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 back to Valhalla Memorial
Park, to find such stars as Gorgeous George, Ken Weatherwax, Mae Clarke, and many more. Join us, won't you? Welcome back to Valhalla Memorial Park. This was the second cemetery we ever visited
on this channel, way back in 2017, and a lot has changed since then. Valhalla -- named for the Norse hall of slain
warriors -- has come a long way in terms of renovations and upkeep, and is in much better
shape now than it was then. The grounds are well-kempt, and they’ve
made progress in ensuring graves don’t become overgrown. It was nice to see, for example, Madame Sul-Te-Wan’s
grave not only completely uncovered, but freshly cleaned and polished. Valhalla, you’ll recall, is the cemetery
you fly over when you take off from the Burbank Airport. In our previous tour here we found big stars
like Oliver Hardy and Bea Benaderet, so if you haven’t seen that video yet be sure
to check it out. But Valhalla doesn’t boast the number of
A-list stars as say Hollywood Forever or Forest Lawn. What Valhalla does boast is being home to
a lot of Hollywood’s most prolific supporting players. In these grounds rest a number of talented
folks whose names may not have always appeared on the movie poster, but they did appear in
300, 400, even 500 or more productions. So just as Valhalla is a supporting player
to the star cemeteries in Hollywood, so too were many of the talented individuals resting
here supporting players to Hollywood’s biggest stars. Let’s begin just in from the entrance in
block H. Just in front of the Mausoleum of Prayer we find the grave of actress Jill Banner. She didn’t have as many credits as many
of her neighbors here, but she is remembered today for starring in a comedy horror film
alongside Lon Chaney Jr, which has since attained cult status: Spider Baby: or, the Maddest
Story Ever Told. Jill played the title character. “A big fat bug right in my spider web.” “Virginia, are you crazy?” “And the big black spider goes round and
round.” Jill also played Snow White in The President’s
Analyst, and made a number of appearances on TV’s Dragnet. She was just 35 when she died from a car accident
in North Hollywood. The next section north is block L. Quite a
few actors from yesteryear clustered together in this section, including several we found
in our last video. Here too is a prolific supporting player,
who has more than 400 credits to his name: Kit Guard. He began appearing on screen in silent films
in the 20s, becoming a popular on-screen comedic duo with Al Cooke. He’s also remembered in this era for his
recurring role as boxer K.O. Kelly in some two-dozen short films beginning
in 1923. Come the talkies, he’d become a regular
supporting and character player in numerous westerns, including several alongside Bob
Steele. He died from cancer at age 67. Not far from here south is Vivienne Osborne. The actress appeared in some 38 films between
1920 and 1946. Earlier in her career she was appearing on
Broadway in musicals like The Three Musketeers. Perhaps her best-known film role is that of
Johanna in the 1946 film Dragonwyk, alongside Gene Tierney and Vincent Price. This would also be her final screen role. Other films include Two Seconds, alongside
Edward G. Robinson. Vivienne lived to be 64. A few rows away is a grave that was hiding
under a layer of grass, but I informed Valhalla and they kindly uncovered the grave of Syd
Saylor for me. Like his neighbor Kit, Syd was a prolific
supporting player, also with more than 400 credits to his name. He was known as a comedic actor, often playing
sidekicks or jittery types in western films. He starred as the title character in Let’s
Do it George, a series of two-reel comedies in the 20s. And in the 30s he starred alongside Clyde
Beatty in The Lost Jungle serial. And his television work includes numerous
appearances in shows like The Adventures of Rin-Rin-Tin, and Maverick. He died from a heart attack at age 67. The section north of here is the Masonic Garden. Here we find a noted composer of music for
film and television, Nathan Scott. He began writing music for b-western films
in the 40s, but would become best known for his work for television in the 50s and 60s. His first work for television was writing
the music for the Steve Canyon series, in 1958. He’d go on to write music for many of the
great shows of this early television era, like Dragnet, Laramie, Have Gun – Will Travel,
and Lassie. Nathan also wrote the music for my favorite
Twilight Zone episode, “A Stop at Willoughby.” He lived to be 94. At the northwest corner of this lawn is the
Garden of Faith. Here we find the small cremation plot of Nana
Bryant. She began her acting career on stage, in California
and on Broadway, including a role in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. She began appearing on film in the 30s, often
playing motherly characters. Her roles include Mrs. Hazel Chumley in the
1950 film Harvey, and Mrs. Thatcher in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. And on television she had recurring roles
in shows like The First Hundred Years, and Our Miss Brooks. She lived to be 67. Let’s cross the street to the next section
north. Here we find legendary wrestler Gorgeous George. Born George Wagner, Gorgeous George was a
professional wrestler during the First Golden Age of Wrestling, in the 40s and 50s. He’d be a pioneer of the showmanship that
would come to define professional wrestling, debuting his glamour boy image, bleached blonde
hair, and exaggerated effeminate behavior in the early 40s, which earned him his nickname. He even transformed his ring entrances into
a bona-fide spectacle… commonplace today, but fairly novel at the time. His antic antagonized the crowds, and his
penchant for cheating made him professional wrestling’s first true cowardly villain. All this combined with the advent of television,
made him professional wrestling’s biggest star of his era, and a larger-than-life American
pop culture icon. But Gorgeous George wasn’t just all gimmicks
– he was also a very competent freestyle wrestler. George also played himself in the 1949 film
Alias the Champ. George retired in 1962, and died just one
year later at age 48 after suffering a heart attack. Gorgeous George would influence other fighters,
like Muhammad Ali, in their approach to flamboyant self-promotion. And in 2002 he was posthumously inducted into
the inaugural class of the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame. Across the street east is section G. This is the grave of Kay Morley, whose epitaph
“Everything’s Cool,” had a tinge of irony to it on the 100-degree day I visited
her. Her work as an actress in film and television
spanned the 40s and 50s. Her films include Code of the Saddle and Campus
Honeymoon. She made a handful of TV appearances as well,
including in The Cisco Kid and Adventures of Superman. She retired from the screen in the 50s, and
lived a full century. Kay was married to actor Richard Crane. They appeared together in the film Campus
Honeymoon. Richard began appearing in films in the 40s,
but make his biggest impact on television. He’s perhaps best remembered for playing
the title role in the 50s sci-fi series, Rocky Jones, Space Ranger. His Rocky Jones became a popular figure for
young sci-fi fans of the era. He also played Lt. Gene Plehn on Surfside
6, and made numerous appearances on shows like Lassie, and The Lone Ranger. Richard was just 50 when he died from a heart
attack. Back across the street is a name you’ll
recognize if you saw our Wizard of Oz Special: Buster Brodie. Buster what a character actor who appeared
in some of the biggest films of Hollywood’s Golden Age, mostly in uncredited roles. But at 4’9” and bald, his roles were often
memorable and easy to spot. His films include The Island of Lost Souls,
The Grapes of Wrath, and he played a flying monkey in The Wizard of Oz. Buster lived to be 62. Let’s head a little further north in this
same section. Here lies Ernie Adams. He began entertaining audiences in musical
comedies on stage, and on the Vaudeville circuit as half of the team “Gilbert and Adams.” He’d then become a character actor on film,
beginning in the silent era, and amass more than 400 credits to his name before passing
away in 1947. So if you’ve seen a movie shot between the
20s and 40s, you’ve likely seen Ernie Adams, particularly as shady characters in westerns
of this era. His films include The Pride of the Yankees,
It’s a Wonderful Life, and Invisible Ghost. He died from a pulmonary illness at age 62. Moving on east back to section G. Here is
the grave of Mantan Moreland, an actor and comedian popular in the 30s and 40s. He began appearing in films in the 30s where
he quickly demonstrated a knack for making people laugh. This led to roles in Harlem-style western
parodies, like Harlem on the Prairie. He then found his way to mainstream comedies,
playing wide-eyed and jittery but perceptive characters. Many audiences today recognize him for his
recurring role as Birmingham Brown in the Charlie Chan films, in which he not only received
high billing, but was credited as a major contributor to the series’ success. Mantan was even considered to be one of the
Three Stooges, as a replacement for Shemp. But when social attitudes began to shift in
the 50s and 60s, stereotypical portrayals by black actors of Mantan’s generation began
to be criticized and ostracized, and work became hard to come by. Today’s audiences, understanding the context,
remember him as a highly talented actor and comedian who broke barriers the best way he
knew how given the racial atmosphere of the era in America, and opened the doors for the
next generation of black comedians. Mantan Moreland died from a cerebral hemorrhage
at age 71. Let’s head a little further south in this
same section. Here lies Florence Halop. You fans of Night Court will remember her
as bailiff Flo, who replaced Selma in season three of Night Court. But long before that, Florence was appearing
in some of television’s earliest sitcoms, like Meet Millie, as Mama Bronson, and providing
voices in the 70s cartoon, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels. Florence also made numerous guest appearances,
in shows like Barney Miller, The Betty White Show, and All in the Family. Florence died from lung cancer after completing
just one season of Night Court. She was 63. We’ve arrived back in the northern part
of block G, where we found a number of stars last time. Here too we find the unmarked grave of Alice
Lake. She was a popular actress of the silent and
early talkie eras. Alice was often paired with Roscoe Fatty Arbuckle
and Buster Keaton in silent comedies, like Oh Doctor! and The Cook. She also found some success as lead actress
in dramas of this era, like Body and Soul, and The Hole in the Wall. But like many silent stars, she found work
harder to come by come the talkies, and her career declined into the 30s. Her final screen appearance was in 1935’s
Frisco Kid. She died from a heart attack at age 72. A few rows behind us is Claire McDowell. The veteran stage actress was introduced to
the film world in early silents around 1908. She soon came to be known for playing matronly
characters, including John Gilbert’s mother in The Big Parade, and Ramon Novarro’s mother
in Ben Hur. Other films include 1920’s The Mark of Zorro. Like many of her neighbors here in Valhalla,
Claire would be prolific in her film output, appearing in close to 400 films, into the
1940s. Like many actresses we feature on this channel,
the birth year on her marker doesn’t match her birth year online, so we’ll just say
she was in her 80s when she died. Just north along this same row is Chief Yowlachie. He was a native American singer and actor,
from the Yakama tribe. He began his career singing as a bass-baritone
in opera on stage and radio, including performances at the White House. He’d go on to appear in around 100 film
and TV productions, mostly westerns, between the 20s and the 60s. His roles include as Quo in Red River, alongside
John Wayne, and playing Chief Yellow Feather in The Paleface. Chief Yowlachie died following a stroke at
age 74. His funeral here included a traditional Indian
death chant and ritual. Continuing east we reach block E. A healthy
stroll south brings us to the grave of Lyle Tayo, also known as Lyle Barton. Lyle was an actress, a contract player for
the Hal Roach company, appearing in more than 70 films between the 20s and 40s. She appeared in several Our Gang comedies
in the 30s, playing mothers or aunts to the Little Rascals. She would also appear in a number of Laurel
and Hardy films. She retired from film in the 40s, and lived
to be 82. Her grave remained unmarked until just a few
years ago, when fans facilitated the placement of this marker for her. Back across the street north in section E,
we find the grave of Sam McDaniel. Sam was the brother of Academy Award winning
actress, Hattie McDaniel. He to had a prolific career as an actor, appearing
in more than 200 productions, often in uncredited roles. After performing for decades in minstrel troupes,
Sam went to Hollywood in the late 20s, and his kid sister Hattie tagged along. Among the many films you’ll see Sam in are
Captains Courageous, Son of Dracula, All Through the Night, and The Ghost and the Guest. You’ll also be curious to know that Sam
McDaniel was the only black actor to appear on I Love Lucy, in the episode, The Great
Train Robbery. “Pardon Me.” “Oh, yes of course. Mother, are you and the baby okay?” “Hello Porter. How soon do we leave?” “Right away, sir. You can set your watch by the dome light.” Sam died from cancer at age 76. Continuing east, let’s avoid clipping sideview
mirrors with this guy, to reach Restland section on the left. Here is the grave of Eddie Acuff. The actor is remembered by fans of the Blondie
film series as the postman in nine Blondie films in the 40s. He also had notable roles in a number of serials
of this era: Jungle Girl, Daredevils of the West, and Chick Carter Detective. He had supporting roles in hundreds of films
alongside some of Hollywood’s biggest names, like Humphrey Bogart and Bette Davis. Eddie was just 48 when he died from a heart
attack. On this same lawn but farther east, we find
a star, and a star-maker, Henry Willson. He was a Hollywood talent agent, responsible
for popularizing the beefcake craze in the 50s, and known for giving all his clients
new and unusual names. His roster of talent consisted of the young
attractive men who became stars in that era, like Rock Hudson, Tab Hunter, Robet Wagner,
and more. He also discovered and developed glamorous
leading ladies of the era, including Marilyn Louis, who he re-named Rhonda Fleming. As a gay man himself, many, but not all of
his clients were gay men, and due to the homophobia of that era, a big part of his job was helping
keep his clients closeted so they could keep working. This included coordinating a lavender marriage
for his biggest star, Rock Hudson. But when his own homosexuality became public
knowledge, he was dropped by many of his clients, for fear of being branded the same. He died penniless from cirrhosis of the liver
at age 67. Henry was portrayed by Jim Parsons in the
highly fictionalized Netflix series, Hollywood. Still further east we find the grave of Gino
Corrado. He was an Italian-born actor who appeared
in more than 400 productions in his career. As a supporting actor, he appeared in some
of the biggest films in Hollywood history, including minor roles in Gone with the Wind,
Citizen Kane, and Casablanca. His career started way back in 1916, where
he’d have small roles in some of the biggest silent films as well, like Intolerance and
The Ten Commandments. Rounding out Gino’s impressive roster, he
also appeared alongside The Three Stooges in a handful of their films. In fact, the image engraved here on his marker
is a screenshot from the Three Stooges comedy, Micro-Phonies. Gino lived to be 89. Circling around now to the south, we reach
the most iconic structure here, the Portal of the Folded wings, a shrine to aviation,
which marks the final resting place of notable aviation pioneers. This grand rotunda was once the main entrance
to the cemetery, through which cars would drive to enter the grounds. In our last visit here we featured the memorial
marker to Amelia Erhart herein. Here too we find the grave of singer, dancer,
and actress June Knight. She only appeared in 12 films, but it was
enough to earn her a star on the walk of fame in 1960. To overcome childhood paralysis, she began
dancing at a young age, and by 10 was singing and dancing in public. She began performing on vaudeville in her
teens, and made her way to musical theater on Broadway, including the Ziegfeld Follies,
and the Cole Porter/Moss Hart musical, Jubilee. Of her 12 films, her most notable would be
Broadway Melody of 1936, where she sang the hit song “I’ve Got a Feelin’ You’re
Foolin’” June died from complications of a stroke at age 74. In our first tour here, we stopped at this
space shuttle monument, and noted how it commemorates the crew of Space Shuttle Columbia, who perished
when the shuttle disintegrated upon re-entry in 2003. Well, if I had bothered to peek at the other
side, I would have noted that this is actually a dual monument. It also commemorates the crew of Space Shuttle
Challenger, who perished in 1986 when the space shuttle broke apart shortly after takeoff. Their bravery and intrepidness are an inspiration
to us all. Moving on back toward the west we stop at
the recently constructed Mausoleum of Eternal Love. When thinking of legendary cinema canines
like Rin Tin Tin and Toto, another four-legged star quickly comes to mind: a brave and loyal
collie named Lassie. Here is the grave of Lassie owner and trainer,
Rudd Weatherwax. In 1940 a young collie named Pal was brought
to Weatherwax to break his habit of chasing motorcycles. He was unable to break the young pup, so instead
of payment owed, Weatherwax was given Pal to keep. In 1943 MGM began work on Lassie Come Home,
hiring their own in-house collies. But when the dog cast as Lassie struggled
in a river scene, Weatherwax and Pal were called and confidently stepped in, impressing
the director, who was quoted as saying, “Pal swam in, but Lassie swam out.” Rudd would handle and train the dogs for the
not only the Lassie films, but all of the hundreds of episodes of the Lassie TV series
in the 50s to the 70s. He also trained other animal stars, like Old
Yeller. After his death at age 77, Rudd was reportedly
buried with the ashes of some of his Lassies, to be with them forever. Resting in the mausoleum adjacent to Rudd
is his nephew, Ken Weatherwax, a name familiar to you fans of the Addams Family. Ken played Pugsley Addams in 64 episodes of
the beloved cooky 1960s series. “The Raven was always one of your favorites.” “I like it alright, I just got other things
on my mind.” Ken would reprise his role as Pugsley in 1977
in Halloween with the New Addams Family, but had lost interest in acting by that point,
shifting his efforts behind camera building sets. Ken died from a heart attack at age 59. Years after his death, in 2017, friend and
owner of Dearly Departed, Scott Michaels, led efforts to have Ken inurned here at Valhalla,
where many of his family rest. Let’s cross the street to the section southwest,
and take a long walk. Here is the grave of Earl Hurd. He was a pioneer of animation. He began making animated shorts in the very
early days of the craft, creating a popular series featuring a character named Bobby Bumps
in 1915. They would produce somewhere around 75 Bobby
Bumps short cartoons through 1925. Hurd and his producing partner were responsible
for developing the process of Cel animation, where moving characters are painted on a transparent
celluloid sheet, and placed over a static background. Cel animation revolutionized the animation
industry, and would be adopted by all the major studios in the decades to follow, including
Disney, and Warner Bros. Hurd went on to work for many of the big animation houses, like
Terrytoons, Ub Iwerks Studio, and even Disney, on films like Snow White, and Fantasia. Earl died from a heart attack at age 60. Continuing west we stop at block J on the
right. Meet Fuzzy Knight. He was a character actor of film and television
from the 30s to the 60s. He got his start in travelling minstrel shows,
and even wrote a fight song for West Virginia University. He was appearing with Mae West on the vaudeville
circuit when he broke into film. His films include She Done Him Wrong alongside
Mae West, and he was frequently a cowboy hero’s comedic sidekick, like in Gunman’s Code. Fuzzy would become one of the top money-making
stars in western cinema in the 40s. On television he made a number of appearances
on the Gene Autry show, and played Pvt. Fuzzy Knight on Captain Gallant of the Foreign
Legion. He died in his sleep at age 74. His grave remained unmarked until 2014, when
a headstone was paid for by family and fans. Straight across the street south, just in
from the road, we find the grave of actress Mary Anderson. She’s perhaps best remembered today for
playing Maybelle Merriweather in Gone with the Wind, though she was considered at one
point for the role of Scarlett O’Hara. Mary is also remembered for her role as Alice
MacKenzie in Alfred Hitchcock’s Lifeboat. Mary made quite a few television appearances
as well, including playing Catherine Harrington on Peyton Place. She lived to be 96. Just a few spaces away is another Anderson,
Mary’s brother, James Anderson. As an actor he’s perhaps best remembered
today for his role as Bob Ewell, the main antagonist in the 1962 film, To Kill a Mockingbird. “Somebody told me just now that they thought
that you believed Tom Robinson’s story against ours. You know what I said? I said, you wrong man, you dead wrong.” He’s also remembered for his many roles
in television westerns, like Gunsmoke, Rawhide, and Laramie. James was just 48 when he died from a heart
attack. When ranking the supporting actors in these
grounds by number of screen appearances, this next star may just top the list. Meet Stanely Blystone. He was a busy busy man between 1924 and 1956,
appearing in well over 500 productions. He’s remembered for playing gruff and villainous
types, including in several Three Stooges shorts. Another notable role includes Paulette Goddard’s
father in Modern Times, and numerous westerns alongside the likes of John Wayne, Tom Tyler,
and Hoot Gibson. In July 1956, Stanley was working on the series
The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp. He was walking down a Hollywood sidewalk in
his full cowboy attire when he suddenly collapsed and died from a heart attack. He was 61. Let’s head a little farther south in this
same section. Not far in we find another little neighborhood
of actors from yesteryear. As noted here on his stone, Sam Lufkin was
a beloved member of the Hal Roach Stock Company… the supporting actors called in to play character
roles for the big players like Laurel and Hardy. Sam can be seen in close to 200 films, including
many alongside Laurel and Hardy, like The Music Box and Sons of the Desert. He’d also have bit parts in films like Born
to Kill. He died from uremia at age 60. This is another grave here that had remained
unmarked, and was recently marked by fans of Laurel and Hardy. One row up we find Johnny Arthur. The svelte character actor specialized in
timid or whiny characters in comedies, beginning in the silent era. He played Johnny Goodlittle in 1925’s The
Monster, alongside Lon Chaney, and Homer Erskine in The Ghost Walks, alongside June Collyer. Johnny is also remembered today for several
appearances in the Our Gang comedies, playing father so Spanky and Darla. After his death at age 68, his grave also
remained unmarked for some 60 years, until Dearly Departed stepped in and had this marker
placed in 2012. A few spaces away is another distinguished
actor, Lionel Belmore. If you love Frankenstein, you’ll remember
seeing him as The Burgomaster in 1931’s Frankenstein, and making appearances in Son
of Frankenstein, and The Ghost of Frankenstein as well. He had small roles in numerous classics in
the 30s, including Cleopatra, and Jane Eyre, and had a memorable role alongside Laurel
and Hardy in 1935’s Bonnie Scotland. After passing away at 85 in 1953, his grave
remained unmarked for decades. Along with several other similar markers that
you’ve seen today, this marker was placed by fans of Laurel and Hardy in recent years. One more in this neighborhood of stars. The name Nick Cravat will be familiar to you
if you saw our Twilight Zone Special. Nick was an actor, stuntman, and circus performer
in the 50s to the 70s. He was a longtime acrobatic partner of Burt
Lancaster, appearing alongside him in films like The Flame and the Arrow, The Crimson
Pirate, and The Island of Dr. Moreau. One of Nick’s most iconic roles is one in
which you don’t see his face, because he played the costumed gremlin, alongside William
Shatner, in the memorable Twilight Zone episode, Nightmare at 20,000 Feet. He died from lung cancer at age 82. Back in the car, lets proceed east now to
section H. Here is the grave of Symona Boniface. Her marker isn’t in the best shape. I tried to clean it, to no avail, so it’s
a little difficult to read. Symona was an actress, best remembered today
for her roles in comedy shorts in the 20s to the 50s. Among her around 150 film appearances are
a number of memorable roles alongside The Three Stooges, including Half-Wits’ Holiday. Outside of comedy, she had roles in dramas
like Girls’ Dormitory, and Dragnet Patrol. Symona died from cancer at age 56. Her grave also remained unmarked for decades,
this marker later paid for and placed by The Three Stooges Fan Club in 2005. Still further east we cross over into section
F. Here lies Sam Perrin, a writer first. If you’re a fan of the Jack Benny Program,
you can thank Sam Perrin, who wrote some 255 episodes of the series, from 1950 to 1965. Sam also worked with Jack on his radio program. He’d write for other shows like Here’s
Lucy, and films like The Goldwyn Follies, and Navy Blues. Sam lived to be 96. The
next section east is Block D. Here lies Alice Terry. Her breakout role as an actress came in 1920’s
Hearts are Trumps. She’d go on to be cast as leading ladies
and romantic leads in films like The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Scaramouche, and
Prisoner of Zenda… all directed by her husband Rex Ingram. She also proved her star power outside of
her husband’s films, like in 1925’s Sackcloth and Scarlet. She worked closely with her husband behind
the scenes in the making of their films, so much so that in a few of them, like the film
Love in Morocco, she was given co-director credit. Alice died from Alzheimer’s in 1987. And finally, we come full circle, to the section
just south of the portal. This is where actress Mae Clarke is laid to
rest. Mae had several memorable roles in the 1930s. She played Elizabeth, Dr. Frankenstein’s
fiancé in 1931’s Frankenstein. Also in 1931 she was on the receiving end
of one of classic cinema’s most iconic and unusual scenes: when James Cagney smashed
a grapefruit in her face in Public Enemy. “I wish you was a wishing well, so that
I could tie a bucket to ya and sink ya.” “Maybe you found someone you like better.” Other notable films include Waterloo Bridge,
and Fast Workers. Later in her career she’d have small roles
in films like Singin’ in the Rain, and make appearances on television shows, like General
Hospital, Batman, and The Loretta Young Show. Mae died from cancer at age 81. 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. With all the planes that take off daily over
this cemetery, flying right over the Portal of the Folded wings, I wonder what would happen
if a plane ever crashed here. Hang on… what’s this I see over Amelia
Earhart’s cenotaph? Captain Dale Black, the only survivor of aviation’s
most ironic plane crash. On July 18, 1969, Navajo N9150Y crashed into
this mausoleum, “The Portal of the Folded Wings.” The twin-engine plane crashed into the dome
of the portal shortly after takeoff from the Burbank airport, having suffered engine failure. The pilot and co-pilot were killed, while
Mr. Black survived with severe injuries. Wow… a plane crashed into the Portal of
the Folded Wings, a shrine dedicated to and housing the honored dead of aviation history,
killing the pilot and co-pilot. That truly is the most tragically ironic plane
crash in history.
