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 back in New York, to find such stars as Gilbert Gottfried,
Scott Joplin, Carl Sagan, Cicely Tyson, and many more. Join us, won’t you? Welcome back to New York! We’ve covered a lot of ground here in previous videos,
including our first NY series in 2019, and quite a few in our Viewers Specials as
well. So this isn’t our first New York rodeo… but there’s always more to discover here on the
east coast, with New York being one of the main art and entertainment hubs in America. So we’re
back again today to make our way through the cemeteries of the boroughs of New York City, and
beyond. If you haven’t done so already, be sure to check out our previous videos from New York.
Let’s begin today in one of my favorite New York Cemeteries, historic Green-Wood in
Brooklyn. Here you’re welcomed by one of the most stunning cemetery gateways in the
world. Founded in 1838 as a rural cemetery, Green-Wood was described as Brooklyn’s first
public park, and was a popular haunting ground for locals. It was so popular amongst tourists
and visitors, it inspired the creation of Central Park. As the highest point in Brooklyn, this
was also the site of the battle of Long Island during the revolutionary war. Green-Wood
is now a National Historic Landmark.
And if you happen to wander down Sweet Gum Path
here at Green-Wood, you might run into one of the most unique cemetery animals we’ve yet encountered
- this majestic raptor, who, to my relief, did not lunge at me and claw out my eyeballs, but rather
showed off his “What is Love” dance skills.
Let’s kick off today’s tour by making our way
to section 34. Here lies Paul Jabara. He was an actor and songwriter, an integral part of
the disco movement in the 70s. He wrote the Donna Summer hit, “Last Dance,” for the 1978
film Thank God It’s Friday. The song won him the Oscar for Best Original Song. He also had a
hit with the Barbra Streisand/Donna Summer duet, “No More Tears, Enough is Enough,” and another
hit with the Weather Girls’ in “It’s Raining Men.” As an actor, Paul appeared in the
original cast of Hair on Broadway, and in the London production of Jesus Christ Superstar.
And on film you saw him in Thank God It’s Friday, and The Lords of Flatbush. Paul was just 44
when he died from complications of AIDS.
Heading east we arrive at Long Island’s cemetery
belt, a massive conglomeration of a dozen or more cemeteries spanning Brooklyn and Queens, as
large as a city. It’s visible from space, and hosts an estimated 5 million dead, more
than the living population of Queens.
The first cemetery we’ll visit here is Mt.
Carmel, a Jewish Cemetery. Here rests a man who shares a name with the cemetery in which
he’s buried, Roger Carmel. The mustachioed character actor had numerous memorable turns
on television in the 60s to the 80s. You Star Trek fans will remember him for his role as
the flamboyant con-artist, Harry Mudd.
“I don’t believe it.”
“Welcome aboard Kirk. It’s been a long time, eh?”
“Harry Mudd.”
“Well, to be absolutely accurate laddybuck, you should refer to me as Mudd the First.”
He also played Roger in The Mothers-In-Law, and made appearances in other shows like
Hawaii Five-O, and The Munsters. Later in his career Roger lent his voice to
animations, including as Cyclonus in The Transformers. He died from hypertrophic
cardiomyopathy at the age of 54.
Our next Mount Carmel stop brings us further
south, to the von Tilzer family plot. This is Albert von Tilzer. He was a Tin Pan Alley
songwriter, penning numerous popular hits in the early 1900s. His best-known song is one many
of you have sung at your local baseball stadium. In 1908, Albert co-wrote, with Jack Norworth,
“Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” regarded today as one of the greatest songs of the 20th Century.
Other popular songs include “I’ll Be With You in the Apple Blossom Time.” Later Albert contributed
music to Broadway and film, including the musical, Honey Girl. He lived to be 78.
One row up is Albert’s brother, Harry von Tilzer. He too was one of the great
songwriters of the Tin Pan Alley era. He got his start performing in circuses and on the
Vaudeville circuit, occasionally writing tunes as he did. But down on his luck and nearly broke,
Harry penned what would be his first big hit, ironically, on the back of his overdue rent bill.
The song was 1898’s “My Old New Hampshire Home,” which would go on to sell over a million copies,
becoming the big hit of its day. He followed this up with another smash hit, “A Bird in a Gilded
Cage” in 1900. His success led him to forming his own publishing company, which his brother
Harry joined. And like his brother, Albert would also pen music for Broadway, including
the Ziegfeld Follies. Both Albert and Harry were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Several sections east we find the grave of Betty Comden. She was a songwriter and screenwriter,
whose musical-comedy partnership with Adolph Green spanned six decades, and earned her
numerous accolades in Hollywood Musicals and Broadway shows. Their first Broadway hit
was On the Town, writing the book and lyrics, with music by Leonard Bernstein. It included
that classic song, fitting for our tour today, “New York, New York.” Comden and Green soon found
their way to Hollywood, writing for the movies, including the film adaptation of On the Town.
Their biggest success came a few years later, writing the script for the popular classic,
Singin’ in the Rain. Their next film, The Band Wagon, would earn them an Oscar nomination
for best screenplay. They earned their second nomination for 1955’s It’s Always Fair Weather.
Betty died from heart failure at age 89.
In our original New York tour, we visited
the legendary Edward G. Robinson here at Beth El Cemetery. We weren’t able to get the best
shot of his crypt here in the Goodman Mausoleum, so let’s pay him a quick re-visit today, with
a little better camera. Edward G. Robinson epitomized the tough guy gangster of Hollywood’s
Golden Age. He shot to stardom for his acclaimed performance as the sneering, psychotic, Rico
Bandello in 1931’s Little Caesar. His performance set the standard for movie gangsters.
“Ernie, you’re through. You hired these mugs now you’re through. If you ain’t out of
town by tomorrow morning, you won’t never leave it except in a pine box. I’m taking over
this territory. From now on it’s mine.”
Other notable roles include Johnny Rocco in
Key Largo, Barton Keyes in Double Indemnity, and Dathan in The Ten Commandments. Robinson also
appeared in dozens of Broadway plays. He died from cancer just weeks after finishing Soylent Green,
and just months before receiving an honorary Academy Award in 1973, honored for achieving
greatness as a player, a patron of the arts, and a dedicated citizen… in sum, a Renaissance
man. His eulogy was delivered by Charlton Heston, and his pallbearers included George Burns and
Frank Sinatra. Today, Edward G. Robinson ranks among the greatest male stars of classic cinema.
Leaving the cemetery belt behind, we head northeast to Mount Hebron Cemetery. Here lies
Jack Gilford. He was an actor of stage, film, and television, who specialized in pantomime.
Jack was nominated for several Tony awards for supporting actor in shows like A Funny Thing
Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Cabaret. He would reprise his role in the film adaptation
of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and in 1974 he’d be nominated for an Oscar for
his role in Save the Tiger. Other memorable films include Cocoon. And on television he made
appearances in shows like Soap, The Golden Girls, Night Court, and Taxi, as Alex’s father.
Jack died from cancer at age 81.
Doubling back west we arrive at Mount Zion
Cemetery in Queens. This is also a Jewish cemetery, and is perhaps the most densely
packed cemetery I’ve ever been to. If New York City was a cemetery, this would be it.
Standing in the middle, looking around in all directions, you’re surrounded by a forest of
headstones that disappear off into horizon.
Let’s take a long stroll through this forest of
headstones down path 28, to find the grave of Marvin Hamlisch. He was a composer, one of only
a handful to win the coveted EGOT - an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. Add a Pulitzer Prize
on top of that, and he’s one of the most awarded composers in American history. Marvin made notable
musical contributions to both stage and screen productions. He was nominated for 12 Oscars,
winning for the films, The Sting, The Way We Were, and the song of the same name. Other notable
film scores include The Spy Who Loved Me, and A Chorus Line. He won a Tony and Pulitzer prize for
the Broadway production of A Chorus Line, which features the song “What I Did for Love.” Marvin
Hamlisch died from respiratory arrest at age 68. Stars like Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin,
and Liza Minnelli sang at his memorial.
Next up is Calvary, a Catholic Cemetery. Here lies
Patsy Kelly. Early on she had a successful stage career on Broadway, before moving into motion
pictures, where she was known as the wisecracking sidekick of Thelma Todd in a series of short
comedies in the 30s. And her notable feature films include There Goes My Heart, and Nobody’s Baby.
Paty Kelly was openly gay, highly unusual for that era, when stars were generally forced to stay
closeted or lose work. Her openness as a lesbian may have hindered her film career, which all but
dried up in the 40s. But she found her second wind in television in the 50s, making guest appearances
in shows like The Love Boat and The Wild Wild West. And her stage and film career resurged
in the 60s and 70s, appearing in films like Rosemary’s Baby, and the 1971 Broadway revival
of No, No, Nannette. Her wisecracking performance won her the Tony for Best Featured Actress in a
Musical. Patsy died from cancer at age 71.
Not far west is 1st Calvary Cemetery, with a
view of the Manhattan skyline in the background. This is the grave of Joe Spinell. The Italian
character actor was known for playing tough and shady characters. Early in his career
he appeared as Willi Cicci in the Godfather films. And you fans of the Rocky films will
remember him as the tough loan shark with a soft spot in his heart for Rocky, Tony Gazzo.
“So why didn’t you break his thumb like I told you to? When you don’t do what I tell
you to do you make me look bad, Rock.”
“I figure, look, I figure if I break
the guy’s thumb he gets laid off, right? Then he can’t make no more money…”
“Yeah, well, don’t figure. Let me do the figuring, okay Rock?”
He’s also remembered for his role in Taxi Driver. Later in his career, Joe found
his niche as a leading man in B-horror films, several of which have become cult classics,
including The Maniac, and The Undertaker. Joe died suddenly in his Queens apartment at the age of 52,
though there doesn’t seem to be a firm consensus on his cause of death. Some sources cite a heart
attack, or list complications from asthma. Joe also suffered from hemophilia. According to other
sources, he had reportedly cut himself deeply on glass in his shower, and instead of calling
for help, tried to dress the wound himself, and fell asleep, eventually bleeding out.
Our last Long Island stop is St. Michael’s Cemetery here in Queens. This is the final
resting place of the King of Ragtime, Scott Joplin. If you took piano lessons when you
were young, like I did, odds are one of the pieces you learned was “The Entertainer,” one of Scott
Joplin’s most notable pieces. Scott Joplin began writing and publishing music in the 1890s. His
first big hit was “Maple Leaf Rag,” which you’re listening to right now, and was a nationwide
smash. It was published in 1899, which would set the standard for ragtime music in the early
20th century. And though ragtime became associated with honky tonk music in saloons, Joplin was
actually heavily influenced by classical music, ballet, and opera. His passion later in life was
to produce operas. His first was A Guest of Honor, which did not fare well and is considered lost.
His second opera was Treemonisha. But Joplin was never able to get it staged in his life. By 1916
Joplin had developed syphilis. He was admitted to a sanitarium, where he died at just 48. It
wouldn’t be until 1972 that Treemonisha would have its full debut performance. It earned Stott Joplin
a posthumous Pulitzer Prize for music. Joplin’s death marked the end of the ragtime era, as the
music grew and morphed into what became jazz and swing. His music can be heard in countless film
and television productions, including 1973’s The Sting, which helped re-popularize his music
for a new generation. Joplin’s legacy was to revitalize American popular music, and help foster
appreciation for African-American music among European-Americans. He was portrayed by Billy Dee
Williams in the 1977 biopic, Scott Joplin.
Crossing East River we proceed north to the
Bronx, and another of the storied cemeteries of New York City, Woodlawn. We found quite
a few notable figures in our previous tour here so be sure to check out our other video of
Woodlawn for stars we’ve already covered here.
Beginning in Catalpa section we find the grave
of James Montgomery Flagg. He was an artist and illustrator, known for his political comics and
paintings. He created his most famous work in 1917 during WWI. It was a poster to encourage
recruitment in the army during the war. It was the famous “I Want You” poster featuring
Uncle Sam. The poster would be re-issued during WWII. He produced other patriotic
posters and portraits, and illustrated books, but none had the enduring character of his
Uncle Sam poster. James lived to be 82.
Proceeding south we reach Prospect plot, and
the tomb of Harry Carey… no, not the baseball sportscaster, the film actor. He appeared in
more than 200 productions in his career, starting out in the silent era as one of western cinema’s
superstars. He transitioned well into the talkies, earning an Academy Award Nomination for his role
as President of the Senate in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Harry continued performing into
the late 40s, before passing away at age 69.
Not far southeast, in the same section as
Irving Berlin, we find the approximate location of the unmarked grave of songwriter Johnny
Marks. Christmas is right around the corner, so it’s a perfect time to visit Johnny
Marks, who specialized in Christmas songs. Perhaps his best-known work is “Rudolph the
Red-Nosed Reindeer,” which he put to music based on the poem by his brother-in-law,
Robert May. The song debuted in 1949, and has since become a Christmas standard. Other
holiday classics he wrote include “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” “A Holly Jolly Christmas,”
and “Silver and Gold.” In 1981 Marks was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He died
from complications of diabetes at age 75.
In the small Gentian plot, in the Weltz mausoleum,
lies actress Louise Henry. She appeared in 21 films in the 1930s. Among them are End of
the Trail alongside Jack Holt, The Murder Man alongside Spencer Tracy, and Reckless alongside
Jean Harlow. She retired from film in the late 30s, but went on to open her own drama workshop
in New York. She died from cancer at age 55.
Up the hill to one of the newer developments in
the cemetery, we find the niche of actress Diahann Carroll. She rose to prominence appearing in some
of the early studio films featuring black casts, like Carmen Jones and Porgy & Bess. In 1962 she
won a Tony for her role in the Broadway musical, No Strings, a first for an African-American woman.
She was also nominated for an Academy Award, for her role in Claudine. And on television she’s
remembered for her role as Dominique in Dynasty, and her starring role in the 60s and 70s
sitcom, Julia, which is notable as being the first weekly series to star a black
woman in a non-stereotypical role. Diahann passed away from cancer at the age of 84.
Let’s head back now to Jazz corner, where numerous jazz legends are laid to rest, including Miles
Davis who we visited previously. Award-winning actress Cicely Tyson was married to Miles Davis,
and after her death in 2021, was reportedly laid to rest here with her husband, however, to date
there is no marker for her. Cicely Tyson was an actress known for playing strong African-American
women. Her career began in the New York stage, in productions like The Blacks, and Tiger, Tiger,
Burning Bright. Her breakout film role was as Rebecca in the 1972 film, Sounder. Her performance
earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. And on television, her portrayal of the
title character in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman won her two Emmy awards. Other notable
films include The Help, and Fried Green Tomatoes, and she returned to the stage to win a Tony
for the play The Trip to Bountiful. Her final performances on screen include a recurring role as
Ophelia in How to Get Away With Murder. In 2019, Cicely was awarded an Honorary Academy Award.
She passed away in 2021 at the age of 96.
Crossing the street west let’s head up the hill
to find the distinctive grave of Jackie McLean. You may have deduced from his marker that Jackie
was a jazz saxophonist. He began performing and recording in the 40s and 50s, including with
Miles Davis. By the 60s he began releasing his own albums of music, many of which are
considered jazz classics. He also composed music, including for the play “The Connection.” He
dedicated his later life to teaching, including founding the University of Hartford’s African
American Music Department, now named in his honor. Jackie died at age 74, and that same year
was elected into the DownBeat Hall of Fame.
A short walk west brings us to Norma Miller, known
as the Queen of Swing. She was a professional Lindy Hop dancer who performed on stage, and
in film and television. She toured the world in the 30s and 40s, dancing with headliners like
Ethel Waters, performing for the troops overseas, even doing her own comedy routines. She made
appearances in shows like Sanford and Son, and in films like Malcolm X. Norma was also a
dance choreographer, earning an Emmy nomination for her choreography of Stompin’ at the Savoy. On
top of all this, Norma was also an accomplished songwriter. She lived to be 99.
Back east a little ways is the grave of actress Clarice Taylor. You fans of the Cosby
Show will remember her as Anna Huxtable, the mother of Cliff Huxtable. The role earned her an
Emmy nomination. She’s also remembered for playing Cousin Emma on Sanford and Son. On stage, Clarice
played the Good Witch of the North in The Wiz, and on film she was Birdie in Play Misty for Me.
Clarice died from heart failure at age 93.
We’ve arrived now at Sassafras section. Herein we
find the grave of Nora Bayes. She was a singer and vaudeville performer, popular in the early 1900s.
She is credited with co-writing the song “Shine On Harvest Moon.” Nora is perhaps best-remembered
today for introducing the George M. Cohan song, “Over There,” a WWI patriotic song meant
to galvanize the American troops. The music is featured right here on Nora’s stone. Nora
performed on stages across Europe and America, including in the early Ziegfeld Follies. By 1910
she began making the first of her more than 160 recordings of popular songs. She continued to
perform until illness slowed her down. It was stomach cancer. She died after an operation
for the illness, at just 47. After her death, her husband refused to bury her until his own
death, so she was housed in a receiving vault for some 18 years. After his death, they were
both laid to rest here in unmarked graves. It wasn’t until 2018 that fans and Nora’s
granddaughter arranged for this market to be placed. A fictionalized biopic was made about
her life, titled Shine On Harvest Moon.
Northwest, in Whitewood plot, is the mausoleum
of Victor Herbert. He was a popular composer of the early 20th century, known particularly for
his operettas. His best-known work is 1903’s Babes in Toyland, which weaved together various
characters from Mother Goose nursery rhymes. I’d wager you’re familiar with the pieces,
“Toyland,” and “March of the Toys.” Babes in Toyland has been adapted on screen a number of
times, including by Laurel and Hardy in 1934, and by Disney in 1961. Other notable works
include the operetta Naughty Marietta, which gave us the song, “Ah Sweet Mystery of
Life.” He also wrote incidental music for plays, and numerous orchestral compositions. Victor
died suddenly from a heart attack at age 65.
Not far in from the main entrance is this
distinctive, Egyptian-inspired tomb, belonging to Frank Winfield Woolworth. He was a businessman,
the founder of the FW Woolworth Company, which operated a chain of convenience stores
across the United States known as 5 and dimes, offering low-priced merchandise. During his
life, there were around 1,000 Woolworth stores across the country, and Woolworth owned what
was the tallest skyscraper in Manhattan at the time. The chain continued to expand globally.
Woolworth died in 1919 at age 66.
Also entombed herein is Woolworth’s
granddaughter, socialite Barbara Hutton. She was known as the “poor little rich
girl.” As heiress to the Woolworth fortune, she was one of the wealthiest women in the
world, and therefore, one of the most famous. Her tumultuous private life was the stuff of
tabloid fodder, including 7 marriages… one of which was to screen legend Cary Grant.
She was also generous with her wealth, supporting numerous philanthropic causes.
She died from a heart attack at age 66.
East of here is one for you circus lovers. This
is the tomb of James Bailey. He’s the Bailey in Barnum & Bailey Circus. He ran away from home
at a young age after the deaths of his parents, eventually finding work in a circus. By the
time he was 22 he was manager of his own circus, Cooper and Bailey circus. A year later he joined
with Phineas T. Barnum to form Barnum and Bailey Circus, which they built into “The Greatest Show
on Earth.” Barnum was the face of the circus, while Bailey worked his magic behind
the curtain, becoming renowned for his managerial and logistical skills. Even the
US military copied Bailey’s organizational tactics for transporting people, animals, and
equipment. Bailey also managed Buffalo Bill’s wild West Show. James Bailey died in 1906 at
age 58, after which Barnum & Bailey became part of Ringling Bros. He was inducted into the
International Circus Hall of Fame in 1960.
Around the corner across the street is the grave
of Geraldine Fitzgerald. She was an Irish-American actress who appeared in close to 100 productions
from the 30s to the 90s. Her role as Isabella in 1939’s Wuthering Heights earned her an Oscar
nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Other films include Dark Victory, and Arthur. On
the Broadway stage she made her American debut alongside Orson Welles in Heartbreak House,
and in 1971 earned acclaim for her performance in Long Day’s Journey into the Night. She even found
success as a theater director, becoming one of the first women to receive a Tony nomination for
best direction of a play, for Mass Appeal. And on television she made numerous notable appearances,
including an Emmy nominated performance on The Golden Girls. Geraldine battled Alzheimer’s
later in life, passing away at age 91.
Heading west we off-road it a bit to find
the McManus mausoleum. George McManus was a cartoonist, best remembered as the creator
of the long-running syndicated comic strip, Bringing Up Father, featuring the characters
Jiggs and Maggie. It ran for 87 years, from 1913 to 2000. Bringing up Father would be
adapted as an animated series in the silent era, in the very early days of the animation. Two
real live action comedies would follow, and even feature films. McManus continued to produce the
comic strip right up until his death in 1954.
This is Clover Plot, where we find the grave
of Bud Fischer, another cartoonist. In 1907 he created what is generally regarded as the first
successful daily comic strip in the United States, Mutt and Jeff. It remained in syndication
until 1983. In 1911 Nestor Studios in New Jersey acquired the rights to make
short films based on Mutt and Jeff, but Bud soon took to producing Mutt and Jeff
short comedies himself. Throughout the silent era, hundreds of Mutt and Jeff shorts were produced.
Bud Fisher died from cancer at age 69.
Our last Woodlawn stop brings us to the community
mausoleums near the chapel. Here is the niche of Barbara Britton. She was an actress of
film and television, remembered for numerous western roles alongside the likes of Randolph
Scott, and Gene Autry, like Loaded Pistols, and war dramas like So Proudly We Hail!, as well
as rom-coms like The Fabulous Suzanne. She also had a starring role on radio and television as
amateur sleuth Pam North, in Mr. and Mrs. North. She also played Laura Petrie in Head of the
Family, the pilot for the Dick van Dyke Show, the role which would go to Mary Tyler Moore in
the series. Barbara died from cancer at age 59.
Heading out of New York City we proceed north
now to Westchester County, and Kensico Cemetery. Another one we’ve previously visited, but are
back to unearth more stories in these grounds.
Our first stop here brings us to section 71,
and the grave of Dorothy Loudon. The actress and singer won the Tony award and the Drama
Desk Award for her role as Miss Hannigan in the original Broadway production of Annie. Other
notable stage performances include Ballroom, which earned her another Tony Award nomination,
and Sweeney Todd. While principally known as a stage actress, she did perform on television
as well, including more than 30 appearances on Garry Moore’s variety show, as well as a
guest role on Murder, She Wrote. And her film roles include Midnight in the Garden of Good and
Evil. Dorothy died from cancer at age 78.
Next up here at Kensico we find the grave of Al
Hirschfeld. He was an artist and caricaturist, known particularly for his black and white line
drawing caricatures of stars from Broadway, film, and television. Al had an incredible knack
for being able to capture the likeness and personality of stars with only a few simple
black ink lines. Drawing for around 9 decades, Al Hirschfeld captured just about every
major personality of the 20th century, including Frank Sinatra, Ringo Starr, Clint
Eastwood, Barbra Streisand, Sammy Davis Jr, Bob Hope, Marilyn Monroe, George Burns,
Liza Minnelli, Jim Henson, Greta Garbo, The Marx Bros, Cher, Whoopi Goldberg, Carol
Channing, Steven Spielberg, Judy Garland, Abbott and Costello, Laurel & Hardy, Buster
Keaton, Katharine Hepburn, Leonard Nimoy, Alfred Hitchcock, Humphrey Bogart, Jack Lemmon,
Meryl Streep, Aerosmith, the cast of Seinfeld, and many many more, including himself. Adorning
his tombstone is his caricature self-portrait, drawn in his own inimitable way. A documentary
was made about him called The Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story. It was nominated for an Academy
award for best documentary feature. Hirshfeld also famously hid the name of his daughter NINA in
every drawing made after her birth in 1945. His work is currently exhibited in a number
of institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Al lived to be 99.
In our previous tour here, you’ll recall our visit to the actor’s fund plot. Contrary to
common perception, most actors and entertainers aren’t super wealthy… only the very top tier
are. And back in the day, there was no such thing as residuals and royalties, so many stars
fell on hard financial times later in life after their careers dried up. So to help out these
beloved entertainers in their latter years, funds have been created. The Actors Fund of
America helps cover funeral expenses for actors of stage and screen, many of which are laid to rest
in this plot. Let’s meet a few more folks here.
Florence Reed began performing on stage in the
early 1900s, playing roles like Dulcinea in Don Quixote, and Ophelia in Hamlet. She’d become
one of the grand dames of the Broadway theater, in plays like The Shanghai Gesture and The
Yellow Ticket. Florence began appearing in films during the silent era, around 1915. Her
best-known film role was her first talkie, playing Miss Havisham in Great Expectations. She
rounded out her career making appearances in very early television. Florence lived to be 84.
Florence’s neighbor here is Blanche Yurka, who was also her friend when they were alive. Blanche
was an opera singer and actress. She had minor roles at the Metropolitan Opera before making
her Broadway debut in 1907. Among her notable roles was as Queen Gertrude in Hamlet. She also
earned high praise for her roles in the various plays of Ibsen. As a renowned stage actress,
Blanche looked down on film as a lesser art, and avoided it until her late 40s, finally
appearing in her first feature film in 1935’s A Tale of Two Cities, considered by many as her
greatest film role. Other films include The Song of Bernadette and Cry of the Warewolf. Like
her friend Florence, she too rounded out her career making appearances on early television,
including Kraft Theatre. She lived to be 87.
A few rows away is Vivian Blaine. She’s best
remembered for originating the role of Miss Adelaide in the stage production of Guys
and Dolls, and reprising her role in the subsequent film version, in 1955. She also shared
top billing with Laurel and Hardy in Jitterbugs, and played the title character in Doll Face.
On television she played Betty on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, and made guest appearances on shows
like Fantasy Island, and Murder, She Wrote. Vivian died from heart failure in 1995.
Heading to the other side of the plot we find Gloria Foster. She began performing
in off-Broadway plays, including her Obie Award-wining performance in the play, In White
America. Other plays include A Raisin in the Sun, Cherry Orchard, and Mother Courage. She soon took
her talents to the screen, appearing on shows like Mod Squad. But audiences today remember
her best as the Oracle in the Matrix films.
“You’re in control of your own life,
remember? Here, take a cookie.”
Her final film, The Matrix Reloaded, was released
after her death from diabetes at age 67.
Across the street north is Sharon Gardens,
a Jewish Cemetery. Here we find a beloved comedian with a very distinctive voice, Gilbert
Gottfried. Gilbert launched his career doing stand-up comedy around New York, and was even a
cast member on SNL for a season. As he continued to perform on stage and television, he developed
his trademark exaggerated shrill voice, which would lead to a successful career as a voiceover
artist. Perhaps his best-known voice role is that of Iago, the loud-mouth parrot in the Alladin
series on film, TV and even video games.
“We’re never gonna get ahold of
that stupid lamp! Just forget it.”
Gilbert was also nominated for an Emmy for
his voicework for the cartoon Cyberchase, and even lent that inimitable voice to a duck for
the AFLAC commercials. In front of the camera, Gilbert had memorable roles in films like Beverly
Hills Cop II, and the Problem Child films. Gilbert was also known for his comedy roasts, his
raunchy routines standing in stark contrast to his family-friendly cartoon work. Gilbert died from
a heart condition at the age of 67. His epitaph, “Too Soon,” has dual meaning here. He left us
too soon, but it also refers to his penchant for telling jokes about sensitive current
issues and events, in response to which audiences would call out, “too soon.”
New York isn’t just the city and surrounding areas. New York the state is a big place,
and there are famous graves all over it. Like Lucille Ball way out west in Jamestown, who we
featured in our Viewers Special, and Rod Serling in the finger lakes area, who we featured in
our Twilight Zone Special. Let’s wrap up our time today by hitting the scenic roads outside of
the big city to find a few more famous graves.
Ah the simple pleasures of visiting New York
Cemeteries autumn, when the air is cool and crisp, the sun low on the horizon shining through the
leaves of the trees as they change color and fall to the ground. I won’t lie, I was tempted to
jump into this pile of leaves… or maybe I did, but there is no video evidence one way or the other.
This is the city of Auburn, and Fort Hill Cemetery. Here in these beautiful grounds
we find one of the great social reformers in American history, Harriet Tubman. She was born
into slavery in the early 1800s, suffering greatly as a child under the hands of her enslavers.
In 1849 Harriet escaped north to Pennsylvania, by way of the Underground Railroad… an in formal
network of routes and resources to help enslaved people escape to freedom. In the years that
followed she would return south numerous times to help other family members and friends escape to
freedom through the Underground Railroad. By the outbreak of the Civil War Harriet had succeeded in
rescuing some 70 slaves. In all her expeditions, she never once was caught or lost a passenger.
She became known as the Moses of her people. During the Civil War she worked for the Union Army
as a cook and a nurse, then as a scout and spy, helping to liberate even more enslaved people.
She continued to be active in social causes, including women’s suffrage, until she
passed away around the age of 90. Since her death Harriet Tubman has been commemorated
in art, literature, music, on film, on stamps, in parks, and efforts are currently underway to
have Harriet replace Andrew Jackson on the $20. All reminders of a strong woman who has become
a symbol of courage and freedom in the face of unspeakable horrors and inhumanity. Her gravestone
was erected by the Empire State Federation of Women’s Clubs in 1937.
And finally, we turn the compass south to Ithaca New York and Lake View Cemetery. Here lies a man
who helped us all understand our place in the universe, and our connection to it, Carl Sagan.
In the 1980s Carl Sagan helped instill in a young Arthur a curious and inquisitive mind… perhaps he
did so for you as well with his science program, Cosmos. Carl Sagan was an astronomer, author,
and educator. He became the world’s greatest popularizer of science in the television era,
making it more accessible to the general public. In 1980 he debuted the 13-part television series,
Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, which he hosted and co-wrote with his wife Ann Druyan. It was PBS’s
most popular series for an entire decade. The series won two Emmys and a Peabody award, and
has been seen by over 500 Million people in some 60 countries. It became a “watershed moment
for science-themed television programming,” and perhaps inspired some of your favorite science
channels right here on YouTube. Sequels to Cosmos have been produced in recent years. Carl wrote
and published many books as well, one of his stories even being the basis for the 1997 film,
Contact, which was dedicated to his memory.
Carl also had an intense interest in the search
for extra-terrestrial life. In 1977 he assembled the first physical messages sent out into
space on spacecraft: the Voyager Golden Record, which contains sounds and images from earth,
including music, and voice messages. This was created as a greeting from Earth should any
advanced civilizations ever find it. Carl compared it to throwing a message in a bottle into
the cosmic ocean. Carl Sagan died from pneumonia after battling cancer for two years. He was 62.
We spend a lot of time on this channel talking about the lives and deaths of the stars. But
Carl Sagan taught us about the lives and deaths of the stars in an entirely different way. He
reminded us that we are, each of us, made of star stuff -- the very elements in our bodies, the
iron in our blood, the calcium in our bones, were forged in the fiery hearts of distant stars.
“The lives and deaths of the stars seem impossibly remote from human experience, and yet we’re
related in the most intimate way to their life cycles. Because the cosmos is also
within us, we’re made of star stuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.”
So famous or not, me, and you, we are all, each and every one of us, stars. Remember
that next time you look up at the milky way, or feel the warmth of the sun on your
face on a clear autumn afternoon.
Thanks for watching, we’ll see you on
the next one.
