The Father Of Hollywood

As a mason I felt I should inform you that The Father Of Hollywood was H J Whitley my grandfather. He owned 500 acres at Highland and Hollywood Blvd. He told me that the first movie ever filmed in Hollywood was filmed in his orchard. He built the Hollywood Hotel and the bank on the corner of Highland and Hollywood. He also developed the San Fernando Valley. He is burried in The Hollywood Forever Cemetery and on his grave site it says, "The Father Of Hollywood." It was a name given him while he was alived and appeared in many printed sources such as the Los Angeles Times.

John Whitley
www.TheFatherOfHollywood.com

Masonic Traveler

www.TheFatherOfHollywood.com
Masonic Traveler

The Father Of Hollywood

From the earliest silent films made by pioneering American filmmakers to the multimillion-dollar blockbusters of today, the movie industry of America has always had a home: Hollywood. But how did Hollywood itself get started? Who were the driving forces behind its creation and development – the visionaries and kingmakers who built the infrastructure of a worldwide industry but only received a fraction of the credit that was heaped upon the stars of the silver screen? Movie buffs nowadays have no idea that so much of what we take for granted about Hollywood was largely planned, designed, and built by Hobart Johnstone Whitley, an extraordinary individual who is not nearly as well known as he should be. “HJ” was the primary developer of Hollywood, a central figure in attracting and keeping the talent needed to make such an ambitious project successful and, in turn, transform a formerly sleepy part of California into a hugely profitable and exciting industry. Gaelyn Whitley Keith’s remarkable book, The Father of Hollywood: The True Story, goes a long way toward erasing the misconceptions concerning HJ’s life and career, and paints a truly charming portrait of the man who lived a life that itself is worthy of a fine movie. More info at www.TheFatherOfHollywood.com.
Ellen Tanner Marsh