A fun, exciting visit to Los Angeles is more then a quick look at a sprawling hillside sign or a star-searching walk down Rodeo Drive. There’s a lot of special history behind the scenes of this magical city and plenty of awe-inspiring stories to hear that can’t be found on a self-guided tour or even a bus tour. But the rich, nostalgic history of Hollywood will come alive during a walk along Hollywood Boulevard and that’s exactly what Tony Hoover and his Red Line Tour company does every single day.
Hollywood Behind the Scenes, has been a popular tourist attraction for over a decade. It’s not one of those stuffy bus tours that often zoom past an attraction so quick that there is no time for a photograph or question. Instead, this is a small-group walking tour with the close attention of a trained tour guide.
“This is our signature tour,” Hoover said. “We’ve been running it for 14 years…this is really the only tour that focuses on the history of Hollywood.”
The 75-minute guided tour covers a three block zone where guests are introduced to the background and historic significance of old Hollywood. Using a state-of-the-art headset communication system, each tour member can clearly hear the specially-trained tour guide without the intrusion of exterior noise.
“(The headset) was originally created to do factory inspections to cut out background noise,” Hoover said. “We were able to adapt it for our use, and now the manufacturer sells the product to similar groups around the world.”
Hollywood Behind the Scenes isn’t a normal “facts only” kind of tour. Hoover said it has always been his goal for customers to have a fun, memorable experience while taking a trip into Hollywood’s past that will stick with them long after they return home.
“I wanted our tour to be told as a story,” he said. “People retain information longer that way, so we basically paint a picture for them…that was very important to me from the beginning.”
His guides try to avoid spewing facts in rapid fire too. “The average person doesn’t have the ability to retain large amounts of facts…and it can get boring too…so we avoid that.”
The three block zone covers the original commercial center of Hollywood and begins near the famous Grauman’s Chinese Theater where visitors will learn just why Sid Grauman was so important to Hollywood’s history.
“Sid (Grauman) was one of the three most important people in Hollywood history,” Hoover said. “Another is the Egyptian Theater…there is this enormous amount of history there.”
As important as the tour is, Hoover also wanted to make sure his customers had a very special keepsake to help them remember the special time they spend in Hollywood.
“My goal for Red Line Tours is to make it into a company that has a very strong attention to detail. We give high quality tours and we really want our customers to have a really high quality experience.”
Beginning this month, Red Line Tours will roll out a new annual series of collectible souvenir tickets, which serve as admission to the tour. Hoover envisioned creating a unique, artistic ticket that his customers could keep as another reminder of their visit to Hollywood.
That desire led him to famed Los Angeles artist Andre Miripolsky, who was commissioned to create three remarkable tickets. Miripolsky is best known for his amazing full-court mural painted on the UCLA Pauley Pavilion floor for MTV’s Rock and Jock B-Ball Jam. He also has worked with Elton John, Bette Midler, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and many other artists to create memorable artistic creations.
“I immediately knew he was the artist we needed to work with,” Hoover said.
Miripolsky created three incredible works featuring the Capitol Records building, Grauman’s Chinese Theater and the Hollywood Bowl which have been named “The Icons of Hollywood.” These designs will debut with tour tickets purchased on Jan. 19 and continue throughout the year. Each ticket contains one image, but the entire collector’s set can be purchased.
Sharing Hollywood history isn’t all that keeps Hoover occupied – he also likes to make history happen. Working in association with the Student Youth Travel Association, Hoover helps students who cannot afford to go on school trips due to financial restraints. Whether it is a band trip or some other type of school-related organization, SYTA provides financial assistance to qualifying students who are unable to afford to travel with their school organization.
“This is a really great group,” Hoover said. “They focus on really meeting the needs of student travel.”
And working with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s office, Red Line Tours also proudly sponsors the National Youth Day Out, which works with inner city youth to bring them a greater awareness of the city they live in.
“Some of these kids have never seen the beach and they live just a few miles from it,” he said. “For them, their neighborhood may be all of Los Angeles that they know.”
In conjunction with the mayor’s office and Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, more than 17,000 students from 22 schools have participated since the program was announced in 2010. These day trips introduce young kids to the sights and sounds of a city that they may not know very well, including special trips to the beach.
“I’ve seen some of these kids cry when they saw the beach for the first time…and they live right here in Los Angeles.” he said. “We have the potential to change kid’s lives.”
Hoover said providing memorable experiences are what he is all about.
“It’s just great to be able to work with people in creating and Hollywood…these places are a reason to come here.”
The “Icons of Hollywood” ticket series will debut on Jan. 19 in what will be a very memorable moment for Red Line Tours as well. Joining Hoover for the official ticket introduction will be some of Hollywood’s most memorable stars, including Loni Anderson (WKRP in Cincinnati), Alison Arngrim (Little House on the Prairie), George Chakiris (Westside Story), Romi Dames (Hanna Montana), Ilene Graff (Mr. Belvedre), Tippi Hedren (The Birds), Kate Linder (Young & The Restless), Mary McDonough (The Waltons), Don Most (Happy Days), Erin Murphy (Bewitched), Judy Norton (The Waltons), Hugh O’Brian (Wyatt Earp), Oscar-winner Richard Sherman, comedian Rip Taylor and actress/author Dee Wallace (ET: The Extraterrestrial).
For more information about Red Line Tours and the 2012 souvenir collector tickets, visit http://www.redlinetours.com or call (323) 402-1074.