Welcome to Hollywood Graveyard where we
set out to remember and celebrate the
lives of those who lived to entertain us,
by visiting their final resting places.
Today we conclude our tour of Forest
Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, where
we'll find such stars as Humphrey Bogart,
Mary Pickford, Jimmy Stewart, and many more.
Join us, won't you?
For this last stretch of our tour of
Forest Lawn Glendale we'll be visiting
grave sites spread across the grounds of
the cemetery, where we'll be treated to
more beautiful statuary, and stunning vistas.
If you haven't done so already,
be sure to check out parts 1 & 2.
Our first stop is in Section G, just west of
Great Mausoleum. Here we find a man who
took us to Oz. L. Frank Baum is the author
of the beloved Wizard of Oz series.
The original book was first published in
1900, and spawned several follow-up
stories about Oz, and myriad film
adaptations - the best known of which is
the classic 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz,"
starring Judy Garland.
Rounding the Great Mausoleum
to the east side, part way up
the hill, is the man with the biggest
smile in Hollywood: Joe E. Brown.
He was a
loveable actor and comedian popular in
the 30s and 40s. He shot to stardom in
1929 after appearing in the first
all-color all-talking musical comedy,
"On With the Show."
He can also be seen in the classic
comedy "Some Like It Hot."
Brown was one of
only two civilians to be awarded the
Bronze Star for his service during
World War II,
entertaining servicemen on USO tours
around the world, often at his own expense.
Let's head north to the east
side of the Vale of Memory.
About a dozen rows in from the street
is the grave of Wallace Beery, one of the
most prolific actors of early Hollywood.
He started some 250 films in his career,
and during his time at MGM was the
highest-paid actor in the world.
He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of
Bill in "Min and Bill," and for his role
in "The Champ," which earned him an Academy Award.
Further west is the section known as Graceland.
Up the hill a ways, just past a
large tree, is actor Robert Young, who is
best remembered as the father on the
1950s TV show "Father Knows Best," and as
physician Marcus Welby on the TV show
Marcus Welby MD.
Let's head now to the
northeast section of the cemetery and
visit a true renaissance man - a man who
has been unabashedly nude since the year 1504:
David.
Hey wait... it's fake.
Fake? How can you tell?
Because I'm Italian.
Ah, well, Giuseppe's right!
This is David's twin brother - an exact replica of the
Michelangelo masterpiece which currently
resides in Florence Italy.
There's more art to be found in the
Garden of the Mystery of Life to the east.
You may have noticed that our
puritanical prudishness doesn't follow
us into the graveyard.
Most of the statues here and elsewhere
are nude women, some exuding a subtle
sensuality... why do you suppose that is?
Maybe it takes the death for us to fully
appreciate the beauty of our own mortality.
Or perhaps these statues simply
serve to distract us from the grim
realities of death surrounding us here.
the greatest beauty known to mankind -
the nurturing and life-giving nature of
woman - shielding us, easing our troubled
souls in light of this unenviable fate we
must all face. Or perhaps they're
simply angels tending to our dead.
Linger long enough in this garden and
the mystery of life will be unfolded to you.
But enough waxing philosophic...
Back to the tour we'll continue northwest
along Cathedral Drive and stop at the
next courtyard. On the far side of this
courtyard, just past the Christus, is the
niche of legendary Las Vegas entertainer
Danny Gans.
Billed as the Man of Many Voices,
comedian Danny Gans was named Las Vegas
entertainer of the year every year
between 1998 and 2008. The Mirage marquee
on the Las Vegas Strip that bore his name,
at one time, held the record as the
largest freestanding marquee in the world.
Across the courtyard is the Garden of Memory.
As with the Garden of Honor
this is a private locked garden, so
without a key or a little luck and an
open door, you won't be able to get in.
Immediately to the right is the
Columbarium of Eternal Life. Near the
middle of the wall on the right side is
hard-boiled leading man of Hollywood's
golden age, Humphrey Bogart,
who ranked number one on AFI's list of
greatest film legends.
He often starred in noir thrillers of the
40s, including "The Maltese Falcon," and
"The Big Sleep." But it was his role in the
1942 film "Casablanca" that would cement
his place in Hollywood history.
"If that plane leaves the ground and you're not
with him you'll regret it. Maybe not
today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and
for the rest of your life."
"But what about us?"
"We'll always have Paris.
We didn't have, we lost it until you
came to Casablanca. We got it back last night."
"When I said I would never leave you."
"And you never will.
But I've got a job to do too, and where I'm going
you can't follow. What I've got to do you
can't be any part of.
Ilsa I'm no good at
at being noble, but it doesn't take much
to see that the problems of three little
people don't amount to a hill of beans
in this crazy world.
Someday you'll understand that.
Here's looking at you kid."
He was buried with the gold whistle
given to him by his wife, Lauren Bacall -
an allusion to one of their most famous
scenes together.
"You know how to whistle,
don't you Steve?
You just put your lips together and
blow.
Let's cross this garden to the
southeast section. Here we find the
ornate sarcophagus of America's
Sweetheart, Mary Pickford, Hollywood's
first superstar.
Don't let her diminutive stature and
demure demeanor fool you however, Mary
was a powerhouse in early Hollywood, and
helped shape the art and industry of
filmmaking as we know it.
She began acting on stage as a child before
discovering a new art form: the movies.
Hesitant at first Mary quickly found her
place in the budding young industry.
Not only did she find her place in the movies,
she helped define them. Mary quickly
realized that acting on film required a
different and more nuanced approach to
acting on stage. She essentially invented
acting for film.
Her role in her first
feature, "Tess of the Storm Country" in
1914 catapulted her to international
stardom, and in the years that followed
she became the most famous woman in the world.
She was a savvy businesswoman and
leveraged her appeal to negotiate a
salary of $10,000 a week by 1916 -
an unheard of amount for an actor at the
time, male or female.
She easily transitioned into sound films,
winning an Academy Award in 1930 for her
performance in Coquette.
In 1920 she
married Douglas Fairbanks, the reigning
king of Hollywood at the time.
They became Hollywood's first celebrity
hybrid-named couple: Pickfair, which was
the name of their Beverly Hills estate,
considered the social gathering hub of
Hollywood in the 1920s.
In 1919 she
joined with Charlie Chaplin, Douglas
Fairbanks, and DW Griffith to form United Artists,
which allowed them to bypass the
studio system and have control over
their projects. One studio had quipped in response,
"The inmates are taking over the asylum."
She was also one of the founding
members of the Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences. Eileen Whitefield
appropriately titled her biography of
Pickford, "The Woman Who Made Hollywood."
Further up Cathedral Drive we'll stop at
the Triumphant Faith Terraces. Across the
street to the southwest is the grave of
Ted Knight.
Comedic actor Ted Knight is
perhaps best remembered for his role as
Ted Baxter on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."
He can also be seen in
"Too Close for Comfort,"
and "Caddyshack."
Back across the street let's admire another of
Forest Lawn's beautiful art pieces. This relief
sculptor of the baptism of Christ adorns
the tomb of a former general manager of
Forest Lawn.
Up the smaller stairs to the
right we head into the Triumphant Faith Terraces.
On the left is the walled
garden plot where Vincente Minnelli is buried.
Minnelli is famous for directing
many of Hollywood's movie musicals,
including "Meet Me in st. Louis," and "Gigi,"
for which he won an Oscar as Best Director.
Vincente was married to Judy Garland
from 1945 until 1951.
Their daughter is actress Liza Minnelli.
We turn left at the intersection and follow
Cathedral Drive around to the
Everlasting Love section on the left.
At the top of the hill, right next to the road,
is Carole Landis, a popular actress
of the 30s and 40s who burst onto the
scene in the 1940 film "One Million BC."
She had the most famous curves in Hollywood
at the time, becoming known as the Ping Girl,
and The Chest.
She hated the monikers however,
and wanted to be known
as more than just a curvaceous cutie...
and she certainly was.
In addition to being
a talented actress, seen in films like
"I Wake Up Screaming," she was also a singer,
and gave generously of her time to
support the war effort, becoming a
favorite among servicemen during World War II.
"Tonight we believe we have the
most unusual request made to date.
Here is the letter: Special Service Division
War Department Los Angeles.
'Dear command performance, we feel we
could win the war single-handed if we
could only hear Carole Landis sigh.
That's all we want, just a sigh.'
Signed Jimmy, Doc, and Big Mac, somewhere in the
South Pacific.
Okay fellows, don't forget your promise -
Carole Landis will now sigh."
"Ahhhh."
"The sigh that was heard 'round the world,
thank you Miss Carole Landis."
They Kept their promise and won the war,
thanks to Carole's sigh. She wrote a book
about her time entertaining troops on
USO tours, which was later made into a
movie called "For Jills in a Jeep."
At the time of her death at age 29 Carole
was having an affair with the married
Rex Harrison. The official report states
that Carol took an overdose of Seconal
to end her life when Rex refused to
leave his wife for her. Questions still
surround the events of the night Carol
died though, particularly among her
family, who refuse to believe that Carol
killed herself, and suspect some form of
foul play.
Pallbearers at Caroel's funeral included
actors Cesar Romero and Pat O'Brien.
Heading around the s-curve we stop at
the archer statue. Straight down from the
archer's bow several rows is Jimmy Stewart.
Actor Jimmy Stewart personified
the American every-man on screen with
his classic charm and distinctive drawl.
Having starred in some of Hollywood's
greatest films, including "Rear Window,"
"Vertigo," and "It's a Wonderful Life," Jimmy
Stewart is considered one of the
greatest and most beloved actress of all time.
"What is it you want, Mary?
What do you want?
You, you want the moon?
"Just say the word
and I'll throw a lasso around and
pull it down.
Hey that's pretty good idea.l
I'll give you the moon Mary."
"I'll take it."
He was nominated for five Oscars, winning in
1941 for "The Philadelphia Story."
He was also a military man, holding one of the
highest ranks of any actor in history:
that of Brigadier General.
Let's take a quick detour around the
corner and stop off at the
Wee Kirk O' the Heather Chapel.
This is where the funerals for many of the stars we
visited here took place,
including Jean Harlow.
But thousands have also been
married here, including Ronald Reagan and
Jane Wyman. After all, what better place
to say "till death do us part,"
than in a cemetery?
Seriously though, look how charming this
little place is.
You could film a Disney movie here.
Back to the tour we head down
Cathedral Drive toward the entrance.
The tall Hill to the left is Whispering Pines.
You guys ready for this?
Whew...
Let's do it!
Before there was John Wayne there was
Tom Mix - Hollywood's first Western megastar.
From 1909 through the 1930s he
starred in over 200 films, most of which were silent.
He is credited as helping
define the role of the western cowboy in movies.
And that concludes our tour!
What are some of your favorite memories of the
stars we visited today?
Share them in the comments below,
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Thanks for watching, we'll see you on the next one!
Check this out! It's the official
Forest Lawn chocolate bar.
After a great tour
we deserve a little treat!
What do you say? Shall we give it a try?
Mmmm!
Oh that is good!