The Chevy Suburban has become the first inanimate object to receive a brass and terrazzo star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The Hollywood Chamber of commerce, which administers the Walk of Fame, chose the car for its appearance in more than 1,750 movies and its appearance in a film for every year since 1960.
Often featuring an all-black exterior and tinted windows, the Chevy Suburban has been featured prominently in films as the decoy car. Some of the models’ standout film and TV credits include the 2004 action film John Wick, the 2006 horror movie The Hills Have Eyes, and throughout The Sopranos and The Walking Dead’s television runs.
“The Award of Excellence Star is a special recognition that the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce presents to celebrate corporations like Chevrolet,” Rana Ghadban, president and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, told the Guardian. “Companies that have had a major impact on our economy – whether that’s through job creation or their contributions to the community.”
Ghadban declined to comment when asked if Chevrolet had ever donated to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. “I don’t think that’s relevant to your article,” she said.
When asked why the chamber selected Chevrolet, over other car brands and models with a noted presence in movies (for example: the Ford Mustang, which Ford claims has appeared in more than 4,500 films), Ghadban responded: “Other companies may apply and be selected. This is the company we have chosen and selected this year, and we are very honored to have selected Chevrolet.
The Chevy Suburban: a star in the making. Photograph: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Past recipients of the award of excellence star include Disneyland, the LA Times and the LA Dodgers baseball team.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame continues to be a big tourist draw. Featuring more than 2,600 stars and sprawling 1.3 miles, it pays tribute to the biggest names in pop culture.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce first envisioned the Walk of Fame in 1953, going on to select recipients and construct the project over the following six years. The attraction draws more than 10 million visitors annually and was designated a historical-cultural monument by the state of California in 1978.
In recent years, the Walk of Fame has been a site of protests over stars dedicated to controversial public figures, including Donald Trump and Bill Cosby. The Chamber of Commerce has not announced plans to remove Cosby or Trump’s stars, despite continued vandalism and theft attempts.
SOURCE: The Guardian