Welcome the 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 Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills where we'll find such stars Bette Davis, Liberace, the co-creator of Mickey Mouse and many more. Join us won't you? Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills Memorial Park is located in the southern tip of the San Fernando Valley nestled right up against the Hollywood Hills. Sister cemetery to the original Forest Lawn in Glendale the Hollywood Hills location is no less grand and is a fitting resting place for so many stars as it is right across the street from both Disney and Warner Brothers Studios. Forest Lawn Cemetery are distinct for their flat lawn markers and are renowned for the beauty of their Parks, well-kempt lawns and Gardens and stunning works of art scattered throughout. Because this cemetery is so massive and there's so many stars buried here we're going to break this tour up into three parts -- oh look, deer! For this first part will be in the northeast section of the park in the area known as the courts of remembrance this section of cemetery consists of several open-air courtyards flanked by wall crypts. Approaching the first courtyard just to the left of the entrance to find the tomb of our first star Bette Davis one of the most beloved actresses of the 20th century, Bette Davis ranked number 2 on AFI's list of greatest female stars. She was nominated for an astounding 11 Academy Awards in her career, winning two, for "Dangerous" and "Jezebel." She was also nominated for her role in "All About Eve." So Bette, any parting words for our tour? "Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy night." Moving into the first courtyard along the wall to the right we find the crypt of British actor Charles Laughton who was a powerhouse on both stage and screen. He is perhaps best remembered for his roles in "Spartacus," "Mutiny on the Bounty," and "The Private Life of Henry the Eighth," for which he won an Academy Award. Laughton was married to Elsa Lanchester who famously played the Bride of Frankenstein. Kitty-corner to Charles Laughton is the Crypt of Clyde Beatty known in Hollywood as the :king of lion tamers." He gained notoriety for his fighting act in which he entered a cage of wild animals armed only with a whip and a pistol, a skill which landed him in several films in the 30s to the 50s. Crossing to the other end of the courtyard we enter a small room called the Columbarium of Remembrance. Along the far wall on the left corner we find the niche of a man uniquely named Ub Iwerks you may not know his name but you certainly know his work. Ub was Walt Disney's right-hand man and the co-creator of the Mickey Mouse. While Walt had the idea of Mickey and gave him his voice and personality it was Ub that brought him to life on paper, almost single-handedly drawing most of the early Mickey Mouse cartoos, including Steamboat Willie. Just a few spaces to the right we find the niche of actor Alvy Moore known as Mr. Wonderful of Hollywood. Alvy is best remembered for his role as scatterbrained agent Hank Kimball on the TV series "Green Acres." Heading now into the second courtyard we cross to the far side where on the right we find the tomb of Mr. Showmanship himself, Liberace. Known for his flamboyant style and incomparable skills on the piano Liberace was the highest paid entertainer from the 50s to the 70s. Maestro take it away... He dodged rumors of homosexuality his whole life, successfully suing newspapers for libel who made such claims. Sadly he is one of the early celebrities to die an aids-related death. In the northeast corner of this courtyard is another small room, the Columbarium of the Radiant Dawn. In the middle of the wall on the right we find the original resting place of Lucille Ball whose ashes were placed in this niche for 1989 to 2002, when her remains were moved to her hometown of Jamestown New York. Along the far wall above eye-level is the niche of actor Forrest Tucker who starred in nearly 150 films and television programs in his career. He's perhaps best remembered for his role as sergeant O'Rourke in the TV comedy "F-Troop." Turning left to the adjacent wall we find the niche of Walter Lantz just beneath the statute. Lantz was a cartoonist who will forever be remembered as the creator of Woody Woodpecker. A few spaces down and to the left of Lantz with the niche of actress Pamela Britton, who provided the voice of Blondie Bumstead in the TV series "Blondie." She also starred as Lorelai Brown on the TV series "My Favorite Martian." Just before the 3rd courtyard we turn right into the Sanctuary of Light. At the end on the right is the crypt of George Raft who broke into acting as a coin flipping tough in 1932's "Scarface." He quickly became known for his gangster roles in crime dramas of the 30s and 40s. His real life association with New York mobsters only added to his appeal. Immediately to the left of Raft is Freddie Prinze who is best remembered as the star of the 1970s sitcom "Chico and the Man." He suffered from depression and died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head when he was only 22. His son is actor Freddie Prinze Jr. Along the opposite wall just above eye-level is the crypt of actress Wanda Hendrix, who can be seen in many films from the 40s to the 70s including "Prints of Foxes," and "Captain Carey, USA." Heading now into the third courtyard we round the corner to the left and find the grand tomb of a man named Broccoli, Albert Broccoli. He is the producer we have to thank for bringing the James Bond series the big screen. The inaugural film of the series was 1962s Dr. No. Just north of Broccoli is a small room, the Columbarium of Providence. Along the wall to the right we find niche of actor Rod Steiger who won an Oscar for his portrayal of Gillespie in the film "In the Heat of the Night." He also starred alongside Marlon Brando in "On the Waterfront." Along the wall opposite the doorway above and to the right of the statue is the niche of the smallest actor in Hollywood, Josh Ryan Evans, who stood a mere 37 inches tall. His marker appears to be missing but here's an earlier picture. You can see him as a young Grinch in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." In the corner to the left of the doorway is the niche of husband-and-wife actors and musicians Julie London and Bobby Troup. Sultry-voiced London was one of the most popular vocal artists of the 50s, and Troup wrote the standard "Get Your Kicks on Route 66." [music] They both starred together in the 70s TV series "Emergency." Back in the courtyard to the northern wall we find a crypt of funny man Morey Amsterdam, who was known in his day as the human joke machine for his ability to churn out jokes on any subject on demand. He wrote for stars like Fanny Brice and Will Rogers before hosting his own variety program the Morey Amsterdam Show. He also starred as Buddy on "The Dick Van Dyke Show." Just down and to the right of Morey is actress Isabel Sanford, who played Weezy on "All in the Family," and "The Jeffersons." Her performances earned her five Golden Globe nominations and seven Primetime Emmy nominations, winning in 1981 making her the first african-american woman to win Best Actress in a Comedy. Just to the left is a wall of niches where we'll find Disney animator Art Babbitt, the man credited for creating Goofy. Down the stairs along the bottom row is the niche of actress Ann Harding who is remembered for her roles in films like "The Animal Kingdom," and "Holiday," the latter earning her an Academy Award nomination in 1931. Let's step outside the courtyard for a brief moment and visit one of Hollywood's most talented voice actresses. Halfway down the hill where the markers changed direction is the grave of Mary Kay Bergman who is perhaps best remembered as the original voice of all the female characters on South Park. Sadly she took her own life in 1999. Back up the hill and into the courtyard on the east side in the corridor just south of the Christus is the crypt of lovely blonde actress Sandra Dee, who often played ingenues on screen, such as Gidget in the 1959 movie of the same name. She won a Golden Globe in 1959 for most promising newcomer. Back in the courtyard in the southeast corner is the tomb of heavy metal rocker Ronnie James Dio, who fronted Black Sabbath for a time before starting his own band, Dio, whose hits include "Rainbow in the Dark," and "Holy Diver." And it wouldn't be a true Dio tomb without the sign of the horns on either side. On the opposite side of the courtyard in the Columbarium of Sacred Trust, is another heavy metal legend Lemmy, who founded and fronted the band Motorhead Heading now into the southeast courtyard into the Sanctuary of Treasured Love we find the crypt of actor and gentle giant Michael Clarke Duncan, who won the hearts of audiences the world over for his role as John Coffey in the 1999 film "The Green Mile." His performance earned him an Academy Award nomination. "I'm tired of bein' on the road, lonely as a sparrow in the rain. "I'm tired of me havin' no body to be with, tell me where we's goin' to, comin' from or why. "Mostly I'm tired of people being ugly to each other. I'm tired of all the pain I'm feeling here in the world everyday, they's too much of it." Heading west now we cross over into the last courtyard. In the southeast corner of this courtyard we find the Columbarium of Valor. On the wall just to the right of the door is the niche of actor Brad Davis, who is best known for his starring role in "Midnight Express" for which he won a Golden Globe. Just to the left and above eye-level is the niche of McClain Stevenson who played Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake on the hit TV show MASH. And in the wall opposite the door to the left of the statute is the niche of Leon Ames, an actors who often portrayed father figures in films like "Meet Me in St. Louis." He is also remembered for his role as DA Sackett in "The Postman Always Rings Twice." We'll head now to the outer walls of this courtyard were on the walls facing west we find one of Hollywood's shortest actresses Tamara De Treaux, who at just 2 foot 7 was one of the actresses who helped portray ET. Along this same wall a little further north is the crypt of Andy Gibb. The youngest of the give brothers of Bee Gees fame, Andy was a popular singer in his own right. He had a top-ten hit with the song "I just Want to Be Your Everything." Heading north we find the south facing wall of the first courtyard. Along this wall near the western edge is the crypt of crooner Lou Rawls. The silk voice singers sold more than 40 million albums in his career. His most popular single is "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine." Out on the lawn just southwest of the courtyard with the grave of Lee Van Cleef, who often portrayed villainous characters in western films including "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," and "For a Few Dollars More." The epitaph, "Best of the Bad" is an allusion to him having often portrayed bad guys in Spaghetti Westerns. Still out on the lawn in front of the courtyards we cross to the northwest and head part way down the hill. Here we find the grave of Syrian born actor Michael Ansara who starred as Cochise in the TV series "Broken Arrow" and as Klingon commander Kang on "Star Trek." He also provided the voice of Mr. Freeze on "Batman the Animated Series." Finally we head out west into the large lawn directly in front of the courtyard we're, right in the middle of the lawn we'll find... with a little luck and a sharp eye... let's see... ah there they are, husband and wife entertainers Edie Adams and Ernie Kovacs. Edie began working on TV regularly with comedian and future husband Ernie Kovacs. Her talents were not just limited to televisions however as she was an accomplished musician and singer as well as a stage performer winning a Tony Award in 1956 for 'Li'l Abner." She also did a spot-on impression of Marilyn Monroe. "This is this is a one of our rare privileges, we're so happy to have you visit us here." "Thank you, it's a pleasure for me too." "Get that scenery up higher if it's not flameproof will ya?" Ernie Kovacs is one of Hollywood's most influential comic TV stars. Kovacs' experimental, visually unique, and often ad-lib style of comedy became his signature and we're not the employment shows like "Saturday Night Live." He died in a car accident when he was only 42. His epitaph reads "nothing in moderation." Amen to that Ernie. 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! Hey check it out, it's the deer we ran into at the beginning of our tour. Let's see what they're up to.
