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 Inglewood Park Cemetery where we'll find such stars as Ray Charles, Betty Grable, Ella Fitzgerald and many more. Join us, won't you? Inglewood Park Cemetery is located, as you may have, guessed in Inglewood California just a few miles south of Hollywood. It was founded in 1905 and is one of the largest cemeteries in Southern California in terms of interments. Inglewood is a beautiful Cemetery with Spanish inspired architecture, gardens, and even a small lake. On the grounds are several mausoleums including the Sunset Mission mausoleum and the Mausoleum of the Golden West, which alongside the dead houses colorful stained glass and ornate skylights. Inglewood is the kind of cemetery that's a pleasure just to stroll through because of the great variety of monuments here. It's far more diverse than the memorial parks we've visited in the past. Oh, and if you're flying into LAX look out the window if you land. The cemetery you see below is Inglewood. We'll begin our tour at the sunset mission mausoleum just west of the entrance. On the second floor is the Sanctuary of the Bells where we'll find the "first lady of song," Ella Fitzgerald. Her career began in the 1930s and she would continue to entertain audiences for over a half-century winning 13 Grammys and selling over 40 million albums. she was renowned for her vocal range... from sultry to scat, Ella could do it better than any other. Some of her popular hits include "A Tisket a Tasket," and "Dream a Little Dream of Me." [music] We'll head east along the northernmost road and arrive at the Mausoleum of the Golden West on the left. Heading into the Cenotaph entrance we turn right at the second corridor nearly all the way down on the right is Betty Grable. Betty was one of the most popular actresses of the 40s and 50s and had perhaps the most famous pair of legs in Hollywood history. Where most celebrities simply left their hand and footprints at Grauman's Chinese Theater Betty also immortalized her leg in cement. She was known as the girl with the million dollar legs and for a reason, they were insured by Lloyds of London for 1 million dollars. This iconic 1943 pinup photo of Betty was the most popular image for servicemen during World War II, and was included in Life's "100 photographs that changed the world." Many of her films were musicals showcasing her singing and dancing abilities. The versatile actress can also be seen in heavy dramas like "I Wake Up Screaming," and comedies like "How to Marry a Millionaire." "All my life ever since I was a little girl I've always had the same dream: to marry a zillionaire." "Do you know who I'd like to marry?" "Who?" "Rockefeller." "Which one?" "I don't care." "I wouldn't mind marrying a Vanderbilt." "Or Mr. Cadillac." "No such person, I checked." "Is there a Mr. Texaco?" Let's back the way we came and make our way to the next corridor down, the Sanctuary of Reverence. Half way down is the Sanctuary of Dreams. Immediately to the left is the Alcove of Music which houses the harp shaped urn of Cesar Romero. Many remember actor Cesar Romero as the first to portray Batman's archenemy, the Joker on-screen in the 1960s TV series. When approached to play the villain he refused to shave his trademark mustache, so they simply put the Joker makeup on right overtop of it. [maniacal laugh] Earlier in his career his handsome and exotic looks made him a Latin Lover and leading man in Hollywood for decades, starring in some 200 film and television productions. Continuing down the Sanctuary of Dreams we arrive at the last corridor: the Sanctuary of Eternal Love. A few spaces in on the right, above eye level, is Ray Charles, one of the most gifted and influential musicians of the 20th Century. Born in Georgia in 1930 young Ray began to lose his sight at four or five and was completely blind by the age of seven. This didn't discourage Ray from pursuing his love of music and by 15 he had dropped out of school to pursue a professional career in music. Inspired by Nat King Cole, Ray soon developed his own style infusing it with a variety of genres including gospel, jazz, R&B, and even country. He is generally considered one of the fathers of soul music with hits like "I Got a Woman." [music] Other hits include "What'd I Say" and "Hit the Road Jack." And in 1979 his version of "Georgia on My Mind" became the state song of Georgia. In 2008 Charles ranked number 2 on Rolling Stones list of 100 greatest singers of all time. In 2004 a biopic was made about his life starring Jamie Foxx as Ray. Continuing east on this road we arrive at the Garden of Chimes on the left. In building D along the wall facing west is another of the great voices of the 20th century, Etta James. Her style spanned genres from gospel to R&B to rock and roll. She is perhaps best remembered for her rendition of the song "At Last" from her 1960 album of the same name. [music] We'll head south into the cemetery and find the section known as Miramar. A few rows in from the road is Hollywood's first celebrity ventriloquist, Edgar Bergen. Bergen and his longtime sidekick, a dummy with a monocle and top hat named Charlie McCarthy, began in vaudeville before finding great success, surprisingly, on the radio. Though audiences couldn't see the ventriloquist act, Bergen and McCarthy were a hit on the radio from 1937 to 1956. They made their television debut in 1950. "You keep on interrupting me young man and I may not finish this story." "Well that's the best news we've had so far." "The story gets better as it goes along." "Well it can't get worse." "What happens now?" "Well I'll tell you...now where was I?" "I don't know you were sitting there laying an egg.' "No, no." "I don't think you're good for television." "Alright." "You see that's the trouble with television, you've got to memorize it." "All right!" "You were telling a story." "Oh yeah I was telling a story." "Ladies and gentlemen I'm practically doing a single up here." "Alright." The pair acted alongside stars of the day like Mae West and WC Fields in films like the "Goldwyn Follies" and "You Can't cheat an Honest Man." Though a puppet, Charlie McCarthy was often credited as an actual actor and even has his own IMDB page. In 1938 Bergen received an honorary Oscar carved in wood for his creation of Charlie. His Charlie McCarthy puppet currently resides in the Smithsonian Institution. His daughter is actress Candice Bergen. Straight West is the Del Ivy section. Aww, look at these adorable little goslings strolling through the cemetery with us. I'm going to name this one Ryan and this one Emma. Up the hill a few rows just before a large tree is a child known here simply as "The Little Mouse." He was the firstborn son of Charlie Chaplin with his young bride actress Mildred Harris. Born Norman Spencer Chaplin he died only three days after birth. Ten days after Norman's death Chaplin began production on what many believed to have been his greatest film, "The Kid." The relationship between Chaplin and the kid is said to have been heavily influenced by the death of his son. Let's head southeast to the plot known as Pine Crest. Near the southeast corner is legendary burlesque performer and striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee. She may not have been the best actor or dancer but on stage she was luminescent. She was innovative in her approach to striptease emphasizing the "tease" and incorporating elements of humor into her act. "There's the music and that's my cue, there's only one thing left to do... so I do it. And when I raise my skirt, with slyness and dexterity, I'm mentally computing just how much I'll give to charity. And though my stockings I have revealed, and just a bit of me remains concealed... I'm thinking of life of Dousa. Or the third chapter of "All This, and Heaven Too." And none of those men whose minds are obscene. They leave me apathetic. I prefer the more esthetic. Things like dramas by Racine. In addition to stage performing gypsy can be seen in many film and television productions including her own TV series in the 60s. She was also a writer publishing two mystery novels in the 1940s. One of her novels, "The G-String Murders," was the inspiration for the 1943 film "Lady of Burlesque," starring Barbara Stanwyck. Her memoir "Gypsy" was made into a stage musical and film starring Natalie Wood as Gypsy. Northwest from here near the middle of the lawn is Sugar Ray Robinson, one of the greatest boxers of all time. He held the world welterweight title from 1946 to 1951, and by 1958 he had become the first boxer to win a divisional World Championship five times. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. Southwest from here is the Rosehill section on the left. A few rows in from the street, near the mausoleum, is Allan "Rocky" Lane. Allan was an actor who starred mainly in B-Western films of the 40s and 50s, perhaps most notably as Red Ryder. But to many he will always be remembered as the voice of everyone's favorite talking horse, Mr. Ed. "Hello I'm, Mr. Ed." Let's head now to the other side of the cemetery to the Acacia Slope Plot. In the southeast corner of this lawn near the road is Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas, who is the adorable African-American boy with a big smile in the "Our Gang," also known as "Little Rascals," series of short films in the 30s and 40s. He starred in nearly a hundred of these films and would become one of the series most popular characters. "My Juliet, where art thou?" "Here I is!" "It's Buckwheat! Hurray for Buckwheat!" After the "Our Gang" series ended in the mid 40s Thomas quit acting, and years later enlisted in the army. Finally we head to the southernmost part of the cemetery, to the Elm Plot. Near the middle of this lawn, just east of a tall thin palm tree is Chet Baker, a popular jazz trumpeter and vocalist. His career began in the 50s and he was voted top jazz trumpeter and vocalist during that decade. His talent and chiseled good looks also caught the attention of Hollywood, making his acting debut in the 1955 film "Hell's Horizon." Baker preferred the musician's life however and turned down any contracts. His debut Vocal album Chet Baker Sings, released in 1956, received a 2001 Grammy Hall of Fame Award [music] His career suffered in the decades that followed due to a heroin addiction that often found him in prison or pawning his instruments for drug money. He died after an accidental fall from his second-story hotel window in Amsterdam. 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. Holy cow look who I found! I wonder how he ended up here. "Zut alors! The gas is on! I forgot to light the oven. Oh well, better late than never." [BOOM]
