Sunset Strip

Interesting documentary (and an overdue one) chronicling the history of the infamous Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, extending from West Hollywood's eastern border with Hollywood to its western border with Beverly Hills. Lots of celebrities pop up to tell their own personal histories of life on the Strip, but the textbook facts are more interesting. Beginning with silent star Alla Nazimova's hotel, the decadent, sex-saturated Garden of Allah, the Strip quickly became the haven for Hollywood's elite (and their imitators) who wanted to party their nights away. Smelling easy money and opportunity, gangsters and gamblers invaded in the 1940s, but the rise in popularity of night-life in Las Vegas seemed to zap the spirit of the Strip. With the Big Band sound on the way out, teenagers ruled the territory throughout the 1960s, with rock and roll evolving into protest music, which then brought in the riot police. The film is a nice mix of stills, recent interviews, vintage home-movie footage and movie clips--but nothing here really sticks in the memory (with the possible exception of Peter Fonda's recollection of being arrested and calling for help from passing actor Bob Denver of TV's "Gilligan's Island"!). The 2006 closing of Tower Records music store (a Strip-staple) could well be the death knell for a generation of partyers, yet time inevitably brings a wave of new faces and personalities to the scene...and the Strip lives on. ** from ****

The Sunset Strip started out as a strip of land that connected Beverly Hills to the studios of Hollywood, but feel out of the jurisdiction of both. That pretty much sums up the history of this iconic strip of land. Whether it was the speakeasies of the 20s or the counter culture of 60s the sunset strip as always had an intriguing outlaw vibe that has attracted people from all over the world. "Sunset Strip" tells the story of the strip through interviews with the people who lived it. Anecdotes are shared and the viewer learns that the sunset strip has mirrored and also influenced society. As a music fan I found myself engrossed from start to finish. Maybe someday I'll buy a ticket and head to the strip, but until then this doc will keep my daydreams alive!

Watching this documentary in 2022, post pandemic hysteria, post hyperinflation, post RvW, post EA & J6, post George Floyd & BLM, post Elliott Page, post Weinstein, post Matrix, post JDvAH, post *everything*...is a trip.

2012, the year this documentary was filmed, feels like a hundred years ago. The heydays of the previous century feel virtually ancient.

But man, what an era! And it's captured so explicitly. This is a must watch. Oh, the scenes you will see when you take a cruise down the Sunset Strip!

This is a bunch of celebrity interviews spanning decades about the Sunset Strip. Not a timeline continuity and skips around years and decades in minutes. Definitely need to pay attention or you will miss a story or two All about their memories and thoughts. Old videos and pictures based on some of the stories told. Yeah some history but mostly from their eyes and inferences. Literally had to pull up how old this was as the filmmaking felt older than 2012. It is okay, not a typically historic documentary but if you want to hear all the celebrities talk about their experiences, this is a good one for you.

Like many other people past and present I was drawn to Los Angeles attracted by the glitz and glamour of Tinseltown, and like many other people the first thing I did when I arrived was drive down the Sunset Strip. I remember seeing the billboards and feeling the energy of knowing that amazing things were happening, and that I was far removed from my mountain roots. Although I was fascinated by the strip I always wanted to learn more about its history. So you can imagine my excitement when I heard about this documentary. I rushed to my computer, bought the film and screened it that moment on my laptop and let me say I was not disappointed! The history of the strip from its formation to the speakeasies of the 20s up through present day is covered through interviews with the people who lived it. You really see how the sunset strip was shaped by, but also influenced culture and the personalities! A great film and I will make sure to watch it again soon!