Hollywood Walk of Fame - Errors and Mysteries

Errors and Mysteries

In 2010, Julia Louis-Dreyfus's star was constructed with the name "Julia Luis Dreyfus." The actress was reportedly amused, and the error was corrected. A similar mistake was made on Dick Van Dyke's star in 1993 ("Vandyke"), and rectified.

Film and television actor Don Haggerty's star originally displayed the first name "Dan." The mistake was fixed, but years later the television actor Dan Haggerty (of Grizzly Adams fame, no relation to Don) also received a star. The confusion eventually sprouted an urban legend that Dan Haggerty was the only honoree to have a star removed from the Walk of Fame.

For 28 years, the star intended to honor Mauritz Stiller, the Helsinki-born pioneer of Swedish film who brought Greta Garbo to America, read "Maurice Diller", possibly due to mis-transcription of verbal dictation. The star was finally remade with the correct name in 1988.

As of 2010, two stars remain misspelled. Opera diva Lotte Lehmann's first name is spelled "Lottie";, and Cinerama co-inventor and King Kong creator, director, and producer Merian C. Cooper's first name is spelled "Meriam."

Monty Woolley, the veteran film and stage actor best known for The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942) and the classic line, "Time flies when you're having fun", is officially listed in the "Motion Picture" category, but his star on the Walk of Fame bears the television emblem. Woolley appeared on the small screen late in his career, but his TV contributions were eclipsed by his extensive stage, film, and radio work. Similarly, the star for Carmen Miranda bears the TV emblem although her official category is "Motion Pictures"; she acted in 18 films. Radio and television talk show host Larry King's star is officially listed in the "Television" category, but the brass emblem is a film camera.

Two stars cannot be found. The Los Angeles Times, which has documented and photographed the Walk as part of its ongoing "Hollywood Star Walk" project, has not yet located the stars honoring Richard Crooks and the film career of Geraldine Farrar. (Farrar's other star, recognizing her music career, is located on the 1700 block of Vine Street.)