Joanne Woodward's Hollywood First

Happy 93rd Birthday to the legend Joanne Woodward!

via classicfilmsource

To celebrate this trailblazing legend, I want to focus on a myth that's sprung up about her that I absolutely love, even if the powers that be say it's not entirely true. That myth is that Joanne Woodward was the first person to be honoured with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

On February 9, 1960, Joanne Woodward became the first person to be photographed with their Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

This new landmark was cooked up by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce in the mid-'50s as a way to “maintain the glory of a community whose name means glamour and excitement in the four corners of the world," according to the man with the idea, E.M. Stuart. 

via bowienews

As construction and design work began, separate committees representing the various entertainment branches were convened to determine who exactly should qualify for a Star, and by August 15, 1958, eight were chosen at random out of a pool of over 1,500 names for prototype stars, among them Joanne.

The others included Olive Borden, Ronald Colman, Louise Fazenda, Preston Foster, Burt Lancaster, Edward Sedgwick, and Ernest Torrence. Their stars were made of terrazzo and brass and etched with their names.

To represent each entertainment branch, a plaque was added to each Star to denote which industry the honouree worked in: a classic film camera represented movies; a television set represented TV; a phonograph represented music; and an antique microphone represented radio. A fifth category honouring theatre (with a plaque of the comedy and drama masks) was added in 1984.

Construction and red tape held up the Hollywood Walk of Fame for a few more years, and on February 9, 1960, Joanne's was the first Star officially added to the Walk. Just over a month later, Stanley Kramer became the first new entertainer to be recognized with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 

While the Hollywood Walk of Fame organizers go out of their way to say that Joanne wasn't singled out for any specific reason other than random chance, it's still a neat bit of trivia, and I love that this first is attached to her name. 

Her story is forever attached to that of Paul Newman's, and even though she was just as talented (and won an Oscar 30 years before he did), to me, her legacy deserves more attention than just as Paul Newman's wife. 

Joanne's Star is located at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard. If you're feeling lovey dovey, Paul Newman's Star is located at 7060 Hollywood Boulevard.