Hollywood’s ‘Eiffel Tower’ rescued by Hugh Hefner

The world-famous Hollywood sign has been saved, thanks to a last-minute donation by the Playboy magnate Hugh Hefner. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who spearheaded the campaign, said Hefner's $900,000 pledge was "the Hollywood ending we hoped for".
 
Two years ago, the land above which the 450-ft long sign stands in the Hollywood Hills was put up for sale. There were fears that the Chicago-based developers would build luxury mansions in front of the sign, obscuring it from view.
 
To prevent this happening, some of Hollywood's biggest stars as well as donors from around the world banded together to help raise the $12.5 million needed to buy the land in front of the sign.

But despite significant donations from celebrities such as Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Aileen Getty and Schwarzenegger himself, the 'Trust for Public Land' (TPL) fundraising group still needed $1.4 million by Friday to save the sign from demolition. Hefner's donation and a $500,000 matching grant were just enough to meet the deadline.
 
It is not the first time that Hefner has stepped in to save the 87-year-old landmark, which he calls 'Hollywood's Eiffel Tower'.  In 1978 Hefner was one of nine donors, along with singer Andy Williams and rocker Alice Cooper, who each gave $27,777 to restore the sign. Yesterday he said: "My childhood dreams and fantasies came from the movies, and the images created in Hollywood had a major influence on my life and Playboy... I'm pleased to help preserve such an important cultural landmark."
 
Announcing the completion of TPL’s campaign yesterday, Schwarzenegger quipped that he had simply done "what the Terminator was supposed to do, and that was to jump into action".
 
The Hollywood sign was a "symbol of dreams and opportunity", he added. "[It] will welcome dreamers, artists and Austrian bodybuilders for generations to come." ·