 |
| Hooray for Hollywood...and Dr Pepper scholar Anna Trundle! |
Our West Coast tour takes us to Hollywood, a name synonymous with the movie industry and home of the world's most famous sign. The district just north of downtown Los Angeles has been home to major movie studios since 1910 . . . and the Hollywood name itself wields significant cultural influence in America and around the world.
A major tourist destination, Tinseltown beckons more than 10 million visitors a year. Many come to see the Hollywood Walk of Fame and its 2500 plus "stars" along its 1.3 mile route. Along the Walk of Fame stands the TLC Chinese Theatre (formerly the famed Mann's Chinese Theatre) and the nearly 200 concrete-encased handprints, footprints, and autographs of film stars. In real life, the stars still gather together in Hollywood as well. The 86th Academy Awards will originate from Hollywood's Dolby Theatre on March 2, 2014.
____________________
Dr Pepper has enjoyed high profile cameo appearances in several major motion pictures - by product placement and happenstance.
In 2002, the blockbuster movie Spiderman featured Peter Parker reaching for a can of Dr Pepper in a most unusual way. Let's take a look . . .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-gPfJLLl8g
And then there is that memorable scene in the 1977 action comedy Smokey and the Bandit when Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason) orders a Diablo Sandwich and a Dr Pepper. * The following contains coarse language - Viewer Discretion Is Advised *
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9R_yICBdLK8
That famous order spawned various Southwestern style sandwich recipes (all accompanied by a Dr Pepper of course), an East Coast party band named Diablo Sandwich, and even a ringtone featuring the famous quote. Ah, the influence of Hollywood and Dr Pepper!