Souvenir Map and Guide to Starland Estates and Mansions [Winter 1946]

A Fascinating Trip Through Movieland

Scores of literal stars dot the streets of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood with this postwar celebrity sightseeing map. The private homes of 150 different actors, performers, athletes, and bon vivants are pinpointed for the curious onlooker or enthusiastic fan. While some entries are obscure (including the meatpacker George Hormel), names like Charles Chaplin, Fred Astaire, and Robert Taylor shine during the Golden Age of Cinema.

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 corner. 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 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 Wesley Lake for the winter season of 1946. It’s A Wonderful Life, The Big Sleep, and The Best Years of Our Lives were all released that year. Beginning in the 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.