Batman, The Dark Knight, the Caped
Crusader... he's been a part of our cultural landscape for nearly 80 years,
first appearing in Detective Comics number 27 in 1939. Many of Hollywood's
biggest stars have donned the cowl and cape over the years. But on June 9th 2017
the world lost one of these legends: Adam West. To honor him, and others who have
gone before, today we're visiting the final resting places of those lives to
entertain us... in the city of Gotham. We begin our tour at the Courts of
Liberty at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills with the man who started it all: Bob Kane.
He worked as an artist and writer for DC Comics in the 30s, and with the success
of Superman sought to create his own hero. And so he conceived the Batman. He
cited inspirations like Douglas Fairbanks' Zorro, Da Vinci sketches, and the 1930 film "The Bat Whispers." His original
design had red tights, a small Domino mask, and bat wings instead of a cape. He worked with other artists and writers including Bill Finger to
develop the character and world we know today. Other characters he created
include Two-Face, the Scarecrow, and Catwoman who he claimed was modeled
after Jean Harlow. Kane parlayed his success as the Batman creator into minor
celebrity, and was a consultant on the 1989 Batman film and it's sequels. While Bob Kane conceived the idea of Batman a lesser-known but no less important
figure in the creation and development of Batman is Bill Finger, considered the
co-creator of Batman. Bill was a writer who helped develop the look of Batman,
giving him a cowl and cape, a darker outfit, and came up with his secret
identity, Bruce Wayne. Bill wrote many of the early Batman stories, and was a major
contributor in the creation of other characters like the Joker. During his
life he was not given the credit he was due, as Bob Kane often claimed sole
credit. Bill Finger died in 1974, largely unrecognized for his contributions. He
was cremated, his ashes scattered in the shape of a bat on an Oregon beach. In
2015 DC finally officially recognized Bill Finger as the co-creator of Batman,
promising he would receive credit on all future productions.
In 2017 Hulu released a documentary about Bill's story. "Bill Finger was the
dominant creative force of Batman, Robin, the Joker, Catwoman, the Riddler, Penguin, Scarecrow, Commissioner Gordon, Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson, and Gotham City." "I know Bob tried to take credit for everything... everything you would think of that's good,
that's Bill." "So how could this not have been so well known?" "I was a ghost, I really was." "Bill was Batman's secret identity. It became a crusade getting
Bill's name on Batman. Superheroes are not doing this to get paid or praised, they
are doing something for the greater good, then they disappear into the night.
Without Bill there'd be no Batman. So, what happened to Bill Finger?" Back at Forest Lawn Hollywood in the
Courts of Remembrance, along the northeast wall of the second courtyard,
is the crypt of the very first actor to play Batman on screen: Lewis Wilson. It was the young actor's screen debut, in the 1943 film serial, "Batman." The series
consisted of 15 chapters. "In a chamber hewn from the living rock of the mountain is the strange, dimly lighted, mysteriously secret Bat Cave, hidden
headquarters of America's number-one crime fighter, Batman, clad in the somber
costume which has struck terror to the heart of many of swaggering denizens of the
underworld. Batman, who even now is pondering the
plans of a new assault against the forces of crime." Just a few miles northwest of here is Valhalla Cemetery. In the northern part of the cemetery,
block G, we find the second actor to play Batman on screen, Robert Lowery. The
follow-up to the 1943 Batman serial was another serial called "Batman and Robin."
It too consisted of 15 chapters and was released in 1949, with Lowry now playing
the Caped Crusader. "Diamonds!" "That proves it's the same bunch who
stole a remote-controlled machine." Third actor to play Batman was the
inimitable Adam West, immortalized for his role in the sixties TV series
"Batman," and the follow up feature film in 1966. His was a new kind of Batman,
colorful and delightfully campy, while still played very straight. Adam died in
June of 2017, and his final resting place is unknown. But Los Angeles held a public
memorial for Adam, lighting up City Hall with the bat-signal, and the script, "The City of Los Angeles Honors Adam West, 1928-2017." Thousands of fans attended
the ceremony, with tributes given by several of his Batman co-stars,
including the Boy Wonder himself, Burt Ward who played Robin. "Take her up!" "Holy sardine!" "Hand me down the shark-repellent bat spray!" Younger audiences will also remember him as mayor Adam West on "Family Guy." Down in San Diego, at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, is the grave of the very first actor to play Robin the Boy Wonder
on screen, Douglas Croft. He starred alongside Lewis Wilson in the 1943 serial "Batman." He was only 16 at the time. "...a crushing blow against evil in which he
will have the valuable aid of his young, two-fisted assistant, Robin the Boy
Wonder." There would be no need for Batman
without an eclectic array of villains running amok in Gotham, the most
notorious of which is Batman's arch nemesis, the Joker, whose devilish smile
and maniacal laugh of delighted and terrified audiences for generations. He
was created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger, and Jerry Robinson in 1940, and was inspired
by Conrad Veidt's Gwynplaine in "The Man Who Laughs." In the mausoleum of the
Golden West at Inglewood Cemetery, south of Los Angeles we find the niche and
harp shaped urn of the first actor to play Joker on screen, and the man who set the standard for all Jokers to follow, Cesar Romero. He played the psychopathic
jester in the 60s TV series. One of the many quirks Romero imbued in his Joker
was the application of the makeup right right over top his trademark mustache. [music] Let's head now to the other side of the world, to Australia. Many of Hollywood's greatest actors have
donned the white makeup and mad grin of the Joker, but if I could put my usual
objectivity aside a moment... the dark and disturbing performance given by Heath
Ledger in the 2008 film "The Dark Knight," might just be the best. Critics were
skeptical at first of the casting of Heath, but he quickly proved them wrong
with his portrayal of the psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy. "And I thought my jokes were bad." "Give me one reason why I shouldn't have my boy here pull your head off." "How about a magic trick? I'm gonna make this pencil disappear. Ta-Da! It's gone!" Tragically, Heath died of an accidental
drug overdose before the film was even released. He was posthumously awarded a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his portrayal of the Joker. After his death
Heath was cremated, his ashes scattered at the site of his grandparents grave at
Karrakatta Cemetery in Perth Australia. In 2009 a monument to Heath was created at Point Heathcote Reserve near his hometown. Back in California at Forest
Lawn Hollywood Hills, just northwest of the Courts of Remembrance, is the grave
of Michael Ansara. He provided the voice of Mr. Freeze on "Batman: the Animated
Series." "I failed you. I wish there were another way for me to
say it. I cannot. I can only beg your forgiveness, and pray you hear me somehow,
someplace... someplace where a warm hand waits for mine." For our next stop we'll travel all the
way across the country, to beautiful Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Calvary
Cemetery, where Frank Gorshin is buried. Gorshin was an actor, comedian, and
impressionist, known for being the first actor to portray Gotham villain the
Riddler on screen. The Riddler made his first appearance in Detective Comics 140
in 1948, his modus operandi being the use of puzzles and riddles in his crimes
gorshin played the Riddler in 10 episodes of the 60s TV series, "Batman," a
role which earned him an Emmy nomination. "Riddle me this my criminal crew... When does a Boy Wonder rhyme with bubble?" "When he's in trouble?" "Wrong! When he's double! Split in two halves, right down the middle!" A few of the Batman stars who have
passed away don't have a final resting place because they were cremated, their
ashes either scattered or privately held. Let's take a moment to remember them. Legendary character actor Burgess Meredith was the first to portray the
Penguin on screen in the 60s TV series. British actor Michael Gough played
Alfred Pennyworth in four Batman movies, beginning with Tim Burton's Batman in
1989. Yvonne Craig played Batgirl aka Barbara Gordon in the 60s TV series. Other characters from that series include George Sanders, the first actor to play Mr. Freeze on screen. Eartha Kitt, one of the actresses who portrayed Catwoman, and Neil Hamilton, who played Commissioner Gordon. At Holy Cross Cemetery, in Culver City, California, we find one of the men behind the legendary Batman TV series of the 1960s, William Dozier. Not only did he produce the show, he was also the narrator. "Could this mean curtains?
Will the identities of our dynamic duo be revealed to the whole world? Is this
the end of their career as crime-fighters? Can they avert disaster?
Answers tomorrow, same bat-time, same bat-channel." In addition he co-created the Barbara
Gordon character, also known as Batgirl. The world of Batman has also brought us
some amazing music over the years. At Hollywood Forever Cemetery, right in the heart of Hollywood, in the Hall of David, we find the niche of composer Nelson Riddle. He wrote the music for both the 60s TV series and the 1966 film, "Batman: the
Movie." Singer Prince wrote and performed several songs for Tim Burton's Batman in 1989, including the "Batdance." Prince died in 2016, his ashes kept in an urn at his Paisley Park Studio in Minnesota. The urn itself is a miniature replica of Paisley Park. We'll finish our tour back where we
started, at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, in the Courts of Remembrance. In the
Sanctuary of Enduring Protection, just south of the Christus, is the crypt of
Neal Hefti. He was a composer for film and television.
He's the man who wrote that iconic main theme for the 60s Batman TV series. And that concludes our tour! What are
some of your favorite memories from city of Gotham? Share them in the comments
below, and be sure to tune in next time for more famous graves. Same grave time, same grave channel! Thanks for watching!
