Chip Chick
One of the most iconic American landmarks is the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles, California. The sign turned 100-years-old last year and is a major symbol representing the entertainment industry and Hollywood glamor.
However, it can also be looked at as a representation of how difficult and heartbreaking the industry can be.
One of the more tragic incidents involving the Hollywood sign was when actress Peg Entwistle took her own life by jumping from it in 1932.
Peg Entwistle was born in Wales in the early 1900s and moved to America with her father, who had gotten a job as a stage manager through his friend Charles Frohman, a Broadway producer. They started in New York, but tragedy struck Peg’s family when her dad died in an accident when she was only 14.
After moving in with her uncle, Peg stayed on the East Coast and began starring in many theater performances. Peg starred in several Broadway shows while she was still a teenager and had a stunning stage presence. She joined the New York Theater Guild and seemed satisfied with her theater career until the early 1930s when Hollywood and the film industry started calling her name.
Major changes were occurring in Hollywood at the time. Film industry professionals were dealing with the Great Depression, and the silent film era was coming to an end, changing the dynamics of film-making.
Peg moved into another uncle’s home in California in 1931 and starred in her first big film role in the 1932 thriller “Thirteen Women.” However, before the film premiered, she learned that most of the scenes she filmed had been cut during the final edit. Additionally, any critics who did get to see the film before it was re-edited tore it apart.
Unfortunately, due to the bad press surrounding “Thirteen Women” and the film industry’s extremely competitive and cutthroat nature, Peg fell into a deep depression. It got so bad that she saw no hope or light at the end of the tunnel, and she believed she was a failure. She had lost her film contract and ran out of money, making things worse.
On the evening of September 16th, 1932, Peg left her uncle’s house after telling him she’d be meeting up with friends. However, she hiked up the canyon to the Hollywood sign. She left her purse and coat at the base of the sign before climbing up the tall ‘H.’ She was only 24.
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