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 Eden Memorial Park,
where we'll find such stars as Groucho Marx, Lenny Bruce, Mitzi Green, and many more.
Join us, won't you? Eden Memorial Park is a Jewish cemetery
located in the northern end of the San Fernando Valley, in Mission Hills. As
we've seen in past tours it's common to see Christian and Jewish cemeteries
side-by-side here in Southern California. Eden is right across the street from San
Fernando Mission Cemetery, which we visited earlier this year. It's a
medium-sized Cemetery at around 60 acres. The first funeral was held here in 1961,
and Eden has supported the local Jewish community ever since. We'll begin our tour just in from the
entrance on the left. in the Akiba section. Half way into this lawn, a few
rows up from the fence, is the grave of John Brown. He was the second of four
actors to portray neighbor Harry Morton on the George Burns and Gracie Allen
Show in the 50s. He also had a recurring role on the radio and TV series, The Life
of Riley, as Digger O'Dell. On film he can be seen in Hitchcock's Strangers On a
Train, and the B-movie, Robot Monster. In 1952 Brown became a victim of the
Hollywood blacklist, and died of a heart attack a few years later. Back to the
road we turn right at the intersection and find the Isaiah section on the right. Most of the way to the fence is the
grave of Kurt Katch. He was a Polish actor who fled Europe in the 30s at the
rise of the Nazi Party. He arrived in Hollywood and became a
popular screen villain, seen in films like, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, and
the Mummy's Curse. Back to the main road, then right at the
next intersection, we find the Court of Tribes mausoleum on the left. Following
the main sidewalk, then left at the mosaic, then right, we find a small
Columbarium. In the middle of the far wall is the final resting place of
legendary comedian Groucho Marx, his niche flanked by cigars and Groucho
masks. Perhaps the most recognizable of the Marx Brothers, with his greasepaint
mustache, glasses, and cigar, Julius 'Groucho' Marx began performing on
stage with his brothers: Harpo, Chico, Gummo, and Zeppo.
They found success on vaudeville and Broadway with their zany comedic
performances. As the brothers' stars rose Groucho quickly cemented himself as one
of the Masters of quick wit on stage and in Hollywood, famous for his wisecracks
and double entendre one-liners. The brothers made a number of films together,
many of which are still considered among the greatest comedies ever made, like, A
Night at the Opera, and Duck Soup. "Not that I care, but where is your husband?" "Why, he's dead." "I'll bet he's just using that
as an excuse." "I was with him until the very end." "Hm, no wonder he passed away." "I held him in my arms, and kissed him." "Oh, I see, then it was murder. Will you marry me?
Did he leave you any money? Answer the second question first." "He left me his entire fortune." "is that so? Can't you see what I'm trying to tell you?
I love you!" "Oh, your excellency!" "You're not so bad yourself!" Later in life Groucho found success as
the host of the radio and TV quiz show, You Bet Your Life.
Before his death Groucho famously quipped, "I wish to be cremated. One-tenth of my
ashes shall be given to my agent, as written in our contract." After his death
at age 86 he was cremated, and though a portion of his ashes didn't go to his
agent, they did go on an unexpected journey. In 1982, five years after his
death, the urn containing Groucho's ashes was stolen from here
and left without explanation at Mt. Sinai Cemetery several mile south. It was promptly returned and replaced here. Just above and to the left is the niche of
actress Bunny Summers. On stage she played the mother of the Marx Brothers
in the musical, Minnie's Boys, a role originated by Shelley Winters.
She made her TV debut on Petticoat Junction, and can be seen in a number of
other shows including The Doris Day Show, and The Facts of Life. On the wall to the
left, above eye level, is songwriter and composer, Buck Ram. He was one of BMI 's
top songwriters, known for his association with The Platters. He wrote
many of their biggest hits including, "The Great Pretender," "Twilight Time," and "Only You" [music] He also co-wrote
the song I'll Be Home for Christmas. Back to the road we continue east to Judea
East and the Garden of Love. Here is Mitzi Green. She was a child star of the
early talkies known as Little Mitzi, seen in films like Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry
Finn, and Little Orphan Annie. On Broadway she starred in the original production
of Babes in Arms, originating the song, "My Funny Valentine." Later in her career she
starred in the TV sitcom, So This is Hollywood. She was only 48 when she died of cancer. Let's continue around to the north. On the Left we find Mt. Nebo section. A few rows down from the road and the sign is acerbic funny man, Lenny Bruce. He's best known for his edgy controversial
stand-up comedy and social satire, unafraid to ruffle feathers with his
unfiltered routines on politics, religion, and sex. He was arrested and convicted of
obscenity in the 60s, making him a symbol of the era for
freedom of speech and expression. Lenny Bruce paved the way for future outspoken
counterculture comedians like Richard Pryor and George Carlin. He died of a
drug overdose at the age of 40. Decades after his death the governor of New York
granted him a posthumous pardon of the obscenity conviction. straight west is Mt. Hagiborim. Most of the way to the edge we find Vic
Mizzy. If a 60s TV show opened with a catchy tune you just couldn't get out of
your head, it may very well have been written by Vic Mizzy. He began his career
writing songs for artists like Doris Day and The Andrews Sisters, but today he's
perhaps best remembered for those catchy opening tunes for shows including
Green Acres, one of my favorites, The Addams Family. [music] He also wrote scores for films including
The Ghost and Mr. Chicken. "The Whole World is Singing My Song"
is the title of one of his songs. [music] Back across the street to the east is
Mount of Olives West. A few spaces right of a tree is Larry D. Mann. He was a
Canadian-born character actor who made guest appearances on many of the great
TV shows of the 60s through the 80s, shows like The Man From UNCLE, Bewitched,
Green Acres and Hill Street Blues. He's perhaps best remembered today as the
voice of Yukon Cornelius in the beloved Christmas classic, Rudolph the Red-Nosed
Reindeer. "Who are you?" "Who am I? The name's Yukon Cornelius,
the greatest prospector in the north! This is my land, and you know, it's rich
with gold!" The next section north is Mt. Jerusalem. Right of the sidewalk, just under a tree is Phil Foster. Fans of Laverne and Shirley will remember him as Frank on over a hundred episodes of the
popular 70s and 80s sitcom. He can also be seen in films like
The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington. Just north of Phil is Harvey Lembeck. He was a regular in the
beach and bikini comedies of the 60s, as inept motorcycle gang leader Eric Von
Zipper - a role he played six times. And on television he played Cpl. Rocco
Barbella on The Phil Silvers Show. One of his more
notable performances was on both stage and screen productions of Stalag 17. He died of a heart attack at just 58. Back to the road we turn right at Mount
Shalom drive and find Mount of Olives east on the right. Under the tree is
Marty Allen. He was a comedic entertainer and one half of Allen and Rossi with
Steve Rossi. The duo played Vegas, toured the country, and recorded a number of
popular comedy albums together. They even made a film: The Last of the Secret
Agents, in 1966. Allen was also a regular panelist on Hollywood Squares,
and gave much of his time to entertain troops in hospitals who had returned
from fighting in Vietnam. As of filming his marker is temporary. Straight across
the street east is not Shalom. Not far from a small tree and bench is Bert
Gordon, known as "The Mad Russian," a character that would become immensely
popular on the radio, on shows like the Eddie Cantor Show. His distinctive
introduction, "How do you do," became a part of popular vernacular in the 40s, and he
was often parodied by others like Abbott and Costello and even the Looney Tunes. In 1945 he made a film titled "How Do You Do." Let's continue north, past the mausoleum,
then left to find the Court of Prophets on the left. Here we find Catya Sassoon,
the daughter of hairstylist Vidal Sassoon and actress Beverly Adams. She
began her career as a model at the tender age of 14, dropping out of school
and quickly becoming a top teen model. Catya grew up fast, married and
experimenting with drugs before the age of 16. Her modeling career was a
springboard into the movies, her debut being in the 1985 film Tuff Turf
alongside James Spader and Robert Downey Jr. She died of a heart attack triggered
by drug use at just 33. Doubling back, then left, we find the
Court of Abraham North on the right. Right of the sidewalk we find Michael Gilden. He was an actor
with a form of dwarfism, standing 4'6 as an adult. He played an Ewok
in Return of the Jedi, and had roles in other productions like Tarantino's Pulp
Fiction, and TV shows including Charmed, and CSI. He took his own life by hanging at the age of 44, a scene tragically reminiscent of his role in CSI. He was married to
actress Meredith Eaton at the time, with whom he
had acted a number of times, including in that episode of CSI. Further in this section, just right of the sidewalk is Brad Morrow - real name
Brady or Bradley Mora. He was a child actor discovered at the age of two by
MGM. He began performing in film and television in the 50s, films like Cause
for Alarm alongside Loretta Young. At Disney he was a Mouseketeer before being
cast in the Spin and Marty miniseries. And as an adult he performed in touring
productions of West Side Story and The Diary of Anne Frank. He died of cancer at
the age of 55. Finally we follow the road around to the
west, to the Mt. Ephraim section on the right. If we follow this sidewalk all the
way to the end, then cross the lawn to the far side, right up to the fence, we
find the grave of Morton Heilig. He was a filmmaker and inventor known as
the father of virtual reality. In the 1950s Heilig envisioned a more
multi-sensory 3D experience as the future of cinema. In 1957 he began
building the Sensorama machine, which gave its viewers not only
a 3d view but also included stereo sound, a vibrating seat, wind blowing in their
face, and even smells from what was seen. It was impressive technology for the
time, but unable to procure funding, the Sensorama never really took off. Over the
years Heilig continued to innovate products and the process of VR, 3D film
making, and multi-sensory theatre experiences, seen at Disney and elsewhere. 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. Beware of coyote, huh?
I wonder which coyote they mean... Wile E. Coyote? Coyote Peterson? Coyote Shivers, maybe? Better keep an eye out for all three.
