|
 |
| THE
IDEA |
Founder
of the Walk of Fame David Courtney
first had the idea to transplant a
very American institution to the seaside
town of Brighton in 1979. At the time
he was living in Hollywood, riding
high on the success of his song writing
partnership with '70s singing and
television star Leo Sayer. Together
they had penned a string of international
hits including The Show Must Go On,
Long Tall Glasses, Giving It All Away
and One Man Band and their success
had taken them to California to live
and work. Each day they made the short
journey from home to the recording
studio. The route took them past many
of Hollywood's famous landmarks: Grauman's
Chinese Theatre where the elite of
Hollywood were invited to make an
impression of their hands in the ground
and the Roosevelt Hotel, a favourite
haunt of movie stars such as Errol
Flynn and Marilyn Monroe in Hollywood's
heyday. They also passed along Hollywood
Boulevard lined with the bronze plaques
that make up the Hollywood Walk of
Fame. |
Founded in 1958 the
Hollywood Walk of Fame is a permanent
tribute to the stars of the city's
most important industry. Famous names
from the silver screen as well as
outstanding talents behind the camera
- directors, technicians, cameramen,
writers, designers, studio bosses
- have their names embedded in the
side walk. Visitors flock from all
over the world to visit the paving
stone bearing the plaque honouring
their favourite star. One day on this
familiar journey to the recording
studio David had the idea (perhaps
prompted by homesickness) of creating
a Walk of Fame in his hometown of
Brighton, England. Leo Sayer was with
him at the time. "I told him 'you're
mad, David', but he was instantly
convinced that it would work." Neither
could have suspected that it would
be over 20 years before this moment
of inspiration was translated into
Brighton's most exciting and glamorous
attraction.
During the intervening years David
returned to the idea in odd moments
and when he got the chance he researched
Brighton's celebrity community, past
and present. There were obvious candidates
- George IV, founder of Regency Brighton
and its first and greatest celebrity;
Max Miller, in his time the most famous
comedian in England; and Winston Churchill,
Britain's great war-time leader who
went to prep school in Hove. He also
uncovered surprising and unusual connections.
One of the first was Imran Khan who,
aside from captaining Pakistan to
victory in the 1992 world cup, played
some of his best county cricket in
Hove for the Sussex county side. It
soon became clear that a Brighton
Walk of Fame could not exactly replicate
the Hollywood original. It would have
to develop its own identity and celebrate
people from across the creative and
cultural spectrum.
|
|
Limiting
the Brighton Walk of Fame to
movie people or even to the
entertainment industry would
exclude some of Brighton's most
significant figures: inventors
like Magnus Volk who created
the world's first public electric
railway, authors such as Graham
Greene who wrote the most famous
Brighton book, Brighton Rock,
and politicians like Herbert
Carden who had literally drawn
the boundaries of the modern
city. A stunning array of sports
personalities and teams came
to light, many world-class in
their field, and an impressive
range of entrepreneurs and inventors
who had made a significant contribution
to Brighton's economic reputation
and success were identified.
So the city itself, Brighton's
history and its present-day
roll call of famous and significant
celebrities, forced the first
change to the Hollywood format.
The Brighton Walk of Fame needed
up to eight categories of celebrity
and they were as diverse as
the city they represented.
For more information on David
Courtney visit www.davidcourtney.co.uk |
|
|
|
|
