Mark Masek - Hollywood Forever Cemetery: The Unauthorized Guide

Hollywood Forever Cemetery: The UnauthorizedGuide

Mark Masek

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Copyright 2014 Mark Masek

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Hollywood Forever Cemetery

6000 Santa Monica Blvd.

Los Angeles, Calif.

Introduction: Whats the one place inHollywood where youre guaranteed the chance to get up close andpersonal with real celebrities and legends of the entertainmentindustry? Strange as it may seem, cemeteries are becoming one ofthe most popular destinations for Hollywood tourists and film fanswho want to visit the final and permanent homes of the rich, famousand deceased.

But why are fans so interested in seeing theplot of earth or marble vault that houses a celebritys earthlyremains? Whats the attraction to seeing a celebritys name carvedin granite or etched in bronze, along with the dates of their birthand death?

You could just as easily ask why do fans pay tobuy a map, or be driven by the bus-load past the homes wherecelebrities havent lived for years, if they ever lived there atall. Why do they search for a celebritys star on the Walk of Famealong Hollywood Boulevard? Why do they spend thousands, evenmillions of dollars to buy items of celebrity memorabilia? Simplyput, we are fascinated by celebrity, and our fascination isgrowing.

And while celebrities might have lived in a lotof different houses during their lives, theyre only buried in onespot. For many, the location and style of their burial says a lotabout who they were in life, and how they wished to be remembered.Do they have a simple plot with a humble marker, or a lavishsarcophagus surrounded by marble pillars?

Marilyn Monroes crypt at Westwood Memorial Parkstill attracts hundreds of fans every day to pay their respects,leave flowers and notes, and pose for pictures in front of thesmall bronze plaque with her name on it, even though most of hervisitors werent even born when she died. And here at HollywoodForever Cemetery, hundreds of fans show up every year for amemorial service on the anniversary of the death of RudolphValentino, even though many of their parents werent born when hedied.

There are probably as many reasons to visit acelebritys grave as there are visitors. Most, I hope, are simplyfans who want to pay their respects to someone who has brought themjoy. Perhaps its just an opportunity to spend some time in quiet,peaceful surroundings. Or, since were all going to end up thereeventually, perhaps its a way for us to face and prepare for ourown eventual fate.

Whatever the reason, however, before you go offtraipsing through cemeteries, a few words of etiquette and adviceare in order. Remember, for many people, cemeteries are sacredgrounds where the mortal remains of their loved ones are buried.Whenever you are in any cemetery, be as polite, respectful andcourteous as you would be in a strangers home or a place ofworship. Also, its possible that a burial service will be inprogress when you visit. At some of the larger cemeteries, perhapseven several services.

You will also likely encounter people who arepaying their respects to departed loved ones. They might not knowand perhaps couldnt care less that an Academy Award-winning actoror the star of your favorite movie is buried a few feet away.Remember the last funeral service you attended for a friend orfamily member. You wouldnt want to look up and see a bunch ofloud, raucous people rambling over the nearby graves. Try to dressappropriately, and be as quiet, discreet and considerate aspossible. Since most of the cemeteries are privately owned, youcould be asked to leave.

And cemeteries arent the place to be lookingfor souvenirs, either. As tempting as it might be, dont take anyflowers, dirt or chips of marble from the grave of your favoritecelebrity. If you really need a lasting memory, a discreetlysnapped photograph should be enough.

R.I.P. Read in Peace

History: In the Hollywood glamour days ofthe 1920s and 1930s, Hollywood Forever Cemetery then known asHollywood Memorial Park was the premier burial spot forentertainment celebrities, studio executives and members ofHollywood high society and the film community. Everyone who wasanyone was buried in Hollywood Memorial Park, often with greatfanfare and spectacle, with hundreds of fans and mourners there forthe final send-off.

The cemetery was founded in 1899 by developersIsaac Newton Van Nuys and Isaac Lankershim, and originally covered100 acres. Nearly 40 acres along the south side of the propertywere sold to Paramount Pictures studios in 1920. (Van Nuys andLankershim arent buried here, however. Theyre both at EvergreenCemetery on the east side of Los Angeles, which was the cemetery ofchoice for the citys business and civic leaders.)

Within the walls of Hollywood Forever, visitorscan find the final resting places of screen legends RudolphValentino, Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and Jr., Janet Gaynor, PeterLorre, Nelson Eddy and Tyrone Power; directors Cecil B. DeMille,William Desmond Taylor and John Huston; and Columbia Picturesfounder Harry Cohn. Charlie Chaplins first wife is buried here, aswell as his mother, his ex-mother-in-law and his namesake son.

The cemetery is also the final home to manyprominent figures in the growth and development of Los Angeles andHollywood, including Harvey and Daeida Wilcox, the true founders ofHollywood; Al and Charles Christie, and David Horsley, who ran thefirst film studio in Hollywood; William A. Clark Jr.,philanthropist and founder of the Los Angeles Philharmonic; Col.Griffith J. Griffith, who donated the land that became GriffithPark; Gen. Harrison Gray Otis, founder of the Los Angeles Times;Harry Chandler, publisher of the Los Angeles Times; and Hollywooddeveloper Charles Toberman.

As Forest Lawn Memorial-Park in nearby Glendalegrew in size and popularity in the late 1930s and 1940s, HollywoodMemorial Park slipped into decline. By the early 1990s, HollywoodMemorial Park had taken on the Norma Desmond role as an aging andforgotten legend, a faded shadow of its former glory. The cemeterygrounds were battered by normal wear and tear, and the feet ofthousands of visitors. The mausoleums suffered damage from a 1994earthquake, and needed repairs were not done. The roads through thecemetery were riddled with potholes, weeds sprouted among thetombstones, windows in the rust-stained mausoleums were cracked orbroken, and dead leaves swirled through the musty-smellinghallways. The huge reflecting pool in front of the Fairbanksmemorial was murky and choked with weeds, and graffiti was scrawledon DeMilles crypt.

At this point, the story of Hollywood Foreverbecomes a tale of drama and intrigue, hidden pasts and secretfinances, and a thrilling last-minute rescue a true Hollywoodending.

From 1939 until state inspectors showed up in1995 to check the cemeterys financial operations, the property wasrun by Jules A. Roth. On the surface, Roth appeared to be acemetery manager sent over from Central Casting smooth, neatlydressed and debonair, with a small, well-trimmed moustache. ButRoth had kept his shady past well hidden. He had been convicted ofgrand theft and securities fraud in 1932, and served five years inSan Quentin. While running Hollywood Memorial Park, Roth livedwell, spent lavishly and traveled frequently often on his ownluxury yacht. He reportedly purchased expensive paintings andsculpture for display at the cemetery, but kept the art at hiselegant home in the Hollywood Hills. Still, Roth wanted to makemore money from the cemetery. He considered drilling for oil on theproperty, and made $9 million by selling off two strips of thecemeterys land along Santa Monica Boulevard, where developersimmediately put up gaudy strip malls.