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 of San Diego,
where we'll find such stars as Anita Page, Victor Buono, Archie Moore, and many more. Join us, won't you? Picking up where we left off in our last
video today we conclude our tour across San Diego, visiting a number of
cemeteries throughout the city. Where the 805 and 94 meet we find a cluster of
cemeteries and mausoleums, all bundled together: Holy Cross, Greenwood, Mt. Hope,
and the historic Cypress View mausoleum. We'll then finish up on the coast at
Fort Rosecrans, a National Cemetery. If you haven't done so already, be sure
to check out part 1. Let's begin at Holy Cross, a Catholic cemetery, which was
dedicated in 1919. Our first stop here is near the eastern end of the cemetery in
the Elizabeth Seton Urn Garden. What's this? Is that a well? Never seen that in a
cemetery before. I wonder what's down there. Probably not. Great movie though! This is Johnny Downs. He was an actor whose career began as a child when he was cast
as a regular in the Our Gang series from 1923 to 1927. After he outgrew the series
he found his niche in college musical films in the 30s. Then in the 1950s he
hosted his own kids TV show, The Johnny Downs Show, right here in San Diego. He
died from cancer at age 80. The next section north is St. Jude. Just in from the road we find Anita Page,
dazzling star of the late silent and early talkie film eras. She rocketed
to fame in films like Our Dancing Daughters, and The Broadway Melody, which
was the first sound film to win an Academy Award for Best Picture. At the
height of her popularity she received over 10,000 fan letters a week,
second only to Greta Garbo. She'd perform alongside some of the eras leading men,
from Clark Gable and Ramon Navarro, to Buster Keaton. She quit acting in the 30s
after meeting her husband. Later in life she would return to Hollywood making
appearances at film festivals, delighting audiences as a star from the long past
silent era, and even appearing in handful of films, including Frankenstein Rising.
She lived to be 98. Across the street West is Calvary
section. Rolling in along this row we meet Charlotte Henry. She was one of the
early actresses to portray Alice in the 1933 film adaptation of Alice in
Wonderland. The next year she performed as Bo Peep alongside Laurel and Hardy in
March of the Wooden Soldiers, originally called Babes in Toyland. She continued to
perform and film into the 40s but soon lost interest in acting and relocated to
San Diego. She died from cancer at age 66. North of here is the Holy Cross Mausoleum.
Let's go check it out. A unique feature here in the mausoleum
is a series of mosaics that line the halls, many dedicated to someone who has
passed. Let's make our way over to the St.
Felicitas chapel. Here we find the crypt of William Gargan. He was an actor for
radio, film, and television. He was well known for playing typical Irish parts,
like policemen, detectives, or priests. Among these fictional detectives he's
known for playing are Martin Kane in the series Martin Kane, Private Eye, and
Ellery Queen in three feature films. He also received an Oscar nomination for
his role as Joe in the 1940 film They Knew What They Wanted. He died of a heart attack
while on a flight between New York and San Diego. Moving on
to the next cemetery just southwest of here is Greenwood
Cemetery. It's a grand Cemetery, Greenwood, beautiful too. Founded in 1907 the cemetery
spans 125 acres. Some of the more unique features
across the grounds exude an almost Disney-esque charm. For our first stop here we make our way
around to the lily pad lake, one of the most distinctive features here at
Greenwood. Overlooking this lake are rows of crypts - a one of a kind view for some of
the dearly departed here at Greenwood. Along one of the upper rows of crypts we
find the final resting place of Victor Buono. He had a Laughton-esque grandeur and
Shakespearean eloquence on screen. On film he's perhaps best remembered as
Edwin Flagg alongside Bette Davis in the acclaimed horror thriller What Ever
Happened to Baby Jane? The role earned him an Academy Award nomination. "Edwin, you certainly can play, can't you?" "And you certainly can sing." "Oh thank you. I can see you've done this
kind of work before." "No, not really. Actually I've spent most of my time and serious music composing and
that sort of thing." "You mean this would be your first
contact with show business?" "Not exactly." He also played the lead in 1964's The
Strangler. Buono took his talents to TV too, fondly remembered as the
larger-than-life King Tut in the 60s Batman series, as well as appearances in
shows like 77 Sunset Strip, Perry Mason, and Rod Serling's Night Gallery. Victor Buono died of a sudden heart attack in 1982 at just 43. He was entombed here
with his mother, though his name does not appear on the crypt. If we circle around and make our way
toward the north we reach East Lake section on the right. Here we find jazz master and
magnificent human being, James Moody. He played jazz saxophone and flute, known for the bebop style. Moody's perhaps best
remembered for his hit performance of "Moody's Mood for Love" -- his version of
"I'm in the Mood for Love. He would play with other legends from
Miles Davis to Dizzy Gillespie. And in 1998 he was chosen as an NEA Jazz Master. He died from cancer at age 85. Let's make our way now to the
Cathedral Mausoleum, just behind us. How often do you find yourself
the only living soul around when wandering the halls of a mausoleum? Happens to me all the time. This east facing corridor which captures
the rising sun through large windows is appropriately named the Sunshine
Corridor. This is where we find Ernestine Schulmann-Heink. She was one of the legends
of the Opera stage in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, hailed as the
world's greatest contralto. She made her debut in Europe in 1878 the age of
seventeen and we've become known for her performances of the works of Wagner.
Ernestine made it to the States in 1899 performing in New York, Chicago, and
eventually settling in Southern California.
She made gramophone recordings as early as 1900, one of the music
world's very early recording artists. Later in life it would become a
Christmas tradition across the nation to listen to Ernestine sing Silent Night on
the radio, both in English and German. She would even appear as herself
in the 1935 film Here's to Romance. A year later she
passed away from leukemia at age 75. The northern end of the mausoleum
features a number of open-air courtyards and garden areas. In the Garden Court
area we find author Harold Bell Wright. He was a best-selling author of fiction
and nonfiction, said to be the first American author to sell a million copies
of a novel and to make a million dollars from selling fiction. Among his
best-known books is the Shepherd of the Hills, written in 1907. It would be made
into four films and a TV special, the best-known version starred John Wayne in
1941. Other successful novels include The Winning of Barbara Worth, which would
also be made into a film. Harold Bell Wright died from pneumonia at age 72. Just east is the Rose Court. In this hallway spanning the two courtyards we
find husband and wife John and Maria Maroldo, who went by the stage names
Johnny Winters and Lady Little. Johnny was an Italian-American dwarf and Marie,
also a dwarf, was from Paris. They began entertaining audiences on the vaudeville
stage where they would meet and marry, becoming a duo act. They also had
small roles in a handful of films like The Terror of Tiny Town, and perhaps most
notably as munchkins in The Wizard of Oz. They retired to San Diego and not much
is known about their later lives until their deaths in 1985 and in 1979
respectively. Our last stop here is in the massive
Bible Mausoleum, which almost has an air of a sprawling luxury hotel for the dead. Let's head up to the third floor and
back to the Corridor of the Chapel. Here we find Corey Rand. Some of his more
notable roles as an actor include Ramon Vega in Predator 2, and the Sollozzo look-alike, in Hot Shots Part Deux. He also had roles in biopics about both
Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra. He was just 56 when he died of
undisclosed causes. He's entombed here with his life partner, Terry, both having
died quite young, but reunited forever. Just across the street southwest of
Greenwood is the historic Cypress View Mausoleum. We've been to a lot of
mausoleums, or mausolea, over the years, and Cypress View ranks right up there
with the likes of the Great Mausoleum and Mountain View in terms of beauty and
grandeur, particularly in terms of its art collection: one of the larger private
collections in California, with hundreds of marble and bronze statues, paintings,
vintage furniture, and stained glass windows. I's a must-see if you're in the
San Diego area. And how's this for an apropos poem: There is no death!
The stars go down to rise on some other shore, and bright in heaven's
crown they shine forevermore. Speaking of stars we could admire the
beauty here all day long, but we have some famous graves to find,
so let's get to it. Our first stop here is in the large
hallway that runs perpendicular to the main hallway. Here is the niche of
Amelita Galli-Curci. She was an Italian opera singer, one of
the elite coloratura sopranos of the 20th century, known for the sweetness and
versatility of her voice. She made her debut in 1906 in Verdi's Rigoletto and
quickly rose in popularity throughout europe and eventually the U.S. She would
sing with both the Chicago Opera and the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Amelita
was also a popular recording artist, in fact you're listening to her right now.
She died from emphysema at age 81. Amelita was married to and often
accompanied on piano by Homer Samuels. He was also a composer, writing songs for
Amelita to sing, including "When Cloris Sleeps." Back to the main hallway let's stroll a
little slower than usual to enjoy all this artwork. Here is Archie Moore. He was
a professional boxer, the longest reigning light heavyweight champion of
all time, and considered one of the all-time greatest pound-for-pound boxers,
with more knockouts than any other boxer to date. He began fighting in the 1930s
becoming light heavyweight champ in 1952, which he held until 1962. He retired from
boxing in 1963 and had a second career as an actor, being chosen to play the
role of runaway slave Jim in 1960s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, as well
as appearances on a number of TV shows. He died from heart failure at age 81. Across the hall a little further down in
Corridor A is Nat Pendleton. He was an Olympic wrestler, winning silver at the
1920 Olympics in Belgium. By the 30s he had begun appearing in films, including
as a strongman in The Great Ziegfeld, and alongside Thelma Todd in the film
Deception, which he also wrote. He played Guild in The Thin Man, and was a regular
in the Dr. Kildare series as Wayman. Nat Pendleton died from a heart attack
at age 72. Our last stop here is down
in the lower level. Oh look, a bowl of grapes!
Good, I am famished. Welcome to Hollywood Grapeyard,
where I set out to eat... marble grapes. I'm not that hungry.
Oh well, onward! In the Chapel of Promise, high on the right wall, we find the niche
of Barbara Payton. one of Hollywood's many tragic blondes,
who, in the springtime of youth, made her way to tinsel town to chase a dream only
to have that dream crumble into the kind of gritty nightmare so often seen in one
of her crime dramas. Her breakout role as an actress was in the 1949 film noir
Trapped. She would become known for roles in films noir, including and Kiss
Tomorrow Goodbye, alongside James Cagney, a role which made her a star. "What do you want?" "Lots of things." "Well you're not gonna find them here." "You'll be surprised
what a man can find." But her tumultuous personal life, rocky and
sometimes violent relationships, and heavy partying would
soon take their toll on her career. The poorly produced
Bride of the Gorilla signaled the beginning of the
end of her career. Hard drinking destroyed her physically and emotionally,
sinking so low that she sometimes had to sleep on bus benches and resort to
prostitution. Seeking refuge from her turbulent circumstances she moved home
with her parents in San Diego in 1967. There she would die of heart and liver
failure at age 39. Just a few years before
her death she penned a tell-all
autobiography titled, I Am Not Ashamed. And that will do it for
Cyprus View. Let's hop back across the street to the north to Mount Hope
Cemetery. Just one stop here, in division 8. This is where we find the final
resting place of writer Raymond Chandler. He was a novelist and screenwriter, best
known for his work in crime fiction. He was considered by many as a founder of
the hard-boiled detective genre along with the likes of Dashiell Hammett and
James M Cain. His first novel, The Big Sleep, was published in 1939. It would
inspire two films, one starring Bogart and Bacall in 1946 and later starring
Robert Mitchum in 1978. The inscription here, "Dead men are heavier than broken
hearts," is from The Big Sleep. He also wrote original screenplays not
based on his books, including The Blue Dahlia and Double Indemnity, both of
which earned him Oscar nominations. After his wife Cissy died in 1954
Chandler sunk into a deep and lonely depression, turning to alcohol and even a
suicide attempt. Cissy's ashes were stored in nearby Cypress View, but never
properly inurned. Chandler wished to be cremated and placed alongside Cissy
after his death, but having left no official instructions he was buried here
in 1959 after his death at age 70. A half-century later
Chandler fans and historians brought a petition to claim the ashes of Cissy
from storage at Cyprus View and re-inter them here at Mount Hope alongside
Raymond so they could finally be together again. It was Valentine's Day in
2011. The last stop along our tour through San
Diego is right on the coast down Point Loma at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery,
which is adjacent to Naval Base Point Loma. This is where veterans and their
families are laid to rest. While burials here had begun decades earlier Fort
Rosecrans officially became a National Cemetery in 1934. The cemetery overlooks
San Diego Bay and the Pacific Ocean. it's nice to see that we saved the best
view in San Diego for our brave veterans. Everyone here is a star in their own
right, and if we had a thousand years we'd cover them all. But we don't, so
let's take a little time to find some of those here who, in addition to serving
their country, brought us a little entertainment along the way. The cemetery
is divided by Cabrillo Memorial Drive into an east and west side. We'll begin
just in from the entrance on the east side along the far wall of niches.
Here we find actress Gloria Winters. She's best remembered for playing Penny
King in four seasons of the 50s TV series Sky King. Other series include The
Life of Riley, as Jackie Gleason's daughter, and The Range Rider. She retired
from acting shortly after ending Sky King. Gloria was married to Dean Vernon who
was a sound designer for film and television. He did production sound for
shows like Hill Street Blues, St. Elsewhere, and Lou Grant, earning three
Emmy nominations throughout his career. Just northwest of here is
post section 3. A little ways in we find Dick Wessel. Not a leading actor but a
prolific one to be sure, with some 300 credits to his name. The fierce looking
character actor found his niche in roles of heavies, thugs, and tough guys, like Cue
Ball in Dick Tracy Versus Cue Ball. Fans also remember him for appearances in a
number of Three Stooges shorts, and a regular role in the TV series Riverboat.
Wessel died of a heart attack at just 52. Northwest in this lawn, in the
officers section, is writer Lawrence Stallings. He lost his leg fighting in
World War I, his experiences of the horrors of war inspiring him to write,
and de-romanticize warfare. Among his best-known works is his collaboration
with Maxwell Anderson on the 1924 play, What Price Glory, which would be made
into a couple of films. His semi- autobiographical novel Plumes was based on
his experiences during and after WWI. This would inspire a silent film, King Vidor's The Big Parade, starring John
Gilbert and Rene Adoree. The movie was a huge hit, one of the highest-grossing
silent films of all time, and is now considered culturally,
historically, and aesthetically significant by the Library of Congress. Other films he wrote or co-wrote include
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and Sabu's The Jungle Book. He died of a heart attack at
age 73. Back across the street northeast along the wall of niches is Harry Spear,
real name Harry Bonner. Fans of the Our Gang series of the 20s will recognize
him as Harry in a number of shorts from 1927 to 1929. Aside from some time in
vaudeville he quit acting after the Our Gang series, and disappeared entirely
from show business. Interestingly Bonner would deny he was in fact the Harry
Spear of the Our Gang series until his death at age 84. So is this really Harry
Spear? The evidence points to it, but he never did admit it. Passing by the chapel we head south
reaching section P on the right. This is Robert Kent, real name Douglas
Blackley. The actor was a prizefighter before making the transition to the
stage and screen. He would become a popular figure in serials of the 30s and
40s, like The Phantom Creeps. He also had a lead role in 1936'ss King of the
Royal Mounted, and can be seen alongside Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly in The
Country Girl. Kent fell into alcoholism, dying young at
46 from a coronary occlusion. Continuing to the southern end of the cemetery we
reached section AF. All the way in along the southern
fence is Irving Bacon. Few actors that we've ever
visited have had as many screen credits as Bacon here -
over 500 by some estimates. His career began in the silent era at Mack
Sennett's studio. By the 30s he'd found a role for which he is perhaps best
remembered: as the weary postman, Mr. Crumb in the Blondie series, in close to
a dozen films. Mr. Bacon had small roles in many of the major films of the era,
including Gone with the Wind, The Grapes of Wrath, and Meet John Doe. And if you
watched a TV show in the 50s and 60s you probably spotted Bacon, including as
Ethel Mertz's father on I Love Lucy. He lived to be 71. Nearby, along the eastern fence, is the
grave of Sally Forrest. She began her career as a dancer before turning to
acting. She's remembered today for starring in some of the rare films of
the era helmed by a woman, including Not Wanted, and Never Fear,
both Ida Lupino films. Other films include The Strip, and one of her last
filmss Fritz Lang's While the City Sleeps. In 1953 she moved to New York with her
husband and appeared on Broadway in The Seven-Year Itch, as well as other stage
productions. Sally retired from show business in the
60s and lived to be 86. Let's cross over Cabrillo Memorial
Drive to the west side and stop at section Y on the right. This is Richard Garrick. Born Richard
O'Brien in Ireland he emigrated to the United States in 1882 and would serve in
the Philippine-American war his acting career would begin on stage before
entering silent film acting in and even directing productions like, His Father's
Bugle, in 1912. He would direct some 30 silent films in his career in both the
States and Europe. He continued to act as well, and by the late 40s he found
himself onstage in A Streetcar Named Desire. He would reprise his role as the
doctor, alongside Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh in the film adaptation. He died at age 83. Let's cross the street west to section X,
where the sky has miraculously cleared so we can enjoy this spectacular view. If
you saw our Batman special you'll recall that this is where we find Douglas Croft.
In Gotham City Batman's youthful sidekick is Robin the Boy Wonder,
real name Dick Grayson. The first actor to portray Robin on screen was
Douglas Croft, who was 16 at the time. It was in the
1943 serial, alongside Lewis Wilson's Batman - Wilson also being famous as the
first to portray Batman on screen. "You alright Batman?" "Yeah. That really was a close call. You did
some fast thinking." "With those bells ringing, we'd
better get out of here. We don't the police to
find us in these outfits." Douglas Croft had a string of roles
playing younger versions of characters, including a young George M Cohan in
Yankee Doodle Dandy, a young Drake McHugh in King's Row; and a young Lou Gehrig in
The Pride of the Yankees. He retired from acting in the late 40s. Not much is known
about Croft in the years that followed, only that he died from acute alcohol
intoxication at the age of 37. Our next stop is a little further up
Section X, next to the road. This is David Ford. In the world of the 60s Gothic soap
opera, Dark Shadows, David Ford played Sam Evans and Andre DuPres in over 100
episodes. He's also known for playing John Hancock
in stage and screen productions of 1776. He died from a heart attack at age 57. Back across the street east is Section W.
Up the hill we find Jacques Jaccard. He was an early writer and director in
Hollywood, who specialized in writing serials, action, and westerns during the
silent era at Universal. These include The Great Air Robbery, and The Red Ace. He
also co-directed with William Desmond Taylor The Diamond from the Sky, starring
Lottie Pickford. Jaccard never really found his footing in the sound era, only
directing a handful of low-grade talkies, finishing off his career focusing on
writing and dialogue directing. He died at age 73. Let's enjoy this magnificent
view one last time as a cool marine layer rolls in from the ocean. Finally we circle back around toward the main entrance.
Let's stop just at the gate. North is another row of niches along which we
find Gregg Barton, whose real name was Harold Barker. He was known as one of
Western film and television's great supporting actors, proudly proclaiming
that he'd been knocked down by every major Western star, including Annie
Oakley. Among these many Western series Barton appeared in are the Gene Autry
Show, The Range Rider, Annie Oakley, The Lone Ranger, and Death Valley Days. His
films include Flying Tigers, and The Man from Laramie. Barton was awarded the
Silver Star at the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II. He lived to be 88. And that concludes our tour. What are some of your favorite memories that the
stars we visited today? Share them in the comments below, and be sure to like, share,
and subscribe more famous grave tours. Thanks for watching!
We'll see you on the next one. Well for all of us here at Hollywood
Graveyard, I'm Arthur Dark. You stay classy San Diego. And thanks for stopping by. But mainly, stay classy. Thanks for stopping by. Stay classy I'm Arthur Dark. Thanks for stopping by.
