There seems to be, in Southern California, an undying adulation for deceased luminaries.
Rudolph Valentino’s crypt was visited frequently by a mysterious “Lady in Black.”
George Burns regularly called on his beloved Gracie entombed at Forest Lawn Cemetery, where he now lies next to her.
Marilyn Monroe’s grave received fresh roses three times a week for nearly 20 years from a loving Joe DiMaggio.
With this in mind, I start my own expedition to unearth the “last resorts” of many of my favorite fallen stars. Having no urge to view a rock star’s home from 500 feet away, I desire, instead, to get within 6 feet of my long-cherished screen idols.
First stop is what some think is the most beautiful of all cemeteries. Forest Lawn, in Glendale, nestles in the hills to the east of Hollywood, possibly the inspiration for Jack Paar’s quip, “The California cemeteries make dying so attractive, it’s a real effort to keep breathing.”
I enter through open wrought iron gates, the largest in the world, they claim. On the right, offices, mortuary and flower shop are housed in a warm Tudor-style manor. To the left three bronze herons spout geysers of water in the center of the duck pond. At the information booth I am told that, “No, we do not direct visitors to celebrities’ grave sites,” a policy said to protect the privacy of the families that it serves.
Forest Lawn Memorial Park is a cemetery in disguise, filled with replicas of some of the world’s greatest works of art. “The Last Supper,” “La Pieta,” “Venus de Milo” and “The Little Mermaid” are but a few on display. Roads meander through meticulously groomed lawnscapes on gentle hills, and a museum displays reproductions of England’s crown jewels, Ghiberti’s bronze doors from the Florence baptistery and every coin mentioned in the Bible.
But I am on a quest for deceased notables, and art history will have to wait. I arrive at the Great Mausoleum where, in the Sanctuary of Trust, Clark Gable and Carole Lombard lie side-by-side for eternity. Surrounded by stained glass, marble statuary and radiant mosaics it seems an appropriate final scene.
The Sanctuary of Heritage, located in the Freedom Mausoleum, houses the crypt of George Burns and Gracie Allen, an inscription reading “Together Again.” Clara Bow, Alan Ladd and Nat “King” Cole lie in repose here also. Walt Disney’s ashes are in a quiet corner garden in the Court of Freedom, while a nearby plot marks the final resting place of Errol Flynn, said to be buried with a few bottles of whiskey.
At another Forest Lawn location, in Hollywood Hills, I reverently stand at the grave of Stan Laurel, buried near the monument to Washington. Liberace and Charles Laughton lie in the Court of Remembrance, where I also come upon the crypts of George Raft–next to Freddie Prinz–and Clyde Beatty, whose marker sports a bas-relief lion.
Continuing my quest, I head for Hollywood Memorial Cemetery. This burial ground is to Forest Lawn as a pine box is to a walnut and brass casket. Gravel roads, angry, weedy grass and grave markers askew from heaving soils offer a more down-to earth rendition of the afterlife.
But what a treasure trove of the fallen famous. The Abbey of the Psalms Mausoleum harbors no statuary or stained glass but does house the remains of Charlie Chaplin, Clifton Webb and Edward G. Robinson Jr. Rudolph Valentino, Peter Finch and Peter Lorre are laid to rest in the Cathedral Mausoleum.
The graveyard grounds are littered with a hodgepodge conglomeration of temples, statues and markers, including a marble rocket ship. However, Tyrone Power rests in a dignified marble sarcophagus at the edge of a lake. Cecil B. DeMille’s remains rest in eternal peace in an imposing marble monument where a cast of thousands could no doubt gather in tribute.
It is Douglas Fairbanks Sr. who claims the best this boneyard has to offer–a sunken garden complete with reflecting pool and marble wall set behind the crypt. Typical Hollywood staging.
Next stop is Westwood Memorial Park, tucked away off of Wilshire Boulevard in the fashionable area of Westwood Village. This intimate cemetery is the final resting place of Marilyn Monroe, Natalie Wood and the lovely blond child star of “Poltergeist,” Heather O’Rourke. I pay homage to Eva Gabor, Burt Lancaster, Oscar Levant and Sebastian Cabot, just a few of the luminaries at rest.
By now my macabre side is gaining strength. It is Friday the 13th, and I decide to take a slightly morbid tour. Climbing into a hearse, I and four other grisly minded folks set out with Grave Line Tours on a sortie to visit the very places where the famous and infamous have met their untimely ends, either by suicide, foul play or (can it possibly be?) natural causes.
As we pull away in funereal slowness from curbside on Hollywood Boulevard, strains of Chopin’s Funeral March set a proper mood. Kaspar, the friendly driver, tells us that we will learn the truth–the sordid details of the departed denizens of Tinsel Town.
The tour, which could be subtitled “Deathstyles of the Rich and Famous,” takes us first past the Highland Garden Hotel. It was here that Janis Joplin overindulged on drugs and checked out forever. John Belushi played a similar act at the Chateau Marmont in a bungalow often rented for parties.
The corpulent Divine, a 350-pound cross-dresser, succumbed at the Plaza Suites Hotel the night before he was to appear on “Seinfeld.” A wreath sent by the cast carried the message, “If you didn’t want to be on the show, you could have just called.”
The hearse passes the car port where Sal Mineo bled to death, victim of a robbery gone too far. We see the site of River Phoenix’s OD death on the sidewalk and the house where Bugsy Siegel was iced by the mob.
At Bedford and Lomitas stands the house where Lana Turner’s daughter stabbed Johnny Stampanato, Lana’s lover, to death. And at 722 N. Elm Dr. is the infamous Menendez brothers house. (It is now owned by William Link, screenplay writer for–what else?–“Murder, She Wrote.”)
By now I feel as though I have struck pay-dirt. My head swims with data on the departed. There are more graveyards to visit, more sordid sights to see, but I recall the epitaph on Mel Blanc’s tombstone and call it a day. Quite simply, “That’s All, Folks.”
DETAILS ON FAMOUS GRAVE SITES
Forest Lawn, Glendale: 1712 S. Glendale Ave, Glendale, Calif.; 213-254-3131.
Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills: 6300 Forest Lawn Dr., Los Angeles; 213-254-7251. Forest Lawn will not provide maps or lists of celebrity grave sites, so it is necessary to search a bit in the areas indicated in the article.
Hollywood Memorial Cemetery: 6000 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. Located next to Paramount Studios. Stop at the flower shop near the entrance and get a map of the grounds which shows locations of celebrities graves and crypts. Grave Line Tours also provides a list and detailed map.
Westwood Memorial Park: 1218 Glendon Ave., Los Angeles. Located at Wilshire and Glendon, the cemetery is hard to find. Take the first left off Glendon, between two tall buildings, and the gates are seen on your right. Drive through and park by the office. They will give you a listing of notables buried here. If you take the Grave Line Tour, they provide a detailed map, which is extremely helpful.
Holy Cross Cemetery: 5835 W. Slauson Ave., Culver City, Calif.; 310-670-7697. This is not mentioned in the article, but is another graveyard filed with the famous. The office will give a celebrity list along with their precise locations, as well as a map to help you. It is here that Bing Crosby, Bela Lugosi, Sharon Tate, John Candy and Mario Lanza are buried along with many other stars.
Grave Line Tours: P.O. Box 93194, Hollywood, Calif. 90093; 213-469-4149. Tours depart Hollywood Boulevard and Orchid Avenue, near the Chinese Theater, daily at 9:30 a.m. Additional tours may be held at noon or again at 3 p.m. Tours last about 2 1/2 hours. Cost: $40. Says Grave Line, “Private corteges and alternate tour times can be arranged.”
