Calvary Cemetery Part 2 - Hollywood's Triumphs and Tragedies - Famous Graves

you [Music] part one of our walk at cavalry cemetery began here in the Great Mausoleum within this silent marble domain we visited with legends from Hollywood's golden past [Music] and with controversial figures who brought industry into an oasis [Music] we marveled at the craftsmanship of its construction and the works of art that adorn it now we make our way into the sunlight to wander through gardens of stone monuments that are as different as the life stories of those who rest beneath them here the veil between the past and the present is lifted we will meet people from all walks of life hailing from the old world and the new both famous and anonymous people who set out to build the future and those whose marks on the pages of history were made by mere chance come walk with me into the shadow lands of yesterday at cavalry cemetery [Music] before we move on from the mausoleum let's take a stop at the outside crypts and pay a visit to the father of one of show business's greatest child stars [Music] six-year-old jackie coogan was launched into stardom in 1921 when he appeared in Charlie Chaplin's classic the kid coogans emotional performance as a boy abandoned by his mother and who was raised by Chaplin's little [ __ ] transcended his youth and continues to melt the hearts of audiences to this day in fact in the scene where he is being taken by the social worker the anguish in Jackie's face was so convincing that Chaplin had to deny rumors that the young actor was being threatened off-camera in the boarding house scene there is a comedic moment where the Little [ __ ] has a run-in with a sleeping pickpocket the pickpocket was an uncredited role played by Jackie's father Jack Coogan senior Jack's senior was a veteran of the vaudeville circuit who was best known for his comedic dances some of his routine was featured in the 1919 fatty Arbuckle's short backstage Jackie would become the biggest child star of his day and by 1920 Jack senior and his wife Lillian devoted most of their time to managing their sons career and fortune throughout the 20s he starred in over a dozen films that repeated the theme of the kid where an orphan is taken in by a reluctant but loving father figure later they are separated by forces beyond their control but are reunited in a tearful climax the formula worked making the studio's Millions but as Jackie grew into a young adult there were fewer starring roles and just as a new child Superstar was about to appear Jackie's life would change forever in early May 1935 Jack's senior his son and three others were driving home from a hunting trip in Mexico somewhere on the road near San Diego Jack's senior who was driving at a high rate of speed lost control of the car and it went off the road of the five passengers Jackie jr. was the only survivor among the dead was another former child actor and Jackie's closest friend jr. Durkin five days after the accident Jackie jr. was released from the hospital to attend his father's funeral John Henry Coogan senior was 49 years old when he was laid to rest here at Calvary with his father gone Jackie's future became uncertain his relationship with his mother was forever fractured when it was discovered that she had wasted most of the money he had earned it left the former star to go through life a bit like the orphaned character that made him famous hidden among the great monuments of cavalry is the marker of make Estella may was the wife of Maurice Costello who was one of motion pictures earliest matinee idols the couple married in 1902 and had two daughters who followed them into show business the Costello sisters delighted audiences and movie houses and theatres the girls defied showbusiness odds by making the transition from child to adult roles in 1926 Dolores appeared in the sea beasts an adaptation of Melville's moby-dick during production she became romantically involved with the film star John Barrymore they would make two more films together when a man loves and the show of shows helene played a supporting part with Barrymore and Don Juan two years later she was in the first all-talking picture the lights of New York sooner or later the cops are going to find out don't let your barber shop only at speaking in 1928 Delores starred with George O'Brien in the Michael Curtiz epic Noah's Ark told and parallel stories set in biblical times in the present day Noah's Ark is best remembered for its spectacular flood scene the danger on screen was real more than a million gallons of water was dumped onto the sets that were crowded with extras dozens were injured and some were said to have even died but those rumors have never been confirmed the film was a huge success and had two releases first as a silent and then was sound it made Dolores Costello one of Hollywood's top leading ladies 1928 was also the year that 25 year old Dolores married 46 year old Jack Barrymore although it was over her parents objections Maury sat out the nuptials because his son-in-law couldn't prove that the divorce from his second wife was official sadly the joy of the wedding was short-lived Mae Costello who had retired from acting was already in failing health she died the following year at age 47 the carved relief of two young girls on Mae's headstone represent her daughter's John and Delores had two children Delores Ethel Mae and John drew who was the father of actress drew Barrymore ensured that the family name would remain on theatre marquees for another generation by 1930 Colleen's career was all but over however her name did not fade into obscurity through four marriages and a worsening dependency on alcohol her private life became fodder for the tabloids Delores had difficulties of her own during this period by 1935 her marriage to John Barrymore was over as he began his final descent into alcoholic oblivion she was taking fewer projects but appeared in such classics as little Lord Fauntleroy and the Magnificent Ambersons in 1948 Helene lost custody of her daughter who had been in the care of sister Dolores she was nearly penniless by the time the divorce from her fourth husband was finalized maurice costello continued to work but his days as a matinee idol were long over until his retirement 1945 he appeared in mostly uncredited roles he spent the remainder of his life supporting his youngest daughter Eileen the end came to the silver screens first great lover on October 28th 1950 after the loss of her father Helene struggled to get by until finally the years of narcotic and alcohol abuse drove her into the patent state mental hospital it was there on January 26 the 1957 that she died at age 51 she'd been so long out of the limelight that the newspapers misreported her age fewer than a dozen people showed up at the funeral for this once-great star she is buried in the family plot in an unmarked grave [Music] dolorous retired from show business in 1943 and quietly lived out her days on an avocado ranch she died on March 1st 1979 and was laid to rest beside her parents and her sister [Music] i Ronald Reagan do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States and will to the best of my ability and will to the best of my ability preserve protect and defend preserve protect and defend the Constitution of the United States the Constitution of the United States so help you God so help me God Mehra congratulate you sir on January 20th 1981 Ronald Reagan was sworn in as the 40th President of the United States [Applause] as he stood there on the doorstep of history perhaps he drew upon his Midwestern roots for the strength and confidence he would need to take on the monumental challenges that lie before [Music] [Applause] [Music] Ronald Reagan or Dutch as he was called at home was the youngest of two boys born to Jack Reagan and Nellie Clyde Wilson the Reagan's were a poor family and often moved from city to city wherever Jack could find work Reagan credited his mother for instilling in him a deep abiding religious faith and for teaching him to find the best in people it would be a trait that he would call upon with his own father working as a retail clerk Jack often struggled to find jobs which was owed and part to his bouts with alcoholism one incident that left the lifelong impression upon the 11 year old future president was when he came home one winter night to discover his father passed out drunk on the family snow-covered front porch it must have been a startling sight to say the least but on instinct Reagan knew what needed to be done and he carried his comatose father into the house and put him to bed despite his setbacks jack was a good man and a devoted Irish Catholic he gave his son a strong sense of moral values and a determined spirit to fight on towards accomplishing his goals it's what propelled Ronald Reagan to break in the radio then movies and eventually politics after making it in Hollywood Reagan moved his parents to Southern California in 1938 and bought them the first home they would ever own sadly jack died of a heart attack three years later at the age of 57 [Music] Nellie remained active in church and volunteered to aid sufferers of tuberculosis she passed away at the age of 79 Jack and Nellie Reagan now rests side-by-side under a tree on the brow of a small hill in cavalry cemetery although they did not live to witness their son's inauguration the vision of America that echoed in his words was their legacy our best effort and our willingness to believe in ourselves and to believe in our capacity to perform great deeds to believe that together with God's help we can and will resolve the problems which now confront us and after all why shouldn't we believe that we are Americans god bless you and thank you you standing among the grand monuments of cavalry is the private mausoleum of the Fergana family it's finely cut marble is adorned with the image of a Spanish galleon alluding to the family Spanish roots the bronze doors depict two peacocks that symbolize immortality they are perched on the branches of the tree of life beyond these doors rests a larger-than-life comic who was also an early champion of women's rights after Delia O'Callahan left home to go into show business she changed her name to Trixie for gonza it was a combination of her mother's maiden name and Trixie a name she picked because she liked how it sounded for nearly 50 years Trixie delighted audiences on the stages of Broadway and vaudeville as well as in film she was known for her e bullion and plump figure that she used a full comic effect [Music] despite having a lovelorn stage persona Trixie's personal life was anything but through three marriages she never lost her independent nature that decades later was championed by the equal rights movement Trixie was an outspoken supporter of women's suffrage and gave generously over time and money to organizations benefitting single mothers and orphaned children her long successful career was cut short by the onset of arthritis in 1940 she retired to the Academy of the Sacred Heart convent in Flint Ridge California despite great pain and limited mobility Trixie never lost her famous smile and cheerfulness her remaining years were bolstered by her deep Catholic faith and with visits from friends both old and new when she was asked what the secret to a long life was she replied don't eat more than you can chew and don't chew more than you can swallow [Music] below these stately family mausoleums is the resting place of one of Hollywood's most versatile performers as a young showman Jay Carol Nash traveled extensively across North America Europe the Middle East and the Orient being a natural mimic he picked up the many dialects and regional mannerisms that would later define his career the story goes that he came to Hollywood in 1926 when the [ __ ] steamer he was on broke down off the coast of Southern California it was a lucky turn of fate as Nash found work in the movies and because of his gift of imitation he was often cast as Italians Mexicans Asians and Arabs or just about any nationality the script called for in the 1940s and 50s he was known to radio listeners as the title character on the popular program by today's standards some of his characterizations are considered offensive but he remained busy throughout his long show business career perhaps his most successful undertaking in life was the 44 year marriage to his wife Gladys who we met on the Broadway stage [Music] by the age of 10 Ferdinand Joseph Lamont was already a talented pianist born in New Orleans two Creole parents around 1885 his father left home when he was three and when his mother remarried a few years later he took the last name of his stepfather Morton in his teen years Ferdinand worked odd jobs for poverty wages until he became a favorite piano player at a New Orleans sporting house or in other words a bordello there he earned as much as twenty dollars a night a fortune at the time in the cat houses of story Hill he sharpened his musical style and earned the nickname that he became known for Jelly Roll Morton his musical ability extended into composition and arrangement and the eponymously titled Jelly Roll blues is considered by many to be the first published work of jazz music throughout the 1910s and 20s jellyroll toured extensively across the United States and up into Canada also at that time he signed with RCA Victor and recorded such classic tunes as king Porter stomp Wolverine blues Manny's blues and many others [Music] by the 1930s his recording contract dried up and he found himself playing piano and managing nightclubs in Washington DC in 1938 he was severely injured in a stabbing after which his wife insisted they leave the city but not before he recorded hours of music and interviews for the Library of Congress in 1941 jellyroll was working in Los Angeles but in ill health his death on July 10th of that year got little mention in the press but his impact on the style of music he helped invent can still be felt to this day [Music] in 1923 film goers flocked to see scaramouche the new romantic adventure stories said against the French Revolution it was director Rex Ingram's follow-up to the prisoner of Zenda from the previous year scaramouche featured the same principle cast as Enda which were Alice Terry as the love interest Lewis stone as the heavy a fun fact stone is perhaps best known for playing Mickey Rooney's father in the long-running Andy Hardy series for MGM and then there was Ramon Navarro as the romantic lead audiences were instantly drawn to the handsome newcomer who in 1925 went on to stars the title character in the epic Ben Hur the film co-starred Francis X Bushman and Mayock a boy and features one of the most spectacular sequences caught on film with the climactic chariot race from that moment on the borrow became one of the most popular Latin leading men surpassed only by Rudolph Valentino [Music] born jose ramon gil Samaniego in Durango Mexico he moved to Los Angeles with his family when he was fourteen by the age of 17 he was appearing in bit parts and movies with the arrival of the talkies he starred with some of the top leading ladies of the day like Joan Crawford Greta Garbo and Myrna Loy after his contract with MGM expired in 1935 he continued to appear in independent and foreign language films later in life his career was reinvigorated with the coming of television where he made guest appearances on such popular shows as bonanza hi shopper al and wild wild west navarro continued to work up until his life was tragically cut short on October 30th 1968 when he was murdered by two young men he had invited into his Laurel Canyon home [Music] despite a brilliant film legacy he is mostly remembered today for the brutal details of his untimely death details that have been greatly exaggerated over time but all one needs to do is put rumour aside and behold the image of Ramon Navarro brought back to life on the big screen to know that they are watching a true star [Music] in 1915 former President Theodore Roosevelt attended the Panama Pacific Exposition in San Diego California as part of the festivities he watched a young dancer billed as libellous Avilan she became the toast of the fair as she danced to the strains of a Spanish guitar impressed by her performance the former president with the radiant grin bullish Lee declared that she was California's sweetheart and the fairest dancing daughter of the dolls the dancer was Beatrice Dominguez a descendant of one of the old Spanish families in California after the fair she performed on the vaudeville stage and then finally in motion pictures by 1920 she played minor parts in a few films then in that year she was cast with rising star Rudolph Valentino the pair ignited the screen when they danced the tango in the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse [Music] upon its release in 1921 it became the top grossing film of the year and had a huge cultural impact it transformed Valentino from an unknown to a superstar and forever billed him as a Latin Lover and the tango became an overnight dance craze naturally audiences wanted to see more of Valentino's alluring dance partner but it wasn't meant to be on the eve of four horsemen's release Beatrice was working on a new project when she fell suddenly and seriously ill with a burst appendix after undergoing two separate surgeries complications from peritonitis set in on February 27th 1921 Beatrice Dominguez California's dancing sweetheart died at the age of 24 ironically in five years time her dance partner Rudolph Valentino would succumb to the same illness despite her all-too-brief career she left behind a legacy that will last as long as people still dance and watch old films [Music] when people think of the Three Stooges the most obvious names that come to mind are Moe Larry and curly followed by Shemp and honorable mentions going to Joe Besser and Joe DeRita but if you mentioned the name Ted Healy you're likely to get a blank stare from everyone except the most astute stooge scholar but if it were not for him the beloved comedy team might never have existed Ted Healy was becoming a mainstay on the bottle stage in 1922 when he brought friends Moe and Shem powered into the act when the violin playing Larry fine came on a few years later the quartet of comedy performed under the name Ted Healy and his Stooges in 1930 they starred in from soup to nuts the first of 13 feature films they would make together [Applause] [Music] when Shemp left the act to go on his own Moe's brother Jerome took his place to give himself a comedic look Jerome shaved his head prompting Healy to call him curly the name stuck in 1934 Moe Larry and curly left the act and went on to make comedy history Healy had a busy solo career both on stage and on the screen however he was plagued by money problems and recurring bouts of alcoholism in 1936 he married Betty Hickman and on December 17 1937 he celebrated the birth of his son but sadly he wouldn't get a chance to see him grow up four days after becoming a father Ted Healy died unexpectedly from acute toxic nephritis a kidney ailment that is the result of alcoholism he was 41 years old normally that's where the story would end but in recent years the official cause of death has been challenged by conspiracy theorists it's a fact that two days before he'll he died he had been binge drinking and was involved in several drunken brawls at a Hollywood nightclub this has led critics and Internet sleuths to suggest that he picked a fight with popular leading actor wallace Beery and was beaten so severely that it led to his death furthermore it has claimed that to keep their star out of prison MGM Studios paid off witnesses and the police and had the coroner falsify his report most of the theories however are based on hearsay and outright fabrication but in Hollywood a town built on make-believe myth has always trumped fact and the truth like Ted Healy remains buried forever you [Music] you [Music] of the many Hollywood legends at rest within Cavalry's walls time has allowed us to visit only a small selection of those fame kissed few who strutted and fretted their hour upon the stage [Music] throughout our explorations we have also seen that behind these towering figures live very real human beings who in their private lives despite all achievements stumble and fall the same as we do but the darkness of the movie house hides all that and when the blackness is torn by that silver being we see upon the screen a ballet of light and shadow and the images they make are idealized versions of ourselves where nobility and honor dwells and even the most humble among us and that laughter rejuvenates many a weary soul through their example they caution us that within our hearts not only lies the potential for great goodness but for great evil as well as we walk among them here in this quiet graveyard they remind us of our relentless march towards sunset and how it does not have to be a solitary one these ageless performers who have gone before us showed above all that we need not fear the necessary end when it comes because love is more absolute than death our walk together through cavalry cemetery is not yet complete there are more people awaiting our visit there are more stories left to be told but to those who lived and spun tails in the footlights we bid a fond and an affectionate farewell a part of you will live within each of us for all time to bring this chapter to a close let's borrow an appropriate line from the immortal bard and say out out brief candle you

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Length: 36min 54sec (2214 seconds)

Published: Tue May 01 2018