In 1978, Alice Cooper emerged as an unexpected savior of the Hollywood sign, the iconic landmark that had come to symbolize the glamour of Los Angeles. By then, the sign, originally erected in 1923, was already in a sorry state, with years of wear and tear compounded by a devastating windstorm that February. One of the "O"s was obliterated entirely, while another sagged so badly it resembled a "U."
Cooper, inspired by a desire to honour his recently deceased friend Groucho Marx, spearheaded an effort to rebuild the sign by rallying a star-studded lineup of donors to fund its restoration.
“It was the 75th anniversary of Hollywood, the Hollywood sign was up there falling off the hill,” Cooper recounted to Loudwire. “We went to the Chamber of Commerce and said, ‘How much is each letter?’ Each letter was $27,000 to fix it. Groucho Marx had just died—he was one of my best friends. I said, ‘We wanna buy the ‘O’ for Groucho, the first one. That ‘O’ belongs to Groucho, and we’ll pay you $27,000 to do the ‘O.’ So the ‘O’ is gonna be perfect, even if the other letters are falling off.’”
Cooper’s commitment sparked a larger movement. Just two weeks after his pledge, Playboy magnate Hugh Hefner hosted a benefit party at the Playboy Mansion, where other Hollywood heavyweights joined the cause.
“Hugh Hefner bought the H,” Cooper recalled. “Gene Autry bought a letter. [Steven] Spielberg bought a letter. Because they’re part of Hollywood—that’s where they made their money—and they looked at the sign going, ‘That’s a disgrace.’”
The project grew into a veritable who’s-who of donors, each contributing to a letter and collectively ensuring the sign’s survival. While Cooper’s version of who bought which letter differs slightly from official records, as TheHollywoodSign.org notes, his account is hard to dispute—after all, the man’s theatrical presence extends far beyond the stage.
By November 1978, the newly rebuilt Hollywood sign was unveiled, designed to stand the test of time. A project spokesperson described the immense effort in an NBCLA report: “What we had to do was build nine four-story high buildings on the side of a mountain. This thing is a football field and a half long—it’s undoubtedly the world’s largest sign. We built it to last literally forever. As long as Mount Lee is gonna be here, the sign is gonna be here.”
Thanks to Alice Cooper and his cadre of donors, the Hollywood sign was saved—not just as a marker of a city but as a symbol of the creativity and perseverance that define it.
