take the more intimate Warner Brothers Studios VIP Tour ( Burbank , 818/954-1744) and see the Warner Studio Museum .  Dedicated movie fans will enjoy this behind-the-scenes walk, a technical tour that will appeal to the enthusiast who wants to see movies being made today.  Classic sets, sound studios, and live filming are part of the experience in this huge, 108-acre, media factory, where 33 sound stages can accommodate different TV and movie shootings si mu ltaneously.  Warner Brothers has produced some 7,500 films since 1912.  BATMAN was one of their biggest moneymakers. *Walk past more than 300 world-class boutiques on Rodeo Drive , watching for the stars.  Expect some serendipity as you amble Rodeo Drive .  The day I was there, the Saudi Royal family was shopping, protected by burly bodyguards.  A hill street, Two Rodeo Drive , doubles the boutique store space and creates a European-style street, complete with a Spanish Steps.  Even if you purchase nothing on Rodeo Drive , the sight of the finest in design is a visual education, starting with Giorgio's, where pioneer merchant Fred Hayman began the Rodeo phenomenon.  He offered free champagne and cappuccino to customers perusing his luxury merchandise and sniffing his proprietary fragrance.  You'll see the world traveler shopping here.  Sixty percent of the money spent on Rodeo Drive comes from foreigners. *Dine at restaurants and visit stores where stars may be seen.  Consider, for example, an evening at the West Hollywood restaurant Spago (310/652-4025).  Within a half block is an immense Tower Records, favorite record store of the stars, and a wonderful bookstore, Book Soup.  Who knows whom you might bump into amidst the aisles? *Take a drive-by tour of the stars' homes.  The drives are conducted in discreet vans, so as not to disturb the tranquillity of the stars, who hover anxiously between their fear of the lone crazy in a crowd and their even greater fear of being forgotten.  The modern stars tend to hide in secluded estates behind high walls, but you'll see some visible homes of past stars, such as the house of Lucille Ball.  The drivers provide a lively commentary, pointing out also what you don't see, such as no cemeteries in Beverly Hills , where plastic surgery offers the lure of eternal youth.  One tour provider is LA Tours (323/460-6490). *Attend a TV taping.  This is possible, but can be complicated, because there are numerous networks, many shows, and the rules for getting tickets change constantly.  Better leave the task to an agency that keeps on top of all this.  For ticket info, contact Audiences Unlimited (818-506-0043).  To gather info on your own, for example, CBS Tickets is at 323/575-2458.  The Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau offers a television taping calendar and information on tapings at 213/689-8822. *Take in an evening of mu sic at the Hollywood Bowl.  In the 1920s this natural amphitheater in the hills was transformed into a concert venue.  Between June and September the Hollywood Bowl hosts the acclaimed Los Angeles Philharmonic, plus numerous rock, jazz, and pop concerts.  Patrons bring a picnic dinner and relax in their boxes before the show.  The Hollywood Bowl (323/850-2000) is at 2301 N. Highland Avenue . *Visit the mu seum where the first silent movies were made, the Hollywood Studio Museum ( 2100 N. Highland Avenue , 323/874-2276).  Cecil B. DeMille's original office and the chariot from Ben Hur are examples of the many movie mementos to be enjoyed.  You'll learn how the first film companies came here in 1906, lured by the congenial outdoor climate and "anywhere" Mediterranean look.   TH E SQUAW MAN was the first full-length feature film made entirely in Hollywood .  Some 218 companies were making films here by 1918.  Additionally, visit the Hollywood Entertainment Museum ( 7021 Hollywood Boulevard ), where you can see the original movie set of Cheers and Star Trek. *Lodge at the historic or contemporary heart of Hollywood , from the Hollywood Roosevelt to the Century Plaza .  The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel ( 7000 Hollywood Boulevard , 323/466-7000) places you in the funky heart of a Hollywood struggling to achieve urban renewal.  The Century Plaza ( Century City , 310/277-2000), next to the ABC Entertainment Center , shows you highrise Hollywood .  The Summit Hotel ( 360 N. Rodeo Drive , 310/273-0300) includes advantageous, people-watching Cafe Rodeo, where you can glance over the limousines coming and going.  Anchoring Rodeo Drive , the Regent Beverly Wilshire (310/275-5200) received a surge of interest in the 90s as the filming site of the high-grossing hit, PRETTY WOMAN. After an immersion in the media world of Los Angeles , you'll better understand Humphrey Bogart's famous line in the MALTESE FALCON.  While holding the mounted falcon, he said, wistfully, "This is the stuff that dreams are made of." *** LOS ANGELES AND TH E MOVIE-TV MEDIA WORLD: IF YOU GO The overall information source for the starstruck traveler is the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau, 685 Figueroa Street , Los Angeles , CA 90017 , 213/689-8822, www.lacvb.com. This article was written by Lee Foster of Foster Travel Publishing.  Contact him at his website www.fostertravel.com or via email at lee@fostertravel.com.  Copyright Lee Foster .

Lee Foster's most recent travel guidebooks are Northern California History Weekends (Globe Pequot), which won a Lowell Thomas Award, and Adventure Guide to Northern California (Hunter Publishing).Lee Foster's new literary book is Travels in an American Imagination: The Spiritual Geography of Our Time.

File CAMOVI