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 conclude our tour through the
deserts of the Inland Empire, where we'll find such stars as Roy Rogers, Dale Evans,
Rock Hudson, and many more. Join us, won't you? Our last tour brought us out to the
deserts of the Inland Empire, through the resort town of Palm Springs and Desert
Memorial Park. Today we pick up where we left off visiting Forest Lawn Cathedral
City, then on to the Coachella Valley, and finally up to Apple Valley and Sunset
Hills Memorial Park. The skies are blue, the weather is warm... let us forget for a
moment that it's winter. If you haven't done so already
be sure to check out part 1. We'll begin literally right across the street from where we left off
in our last tour, at Forest Lawn Cathedral City. It was originally named
the Palm Springs Mortuary and Mausoleum, but was renamed Forest Lawn Cathedral
City in 2005, and is operated by the Forest Lawn family that we've come to
know in LA. This cemetery is tiny, quite possibly the
smallest we've ever visited. To optimize space it consists mostly of above-ground
crypt structures. Our first stop is just past the fountain
and left of the Serenity Chapel. Here we find the niche of Dinah Shore, a
familiar name if you saw our tour of Hillside. This is actually Dinah's second
grave; her ashes were divided between here and Hillside as well as to
relatives. Dinah was an actress and singer. She rose to prominence in the 40s
in the big-band era and found her greatest success hosting variety shows
on television in the 50s through the 70s, fondly remembered for ending her shows
by blowing a kiss. [music] She retired to Palm Springs and became actively involved in
women's professional golf, and even founded one of the first women's golf
tournaments. She died of cancer at the age of 77. Behind us is the Mission San
Luis Rey mausoleum. Along the back wall of the locked columbarium we find the
niche of Alice Faye, her urn shaped like an angel. She was an actress and singer
in the 30s and 40s once described by Cole Porter as the best female singer in
Hollywood. At the height of her career her popularity rivaled that of other
singing actresses, like Judy Garland, Betty Grable, and Doris Day. Her musical
films include George White's Scandals, Stowaway, and Hello, Frisco, Hello, in
which she introduced the Oscar-winning standard, "You'll Never Know." [music] She also starred in non-musical films,
like Fallen Angel in 1945, but when many of her scenes were cut from the film
Alice walked away from Hollywood at the height of her career. She would make
small appearances in the years to come but mostly focused on raising her family
at that point. She died of cancer at the age of 83. Next to Alice is the dolphin
urn of her husband, Phil Harris. He began his career as a
jazz musician and bandleader and went on to become a popular radio performer,
music directing for the Jack Benny Program, and later co-hosting a variety
show with his wife Alice. He would go on to have roles in film and television,
perhaps most notably lending his distinctive voice to Disney cartoon
characters, like Little John in Robin Hood, and Baloo in the Jungle Book. "All you gotta do is... look for the bare necessities, the simple bare necessities.
Forget about your worries and your strife." He died of a heart attack at the
age of 91. Below and to the right is the niche of Harold Robbins. He was an author
of popular novels, penning some 25 bestsellers and selling over 750 million
copies worldwide. He's known for popularizing the sex-power-glamour genre
of novels, with hits like The Carpetbaggers in 1961. His novel, A Stone
for Danny Fisher, was made into a film titled King Creole which starred Elvis
Presley. Robbins also created the TV series, The Survivors, in 1969. He died of
heart failure at the age of 81. The next mausoleum north is Mission Santa Rosa.
Here is the niche of George Montgomery - actor, artist, director - a true
renaissance man. He started out as a stunt man before becoming one of
Hollywood's favorite western stars in the 30s and 40s. He acted in other genres
as well - dramas like Accent on Love, and musicals like Coney Island, alongside
Betty Grable. On TV he once again donned the cowboy hat in the series,
Cimarron City. In addition to acting Montgomery was a
skilled craftsman and sculptor, building furniture and creating bronze sculptures.
His sculpture of his former wife Dinah Shore is displayed at a country club in
nearby Rancho Mirage, and in the Cathedral City town square there are two
sculptures by Montgomery: this cowboy is titled Hollywood Heroes, a copy of which
adorns his second grave in Montana. Also here is his sculpture of musician and
actor, Buddy Rogers. And speaking of Buddy Rogers, he's just around the corner. Buddy began his career singing and playing trombone in his own band, which would
perform on radio and in motion pictures. He began acting as well in the 20s and
is perhaps best remembered for his performance in the landmark silent film,
Wings, alongside Clara Bow in 1927. It's considered by many as the last great
silent film. And with the Academy Awards coming up you'll be interested to know
that Wings was the first film to win the Best Picture Academy Award -
the only silent film to do so. [music] At the height of his popularity in the
20s and 30s he was known as America's Boyfriend, for his youthful good looks
and high spirits. Buddy was married to silent film legend Mary Pickford until
her death in 1979. By the 50s he'd essentially retired from the screen only
making a few appearances, including as himself on an episode of Petticoat
Junction. He dedicated much of his later life to social and philanthropic causes,
living to be 94. Above and to the right is actress Jane Wyman, a popular leading
lady of the 40s and 50s. She was nominated for an Oscar four times,
including for Magnificent Obsession alongside Rock Hudson, and The Blue Veil.
She won the Oscar for her performance in the 1948 film, Johnny Belinda, playing a
deaf-mute woman. On television she's known for her role in the long-running
soap opera, Falcon Crest, in the 80s and 90s. She's also remembered for being the first wife of then actor, future
President, Ronald Reagan. Jane died at the age of 90. A devout Catholic,
she was entombed wearing a nun's habit. Continuing around to the center of the
mausoleum, high on the wall, is crooner, Jerry Vale. He was a singer of Italian
descent known for his romantic ballads like, "You Don't Know Me," and Italian
ballads including "Volare" and "Innamorata." [music] Filmmaker Martin Scorsese was a fan of
Vale, not only including his music in his films but giving him cameo appearances
in Goodfellas and Casino. He died in his sleep at the age of 83. Around to the western wall
we find the niche of Vicki Draves. She was a competitive diver who
won gold medals in both platform and springboard diving at the London
Olympics in 1948. She became the first American woman to win gold in both the
platform and springboard and was inducted into the International Swimming
Hall of Fame in 1969. The next mausoleum north is Good Shepherd. Along the north
wall is the crypt of Guy Madison. He was an actor of radio film and television
best known today for playing Wild Bill Hickok in the Western television series,
The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok in the 1950s. During this time he continued
to act in features as well, like the 3D Western, The Charge at Feather River.
He died of emphysema at the age of 74. Further east in the Desert View niche
room we find Patsy Garrett. She was a singer and actress launching her career
as a regular performer on the Pleasure Time radio show in the 40s. On television
she had recurring roles in shows like Nanny and the Professor, and Room 222,
and today is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mary in the Benji series of
films. Television audiences also remember her for her recurring role in
commercials as the Purina Cat Chow lady. She lived to be 93. Heading south into
the center of the Sanctuary of Faith and Hope we find the crypt of Papa John
Phillips. He was a musician best remembered as a member of the 60s rock
folk group The Mamas and the Papas. John was the songwriter and leader of the
group, whose hits include "Monday, Monday," and "California Dreamin." [music] The group was inducted into the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. After the Mamas & the Papas he had a moderately
successful solo career and continued to write songs with other artists, including
co-writing Kokomo for the Beach Boys. John spent his last years here in Palm
Springs, and died of heart failure at the age of 65. Continuing south we reach
the Tower of Memories, a wall of cenotaphs, meaning these are memorial
markers but with no remains. George Nader was a film and television actor,
known for his starring role in the independent 3D science fiction film,
Robot Monster in 1953. It's become somewhat of a cult classic in the years
since, called one of the worst movies ever made. Other films include Sins of
Jezebel, and Four Guns to the Border, which earned him a Golden Globe. He could also
be seen on television, including as a regular guest star on the Loretta Young
Show. After retiring from acting he wrote the sci-fi novel, Chrome. The story was
novel for the era in that it dealt positively with the same-sex
relationship. George was not openly gay during his film career, but neither did
he feign relationships with women to conceal it. His life partner of 55 years
is also memorialized here, Mark Miller. Miller worked as the personal secretary
of one of Hollywood's biggest stars of the era, Rock Hudson.
George and Mark were two of Rock's closest friends, so it's fitting that
they are all memorialized here together. All three men were cremated, their ashes
scattered. Rock Hudson - one of the great leading men of the 50s and 60s. He's
known for his frequent appearances and films alongside leading ladies like Jane
Wyman and Doris Day, films including Magnificent Obsession, and Pillow Talk. He
was nominated for an Academy Award for playing Bick Benedict in George Stevens'
1956 Western epic, Giant, alongside Elizabeth Taylor. "How're you doing? Tired, huh?" "Now don't you worry about me. I'm a tough Texan now." "You know I love you, Tex." In the 70s and 80s he
had a number of notable TV roles, including McMillan & Wife, and in his
later years on Dynasty. Due to the social stigma of the era, Rock was not open
about his homosexuality. In 1985 he announced that he was suffering from
AIDS, the first major star to make such a
revelation, bringing public awareness to an epidemic that was not yet fully
understood. His revelation had an immediate impact on the visibility of
AIDS and on the funding of medical research related to the disease.
He died in October of that year at the age of 59. That concludes our tour of
Forest Lawn Cathedral City. Next stop, the Coachella Valley. It's about 20 miles
down to the Coachella Valley, which is where we'll find Coachella Valley
Cemetery. Listen carefully, you may hear the echoes
of a music festival off in the distance. Making our way down to unit 8, in a
handful of rows from the road, we find legendary filmmaker Frank Capra. He was
one of the great directors during Hollywood's golden age. Many of the films
we look back on with fondness from that era were made by Frank Capra, like, It
Happened One Night, You Can't Take it with You, and Mr. Smith Goes to
Washington. After Pearl Harbor he joined the war effort, creating morale films for
the military, including the Why We Fight docu-series. His work earned him the
Distinguished Service Medal. After the war he created what is perhaps his most
beloved film, the seminal Christmas classic, It's a Wonderful Life. [music] He won three Oscars in his career, and
was nominated an additional three times. A few spaces away is Alan O'Day. He was a
songwriter penning hits for artists including Helen Reddy's "Angie Baby," and
the Righteous Brothers hit, "Rock and Roll Heaven." He even had a number one hit of
his own, "Undercover Angel," in 1977. [music] In the 80s and 90s he wrote songs for around a
hundred episodes of the Muppet Babies TV series. That'll do it for the Coachella
Valley, but we have one more stop before our tour is through. And it's a healthy
drive north - about two hours, but one of the loveliest drives through the desert
you'll ever see. Joshua trees and cacti lining the roads that lead us through
charming small towns along the way. In Apple Valley, not far from Victorville, we
find Sunset Hills Memorial Park, nestled right up against the rocky desert hills -
a snapshot of the perfect Western backdrop, and the ideal final resting
place of the King of Cowboys and the Queen of the West. The centerpiece of the
cemetery is the Roy Rogers - Dale Evans Sunset Chapel, built in 2007. In the southern portion of the cemetery,
near a pond, we find Hollywood's favorite cowboy couple, and the namesake of the
chapel: Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. Roy Rogers, whose real name was Leonard Slye,
was one of Hollywood's favorite singing Cowboys, known as the King of Cowboys. He
moved to California from Ohio as a teen, starting a band known as the Sons of the
Pioneers. One of their early hits was "Tumbling Tumbleweeds." In the 30s he began
making appearances in film, first as an extra, and soon rising to matinee idol - an
American hero with a smile and a six-shooter,
riding his trusted companion, Trigger, the smartest horse in the movies. [music] By the late 40s Roy Rogers was the number one box office cowboy, with films like My Pal
Trigger, and Song of Nevada. He was a hero to children too in comic books and
action figures - Roy Rogers' name was everywhere. In later years he even lent
his name to a restaurant chain. Roy was twice inducted into the Country Music
Hall of Fame, and with his wife, Dale, was inducted into the Western Performers
Hall of Fame. In 1944 Roy met a young actress and singer named Dale Evans,
while filming Cowboy and a Senorita together. It would be the beginning of a
lifelong love and collaborative companionship. They married in 1947 and
would go on to star in dozens of films together. And with the advent of
television the two broke into that medium as well, starring in the immensely
popular Roy Rogers Show from 1951 to 1957. Dale even wrote the couple's theme
song, "Happy Trails," which they sang to sign off at the end of their television
show. [music] And that concludes our tour of the
Inland Empire. 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. Happy trails to you all, we'll see you on
the next one! Check out this beautiful vintage
horse-drawn hearse that Sunset Hills uses. When I die, this is how I want to go...
paraded right down Hollywood Boulevard.
