Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/28575
through astronomy. Griffith J. Griffith gave Griffith Park to Los Angeles in 1896. He left money in his will in 1919 to build the Obser- vatory and the Greek Teatre. Friends Of Te Observatory (FOTO) is a non-profit membership organization estab- lished to support and promote the Observa- tory. FOTO’s Executive Director Camille Lombardo said the Observatory is like the Eiffel Tower or the Taj Mahal. It has that kind of status and appreciation in Los Ange- les. It really speaks to the power of trans- forming people’s perceptions. It’s kind of a sacred space. Te knowledge and informa- tion shaping imaginations at Griffith Obser- vatory are actually shaping future lives and culture.” As for Griffith Observatory’s further ties to Hollywood, it is perhaps best known for its ap- pearance in the movie “Rebel Without a Cause” starring James Dean and Natalie Wood. Tere’s a bronze sculpture of Dean on the front lawn. In the pilot episode of the television show “Ad- ventures of Superman” the Observatory was shown as being on the planet Kryp- ton. In the movie “Te Terminator” in 1984 Arnold Schwarzeneggar materialized from the future and walked across the Observatory’s front lawn. All that is fantasy. But, as Griffith J. Griffith reportedly said after looking through the largest telescope in the world at Mount Wilson Observatory, “Man’s sense of values ought to be revised. If all mankind could look through that telescope it would change the world. DH TOP: A magnificent view of the LA basin at night as seen from the observatory. INSERT:An early photo of an Observatory guide demon- strating the Zeiss refractor telescope to a visitor, 1935. ABOVE: Original construction of the Planetarium and tele- scope domes, in 1934. SPRING 2011 / DISCOVER HOLLYWOOD 19