[rcooled]

Yes...I'm afraid that Porsche-O-Phile is right. The old Hollywood of your mother's childhood is long gone. Hollywood Blvd. is just another a sad, dirty street lined with cheesy shops and populated with gawking tourists and local burn-outs.
I hate to say this but if your mom wants a glimpse of the Hollywood of old, take her to Disney's California Adventure. There's a sanitized version of classic Hollywood in there which is devoid of all the sleaze found in the original.
There are still some icons of the old movie capitol to be seen in Hollywood though...Graumann's Chinese Theater, the Roosevelt Hotel, etc. and you can find out about these and more in one of the many guide books available.

BTW...the Warner Bros. studio tour over in Burbank isn't bad....not exactly Hollywood but lots of movieland history was made there. The newly-restored Griffith Observatory is worth a look, too. It was used for many movie & TV location shots over the years, including James Dean's "Rebel Without a Cause" and the view from up there on a clear day is spectacular. The 46,000 sq ft Greystone Mansion is pretty cool too and has been featured in many TV shows, movies and television commercials. The mansion itself is closed to the public but the surrounding park is open for free, self-guided tours.

On a gastronomic note....the best east-coast-style, thin crust pizza west of the Rockies can be had at Mulburry St. Pizza on Beverly Blvd.