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 heading south
to San Diego, where we'll find such stars as Patti Page, Karen Black, Bobby Driscoll,
and many more. Join us won't you? Summer is upon us,
and what better way to kick it off than with the road trip south to sunny San
Diego. A number of entertainers have been laid to rest here, so today we kick off
our tour of several cemeteries around San Diego - a tour which will span two
parts. As we cruise along the coast down the
5 let's stop halfway in Oceanside, and visit Eternal Hills Memorial Park. The cemetery sits on 130 acres of rolling hills and dates back to the 1940s. We'll begin our tour here just in from
the entrance on the left near the lake. This distinctive monument featuring a
trombone player is for Paul Tanner, who, you may have guessed, was a musician and
trombone player. As noted here on the marker he rose to prominence playing in
Glenn Miller's band from 1939 to 1942. After the war he would work as a studio
musician performing on recordings for film and television.
He also co-developed the electro-theremin, an instrument which
mimics the sound of a theremin. He could be heard performing that
unusual instrument in the opening theme of the TV show, My Favorite Martian. The
instrument is also heard in the Beach Boys hit, "Good Vibrations." Tanner died of
pneumonia at the age of 95. If we follow the sidewalk west we find the grave of
Junior Seau on the left. He was a professional football player, a
linebacker for the Chargers, Dolphins, and the Patriots. He had a storied career,
being named Defensive Player of the Year in 1992, and was a 12-time Pro Bowl
player. He was known for his hard hits, passionate playing, and was beloved by
the local community. So the world was shocked when Seau took his own life at
the age of 43. His death shed additional light on the NFL's concussion crisis and
CTE - chronic traumatic encephalopathy - brain damage from excessive trauma which
affects players mental health later in life. His autopsy concluded that Seau
did indeed suffer from CTE which may have led to the depression that drove
him to end his life. The Chargers retired his number 55, and
in 2015 he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Continuing west we find a section called
Peace Haven on the left. Close to the road is Susan Morrow, whose real name
was Jacqueline. She was an actress who made her screen debut in 1951s
Gasoline Alley. She would go on to play the female lead
alongside Charlton Heston in 1952s The Savage. Subsequent years would see her in
prominent roles in films like Cat-Women of the Moon, and Macabre, a film touted as
being so frightening admission included a $1,000 insurance policy against "death
by fright." Susan retired from acting in the 60s
after making a number of appearances on TV. She was just 52 when she died. Let's stop real quick on this little
island: Cockrill Isle which pays homage to the owner and manager of Eternal
Hills, Joe B. Cockrill. This monument to Cockrill looks like the world's tiniest
mausoleum. He's entombed in a crypt by the lake. Across the street is the Court of the
Cross. Here we find the niche of husband and wife entertainers John and Pearl
Early. The couple toured the vaudeville circuit together as Early and Laight. They
entertained mainly on stage but John would make one appearance in silent film,
a 1921 film called Daffy House, and later in life Pearl would have a number
of small roles in films in the 40s and 50s. Across the street south is the
Sanctuary of Hope. Let's head down to the lower level and take the first right.
High on the left is the niche of Dick Simmons. He was an actor best known for
his starring role as Sergeant William Preston in the 1955 series, Sergeant
Preston of the Yukon. After that series ended he continued to have a successful
television career making guest appearances on shows like Death Valley
Days, and the Brady Bunch. He died at age 89 from Alzheimer's
disease. Back out to the grounds let's make our way around to Sunset Section. Up the hill a short ways is Merritt Bohn.
He was an actor seen mainly in television in the 50s and 60s. And we can
add "one more" to our Twilight Zone Special. Mr. Bohn can be seen in two
episodes of the original series: One for the Angels, and Steel. "You're lucky to get a bout. We ain't used nothing less than B-4s
in almost two years now. Fighter we had got ruined in a car wreck
though." He also played an assistant warden
on the 60s Batman series. Merritt Bohn died of pneumonia at age 73. Let's continue to the northern end of this
lawn to Calvary Section. Disney fans will recognize our next star. Several spaces
south of the road we find a cenotaph Bobby Driscoll. The highly acclaimed
child actor was the first to be put on exclusive contract with Disney. His
breakout role was in the 1946 film Song of the South. He would go on to star in
films like So Dear to My Heart, and Treasure Island. Bobby was also the model
and voice for Peter Pan. "How do we get to Neverland?" "Fly, of course!" "Fly?" "It's easy!" Outside of Disney he had a role in the 1949 noir, The Window. His performances in
So Dear to My Heart and The Window earned him a juvenile Academy Award in
1950. As he grew through adolescence in the 50s his career began to decline. His
life and career became plagued by drug abuse, run-ins with the law, and bullying
from other kids about his film career. The downfall of Bobby Driscoll is a
tragic early example of a fallen child star. After spending time in a narcotics
rehabilitation center he moved to New York in hopes of reviving his career on
the Broadway stage, but was unsuccessful. Penniless, Driscoll
disappeared into Manhattan's underground in the late 60s. In March of '68, in a
scene eerily similar to the plot of The Window, two boys playing in a deserted
East Village tenement discovered the body of Bobby Driscoll. He had died from
heart failure due to drug use. There was no identification on his body so photos
were circulated to try to identify him, but he went unidentified and unclaimed.
And so Bobby Driscoll, once the biggest child star in the world, was buried in a
pauper's grave in Hart Islands potter's field. The following year his mother
sought help from officials in locating her son. This would lead to fingerprint
identification that it was Bobby discovered in that abandoned tenement
and buried in the potter's field. So even though his name is here on his father's
marker his remains still lies somewhere on Hart Island. Given his legacy perhaps
Disney will soon consider enshrining Bobby Driscoll as a Disney Legend. Doubling back we make our way now to the
southwest area of the cemetery. This is the Garden of Protection. Passing by the
statue on the left, near the middle of this lawn we find an icon of New
Hollywood, Karen Black. The actress, singer, and songwriter became a prominent figure
in both independent and mainstream film in the 70s. Her role in Easy Rider would
lead to a starring role in the 1970 film Five Easy Pieces, alongside Jack
Nicholson. The role earned her an Academy Award
nomination. "You know, I'd go out with you. Or, I'll stay in with ya. Or I'll do anything
that you'd like me to do, if you would tell me that you love me." Other films include
Airport 1975, The Great Gatsby, House of 1000 Corpses, and
Hitchcock's last film, Family Plot. She also wrote and performed songs for her
role in the musical drama, Nashville. She kept busy performing an indie, arthouse,
and horror films until she died from cancer at age 74. Just across the
street south is the Folded Flags section. This is the final resting place of Lloyd
Haynes. He served in the Marines during the Korean War after which he began his
acting and film studies in Los Angeles. Lloyd is perhaps best remembered for his
starring role as high school history teacher Pete Dixon, in the Emmy Award
winning series Room 222 which ran from 1969 to 1974. The role earned him an Emmy
and a Golden Globe nomination. You can also see him and shows like
Star Trek, Batman, and as judge Quinlan in Dynasty. He was just 52 when he died from
cancer. That'll do it for Eternal Hills. Let's
continue to make our way south to San Diego. We're in the Sorrento Valley area
now north of San Diego at El Camino Memorial Park. This 220-acre cemetery was
founded in 1960. Across the grounds you'll see a number of bells. "Bells... the tintinnabulation
that so musically wells from the bells, bells, bells, bells,
bells..." as Edgar Allan Poe once wrote. These bells represent the Southern
California mission bells that marked the original route of the El Camino Real
from San Diego to Sonoma. Just in from the entrance on the left
is Mount Shalom section. Our first visit here at El Camino
wasn't an entertainer, but a star
of another sort - a scientist and hero to millions, Jonas Salk. In the early
20th century polio was one of the most feared childhood diseases. The infectious
disease caused by the polio virus led to muscle weakness and often paralysis.
Epidemics of the disease post-war were particularly devastating, especially
among children. In the 1950s, next to the atomic bomb, polio was the nation's
greatest fear. Jonas Salk was a virologist who headed the team that
developed the first polio vaccine approved for widespread use in 1955. The
disease is now preventable, the vaccines having effectively eradicated the
disease from most of the world. It's fitting we should visit him now in the
midst of our own virus pandemic, as scientists just like Salk are working
around the clock to develop a vaccine for Covid-19, which in time will also
save countless lives. Continuing East we reach Loma Siesta
Section on the left. Up the hill a ways we find Dorothy Kelly, sometimes credited
as Dorothy O'Kelly - not to be confused with the silent film actress
of the same name. Dorothy was an actress in around a
dozen films. Her biggest roles were as Mary in 1942s Flying with Music, and
the secretary in The Sky's the Limit. The remainder of four roles were mainly
background uncredited, and she retired from acting in 1946 after playing a show
girl in The Razor's Edge. She was just 51 when she died reportedly from injuries
sustained in a fire. Further east, on the right, is Vista Del Lago section. Let's make our
way down the hill toward the lake. Overlooking the lake we find the grave
of Milburn Stone. If you're a fan of Gunsmoke, one of the longest-running TV
shows in history, you'll recognize Stone as Doc Adams in over 600 episodes. The
role earned him an Emmy. "You know, you haven't got the
faintest idea what I'm talking about. What you ought to do instead of sleeping half the day and
carousing around most the night like you do, why, you ought to read little... keep
yourself informed, like I do." Before Gunsmoke he played Skeeter Milligan in the
Tailspin Tommy serials of the 1930s. He died from a heart attack at age 75 Still further east we reach the
Madonna Section on the left. Taking a long stroll to the middle of this lawn
we find the final resting place of Billy Daniels. The legendary singer was
of African-American and Native-American ancestry, as well as a descendant of
frontiersman Daniel Boone. He began singing in clubs
in the 40s and by 1950 had a best-selling hit with his
rendition of "That Old Black Magic," which would become his signature tune. [music] He would become New
York's biggest cabaret draw that decade, and toured Europe as America's most
exciting singer. His popularity led to roles in films like When You're Smiling,
and even a pioneering TV show, The Billy Daniel's Show. And let's not forget about
Broadway where he'd shine in close to 600 performances of Golden Boy with
Sammy Davis Jr. Billy Daniels died from cancer at age 73. Back to the west we
take the second right and left towards the Loma Siesta Circle. North of the
circle is Freedom Terrace. This is where we find silent film actress Violet La Plante. In 1925 she was chosen as a WAMPAS Baby Star - one of 13 young
actresses believed to be on the threshold of movie stardom, an honor her
sister, silent film actress Laura La Plante, had been given two years
earlier. Her films include The Ramblin Galoot, and her final film, How to Handle
Women. Violet's acting career ended with the advent of the talkies in 1928, and
she lived to be 76. Let's make our way now around and up the
hill toward the Mausoleum of the Bells. Ooo, look out! Here we are at the Tranquility Terrace.
This is the final resting place of the singin' rage, Miss Patti Page. The country
in pop music singer was one of the best-selling female artists of the 1950s,
with record sales topping 100 million. She delighted audiences with hits like
"How Much is That Doggy in the Window?" "Old Cape Cod," And her signature tune, "Tennessee Waltz." [music] Her style was unique and distinct in that she would harmonize backing vocals
recording overdubs of her own voice. She would often perform on television,
including her own show, The Patti Page Oldsmobile Show, in the 1950s, and even
acted in a handful of films, like Elmer Gantry. She was inducted into the
Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame and was posthumously awarded a Grammy Lifetime
Achievement Award in 2013, Patti Page died from heart and lung
disease at the age of 85. Onward now to the end of the road, and the Mausoleum of the Bells. The
bell tower arches bear no small resemblance to another set of golden
arches. Perhaps fitting as just around the corner - you'll recall if you saw our
food lovers special - is the man behind McDonald's, Ray Kroc. The first McDonald's
hamburger stand was opened by the McDonald brothers in San Bernardino in
1940. In 1954 Ray Kroc teamed up with the McDonald brothers to expand the
franchise. So while Kroc was not technically the
founder of McDonald's, he was the man who grew and developed the McDonald's that
we know today, making it the most recognized and successful fast-food
corporation in the world. Kroc was portrayed by Michael Keaton in the 2016
dramatization of the founding of McDonald's, The Founder. Later in life he
owned the San Diego Padres baseball team. He died of heart failure at age 81. Finally we head into the Sanctuary of Love to find the crypt of husband and
wife, Sheila Darcy and Preston Foster. Sheila Darcy was an actress best known
as female leads in cliffhanger serials of the 30s and 40s, like Zorro's
Fighting Legion. She's also remembered as the Dragon Lady
in Terry and the Pirates. Aside from an uncredited role in 1951's Tomahawk,
Sheila retired from acting after marrying actor and singer Preston Foster.
The versatile actor was performing in the Broadway play Two Seconds when he
was cast in the 1932 film adaptation of the play alongside Edward G. Robinson.
Other films include I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, and The Last Days of
Pompeii. His career was put on hold during the war when he served on the
Coast Guard, afterwards he entered the emerging world of television, in shows
like Waterfront, and Gunslinger. His performances earned him a nomination as
most outstanding new personality at the 1955 Emmys. Preston Foster died in 1970
at age 69. 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. I happened to visit Eternal Hills on
Memorial Day, and was treated to a performance of Taps by a fireman in the
Folded Flags block, a section for veterans.
