Welcome to Hollywood Graveyard. If you
love food as much as I do, then stay tuned as we set out to remember and
celebrate the lives of those who lived to tickle our taste buds
and fill our bellies. They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Well, one man
has helped generations of us start our day off on the right foot, and we travel
across the country to Battle Creek, MI and Oak Hill Cemetery to find
him: WK Kellogg, the founder of the Kellogg's
cereal company. In the late 1890s Kellogg was experimenting with flaked corn, and
would change breakfast forever with his new cereal product: cornflakes. He formed
his company in 1906, originally called The Battle Creek Toasted Cornflake
Company, and later renamed Kellogg's. Cornflakes became immensely popular, and other products would soon follow, including bran flakes, raisin bran, and
rice krispies. Over the years Kellogg's would expand its product line to include
everything from biscuits to Eggo waffles. Prefer breakfast on the go? Let's stop at
one of LA's most iconic food landmarks, the most famous donut in the world:
Randy's Donuts, which has been seen in a number of movies over the years. "Sir! I'm gonna have to ask you to exit the donut." We head down to Orange County, to
Pacific View Memorial Park, to find the man behind the big donuts, Russell C. Wendell. Wendell was a doughnut machine salesman who in the 1950s founded a
series of drive-through donut shops called Big Donut Drive-in.
They were notable for, you guessed it, the big donuts on the buildings. There
were 10 of these big donuts in the LA area. In the 70s
Wendell sold off his big donuts to focus on his other restaurant chain,
Pup 'N Taco. Many of the big donuts were demolished but this one in
Inglewood remains. It was renamed Randy's Donuts after the new owners son, and
has since become the most iconic. If a more substantive breakfast is more your speed, let's head north to Eden Memorial Park and pay a visit to Al Lapin Jr. He
was the co-founder of the International House of Pancakes: IHOP. The first IHOP
opened in 1958 in Burbank California, and within a few years began to expand
across the country through franchising, with now over 1,600 locations worldwide,
feeding all your pancake needs 24 hours a day. And just in time for our video, IHOP just announced a name change to IHOB. Hmm, I wonder what the B stands for...
bacon? I hope it's bacon. Lunch time already?
How about burgers for lunch? At Forest Lawn out in Covina Hills,
about 30 miles east of Hollywood, we find the couple who would define the Southern California burger experience... "animal style" if you're so inclined. Harry and Esther Snyder
were the founders of In-N-Out. The couple founded the first In-N-Out
in Baldwin Park in 1948 as the first drive-through hamburger stand in
California. And a stand it was - a mere 10 square foot building. Harry would visit
the local meat and produce markets for their burger ingredients while Esther
handled the accounting. Harry also innovated the two-way speaker system
which would allow customers to place an order without having to leave their cars.
Over the decades In-N-Out has become the quintessential Southern California
burger joint, with its fresh ingredients, simple no frills menu, and affordable
prices. Looking for a few more options in your
burger? Let's head to Carl's Jr. At Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Orange County we
find the founders of Carl's Jr., Carl and Margaret Karcher, whose grave rests here
next to the statue of St. Francis of Assisi, donated by the Karchers. The couple's first foray into fast food began as a
hot dog stand in Los Angeles in 1941, followed by a restaurant in Anaheim
called Carl's Drive-in Barbecue. Carl expanded the business by opening the
first two Carl's Jrs in Anaheim and Brea in 1956. They were named Carl's Jr.
as they were smaller versions of his original restaurant. That same year the
chain was officially renamed to Carl's Jr, and the fast-food chain
took off from there. While In-N-Out has forged a special place in California
and the West, and Carl's has a pretty decent presence nationally, another burger chain has pretty much taken over the entire world: McDonald's. We head out to Cathedral City
and Desert Memorial Park to find one of two brothers who
founded McDonald's: Maurice McDonald. With his brother, Richard, Maurice opened a
barbecue restaurant that would become the very first McDonald's, in San
Bernardino, California. In 1948 they redesigned and rebuilt the restaurant to
focus just on hamburgers, fries, and milkshakes. In the age of the slow and
inefficient drive-in and car hops, the brothers introduced a new style of
fast-food service which they coined the Speedee Service System. It consisted of a
restaurant with no interior dining, no waitstaff, disposable single-use
packaging, a highly efficient assembly line kitchen, and precooked hamburger
patties. McDonald's hamburgers was a hit. To find the other McDonald brother,
Richard, we have to head across the country to Manchester New Hampshire and
Mount Calvary Cemetery. Richards niche is located in the Chapel American Saint
Mausoleum. With the success of their Mcdonald's restaurant, the brothers began
to franchise in Phoenix and elsewhere in California. It was Richard who suggested
the implementation of the double golden arches into the architecture of the
restaurants. As the chain grew, the brothers were eventually bought out, and
sadly the original McDonald's in San Bernardino no longer exists, but the site
has become a historical landmark and museum. While the McDonald brothers
founded McDonald's and innovated the fast-food industry, it was another man
who turned it into the International juggernaut that it is today. We now head
down to San Diego and El Camino Memorial Park In the Mausoleum of the Bells we
find Ray Kroc. He was a milkshake mixer salesman when he learned of the McDonald
brothers restaurant in San Bernardino. Impressed by what they were doing Ray
wanted in on the action. In 1954 Kroc partnered with the McDonald brothers to
spearhead the franchising. Kroc's first McDonald's franchise opened in Des
Plaines Illinois in 1955, often misidentified as the first McDonald's. It
was Ray's first, but not the first. Ray worked tirelessly to expand the brand,
setting strict guidelines for franchisees and making sure it remained
a family-friendly restaurant. When his vision of expansion began to clash with
the McDonald brothers he bought them out. McDonald's is now the world's largest
restaurant chain by revenue. But one restaurant has them beat in sheer number
of locations: Subway. A biopic was made about the McDonald's
story, starring Michael Keaton as Ray Kroc, Nick Offerman as Richard, and
John Carroll Lynch as Maurice. Maybe burgers aren't your thing... how about a hot dog? In Hollywood Pink's is the hot dog that reigns supreme. At Hillside Memorial Park we find the graves of Paul and Betty Pink, founders of Pink's Hot
Dogs - a Hollywood legend since 1939. Nearly 80 years ago the Pink's opened a
little hotdog stand on wheels at the corner of La Brea and Melrose, selling
their trademark chili dogs with an oversized hot dog for 10 cents. In 1946
they traded their wheels in for a building, which has stood ever since.
Several other locations have since opened, including at City Walk and Las
Vegas. It wouldn't be unusual to spot one of your favorite stars at Pink's
enjoying a hot dog. And over the years Pink's has even crafted and named
specialty dogs for Hollywood like the La La Land Dog, the Marlon Brando Dog, the
Hollywood Walk of Fame Dog, and the Betty White Naked Dog, which has nothing on it. Maybe someday they'll make a Hollywood
Graveyard Dog. What do you suppose would be on a Hollywood Graveyard Dog? Some
gravy? A couple of sliced grapes maybe? Mmmm, yeah that sounds about right. Outside of LA if you want a hot dog you might head to Wienerschnitzel, the
world's largest hot dog chain. Back down at Pacific View in Orange County we find
the founder of Wienerschnitzel, John Galardi. The chain was founded by Galardi,
a former Taco Bell employee, in the Los Angeles area in 1961. To date there are
over 350 Wienerschnitzel locations, famous not just for hot dogs, but chili
dogs, and corn dogs as well. After lunch our breath could probably use a little
freshening before heading back to work. William Wrigley Jr helped us out with
that. Entombed here in the Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Glendale,
Wrigley is famous for Wrigley's chewing gum. In the 1890s Wrigley was selling
baking powder and offering two packages of chewing gum as a bonus. Well, turns out
the bonus product was more popular so Wrigley shifted his focus to the
manufacture and sale of chewing gum, with which he made his fortune. Popular
products include Wrigley's Spearmint, Doublemint, and Juicy Fruit gum.
Wrigley's has since become the largest chewing gum manufacturer in the world. In 1921 Wrigley became majority owner of the Chicago Cubs and their ballpark,
Wrigley Field, bears his name. The day has worn on, we're home from work now...
what to do for dinner? After a fast-food lunch maybe we should think a little more
healthy for dinner. "How come we can't ever have just like a salad?" Good idea! If you've ever made or ordered a Caesar salad you can thank Cesare Cardini, buried here at
Inglewood Memorial Park. Cardini was an Italian born chef, hotel owner, and
restaurateur. He created the Caesar salad in the 1920s
when, according to his daughter, the kitchen was low on supplies and he had
to make do with what was available. There are many variations of the Caesar salad,
but core elements include romaine lettuce, croutons, Parmesan cheese, oil,
lemon juice, and pepper. Want more stuff in your salad? Try another Hollywood
legend, the Cobb salad, created a named for restaurateur Bob
Cobb, whose crypt is found here in the Freedom Mausoleum at Forest Lawn
Glendale. In addition to lettuce, the Cobb salad includes tomatoes, bacon, chicken
breast, hard-boiled eggs, avocado, cheese, and more. The salad is said to have
either been created by Cobb himself or by a chef at Cobb's restaurant, and named
in his honor. It was created sometime in the late 20s early 30s at Cobb's infamous
Hollywood restaurant, the Brown Derby. The Brown Derby restaurant chain, notable for
its original building that actually resembled a brown derby hat, became
iconic Hollywood landmarks and hotspots beginning in the 30s. On any given night
you might have bumped into your favorite stars dining there, from Clark Gable to
Gloria Swanson. And if you didn't see them in person their caricature was
likely on the wall. The Brown Derby even made guest appearances in movies and TV
shows, including an episode of I Love Lucy with William Holden. - "Cobb salad."
- "Yes, sir." - "Cup of coffee."
- "Yes, sir." The Brown Derbys
have all but disappeared from the world over the years, but you can still find
one at Disney World in Florida. Another popular restaurant chain started right
here in Southern California is Bob's Big Boy. We're back yet again at Pacific View
in Corona del Mar to find a man behind the boy in checkered overalls, Bob Wian.
In 1936 Wian founded Bob's Pantry in Glendale, a hamburger stand that later
expanded into a drive-in restaurant. Soon after opening Bob's Pantry he created a
special double-decker hamburger called Bob's Big Boy.
The popularity of the name and the burger soon led to a rebranding of the
chain as Bob's Bit Boy, and soon Big Boy restaurants began popping up across the
country. The iconic Big Boy mascot was spoofed on
the Simpsons as Lard Lad. If you love fried chicken, if you crave
those 11 secret herbs and spices, then Louisville Kentucky is our next stop. At
Cave Hill Cemetery we find the Colonel of fried chicken, Harland Sanders. His mother
taught him to cook from a young age, a skill that would come to define his
legacy. In the 1930s he was running a Shell service station in Kentucky. There
he would feed weary travelers the recipes he had learned as a child,
including fried chicken. His chicken became so popular over the years he was
given the honorary title of Colonel by the governor of Kentucky. His successes
soon expanded from a service station into his own restaurant,
Sanders' Court & Cafe. In the 50s Sanders traveled the country to
franchise his chicken to restaurants. The very first Kentucky Fried Chicken,
believe it or not, was actually opened in Salt Lake City, Utah. Franchises began
popping up all over, challengers to the ubiquitous burger restaurants. Sanders
would become the symbol and brand ambassador of KFC, with his silver goatee
white suit and string tie. "It's nice to feel so good about a meal." KFC is now the second largest restaurant
chain in the world by sales, after McDonald's. After dinner comes my
favorite meal: dessert. It's hot here in LA so how about some ice cream? At Home
of Peace Cemetery we find Burton Baskin, the Baskin in Baskin-Robbins. During World
War II Baskin was a lieutenant in the US Navy and produced ice cream for his
fellow troops. In 1946 Baskin opined Burton's ice cream in Pasadena. A year
earlier his brother-in-law, Irv Robbins, had opened an ice cream shop
in Glendale. In 1953 they combined forces and became Baskin-Robbins. The 31 flavors
in their logo was meant to represent a flavor for every day of the month. We'll head back to Cathedral City to find the other half of Baskin-Robbins, Irv Robbins.
whose crypt is found here at Forest Lawn Cathedral City. Baskin-Robbins is
said to have introduced around a thousand unique original flavors,
including mint chocolate chip, and pralines and cream.
They've also since become the largest ice cream chain in the world.
Irv & Burton certainly have made a lot of people happy. If you love chocolate
then this next, sweet-sounding Cemetery is a must-see. In Hershey Pennsylvania we
find Hershey Cemetery, final resting place of the man who invented American
chocolate: Milton Hershey. Once a luxury only the rich could afford,
Hershey is credited with bringing the sweet confection to the masses. His first
foray into confections was caramel, but in the 1890s he had his eyes set on
developing a milk chocolate recipe for the American public.
Hershey's was founded in 1894, and the first Hershey's bar was produced in 1900 -
the very first mass-produced chocolate bar in the US. It was an instant hit with
young and old across the country, many of whom had never tasted chocolate before
in their lives. The Hershey kiss followed in 1907. In 1903 Hershey built his
Factory in Pennsylvania, and subsequently built an entire town around the factory
for his employees, complete with homes, schools, and yes, even a cemetery. In 1907
he founded Hershey Park, which has since become a sort of Disneyland of chocolate,
allowing his employees to relax and enjoy life. Other classic products that
followed included Hershey's chocolate syrup, allowing kids to make their own
chocolate milk at home. And during World War 2 Hershey provided special D-ration
chocolate bars for troops. Hershey's now stands as the most recognized
chocolate brand in the world. As I see it, in the long history of our species there
have been three innovations that have improved the quality of life for
humankind by leaps and bounds: the wheel, penicillin, and the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. The man we have to thank for the latter is also here at Hershey Cemetery:
HB Reese. He was working for Hershey when he began to experiment with his own
confections in the basement of his home, and by 1923 he had formed his own candy
company, HB Reese Candy Company. In 1928 he introduced the Reese's Peanut Butter
Cup which quickly became the company's most popular product. In 1977 Reese's Pieces
were introduced, and after M&Ms declined to be featured in the 1982 film
E.T., Reese's Pieces took their place, boosting their popularity immensely. As one of your biggest fans, Mr. Reese, thank you!
I'm still holding out hope for a peanut butter cup the size of a tire or even a
dinner plate... but in the meantime, this one the size of a pot pie will do nicely. And that concludes our tour. Are you hungry yet? I know I am. Thanks for watching!
