Movies made Hollywood famous. When the raucous film industry arrived, Hollywood was filled with quaint bungalow homes, millionaires’ estates, and churches dedicated to teetotalism. Movies shattered Hollywood's tranquility, but brought wealth, fame and glamorous movie stars.

In frenzy of real estate development, Hollywood transformed itself into a style-center of the world and the perfect home for the big broadcast when radio arrived. Hollywood’s radio days were a 24-hour hum of show business.

The Story of Hollywood goes beyond the star-studded surface to the district’s days of union busting, gangsters, and scandal, foreshadowing Hollywood’s seedy decline. The book concludes with Hollywood's redevelopment that continues today.