On this day in 1960, the first permanent star was laid in the Hollywood Walk of Fame! The first star honored film producer and director Stanley Kramer. Actress Joanne Woodward is often cited as the first to get a star, but hers was actually one of 8 prototypes initially placed in August 1958, before construction began to drum up excitement for the project. Today there are 2800 stars embedded in the sidewalk along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street. Every year, an average of 200 nominations are submitted to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Walk of Fame selection committee. Anyone can nominate someone active in the field of entertainment as long as the nominee or their management approves. There is a fee of $75,000 to get your star on the Walk of Fame, which covers the cost of creating and installing the star, as well as general maintenance of the Walk of Fame. Since 1968, all living honorees are required to personally attend their star’s unveiling. The only recipient who failed to appear after agreeing to do so was Barbra Streisand in 1976. There are currently 6 categories on the Walk of Fame – movies, television, recording or music, radio, theater/live performance (added in 1984), and sports entertainment (added in 2023).
There are 16 stars who are identified with a one-word stage name (like Liberace, Pink, Roseanne, and Slash). Clayton Moore is so linked with his Lone Ranger character that he’s one of only 2 actors to have his character’s name alongside his own on his star. The largest group of individuals represented by a single star are the Munchkins from The Wizard of Oz. There are also 4 dogs on the Walk of Fame: Lassie, Rin Tin Tin, Strongheart, and Snoopy. Gene Autry is the only honoree to have a star in 5 categories (film, television, music, radio, and live performance).