Hollywood Christmas Parade (1928-Present)
Originally called the Santa Claus Lane parade, The Hollywood Christmas parade takes place on the weekend after Thanksgiving in Hollywood, California. The parade began in 1928 as a way to boost shopping during the holiday season and was created by the chamber of commerce.
In 1946, Gene Autry rode his horse down the parade route and was so inspired by all of the children yelling "Here comes Santa Claus" that it inspired him to write the now famous song.
By 1978, the parade was broadcast in KTLA-TV and had attracted many celebrities. In 2004, NBC tried to present it as a primetime special which proved disastrous. By 2008, the chamber of commerce cancelled showing the parade on all Tribune owned stations (such as WGN in Chicago) due to losses of $100,000.
The parade also ended up being cancelled and a new parade called the Hollywood Santa Parade was initiated.
It was announced that MyNetworkTV would telecast the 2009 parade. It's a shame that the original parade had come to this.
Here is a promo for the 1987 parade that featured Jimmy Stewart as the Grand Marshall.
