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 Westwood Village Memorial Park, where we'll find such stars as Bettie Page,
Frank Zappa, Natalie Wood and many more. Join us won't you? For this final stretch of our tour of
Westwood Village Memorial Park we'll be visiting the central lawn of the
cemetery. This lawn is little more than an acre so due to space limitations many
of the plots here are smaller cremation graves. If you haven't done so already be
sure to check out parts 1 & 2. We'll begin our tour at the eastern edge of
the lawn. Just a few spaces in from the road we find actor Burt Lancaster. He was
a popular leading man of the 50s and 60s known as much for his dashing smile and
statuesque frame as he was for his acting. He was nominated for four Oscars
winning in 1961 for "Elmer Gantry." Other films include "The Rose Tattoo," "The
Crimson Pirate," and "From Here to Eternity." Several rows south we find singer Minnie
Riperton. She was renowned for her vocal range - an impressive five octaves. She
began her career as a backup singer for artists like Etta James and Chuck Berry.
By the mid-70s she had her first number-one hit, "Lovin' You." [music] Not long after
Minnie was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy. She continued
to record and tour through her cancer battle, and in 1978 became a spokesperson
for the American Cancer Society. She died in 1979 at the age of 31. Her
daughter is Saturday Night Live actress Maya Rudolph. A few spaces west on this
same row is another legendary musician, Carl Wilson. Along with his older
brothers Carl formed the band The Beach Boys in the 1960s. The band quickly
became one of the most popular and influential groups of the era, defining
the California sound. Carl was lead guitarist and occasional vocalist,
including on their hit "God Only Knows." [music] Straight north is the grave of Eve Arden.
She was an actress whose career on stage radio and screen spanned six decades. In
1954 she became the first actress to win a Primetime Emmy for best female star,
for her role in "Our Miss Brooks." Other roles include "Anatomy of a Murder," "Grease," and "Mildred Pierce," which earned her an Oscar nomination. West along this row we
find the queen of pinups Bettie Page. With her trademark bangs, jet-black hair,
and blue eyes, she became one of the most popular pin-up models of the 50s, and
since then has become a cultural icon She began her career as a pin-up model
but soon moved into nude and even fetish and BDSM modeling in a time when it was
still quite taboo, even illegal to do so. She quit modeling upon her conversion to
born-again Christianity and fell into obscurity until she was rediscovered in
the 80s and re-surged in popularity. Her influence can be seen in popular and
alternative culture - from The Suicide Girls to Dita Von Teese, rock stars, and
even comic book characters all pay homage to Bettie. In 2012 a documentary
titled "Bettie Page Reveals All" was made about her life and features narrations
by Bettie herself. "Ladies and gentlemen here she is now, that sultry siren of the
Southland, Bettie Page. Bettie Page is revolutionary. The symbol of
joyous sexual freedom. There was nothing like Bettie. Still to this day inspires
artists, music, the fashion world. She really paved the way for all the rest. She
wasn't just a pretty face, there was a fascinating story about this woman." Several rows southwest of Bettie is another model, Dorothy Stratten. She was a
Canadian model who posed for Playboy in the late 70s, and in 1980 was named
Playmate of the Year. She also had a brief acting career in B-films like
"Galaxina." Shortly after the release of the film Dorothy was shot and killed by
her estranged husband and manager, who then turned the gun on himself.
She was only 20. Further west, a few rows south, is actress Dominique Dunne. She is
best remembered for her spine-chilling performance as Dana in the 1982 film
"Poltergeist." "What's happening?" "WHAT'S HAPPENING!?" "WHAT IS IT?!" Her poltergeist co-star Heather O'Rourke
is buried nearby, both having died tragically young. On October 30th 1982
Dominique was strangled to unconsciousness by her ex-boyfriend, John
Sweeney, in the driveway of her home. She went into a coma and died five days
later at the age of 22. Sweeney was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and
spent a paltry three and a half years in prison for her murder. Further west is a cluster of small cremation graves. Along the top row we
find Sebastian Cabot. He was an English actor perhaps best remembered as Mr.
French, opposite Brian Keith, in the TV sitcom "Family Affair," a role which earned
him an Emmy nomination. He also lent his voice to many Disney productions,
including Bagheera in "The Jungle Book," and as the narrator on "Winnie the Pooh." "This could be the room of any small boy, but it just happens to belong to a boy
named Christopher Robin. Like most small boys Christopher Robin has toy animals
to play with, and they all live together in a wonderful world of make-believe. But
his best friend is a bear called Winnie the Pooh, or Pooh for short." Continuing west, just south of a large tree we find the grave of actor Jim
Backus. He provided the voice of the nearsighted cartoon, Mr. Magoo, and played
the millionaire Thurston Howell III on "Gilligan's Island." [music] Straight north, west of a tree, is the
grave of Lew Ayres. He starred as Paul in the 1930 film "All Quiet on the Western
Front," and was nominated for an Oscar for his
role in "Johnny Belinda." Right next to Lew is the unmarked grave of musician Frank
Zappa, considered one of the most influential and stylistically diverse
rock musicians of his generation. His music ranged from rock to jazz, fusion,
even orchestral, and was often experimental and improvised, with lyrics
that satirized American culture. One of his more popular songs, "Valley Girl,"
featured his daughter Moon. [music] I live in the valley and I can, like,
totally relate to that song... hashtag valspeak. Zappa was
incredibly prolific in his musical output. In 1995 he was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2016 a documentary was made about the life of
Frank Zappa called "Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words.' Let's head past the tree, back into the lawn. Here we find the grave of Richard Dawson. He has the distinction of having kissed more women on screen than anyone else in
Hollywood. As the original host of "Family Feud" he famously kissed every female contestant on the show, old and young, earning him the nickname "the Kissing
Bandit." He also played Peter Newkirk on "Hogan's
Heroes." Just southeast of Dawson is the unmarked grave of Roy Orbison. Roy was a
popular rock and roll musician in the 60s and 70s. His hits include "Only the Lonely," "Crying," and "Oh, Pretty Woman." [music] Straight east is the grave of another
legendary musician, Sammy Cahn. He was a lyricist and songwriter, known for his
film and Broadway songs. Many of his hits were recorded by Frank Sinatra, like "Come Fly With Me," and "Three Coins in a Fountain," which earned him an Academy Award for best song. He was nominated for an astounding 26 Academy Awards, winning
four times. He also wrote the lyrics for the beloved Christmas song, "Let It Snow!
Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" sung here by Dean Martin, who is buried nearby. [music] A bit further east is Donna Reed.
She was an actress who can be seen in such classic films as "It's a Wonderful
Life" and "From Here to Eternity," for which she won an Oscar. She also had her own TV
sitcom, "The Donna Reed Show," which ran from 1958 to 1966. Just northwest is the grave of actor
Eddie Albert. He is perhaps best remembered for his role as Oliver
Wendell Douglass on "Green Acres." His co-star, Eva Gabor, is buried nearby.
He was nominated for two Academy Awards for his roles in "Roman Holiday," and "The
Heartbreak Kid." Back east, up a few rows, is the grave of actor Bob Crane. His
career began as a drummer and radio personality before moving into
television, where he found his greatest success as Colonel Hogan on "Hogan's
Heroes" which ran from 1965 to 1971. In 1978, while living in Scottsdale, Crane
was found bludgeoned to death in his apartment. The murder remains unsolved to
this day. Just northwest we find actress Natalie Wood.
She won hearts the world over when she was just nine years old for her role in
"Miracle on 34th Street." A successful acting career followed, transitioning
from popular child star to ingenue, when at 16 she starred opposite James
Dean in "Rebel Without a Cause," a role which earned her an Academy Award
nomination. One of her best-known roles is as Maria in the musical, "West Side Story." [music] The death of Natalie Wood in 1981 at the
age of 43 is one of Hollywood's lingering mysteries. She was on a holiday
boat trip off Catalina Island with her husband Robert Wagner and co-star
Christopher Walken. Late on the night of November 28th she somehow ended up in
the water while trying to board a dinghy alone. Her body was found the next
morning a mile away from the boat, the small dinghy found on a nearby beach. The
official cause is listed as "drowning... and other undetermined factors." Finally we
head west to find one of Hollywood's legendary producers and studio kingpins,
Darryl F. Zanuck. He is the man behind 20th Century Pictures, the most
successful independent film studio in the 1930s. In 1935 Zanuck merged 20th
Century with Fox Studios, creating one of Hollywood's greatest production
companies, 20th Century Fox. Notable films made under his tenure
include "Laura," "The Grapes of Wrath," and "All About Eve," which earned him an Oscar. He wasn't afraid to tackle controversial issues such as racism, anti-semitism, and
environmentalism, long before such themes were fashionable. The music from his film
"The Longest Day," played at his funeral. [music] 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! One of the reasons Joe DiMaggio chose
Westwood for Marilyn Monroe's resting place was because two of her foster
mothers were buried here. After Marilyn's mother had a mental breakdown
her mother's friend, Grace Goddard took responsibility of young Marilyn - that is,
Norma Jean. After a few stints in and out of foster homes and orphanages Norma
Jean found her only stable and somewhat permanent home at the age of 12 with
Grace's aunt, Ana Lower... the one woman she considered the closest thing she had
to a real loving mother. "When I went to live with a woman, her name is Mrs. E,
period, Ana Lower, and I used to do the dishes in the evening, and whistling,
and she said 'I never heard a child sing so much.' I did, during that period. I liked being with
her, staying with her. I always kept in touch with her, I loved her very dearly. Aunt Ana, I adored her."
