Grave Pictures

I am pushing through a bad headache I have to post my grave pictures from my trip because I said I would. So, here I am and here they are...

(Yep, this is like 4 days late. I will tell you this though, it took me that long to get them all on here with the little blurbs. I had a wedding yesterday so I had to look amazing for that...which takes time of course, BUT better late than never)

I had thought for awhile that another grave at the cemetery belonged to Wanda. But when I learned how to read, I realized that she was in fact at Hollywood Forever, just not where I thought. Wanda has a little space in a columbarium at the bottom row. I found her though!

I just happened to pass his grave looking for Eva Tanguay's and saw the decorations. I have seen him in films before but I guess have never really been a huge fan because he hasn't stood out. I don't even think I could pick him out of a line up. Bad Jessica, I know. But I really liked the decorations on his crypt.

Someone placed some beautiful flowers at Charlie Chaplin Jr and his grandmother's crypt.

This one really made me smile. A great memorial picture above her grave. What a great addition.

Kisses and kisses for Barbara!

This is a young actress who was part of a family that really has dealt with some loss. Helen's older sister, Beverly (born in 1919) died in 1930 when she was only 11 years old. She appeared in an "Our Gang" short. Helen and their brother, Robert, also appeared in some Our Gang features. Sadly, Helen passed away from cancer.

You think of Peter Lorre and of course, you think of the accent. Another case where such a big presence has such a small final resting place.

Of course you have to have red roses and kisses for Rudy! My lips are the top ones of the bunch that you can't really see that well and my rose is on the left. Love to leave him kisses :)

After all these years, Virginia has not been forgotten. Someone left a little statue of an angel underneath the tree for her and also some makeup. I thought that was so cute. 

Miss Carmelita! Her grave was so well manicured that it seemed like she was just waiting there for me. 

Right in front of this huge, stage like headstone...thing is Nelson Eddy. I had heard about him before, being paired with Jeanette Macdonald but never really attached to him. Then I saw Maytime and really fell for him. He was dreamy looking, charming, had a great voice, win win! 

 Oh, beautiful Florence. Once again, someone lovely left her a little statue and makeup. I of course left her a rose.

Also known as Hal Rosson. He worked as a cinematographer in Hollywood but is probably known more for being the third and final husband of Jean Harlow. They were only married for about a year but it seemed the two were just better off as friends.

The debonair actor himself. His grave was covered in weeds and grass clippings and dirt and I tried my best to clean it off but it was hard with just my grave list and bare hands.

This was so great. I love movies and have so many favorites, but The Wizard of Oz is my number one favorite. What a great thing for Hollywood Forever to do for one of the screen's biggest (and smallest) icons.

The oh so talented actor of the silent screen. What I love about Karl is that he can play an evil character like he does in Son of the Sheik. But, he can also play comedy roles like he did in The Big Parade. Such a talented man, and I wish his personal life would have made him happier. Side note, my friend Bill told me that actor Jean Hersholt paid for this headstone. Very sweet.

Arthur Rosson is the brother of Hal Rosson. It seems like the whole Rosson gang got into the Hollywood biz. As I stated before, Hal was a cinematographer, Arthur was a director, brother Richard worked as a director and an actor, and then sister, Helene was an actress. What is interesting is that where Helene's grave is.....that is where I saw on Findagrave.com that Vera Sisson was supposed to be buried. Ummm...what I am kind of suspecting is either Vera's headstone was removed or the markers were shifted and hers was out of eye sight. I really couldn't tell ya, but it was confusing when I was there.

This is the final resting place of actress Gloria Dickson. She was really starting to find her stride in films when she tragically died in a house fire. An investigation into the fire showed that a cigarette left on a chair was the cause of the fire. Burns were not what killed her though, it was the smoke inhalation that finally caused her death. Poor girl. 

 Another case where I just stumbled upon a grave I recognized, which I just love. This poor boy appeared in a few films, mostly westerns. He was billed as "Universal's Littlest Cowboy." It seemed like he was gonna make quite a name for himself as he got older, but sadly he was killed at age six when he was accidentally run over by a truck while filming. Such a sad tale. His father was also an actor and is buried next to his son.

Oh man...after reading the book, Full Service, which talks about Tyrone (and a host of others) it makes a lot of sense as to why his grave has a bench. I can't go into it because I don't want to spoil it and because I can't even voice it haha 

The nicest, most approachable woman in Hollywood. My camera was being wonky so it wouldn't let me take photos long ways, hence why I don't have a picture of her entire headstone. Forgive me.

I posted a video on the other post, but this is the picture of Buster's grave, my iPod playing a song for him, the rose I left him, and then my finger tips that I kissed and put on his marker. Love him oh so much.

His name sounds like he should be a jazz man from the 20s or 30s, but he was actually an actor. I know him (and you may too) from The Shining.  He played the hotel chef and the man who could also "shine" named Dick Halloran.

Just like the headstone says, "Forever Mr. C" As in, Mr. Cunningham from "Happy Days"  

 Such a tragic story with Brittany. She was so cute and adorable and so talented. Just a tragic story.

Is this an example of me not knowing what the hell I am doing? Nope. These blank niches once belonged to Lucille Ball and her mother, Desiree. In 2002, their children had them moved to New York to be a in a family plot.

 The name may not be familiar and I sure as hell wouldn't know who he was unless I had seen his work before. I know this name because Nudie Cohn made a bejewelled cowboy suit for Michael Nesmith, one of The Monkees for their movie premiere. Is it the gaudiest thing ever? Yes? Is it pure Texas? Absolutely.

 Haha oh man...another case of having a totally different view of Charles after reading Full Service. Great actor but...WOW!

 Reta Shaw was not a world famous screen idol, but she is one of those character actors where you go, "Oh, her!" Reta played a cook in the film Pollyanna, a maid in Mary Poppins, and I also know her because she appeared in an early Monkees episode.

AKA Mignon Anderson. Beautiful little space for her which seems right for her.

What is interesting is that I cannot for the life of me remember where I found her grave or anything. I mean, I know what cemetery it was at but I don't really remember the "quest" I took to find it. It must have been easy...

I DO however remember finding Joyce's grave. I remember it was on a slight hill but hers was near the top so that made it easier. I also remember a ton of the graves in that section were covered in grass clippings so the names were obscured. Thankfully, Joyce's wasn't too bad. I think next time I go grave hunting I should bring a kit with a brush and other stuff to clean up the graves that need it. I will look like an archaeologist :p

After two years, I finally found him...Ricky Nelson. He, along with his family are on a slanted hill so I literally have to hike up there to find them. Really a workout, but it is my favorite way to work out. If only there were stars buried near me, I would be working out all the time!

Well you know if you have Ricky Nelson, you gotta have Ozzie and Harriet. They are a few rows down from him, so I had to hike down and try not to fall and roll down the hill. If I remember correctly, I believe older brother, David is buried at a different cemetery.

One of those guys that pops up in a lot of early comedy films. He may not be the star, but he definitely makes an impression. Very talented man. What is very interesting is that he is buried under his fun stage name and no mention of his real name: Harold Fraser. I think he looks more like a Snub with that walrus moustache.

Oh man, finding his grave was almost the death of me. He is buried near Nazimova and John Gilbert, and while Nazimova was easy to find...I was exhausted looking for the other two. After I found John's, I had to lay down next to him for awhile to just breathe and recuperate. I almost gave up but I kept going and finally found him. *whew*

Thank you Forest Lawn. Apparently they were working on sprucing up the shrubs and what not around the area I go to to see the Pickford's tomb. This is a look into the Memory Gardens where Humphrey Bogart, Sammy Davis Jr, and George Cukor (and a few others I am sure) are buried. If I had some more guts, I would have hopped over and had a stroll. Alas...maybe next time. You will see my arrest record saying: trespassing for grave pictures. Well worth it.

Way up high, Anita's star in the sky. Anita is interesting, you don't see her and think she is a total knockout like Harlow, Garbo, or Naldi but she had a beauty that was perfect for being in the silent film era. She was a beautiful lady with a big heart.

So happy to have finally found Mary's grave. I just love the Eatons.

I was so hoping that when I found Mary's grave that I would find other family members by her because I couldn't seem to locate where they were. Thankfully, I found the patriarch of the family right next to Mary. Again, an honor to be standing in front of two members of such a talented family.

I only had a few minutes before Forest Lawn closed but I made sure to find Claire's grave because my friend, Bill had been telling me how he was on a bit of a kick with her. She was a very classic and demure looking lady. I used the picture on my grave list and some common sense (I knew I had some in there somewhere) and found her!

Kinda like Louise Lorraine before, I don't really remember finding Helen's grave! But, I have a place in my heart for her because she was a good friend of Mabel Normands, so you know she must have been a great gal.

I managed to just walk up right to her grave, wasn't even looking for it. I was looking for Burt Lancaster's but SURPRISE! Grace wasn't famous for being a movie star or a singer or anything like that. What she is known for is being the woman who raised Marilyn Monroe and was more of a mother figure to her than her real mother. Grace was a friend of Gladys Baker and took Marilyn in when her mother had to go to a sanitarium. Grace was also the one who told Marilyn should could be a star like Jean Harlow one day. Interestingly, she died from a barbiturate overdose like Marilyn, although in Grace's case, it was intentional. It is still up in the air what happened to Marilyn.

Poor Beatrice Dominguez, a life tragically cut short. This is also another case where I couldn't get the full statue in the picture because my camera was being stupid. The beautiful goddess on the statue seemed perfect for Beatrice though because there is a picture of her out there in almost the exact same pose.

Although the first film I saw Mary in had her over acting like no other, I still have to appreciate her performance for the time period. You did have to be quite expressive in the silent film and I am sure she was pretty freaked out acting next to a grotesque looking Lon Chaney. For that, we salute you, Mary.

Charles Boyer was such a debonair, sexy French actor who was uber talented. But it is such a sad ending story for him and his wife. Patricia passed away from cancer and two days later, Charles overdosed on Seconal. Even sadder is the fact that their son, Michael killed himself in 1965 at the age of 21 after playing Russian Roulette. He is buried next to his parents.

The fact that Jean has Valentino as her last name still cracks me up. She locked him out of their honeymoon suite and had to sue to use his very popular last name to help promote her. Although she and Rudy did reconcile a bit because his death, it still amazes me that she had his name on her tombstone. Famous now even in death, eh?

Virginia Davis was uber famous when she was just a little girl. She was the first girl to appear as Alice from Wonderland in a series of shorts for Disney. You really should get a hold of these films because they are really cool to watch and see a) how adorable she is, and b) how far they had gotten back then and how far they have come now.

Damn my camera for not having a panoramic view! These are the three Del Rubio sisters: Milly, Elena, and Eadie. I had gotten pictures before of Eadie and Elena, but Milly passed away later in 2011 so now all three are together. Cutest ladies ever.

Not the best picture, I apologize. Darby Crash was the lead singer of the punk rock band The Germs. He died (not really surprisingly) of an intentional drug overdose. He was a little out there, didn't have the voice of Sinatra, but I do like a few of their songs. The piece of paper below the marker was safety pinned to the ground but what I could read was that it was a fan telling Darby about his own band. Pretty rad.

Richard was such a dashing actor. He had that look where you immediately recognize who he is. He is best known for his role in the film Wings with Clara Bow.

Now this is how I picture how all the silent film stars I love should be buried. Al Jolson was a huge personality and it is definitely represented in his huge grave/tomb/statue/monument. He had a beautiful view from the top looking down on the waterfall, but it had a ton of seagulls in it so I steered clear.

Close up view of Al's tomb.

Uncle Miltie! Hillside Memorial is a Jewish cemetery and it is the most beautiful one I have been to. The layout was nice, the mausoleums were beautiful and peaceful, and the gardens in the back made me feel like I was walking in Wonderland. So beautiful.

I went out to eat earlier in the week with a friend of mine and she was telling me she had just finished Shelley's autobiography and just loved it. So, I knew I had to find her and now have to read her story.

Another stumble upon! Margaret was the husband of Louis B. Mayer and Irene was their daughter. She married David O. Selznick in 1930 and they had two sons. The marriage didn't last though and the two divorced in 1949. Where is Daddy L.B. you ask? Well, Margaret and Louis's marriage did not last. He eventually remarried and is buried at a different cemetery with his siblings. (And looking at this cemetery, I am kinda pissed I didn't know about it before hand because I would have paid it a visit.

Jack Benny! Beautiful crypt for this funny man.

Papa from "Little House on the Prairie." He is behind a glass door in his own private room, so that is why there is a reflection in the window. He had a lot of mementos left in the room for him though so I am assuming you can just ask the front desk to put them in for you.

Cyd was so incredibly beautiful and those legs! What a dancer! I never thought she was as old as she was because she always looked phenomenal. It was definitely sad when I heard she passed away.