Souvenir Map and Guide to Starland Estates and Mansions

A Fascinating Trip Through Movieland (during the late 1970s).

Scores of literal stars dot the streets of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood with this souvenir celebrity sightseeing map. The private homes of over 125 different actors, performers, athletes, and bon vivants are pinpointed for the curious onlooker or enthusiastic fan. While some entries are obscure to a modern audience, names like Charlie Chaplin, Ella Fitzgerald, and Frank Sinatra have maintained their star power for decades.

Dozens more addresses are provided for the surrounding fashionable neighborhoods like Bel Air, Westwood, Holmby Hills, and Brentwood. Lists of popular nightclubs, studios, and theaters are provided in the upper corners. Accompanying text reads “The majority of noted picture people are located on this map. The guide is enlarged showing Beverly Hills and vicinity to enable you to easily locate your star.” – Though somewhat vague and tempered by a bold disclaimer immediately below, the ‘your star’ seems to give some authorization or power to the audience/user.

The map was published in Los Angeles by Vivian Welton Lake for the Spring of 1977 – Star Wars: A New Hope, Smokey and the Bandit, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind were all released that year. Text on the verso, offering ‘News of Interest’, describes the popularity of Farah Fawcett pin-up posters, Mickey Rooney’s stint in San Quentin, and Michael Avallone’s adaptation of Cannonball.

As noted in the extensive copyright history (lower left), the Starland map began with Wesley Lake in the mid-1930s. Lake sold his souvenir maps on Los Angeles street corners, providing tourists with a guide to the addresses and homes of their favorite stars. These detailed maps were regularly updated and became a hugely successful business that was continued by his family for decades, despite efforts by city officials to stop their sale due to concerns about pedestrian traffic and celebrity privacy.