Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/83416
LEFT: The El Capitan Theatre (6838 Hollywood Blvd.) features some of the most life-like images, enhanced by detail, color and impossible to ignore. FAR LEFT: First National Bank teams up a human guard with a lion. Your money's safe here! LEFT: This forlorn lady gazes down from the Fortenoy Apartments (1811 Whitley) like some oversized cameo. BELOW & BELOW LEFT:The figures on one of several panels on the fire escapes at Hollywood & Western, 5500 Hollywood Blvd., are a reference to Central Casting, whose first location was in this building. BOTTOM: A God of the Greek or Biblical nature above an entryway. ows from the sun cut across at just the right angle, or when your imagination sees thing that your conscious mind insists isn't there. Which begs one last question: Why are these faces there in the first place? Most of them fall into two camps: Either they say something about the building's original pur- pose (movie theatre, performance center, school, film offices), or they are an inherent part of the building's orna- mental style (Baroque, Gothic, Churriguera). But what of the ran- dom madman on the side of the Baine Building? e bathing beauty on the Julie Lee Apartment Build- RIGHT: Dancing pig plays the flute at the Pig 'n Whistle restaurant. (See DINING) 36 DISCOVER HOLLYWOOD / FALL 2012 ing? Or the weird chimpanzee head on the Bernard Lug- gage building? We'll never know all the answers. But that's okay. After all, it's considered poor form to go to a museum, stare at a work of art, and ask the artist "what were you thinking?" But when it comes to the portraits themselves, sometimes it's more fun to leave things to our own in- terpretation, which is probably what the architects wanted in the first place. With that, get on your walking shoes, gaze up, and squint hard. ey've been watching us for decades. It's about time we return the favor. DH Paul Haddad was born in Hollywood and writes about all things Los Angeles. He is working on a book edition of the Faces of Hollywood. Earlier this year his book about Vin Scully and the Los Angeles Dodgers was published by Santa Monica Press. He can be reached via that book's website: www.dodgerglory.com