Community Corner
Hollywood Portrait: The Tour Guide
The former Howard Stern regular answers the question: "Whatever happened to Melrose Larry Green?"
Name: Melrose Larry Green
Age: 60
Original Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
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What brought you to Hollywood? Just to get away from the cold. I like it here. Been here 31 years.
For years you were at Melrose and Highland in traffic with your signs, and on the Howard Stern show. What happened? I did that for a few years. I think it peaked. I think Howard [Stern] peaked. I had to move on.
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Some people thought you were crazy; others said you were independently wealthy— I know. I had a little money from my parents. A few dollars. I was never rich.
You’re working as a tour guide now? Yeah, working for this company [Hollywood Sightseeing Tours] as a tour guide, and I also help give out brochures and other stuff. I love it, because I love the history of Hollywood and I like the people. They let me be Melrose. We have all kinds of people. I’m Jewish, the company is owned by a Muslim, there’s a gay man, and we all get along. The people are very real.
I love the history of the old days here. Like this place right here [points to the Scientology Building at 6724 Hollywood Blvd. formerly the Christie Hotel] is where the Three Stooges got their start. Their manager Ted Healey put them up here.
At 6531 Hollywood Blvd. [now The Hillview Apartments] is where Marilyn [Monroe] used to get her hair done.
at 6780 Hollywood Blvd. was the Bank of Italy. People in L.A. don’t have any idea of the history they drive by every day. I’m sure you know, the RKO Globe at Melrose & Gower? That was RKO, now part of Paramount.
NBC Radio had a beautiful building at Sunset and Vine. Now it’s the Chase Bank – but it’s has the beautiful murals painted by Millard Sheets.
The Walk of Fame, you know, it’s not just names on a sidewalk. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has a great website. It's great, because every single star has a story; there’s a reason why each one is chosen, and you can read all those stories.
All of it, to me, it’s like seeing a cathedral in France. This is history. And the history is not gone. It repeats itself.
