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
Home of Peace Cemetery, where we'll find two Stooges - Shemp and Curly - and the
founders of three major Hollywood studios. Join us, won't you? Home of Peace is a Jewish cemetery located in East LA, right across the street from Calvary
Cemetery which we visited in our previous tour.
It's the oldest Jewish cemetery in the area, and like the old Calvary Cemetery,
the first Jewish cemetery was located closer to what is now Dodger Stadium, in
Chavez Ravine. In the mid-1800s. When that site filled to capacity Home of
Peace was established in East LA and between 1902 and 1910, using horse-drawn wagons, the community members worked tirelessly to relocate their honored
ancestors to their new resting places. At the heart of the cemetery is the Home of
Peace Mausoleum and chapel dedicated in 1934. It's an architectural treasure in
LA, intricately and ornately designed with echoes of old-world synagogues. We'll begin our tour just in from the
entrance in Section A. Right near the road is Mark Sandrich.
He was the director in the 30s and 40s notable for having directed Fred Astaire
and Ginger Rogers in many of their successful musical films, including The
Gay Divorcee, Top Hat, and Shall We Dance. He also directed Bing Crosby and Fred
Astaire in the classic Holiday Inn, which introduced the world to Irving Berlin's
timeless holiday song "White Christmas." He died suddenly of a heart attack at just
44. Continuing up to Section 3M on the right, just before a hedge, is Jack
Skirball. He served as an ordained rabbi in the 20s before making his way to
Hollywood where he would produce films, including a number of Alfred Hitchcock
films. He was also a philanthropist, founding the Hebrew Union College
Skirball Museum, later renamed the Skirball Cultural Center, which sought to
show that Christians and Jews have much in common and to dissipate anti-semitism.
The Skirball Center for the Performing Arts in New York is named in his honor. Are you a fan of Warner Brothers? Well three of the four brothers are right
here at Home of Peace. Youngest brother, Jack Warner, was co-founder of Warner Bros.Studios with brothers Harry, Sam, and Albert. In the very early
years the enterprising Brothers made money showcasing films across Ohio and
Pennsylvania. Young Jack would sing and entertain the audiences during reel
changes. In 1910 the brothers sold the business pooled their resources and by
the teens were producing their own films. Their first hit came in 1918 with My
Four Years in Germany. The success of this film allow the brothers to
establish a studio in California. Jack became co-head of production with
brother, Sam. In 1923 a German Shepherd named Rin Tin Tin would become their
first big star but, even with these successes Warners struggled to compete
with the big three of the era: Paramount, Universal, and First National. And then came sound.
In 1927 Warners released the first feature-length talkie, The Jazz
Singer, turning around the studio's fortunes and making it one of the major
players in Hollywood, which it remains to this day. For the next few decades Jack
remained head of production at Warner Bros., and was known to rule with an
iron fist. His relationship with his brothers soured in later years. In one
notoriously devious move in 1956 the three surviving brothers agreed to sell
most of their shares in the company, but Jack kept his instead and organized a
syndicate to purchase back the shares for control of the company.
Jack then became the company's largest stockholder,
and he appointed himself president. His brothers were furious, and they never
spoke again. That may be the reason why we have to travel across the cemetery to
find the rest of the Warners. Straight East in Section D is a small
Warner mausoleum. Here we find Sam Warner, the brother who
started it all. In the early 1900's he began working as a movie projectionists
and saw the potential for the new medium. He convinced Albert and Harry to join
him in showing films and carnivals in Ohio and Pennsylvania, then they
purchased their own theater in 1905. By the teens the Warners were making their own films, and when Warner Bros incorporated in 1923 Sam became the
company's CEO. Ever the visionary, Sam sought to sync sound with film and
pushed for a partnership with Western Electric to do just so. Their first feature
experiment was Don Juan in 1926, which was the first film to utilize the Vitaphone
sound on disk system, which synchronized sound and music, but no dialogue. Despite
this the studio was on the brink of financial ruin, and Sam pushed hard for a
moon shot. And The Jazz Singer was produced, becoming a smash hit and
ushering in the talkie revolution. "Wait a minute... Wait a minute!
You ain't heard nothin' yet!" Sadly, Sam would never live to see the fruits of his efforts, dying one day before the premiere of The Jazz Singer. The Warner parents and several other siblings are also entombed in this mausoleum. Around the corner is another Warner mausoleum where eldest brother Harry is entombed.
In 1905 Harry sold his bicycle shop to join Sam and Albert in the family's
fledgling film business. It was Harry's business savvy that
helped the Warner's grow their company. And he would serve as president of
Warner Bros from 1923 to 1956. Harry was a businessman, but not so much a visionary, and actually fought hard against talking pictures, saying, quote, "Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?" But it was talkies like The Jazz Singer
and Lights of New York that would eventually save the company. Now flush
with cash the Warners moved their studio to Burbank in the late 20s where
it stands to this day. Harry died from a stroke in 1958, but after Jack's double
dealings, those close to him believed he died of a broken heart -
his wife going so far to say that he didn't die, Jack killed him. In this same mausoleum is Charles Vidor, son-in-law of Harry, and a film director.
He found his greatest successes in the 40s and 50s with films like Gilda,
featuring Rita Hayworth, and a Chopin biopic, A Song to Remember. The fourth Warner brother, Albert, is buried in New York. Let's make our way now to the
mausoleum. The first corridor on the right is the corridor of love. All the way the end, on the right, is the Laemmle family room. One of the most influential
men to shape early Hollywood was Universal Studios founder Carl Laemmle.
Born in Germany, Laemmle emigrated to the US when he was 17 to seek his fortunes.
He discovered the Nickelodeons in 1906, which were the first exhibition spaces
to show projected motion pictures, charging a nickel for admission. Laemmle
was hooked and jumped right into the business quickly, becoming one of the
major players in the film exchange. When Thomas Edison formed the Edison Trust in 1908, charging exorbitant fees to all distributors and exerting a
monopolistic control over the industry, Laemmle responded by independently
producing his own pictures, forming the Independent Moving Picture Company in
1909. In partnership with other film makers, including David Horsley, Universal
was formed in 1912 and would become Hollywood's oldest and longest running
major motion picture studio. Much of what we associate with Hollywood came from
the mind of Laemmle. He invented the star system, being the first to use a star's
name in a film's marketing. He pioneered the large studio lot, building Universal
City, which really did amount to a small city in a San Fernando Valley - a one stop
shop where all aspects of production could take place. And he was the first to
offer studio tours, allowing the general public to watch movies be made. He was a
true showman, and unlike some other studio bosses of the age Laemmle was a
good-natured man beloved by those who knew and worked with him. Some of the
legendary films produced under Laemmle include The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Phantom of the Opera, and The Man Who Laughs. Laemmle's son, Carl Laemmle Jr, was
groomed from a young age to take over the business, having basically spent his
entire upbringing in the movies. And so, on his 21st birthday, Junior was named head of production at Universal. One of his first films was All Quiet on the
Western Front, winning Universal their first Oscar. Junior is perhaps best known,
however, for his role in producing Universal's monster movies of the 30s.
Laemmle Sr's monster movies of the 20s were more beauty and the beast type
tales than full horror. Junior, inspired by German Expressionism, wanted to take
Hollywood horror to the next level. Laemmle Sr. was reticent at first, but
Junior saw the potential and gave us classics like Dracula, Frankenstein, the
Bride of Frankenstein, The Mummy, and more... films which have come to identify
Universal. But after years of overspending,
including on the 1936 movie Show Boat, both Laemmles were essentially forced
out of the company in a hostile takeover. In the 30s, during the rise of the Nazi
Party in Germany, the Laemmles worked hard to sponsor Jews from their home in
Germany to bring them to the US and save them from the Holocaust. And family was
very important to the Laemmles; this beautiful painting is of Carl's great
granddaughter Laura Lee, who tragically died as a teenager in a car accident and
is entombed here as well. Let's make our way back toward the chapel... then take the Corridor of Memory on the left, then right, and right again at the Corridor of
Harmony. Low on the wall of niches is Don Hartman. He was a writer, producer,
and director of films in the 30s to the 50s. He was nominated for two Oscars in
his career for his screenplays for Road to Morocco and The Gay Deception.
He also wrote lyrics for many of the songs featured in his films. Continuing down this corridor, then left, we find the Corridor of Eternal Life on the right. In
a few spaces on the right is Shemp Howard. Shemp was elder brother to Moe
and Curly Howard, and was one of the original lineup of Ted Healy and his
Stooges - later the Three Stooges. Shemp joined his brother Moe and Ted
Healy on stage during an impromptu performance in the early 20s, and then
became a part of the group. Larry Fine joined the lineup in 1925. They can all
be seen together in 1930s Soup to Nuts. After a disagreement with Healy, Shamp
left the Stooges and was replaced by younger brother Curly. Shemp went on to a
successful solo career, where, as a publicity stunt,
he once branded himself the ugliest man in Hollywood. When Curly's failing health
forced him to quit the group in the mid-40s, Shemp rejoined the Stooges and remained with them until his death. "Gee, Moe, I'm sorry, Moe. What moe can a fella say? That's all there is, there ain't no moe?" "You're only nervous, you were just careless." "Yeah thanks."
"You're welcome." Shemp died suddenly in 1955. He was in the backseat of a taxi with friend Al Winston. He was laughing and had just lit up a cigar when he suddenly slumped over
into Al's lap. At first Al thought it was a joke, but soon realized that he had
died of what is believed to have been a massive heart attack. On the wall opposite Shemp is Kurt Neumann. He was a director who specialized in sci-fi and B films in the 30s to the 50s. His films include Rocketship X-M, and the original version of The Fly in 1958. "It has worked, hasn't it? You'll be alright now, I know it's worked!" He wouldn't live long enough to see the
success of The Fly, dying a month after the premiere, and a week before general
release. Near the end of this corridor on the left we find funny man Harry
Einstein, also known as Parkyakarkus. He rose to fame on radio alongside stars
like Eddie Cantor and Al Jolson. His success as Parkyakarkus led to his own radio show in 1945. Later in his career he frequently made appearances in Friars
Club roasts. It was at the roast honoring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in
1958 that he suffered a fatal heart attack onstage. After his routine he sat
down next to Milton Berle, then appeared to just faint onto Berle's lap.
Physicians attended to him, but were unable to save him. To distract the stunned
audience, Berle turned to Tony Martin and asked him to sing a song. His unfortunate
song choice: "There's No Tomorrow." Next to Harry is the unmarked crypt of his wife, Thelma Leeds. She starred alongside her husband in New Faces of 1937, and can also be seen in The Toast of New York. She retired from show business after her
marriage to Harry Einstein. They're the parents of actor and filmmaker Albert
Brooks. Let's head back the way we came... woah
slow it down so we can enjoy this beautiful mausoleum. Across the chapel is
the Corridor of Devotion. We turn left, then all the way at the end is the
Corridor of Immortality. At the end of this corridor on the left wall is the
co-founder of another major Hollywood studio, Louis B. Mayer. He is the "Mayer" in
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer - MGM. In the early 1900's he began to open theaters across New England to showcase moving pictures, including the exclusive rights to the
1915 mega hit The Birth of a Nation. Years later, like so many others, he
landed in LA and started his own production company. In 1924 he partnered
with Samuel Goldwyn's Goldwyn Pictures, and Marcus Loew's Metro Pictures, forming
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Under his leadership MGM became the most prestigious film studio, and Mayer had a knack for developing star actors. Many of Hollywood's biggest names like Hedy Lamarr, Judy Garland, Clark Gable, Greta
Garbo, Joan Crawford, and Norma Shearer, all came out of MGM. And at its peak in
the 30s, Mayer was the highest paid executive in America. He resigned from
MGM in 1951. Just below Mayer is music director Leo Forbstein. His career
began in Missouri where he became principal conductor at the Newman
theatre in Kansas City, pioneering the synchronization of live orchestral music
to silent film, with organist and future Hollywood composer Carl Stalling. He
landed in Hollywood in the 20s where he headed the symphony at Grauman's
Egyptian Theater. He eventually landed at Warner Bros, where he would work with
composers like Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Max Steiner on films like Captain
Blood, The Adventures of Robin Hood, and Casablanca. He died of a heart attack
while preparing music for the 1948 Academy Awards. Down this corridor, high on the right wall, is songwriter and lyricist Mack
Gordon. He was nominated for a best song Oscar nine times, winning with Harry Warren for their song "You'll Never Know." Other of his well-known songs include
"Chattanooga Choo-Choo," and "At Last," performed perhaps most memorably by Etta James. That'll do it for the mausoleum, let's
head out back to the southwest section of the cemetery. From the second road
west of the mausoleum, count five rows in and turn left. Here is the most visited
grave in the cemetery, and one of Hollywood's most beloved comedians,
Jerome "Curly" Howard. He was the youngest of the Howard brothers, and after Shemp
left the Stooges, Moe suggested Jerome fill in the role. But Healey felt the
Jerome, then with long curly hair and a mustache, didn't look funny. So he left
the room and came back with a shaved head, was given the nickname "Curly," and
joined the group. In 1934 The Three Stooges signed with Columbia, and quickly became the most popular short subject attraction, thanks in large part to
Curly, whose energetic childlike persona made him a hit with audiences,
particularly children. His seemingly endless arsenal of animated mannerisms
and vocalisms would become legendary in the world of comedy. In 1946, while filming Half-Wits Holiday, Curly suffered a
massive stroke and was forced to retire from the group. He had hoped to return
one day, but health problems continue to plague him until his death in 1952 at
the age of 48. In a million years there will never be another like Curly. Fans have even left memory stones
spelling out his iconic laugh. back to Back to the road let's make our way around to the east side of the cemetery, to addition 1 on the right. Just in from
the road is Conrad Wells, birth name Abraham Fried. He was a cinematographer
in early Hollywood specializing in outdoor and western cinematography, for
films like The Sky Hawk. His life was tragically cut short at the age of 30
while filming scenes for the 1930 film Such Men Are Dangerous. During aerial
shooting off the coast of California near Santa Monica, two camera planes
collided, bursting into flames and crashing into the ocean. All 10 men
aboard were killed, including Wells, and the film's director, Kenneth Hawks, the
brother of Howard Hawks. North along this same row we find Carla Laemmle. She was an actress, and the niece of Carl Laemmle. Her first role was in her uncle's 1925
film The Phantom of the Opera. She also had a small role in Dracula, delivering
the opening lines in the movie. "Among the rugged peaks that frown down upon the Vorgol Pass, are found crumbling castles of a bygone age." "I say, driver, a bit slower." She continued in small roles
through the 30s when she disappeared from the screen until 60 years later,
when she returned to play a vampire in 2001's The Vampire Hunters Club. At the time of her death in 2014 at the age of 104, she
was believed to be the last surviving vestige of the silent era. And while her
film roles may have been few, she may have had the longest film career in
Hollywood history, lasting from 1925 to 2014. Farther north along this road is half
block on the right. Several rows in we find Carmel Myers. She was an actress who found her greatest success in the silent era. She played the Egyptian vamp Iras in
1925's Ben Hur, alongside Ramon Navarro and Francis X. Bushman. The success of
this film led to roles in The Devil's Circus, and Tell it to the Marines.
She made the transition into the talkies with films like Svengali. L'chaim means "to life." Finally we head northeast to plot 12 in the same block, where Ruth Harriet
Louise is buried. She was a portrait photographer for MGM in early Hollywood.
In 1925, at the age of 22, she was the first and only woman in Hollywood
Studios working as a portrait photographer. Over the next five years
she would capture some of Hollywood's biggest stars, including Greta Garbo,
John Gilbert, Joan Crawford, Marion Davies, and more. She's believed to have captured
some 100,000 images in her tenure there, and is considered one of the great
glamour photographers of the era. She was the sister of Mark Sandrich, and the cousin of caramel Myers. She died at the age of 37
from complications of childbirth. Her tombstone depicts Ruth, her six-year-old son Leigh Jr, who died of leukemia and her premature son who died in childbirth
just before her. 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! We found the Warner Bros... no sign of the Warner sister though. "Come join the Warner brothers, and the Warner sister, Dot. Just for fun we run around the Warner movie lot. They lock us in the tower whenever we get caught. But we break loose, and then vamoose, and now you know the plot.
