Griffith Park

Images of America: California

by E.J. Stephens, Marc Wanamaker

Carved from the former Spanish land grant known as Rancho Los Feliz, Griffith Park, a rugged, 4,300-acre wilderness located in the heart of Los Angeles, has been the principal playground for Angelenos for over a century. Since 1896, when the land was donated to the city by controversial philanthropist Col. Griffith J. Griffith, generations of weekenders have picnicked, camped, golfed, ridden horses, hiked, bicycled, and played ball in the park. To this day, visitors still climb aboard its mini-train and merry-go-round and explore its zoo, museums, amphitheater, and world-famous observatory. The park, which lies in the shadow of the Hollywood sign, has been a frequent filming site for legendary movies like Back to the Future, Birth of a Nation, and Rebel Without a Cause.

128 pages, Paperback

First published November 12, 2011

Reviews

[☮ morgan ☮ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly the pictures in this is worth the read in itself. Although some of the photos of the films featured at the end felt more like screenshots. Some of the information in this is very outdated, like how Loretta Young was discussed, but it was published in 2011 before a lot of that information was known. Some of the captions on the pictures could feel very repetitive, with James Dean's death being discussed on basically ever photo of him, which there were many.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting tidbits about Griffith Park through the ages.