The Fox Film Corporation really wanted Angelenos to know they were driving past their movie studios with this huge neon sign that stood on the southwest corner of Pico Blvd and Fox Hills Drive in Century City. The sign and that lovely ornamental tower (is that what you’d call?) heralded the original entrances to the studio. Fox Studios are still there, although vastly different from how they were when this photo was taken, but unfortunately the sign nor the tower are a distant memory. But I bet that sign was a sight to see when lit up at night.
Here’s an earlier photo of an earlier sign. (My thanks to Martin Pal for sending this one to me.)
I’m not 100% sure I’ve got the right corner here, but I *think* this is what it looks like nowadays. The image is from January 2021.
Martin – thanks for the amazing picture. I’ve never seen this sign before. Is it possible it was floodlit, if lit at night at all? I can’t make out any tubes mounted to the surface or grommets for the electrical to pass through. Regardless it’s a gorgeous sign. I wonder if the “ornamental tower” housed mechanical equipment, acted as a security station/office, or simply thereto be pretty.
According to the definitive book on 20th Century-Fox, the sign was neon. But neon or floodlit, it must have been striking at night!
I remember the first time I drove past the Fox studios being disappointed that the front gate didn’t look like the logo we see at the start of Fox-produced movies. That perhaps would be even more impressive than this lovely entrance.
Martin – I think there may be confusion and it’s possible it’s on my end. However, I don’t believe the fence/gate sign was lit in your picture and I think the photo above supports that. From my very brief research the neon 20th Century Fox sign was atop a building on the property. See this tweet for what appears to be confirmation along with a photo showing a
the neon Fox sign.
https://twitter.com/MichaelTroyan1/status/1245385973103357953?s=20&t=WZyuXws13f33Smy1d3HTyQ
If the above is incorrect my apologies. I really appreciate all your posts and enjoy occasionally commenting anonymously.
That sign in Michael’s tweet is a completely different sign than the one I posted. And I got the fact that the one I posted was a neon sign from Michael authoritative book on the 20th Century-Fox book,
My thanks, Martin. I understood that they were different and had suspected the neon sign was atop the administrative offices, not at the gate. Apparently the one you displayed already was, or at sometime became, neon lit.
Martin – the second photo you added subsequently definitely shows signs of being neon lit; you can see the dish edges of a classic neon side architecture and the shadows appear to reveal tubes or electrical components charging the neon. I believe that is more likely the sign referenced on the 20th Century Fox almanac.