Hollywood Sign Not So Accessible ... To Hollywood Film Crews

In one of those only-in-L.A. factoids, we're amused to report that one of the places the Motion Picture and Theatrical Trade Teamsters say is difficult to access for location shoots is the iconic, industry-marking Hollywood sign.

Yes folks, only in L.A. could Hollywood have a hard time filming "Hollywood." Other sore spots: the AT&T Building downtown, County-USC Medical Center, Farmers and Merchants Bank downtown, the Griffith Park Observatory, the Japanese Heritage Museum in Little Tokyo, Library Park at the Central Library, the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce Headquarters, the Los Angeles Zoo, and the Terminal Annex Post Office.

The list of sore spots was requested by the City Council's Jobs and Business Development Committee, which wanted the Teamsters to identify the locations that present the most red tape or are difficult to film for other reasons. In the case of the Hollywood sign, a narrow, dirt road makes it difficult to get crews there. The Zoo has ongoing construction that gets in the way of production trucks and those quiet-on-the-set moments.

The Teamsters told the committee that "communication issues and history are factors in the determination of difficulty," according to the report. And "perceptions of difficulty by location managers at times relate to experiences that are several years old."

In other words, grudges are held against some spots. Thus, the committee wants to see a quarterly report on difficult film locations. We do too. That's entertainment.