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're exploring
Angelus Rosedale Cemetery and Chapel of the Pines, where we'll find such stars as
Hattie McDaniel, Anna May Wong, Nigel Bruce, and many more.
Join us, won't you? Angeles Rosedale was founded in 1884 as
Rosedale Cemetery, making it one of the oldest cemeteries in LA. In fact, so old
as this cemetery that Mother Earth has begun to reclaim it for her own.
It sits on 65 acres of land not far from downtown LA. A few years after its
creation, in 1887, Rosedale opened the US's second-ever Crematory, the first
west of the Rockies. Rosedale was the very first cemetery in LA open to all
races and creeds, so here we'll find a number of Hollywood's black and Asian
stars. It was also the first in the area to adopt the new Lawn Cemetery approach,
where the grounds are enhanced with decorative trees, shrubs, flowers, and
natural scenery - a precursor of sorts to the Memorial Park concept adopted by
Forest Lawn years later. On the grounds is also a small mausoleum for niche and
crypt entombment. In 1993 Rosedale was purchased by Angelus funeral home and
was renamed Angeles Rosedale. Given the eclectic array of gravestones and
monuments that dot the landscape here Angelus Rosedale has served as the
backdrop for a number of film and television productions over the years,
like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Six Feet Under. We'll also be visiting Chapel of the Pines today, which is this charming
little old crematory and columbarium adjacent to but separate from the
cemetery. We'll begin our tour of Angelus Rosedale
just in from the entrance on the left, in Section D. Right near the corner of this lawn is the grave of Hattie McDaniel. She was a radio, film, and television star,
known for being the first black woman to sing on the radio in the US, and is
perhaps best remembered today for her role as Mammy in Gone with the Wind. "I has told ya and told ya, that you can always tell a lady by the way that she eats in front of folks like a bird. And I ain't aimin' for you to go to Mr. John Wilkerson's and eat like a field hen and gobble like a hog." "Fiddle-dee-dee. Ashley Wilkes told me he likes to see a
girl with a healthy appetite." "What gentlemen says what they thinks is two different things. And I ain't noticed Mr. Ashley askin' for to marry ya." Her performance as Mammy earned her an
Academy Award in 1940, making her the very first African American entertainer
to win Hollywood's highest honor. The hotel where the Oscars were held that
year had a no blacks policy, but McDaniel was let in as a favor. "I sincerely hope I
shall always be a credit to my race and to the motion picture industry. My heart
is too full to tell you just how I feel, and may I say thank you, and God bless you." Before her death
Hattie McDaniel's wish was to be buried at Hollywood Cemetery, now Hollywood
Forever Cemetery, but the owner at the time, Jules Roth, did not accept black
people for burial there, and so she was laid to rest here at Rosedale. In 1999
the new owners of Hollywood Forever offered to have McDaniel reinterred
there, but the family did not wish to disturb her remains, so as a gesture to
honor her last wish a cenotaph to Hattie McDaniel was placed at Hollywood Forever. Let's make our way to the middle of this
same lawn. Here we find actor Monroe Salisbury. His
career began on stage before becoming an early silent film star and matinee idol,
frequently working with Cecil B DeMille and later at Universal. His greatest
success was the lead male role in 1916's Ramona. In 1935 he checked into a mental
hospital. He died at 59 from injuries sustained in
a fall while there. His body lay in a local mortuary for a day until his true
identity was revealed. Just four mourners attended the funeral of the once matinee
idol. Our next stop isn't a star, per se, but
her name should ring a bell. In section H, in a ways from the road, just south of the line of trees, we find Maria Rasputin. She was the daughter of Grigori Rasputin...
yes that Rasputin, Russia's Mad Monk, mystic and holy man to Russia's last
monarch, Tsar Nicholas II. Maria wrote a number of memoirs about her father and also worked for a time as a circus performer. Let's make our way around to
the east side of section J. In a short ways from the road we find David Burbank. He was a dentist and businessman who owned a large portion of land just north
of Hollywood that would eventually bear his name. Burbank is now known as the
media capital of the world as it hosts the headquarters of a number of major
studios, including Disney, Warner Bros, Nickelodeon Animation, and Cartoon
Network. And beautiful downtown Burbank would also become the butt of many a
joke on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. "I like beautiful downtown Burbank, but then I've seen Transylvania." "No look at beautiful downtown Burbank
would be complete without a brief understanding of the culture that made
this metropolis the hub of the universe." "This was beautiful downtown Burbank." Straight across the street east is section 7. Under the tree we find the grave of Ivie
Anderson. She was a popular jazz singer of the 30s and 40s often performing with
Duke Ellington. [music] She was just 45 when she died from
complications of asthma. Let's head to the section straight north of here. About halfway in is the grave of Anna May Wong, interred here with her mother Lee Toy
and her sister. Anna May was an actress and fashion icon of the 20s and 30s
considered Hollywood's first Chinese-American star and the first
Asian American to attain international celebrity. Her films include The Toll of
the Sea, the first Technicolor feature made in Hollywood, The Thief of Bagdad, and Shanghai Express alongside Marlene Dietrich. "What kind of a house did you
say?" "A boarding house." "Oh." "I'm sure you're very respectable, madam." "I must confess I don't
quite know the standard of respectability that you demand in your
boarding house, Mrs. Haggerty." "I've made a terrible mistake." Anna May's career was continually frustrated, however, by
American anti-miscegenation laws. She often faced the disappointment of being passed over for lead Asian roles, which went to white actresses, because, as a
lead Asian actress, she would not be allowed to kiss or be shown in a
relationship with her white male counterparts. Can you believe that less
than a hundred years ago that were laws like that? So Anna May was stuck with
supporting roles, playing the stereotypical "dragon lady." In the late
20s she left Hollywood for Europe for greater opportunities and found success
in a number of productions there. She eventually returned to Hollywood and
worked both sides of the pond for the remainder of her career, but her
frustrations with casting discrimination would plague her for the rest of her
life, once even being called "too Chinese to play a Chinese." But a big part of Anna May's legacy
was to pave the way for Asian American performers to follow, even
becoming the first Asian American to star in the lead role for a TV series - in
1951's The Gallery of Madame Liu Tsong. For her contributions to the film
industry Anna May Wong was one of the for actresses alongside Dorothy
Dandridge, Dolores Del Rio, and Mae West, honored in this Gateway to Hollywood
monument at the start of the Walk of Fame. I don't read Chinese but as I understand it, her Chinese name is engraved here on
the marker. Let's make our way up to the north end of the cemetery, to section 6. Just north of the roundabout is the
grave of Ernest Whitman. He was a film and radio performer seen in movies like Road to Zanzibar, and the Prisoner of Shark Island. He also hosted the Armed
Forces radio show, "Jubilee," which was designed for African-American troops
during World War II. Another radio and TV show in the 50s, The
Beulah Show, featured Whitman as Bill Jackson. A little further along the
roundabout, just past the pyramid, is Section Q. A healthy walk west is the
grave of silent film star Louise Glaum. She was one of early Hollywood's exotic
vamps and femme fatales, rival to another legendary silent vamp, Theda Bara. Her
films include Love, and Sex, a film whose title alone stirred controversy. She
retired from acting in the 20s, but later in life opened a number of theatres in
LA. Let's make our way south to the mausoleum. On the lawn immediately east
of the mausoleum we find legendary magician, Harry Kellar, known as the Dean
of American Magicians. In the late 1800s and early 1900s Keller was the greatest
touring illusionist, known for his spectacular levitation illusion. He
inspired many magicians to follow including Harry Houdini. After his death
in 1922 Kellar's grave remained unmarked for nearly 80 years until 2001 when the
Academy of Magical Arts, headquartered at Hollywood's Magic Castle. placed this
stone. Here we are now the Angeles Rosedale
mausoleum. Let's head inside. On the wall immediately left of the entrance, below eye level, is the niche of Everett Sloane. He was an actor who, in the 30s, joined
Orson Welles' Mercury Theater, and made his screen debut in one of the greatest
films ever made: Citizen Kane. He also appeared in Welles'
The Lady From Shanghai, and Rod Serling's Patterns. On TV Sloane voiced Dick Tracy
in The Dick Tracy Show in the 60s. He committed suicide by a barbiturate
overdose at the age of 55. The corridor on the left is Eternal Light. Low on the right wall we find the niche of Tod Browning. At the age of 16 he ran away
from home to become a circus performer. He soon made his way to silent film
first as an actor then on to directing, working with Lon Cheney and Priscilla
Dean in films like Outside the Law. But he is perhaps best remembered today as the director of Universal's legendary horror film, Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi.
He also directed the cult classic, Freaks, in 1932, a film considered to be too
shocking for release in his original form. A few spaces to the right is the
niche of Honorable Wu. He was a California born
Asian American actor, seen in films like Stowaway, and Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation. His career was cut short when he died at the age of 48. Let's head back outside to
the law west of the mausoleum. About halfway into section K we find the grave
of the man, Marshall A Neilan. He began his career as an actor, but today he is best known as one of the great directors of the silent era, directing a number of
Mary Pickford's films, including Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. Neilan was said to
have been Mary's favorite director. Other notable films include The Lotus Eater
with John Barrymore, and The Vagabond Lover with Rudy Vallee and Marie Dressler. Despite being one of the highest-paid Directors in the 20s his career waned in the talkies. That, combined with chronic alcoholism, Neilan died in poverty in 1958, and is buried here in an indigent's
grave. Let's head Southwest on this same lawn. Right next to the chapel we find the grave of Tim Moore, whose real name was
Harry. He was known as the Kingfish of comedy for his role as George "Kingfish"
Stevens on the 50s TV series, The Amos 'n Andy Show. Before that, though, he was
a comedian on vaudeville and Broadway, finding success in shows like Blackbirds
of 1928. After his death in 1958 thousands of fans and fellow stars came
to pay their respects of the funeral of the beloved comedian, stars like Dean
Martin, Sidney Poitier, Sammy Davis Jr., Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, and Frank
Sinatra, who reportedly helped organize an effort to pay for Moore's funeral
expenses. His grave remained unmarked until the 80s when fellow comedians Redd
Foxx and George Kirby raised funds for a stone. Just two spaces west we find Andy Razaf. He was a popular songwriter in the early
20th century, mainly as a lyricist. His hit songs include "Honeysuckle Rose" and "Ain't Misbehavin," both of which he wrote with Fats Waller. "Ain't Misbehavin" would
be performed by some of the music world's biggest stars for decades to
follow, from Louis Armstrong to Billie Holiday. [music] Razaf was inducted
into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972. Let's head back now toward the
entrance to the southernmost part of section D. Just in from the road we find
Dooley Wilson. He was an actor and singer famous for his portrayal of Sam in
Casablanca, where he would sing the theme song, "As Time Goes By," one of the most
iconic musical moments in Hollywood history. "Sing it, Sam." [music] Prior to Casablanca he played drums in a band and performed on Broadway. Later in his career he can be
seen alongside Loretta Young in Come to the Stable, and on the TV show, Beulah. Hold that music, were not done yet! That concludes our tour of Angelus Rosedale, but we've got one more stop before our tour is through. Adjacent to Angelus Rosedale,
on the northeast side, at the corner of venice and Catalina, is the
Chapel of the Pines - a quaint little old crematory and columbarium that resembles an ancient Greek Observatory. It was founded in 1903, making it another of the very early resources for cremation in Hollywood. There are no crypts or graves
here, only cremation urns and niches. There's not a lot of information out
there about this little place, but let's take a moment to admire some of its
beauty. Ok, let's find out who's here, shall we? If you saw our Halloween
special you'll remember that there's a cenotaph to actor Colin Clive out front
here. Clive is best remembered for his role as Dr. Frankenstein in 1931's
Frankenstein. Every horror fan out there knows this scene. "Look, it's moving. It's alive. It's alive. It's alive. It's moving!
Oh IT'S ALIVE! IT'S ALIVE!" "Henry, in the name of God!" "In the name of God...
now I know what it feels like to be God!" He would reprise the role in 1935 for
the Bride of Frankenstein. His career was cut far too short when he died at the age of 37 from complications of tuberculosis exacerbated by his chronic alcoholism. Pallbearers at his funeral included another horror icon, Peter Lorre. If you look just up into the left you'll see the name Auguste Jansen Dante, King
of Magicians. This is a cenotaph to the late magician who was cremated
here but, is inurned n San Francisco. In 1936 Dante the Magician would become
the world's premier magician until his death in 1955. Lets head now into the
Chapel of the Pines. The corridor immediately left of the entrance is
Deodora Hall South. Low on the Left wall we find the niche of actor Leonard Mudie. He wasn't a leading man but he did have roles in some of Hollywood's biggest
films of the era, like The Mummy, Captain Blood, Blood and Cleopatra. His final role was
in the pilot for Star Trek in 1965. Further in along this wall, between the
small windows, is the niche of actor Stewart Irwin. He was nominated for an
Oscar for his supporting role in Pigskin Parade. He also had his own TV sitcom The
Stu Erwin Show Show, which ran from 1950 to 1955. It featured his real-life wife June
Collyer, whose ashes rest here alongside her husband's. June is also known for her
role in the film A Face in the Fog. A little further in on the left is the
niche of Mae Busch. Fans of Laurel and Hardy will remember Mae as the shrewish
wife of Oliver Hardy. Prior to that though she was a popular silent vamp, as
in Todd Browning's The Unholy Three in 1925, alongside Lon Cheney. Mae died of
colon cancer at 54. Her ashes went unclaimed until the 1970s when a Laurel
and Hardy fan club paid for their placement here. Crossing now to the lower right corner we find the niche of Lyle Wheeler. He was
one of Hollywood's great art directors, designing sets for over 300 films,
including Gone with the Wind, The King and I, and The Diary of Anne Frank. He won five Oscars in his career and was nominated an additional 24 times. Back toward the door, high on this same wall, is Willis O'Brien. He was one
of the early pioneers of stop-motion animation in Hollywood. He began
experimenting with stop-motion animation in the teens. His work caught the eye of
Edison, who hired him to animate a series of prehistoric short films. This led to
him being hired to do the stop-motion special effects for the 1925 film, The
Lost World. He's best known today for animating the iconic great ape films,
King Kong, Son of Kong, and Mighty Joe Young. He would work with other stop-motion
legends like George Pal, and mentored another soon to be legendary animator,
Ray Harryhausen. One last glance of this colorful corridor, then let's head into
the chapel. On the right is section A. Low on the wall
we find Leonard Carey. He's perhaps best remembered for his role as the beach
hermit, Ben, in Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca. As an Englishman he also often played
English butlers. We now head up and around to Deodora Hall North. Low on the left wall,
and today hidden under a mass of flowers, is the niche of actor Nigel Bruce.
He's best remembered for playing Dr. John Watson to Basil Rathbone's
Sherlock Holmes, in a number of film and radio programs in the 30s and 40s. He also had roles in the Hitchcock films, Rebecca and Suspicion. A little further along this wall is Lloyd Ingraham. As a director in the silent
era he specialized in westerns and melodramas, directing some 100 films,
including At the sign of the Jack O' Lantern. He was also a character actor
in around 300 productions, like Scaramouche and Rainbow Valley with John Wayne. Let's head up now to the second level. In alcove J, below the windows, we
find the niche and urn of Arthur Hoyt. He was an actor who usually played smaller
supporting roles, often playing little mild-mannered and befuddled men. His
career began in the silent era with roles in films like The Four Horsemen of
the Apocalypse. He can also be seen in The Lost World, and It Happened One Night. A large number of stars who were cremated here at the Chapel of the Pines
opted, for one reason or another, not to have their ashes placed in a niche or
privately held. Either that or they couldn't afford it, or there was no one
to claim their ashes. So what's the fate of these individuals' remains? Well,
they're resting on a shelf, forever locked away in the Chapel of the Pines
basement vault. This lower level mezzanine is as close as we'll get to
the basement vault, which is closed to the public. Just some of the stars whose
ashes are stored in the vault include: actor Edmund Gwenn, old Hollywood's
favorite Santa Claus. He played Kris Kringle in 1947's Miracle
on 34th Street, which won him an Oscar. Actor Philip Van Zandt played Rawlston in
Citizen Kane. Actor HB Warner played Jesus in The King
of Kings in 1927, and also had a role in It's a Wonderful Life. Bronco Billy Anderson was one of Hollywood's very first western stars, writing, directing,
and acting in hundreds of silent westerns as his Bronco Billy character.
He received an honorary Academy Award as a motion picture pioneer. Tom Conway was
an actor best known for playing the Falcon in the detective series of the
40s. William Desmond was the King of Silent Serials, seen in films like Around
the World in 18 Days. Actress and writer Maude Fulton wrote and starred in a popular play, The Brat in 1919, and wrote screenplays for films like The Maltese
Falcon in 1931. Actor Wilfred Lucas can be seen in some 400 productions, including Chaplin's modern times. He also directed dozens of silent films. Sarah Y. Mason wrote the screenplay for 1933's Little Women which won her an Oscar. Thomas Mitchell played Scarlett O'Hara's father in Gone with the Wind, and Doc Boone in Stagecoach. He was the first male actor to win an Oscar, Emmy, and Tony. Stewart Patton was a director, perhaps best known for the 1916 version of
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Hall of Fame songwriter Harry Ruby wrote
"Who's Sorry Now," and "Three Little Words." Helen Chandler played Mina in Tod
Browning's Dracula, alongside Bela Lugosi. And silent film star Florence
Turner, known as "The Vitagraph Girl," was one of Hollywood's very first movie
stars. Finally let's remember a few stars who
were cremated here, but their ashes either privately held or scattered. Ross Bagdasarian, aka David Seville, created Alvin and the Chipmunks. Bess Flowers was the Queen of Hollywood Extras, appearing in an astounding 900
productions, making her perhaps Hollywood's most prolific actress. Alan Napier played Alfred in the Batman series of the 60s. Jay Silverheels played Tonto in
the Lone Ranger. His ashes were scattered at the Six Nations reserve in Ontario. And Ann Sheridan, whose ashes were stored here until they were relocated to the Chapel Columbarium at Hollywood Forever in 2005. And that concludes our tour. What
are some of your favorite memories of the stars we visited today? Share them in the comments below
and be sure to like, share, and subscribe for more famous
grave tours. Thanks for watching, we'll see you on the next one! What goes through the mind of Arthur
Dark as he strolls the cemetery? Let's listen in. Boy this grass has sure seen better days. Hope this drought ends soon. Alright, stay focused, and whatever you do don't step in a hole. Oh, damn it! So much for the best laid plans of mice and me. Now where did I leave my car?
