This is Chapel of the Pines, a more than a
century old crematorium and columbarium here in Los Angeles. It hosts the remains of numerous
Hollywood legends, a handful of which can be found here in the columbarium. But if you
saw our previous video on Chapel of the Pines, you’ll recall that the majority of stars
whose cremated remains rest here, are locked away in the private vault, inaccessible to
the public. Well today, for the first time, we’re teaming up with our friends here at
Chapel of the Pines, to give you an exclusive look inside the vault. This is the story of
Chapel of the Pines. Chapel of the Pines is located at 1605 S.
Catalina Street, adjacent to Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery, not far from downtown Los Angeles.
This domed structure inspired by classical Greek architecture was built around 1903,
and at that time was known as the Los Angeles Crematory Association. The earliest recorded
cremation here was listed as taking place in 1906. By the 1940s the crematory was bought
by Pierce Brothers, and became the Pierce Brothers Crematorium. Finally, around 1948,
it was given the name as we know it today, Chapel of the Pines. In 1991 it was bought
out by a large corporation known as SCI, then finally in 2006, Chapel of the Pines was bought
by the current owners, Community Funeral Services. Circling the chapel on the second level are
a series of columbariums, or columbaria, that radiate out from the center of the building.
This is where most of the early occupants of Chapel of the Pines were inurned, in beautifully
rustic and retro urns and niche facades. Later decades saw the corridors on the main level,
Diodora Hall North, and Diodora Hall South, and then the chapel, host niches for cremated
remains. Here in these columbaria we found a number
of stars and Hollywood legends in our original video on Chapel of the Pines. Let’s take
a moment to recap who’s here. In Diodora Hall South, there’s husband and wife, Stuart
Erwin and June Collyer. Stuart was an actor of stage, screen, and television, nominated
for an Oscar for his role in 1936’s Pigskin Parade. Stu had his own TV show, Trouble with
Father, later re-titled The Stu Erwin Show, which co-starred his real-life wife, June
Collyer. June is also remembered for her roles as Jean in A Face in the Fog, and Gloria in
The Ghost Walks. A few columns in on the left is a name you
fans of Laurel and Hardy will recognize: Mae Busch. Her career began in the silent era,
where she was best-known as a vamp, in films like The Unholy Three. In 1929 she began her
association with Laurel & Hardy, sometimes playing Hardy’s shrewish wife, appearing
in more than a dozen of their comedies. Edgar Dearing was never a leading man, but
appeared in more than 300 film and television productions. He was often type-cast as motorcycle
policemen on screen. His films include It Came from Outer Space, and his final appearance
on screen was in the original Twilight Zone series, in the episode “Mr. Garrity and
the Graves.” Lyle Wheeler was a prolific art director in
Hollywood, designing sets for close to 400 productions in his career. He was nominated
for an astounding 22 Academy Awards, winning 5 for Gone with the Wind, Anna and the King
of Siam, The Robe, The King and I, and The Diary of Anne Frank. Willis O’Brien was an early special effects
and stop-motion effects pioneer in Hollywood, responsible for some of the best-known images in movie history. Most notably, he did the
stop-motion creature animation for films like 1925’s The Lost World, and 1933’s King
Kong. His visual effects for 1950’s Mighty Joe Young won the Oscar. His work would inspire
the likes of Ray Harryhausen and Peter Jackson. Kathlyn Williams was an actress and screenwriter,
principally of the silent era. She’s remembered as a spry blonde beauty whose daring antics
made her the star of Hollywood’s first cliffhanger adventure serial, 1913’s The Adventures
of Kathlyn. Later she’d be known more for dramas, like Our Dancing Daughters, appearing
in close to 200 films before retiring from the screen in 1935. Kathlyn also wrote 6 screenplays,
including A Sultana of the Desert, in which she also starred. Into the chapel now we find the niche of Leonard Carey, an English actor known for often playing
butlers. His best-known role was as Ben in Hitchcock’s Rebecca. He appeared in more
than 150 productions, as well as on the London stage. Into Diodora Hall North now. Here is where we find the niche Lloyd Ingraham -- a distinguished
actor who often played authority figures. He appeared in DW Griffith’s silent masterpiece,
Intolerance, as well as numerous B-westerns. In addition to his 300+ acting credits, Lloyd
also directed some 100 films, many of them silent westerns. Just a few rows away from Lloyd is the niche of Nigel Bruce. You fans of Sherlock Holmes
will remember Nigel for his role as Dr. Watson, in the Sherlock Holmes films of the 30s and
40s, and also on radio. “What brings you from Northumberland at
this early hour?” “Bad business Holmes, very bad business.
How’d you know that I came from Northumberland?” “Elementary, my dear Watson.” He’s also known for his roles in those classic Hitchcock films, Rebecca, and Suspicion. He
was just 58 when he died from a heart attack. We’re upstairs now in the older columbarium.
Arthur Hoyt was another of those actors who didn’t always get screen credit, but worked
prolifically, in close to 300 films, like The Lost World, and It Happened One Night. There was one notable Hollywood pioneer that I was unable to find for our first video here.
And this time around it became apparent why. We’re down in the lower level, the Hall
of Memory. According to the records here, motion picture pioneer William Selig was inurned
in Section H. So we came over here to section H, and after scouring every single nameplate,
there was no sign of him. But we did find his wife, Mary Selig. Curiously, just above
Mary, was a nameplate of someone named Leslie, which looked like it had fallen off, and been
taped back on. In fact, over the decades, several of these simple acrylic markers had
fallen off, with someone having attempted to tape some of them back on. Well, I had
a theory, that perhaps William Selig’s nameplate had fallen off, as had this one belonging
to Leslie, which had then been taped back on in the wrong place. I believed that it
was actually William in the niche above his wife Mary. So, I asked Chapel of the Pines
if they’d be willing to open up the niche so we could confirm this… and lo and behold,
there he was. It was indeed William Selig in the niche above his wife. So we moved Leslie’s
nameplate back to where she was supposed to be, and I had a new nameplate made for William,
since his was lost. Now, after the backstory of having found him, who was William Selig?
He was a motion picture pioneer from the very early days of film. Early in his career he
performed on the vaudeville stage as Colonel Selig, a name which he would use the rest
of his career as a film producer. In 1896 Selig created one of the very first film production
companies, Selig Polyscope, in Chicago. His film The Tramp and the Dog, produced that
same year, is considered the first narrative film set in Chicago. By the early 1900s Selig
was producing the first westerns of Broncho Billy Anderson, and was one of the first filmmakers
to expand his operations to the west coast, right here in Los Angeles… partly for the
year-round good weather, and partly to escape Thomas Edison’s cartel monopoly on filmmaking
from the east coast. In 1909 he founded the first permanent studio in Los Angeles. Throughout
his career he would produce more than 2000 films, including the first film adaptations
of the Wizard of Oz, and the first true serial, The Adventures of Kathlyn, starring Kathlyn
Williams, who we found upstairs. In 1948 Colonel William Selig was given an honorary Academy
Award for his pioneering contributions to the motion picture industry. He died months
later, from a coronary thrombosis, at the age of 84. Heading outside now, out front of the main building you’ll find the Garden of Memories,
also known as the Rose Garden, with a half-wall featuring names of those whose cremains were
scattered therein or elsewhere. Among them, Colin Clive, an actor famous for playing Dr.
Frankenstein in the classic 1930s horror films, Frankenstein, and The Bride of Frankenstein. “It’s alive! IT’S ALIVE!” Other films include Mad Love and Christopher
Strong. Clive struggled with severe alcoholism, and died from tuberculosis at just 37. This
marker is just a cenotaph, as his ashes were reportedly scattered at sea.
Just this summer, some new names have been added to the wall, including Bess Flowers,
whose ashes were scattered here in the Rose Garden. Her name was misspelled, but they
promised to fix it, so in the meantime, I’ll use movie magic to fix it. Bess Flowers was
an actress known as The Queen of Hollywood Extras, becoming much in demand by the 1930s.
“Extras” are those you see on screen in the background that don’t have any spoken
lines. It’s estimated that Bess appeared in more than 1,000 productions. She holds
the record for number of appearances in films nominated for Best Picture – 23 in all,
5 of which won Best Picture. Bess Flowers died in 1984 at age 85.
We found the record of actress Jean Hagen in the records room… but it’s unclear
what became of her cremated remains. “Disposal - Chapel of the Pines,” could mean scattering
in the Rose Garden, or perhaps placement in vaultage, but we didn’t find her in the
vault. So Jean might be a good candidate for addition to this memorial garden wall. Jean
was an actress, remembered for playing Lina in Singin’ in the Rain, for which she was
nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She also played Margaret Williams
on The Danny Thomas Show, which earned her three Emmy nominations. She was just 54 when
she died from cancer in 1977. Other stars were cremated here, and their
ashes taken or scattered elsewhere, like Alan Napier, who played Alfred on the Batman TV
series. His ashes were scattered at his family estate. And Jay Silverheels, remembered for
his role as Tonto in the Lone Ranger. His ashes were scattered on the Six Nations Indian
Reserve. And Ross Bagdasarian, known as David Seville, creator of the cartoon band, Alvin
and the Chipmunks. According to the records, his ashes were sent to Ararat Cemetery in
Fresno. Even silent vamp Theda Bara was cremated here
before inurnment in the Great Mausoleum. But for close to a century, thousands of cremated
remains that were not placed in a niche in the columbaria, or taken elsewhere by the
family, or scattered, ended up down in the vault.
The first time I visited Chapel of the Pines years ago for our first video here, I was
only able to access the public columbarium. What this elusive “vault” was that one
reads about online was left wholly to the imagination. In my mind, I pictured an average
sized storage room, dark and disheveled, with dingy shelves and a few hundred haphazardly
stacked urns. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The only thing that lived up to the
vision was the door to room 1, which is literally a vault door, with a combination lock and
everything. The first thing I was surprised to discover was that when speaking of the
vault, or vaultage, at Chapel of the Pines, it’s not just one room, but actually a network
of 5 rooms… 5 Vaults. When one filled up, they spilled over to the next, and the next.
Walking into the vault for the first time I was instantly struck by the sheer numbers…
thousands of simple box urns, neatly arranged on shelves floor to ceiling, two stories high,
row after row after row. And I’ll be honest, it made me think of Ollivander’s from Harry
Potter. It also reminded me of a library. Each of these box urns, neatly labeled on
the front with the individual’s name, was like a book on a shelf -- a book of life with
countless untold stories within. But putting the metaphorical aside for the literal, these
urns contain cremated human remains, which are commonly called ashes… something of
a misnomer, as the remains after cremation consist mainly of bone fragments and minerals.
These vaults weren’t dark and disheveled, but very well lit, and for the most part,
pretty well organized, by month and year. There was actually a strange sort of beauty
to it… a century-long timeline of humanity. Time, the elements, and pests, were not kind
to some of these urns, but given that many date back over 100 years, most of them were
in surprisingly good condition, the labels still legible. When the current owners took
over, the vaults were in pretty poor condition. There was an entire layer of mud on the floors
they had to clean up, so those poor souls on the bottom row tended not to fare as well
as others higher up. But after cleanup, and improved lighting, a sense of dignity was
restored to these individuals’ final resting place.
Since the current owners took over in 2006, long-term storage of ashes like this is no
longer allowed. They essentially inherited the vault as is. The latest cremations we
found in here were around 2005, when placement in vaultage stopped. Nowadays cremated remains
must be either inurned, scattered, or taken by the family. Any cremains left unclaimed
after 60 days are now sent to the LA coroner. So these vaults are a vestige of a bygone
era, a snapshot of the past. You would not see anything like this today… in fact, there
may not be anything else out there like this in all of California. The state inspector
said that, in his 30-year career, he’d never seen anything like this. A site like this,
with the sheer volume of cremains stored in such a way, is truly one of a kind.
So how did all these people end up in here? Well, the answer to that question is not so
simple. I was initially under the impression that these were all unclaimed remains, but
such is not actually the case. Some are, but many aren’t. In fact, many specifically
requested, or their family specifically requested, to be placed here in the vault. Some had no
next of kin. Others did have next of kin but their urns were never retrieved or sent out
to them. For some, it came down to financial limitations -- this was the most affordable
option. For others this was meant to be a temporary holding site, with final arrangements
never coming to fruition for one reason or another. And some may have just assumed that
after their loved one was cremated that their ashes would have been scattered, and may not
have even known that they were placed in the vault. Cremation was a relatively new concept
in the US in the early 20th century, and it was not always clear what would be or could
be done with remains after cremation. Most of those resting herein are placed in
simple copper box or even carboard box urns. Intermingled with the standard box urns are
some other uniquely shaped urns and repositories… each a literal time-capsule from the past.
Adding to the many mysteries within these walls, were numerous very fancy and expensive
engraved urns, that one would assume were intended for private holding or placement
in a publicly accessibly niche, not storage in an inaccessible basement vault. Yet here
they stand. There are as many stories as to why an individual’s
ashes are here in the vault, as there are urns in these rooms. And for most in here,
there is no written record to answer the question “why?” And though long-term storage of
ashes like this no longer happens, this unique community of the dead, in the eyes of the
state, is for all intents and purposes, a tomb. It is and will remain these folks’
final resting place as is. Only through a permit ordered by family, or a court order
in the case of no next of kin, may they be removed. In 2022, Chapel of the Pines began to undertake efforts to organize and digitally catalog
the names and dates of all those resting at this site down in the vaults. Jessica Wahl,
librarian, historian, cemetery enthusiast, friend of Hollywood Graveyard, and owner of
the blog Silence is Platinum, volunteered to spearhead these efforts.
“Charles E… I can’t read the last name.” “Number one?”
“Number one.” And naturally, I volunteered to help. This
is why we were granted access to the vaults, which as mentioned earlier, are off-limits
to the general public. To say the cataloguing was a daunting task would be an understatement.
While there’s no way to know the exact number, and the cataloguing is still ongoing, we estimate
there are well in excess of 10,000 sets of cremated remains here in vaultage.
As we added the names to the catalogue one by one, some names dating back more than a
hundred years, Jessica called to mind an old saying, something along the lines of: “Each
of us dies two deaths: the first, when our body dies, the second when our name is spoken
for the very last time.” That seemed very relevant to what we were doing, and we tried
to make an effort to read many of the names aloud as they were entered into the database,
to bring these individuals back to life, if only for a moment.
In scanning and cataloguing the vaults, we had the added pleasure of pinpointing the
final resting places of Hollywood stars from yesteryear, who have been hiding in here for
decades. Let’s explore the vaults one by one, and see who we can find. Vault 1 is the original vault, once referred to as the “Dark Room,” so I felt right
at home herein. The storage of ashes in here began way back in 1907, back when cremated
remains were called “incinerated remains.” I guess in time they determined “cremated
remains” was a gentler image. Over the next fifty years, these shelves slowly filled up,
taking us to 1957, and well over 6,000 urns. Over that time, a handful of classic Hollywood
stars found their way in here. Let’s meet a few of them:
Wilfred Lucas appeared in an astonishing 400+ films between 1908 and 1941, the final two
films he appeared in released after his death in 1940. Notable among them are roles in the
films Modern Times, and 1916’s Macbeth. Wilfred was also known as a director, including
Keystone comedies, and an early Tarzan film. He lived to be 69.
Stuart Paton was a noted director during the silent era. He’s best known for the first
film adaptation of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, in 1916, which was revolutionary for
its underwater cinematography. Early 20th Century audiences were spellbound, many of
them seeing an underwater scene for the first time. Paton spent much of his career at Universal,
directing actions and westerns. He died in the Motion Picture Country Home at age 61.
Florence Turner was one of Hollywood’s first matinee idols. At a time when many actors
appeared anonymously, as it was considered a disreputable profession, Florence became
known as The Vitagraph Girl. Along with other early stars like Florence Lawrence, Florence
Turner would help spark the star system in Hollywood, where their names drew in crowds
to see movies. Florence would star in many of the prestigious films of the early silent
era, like Far from the Madding Crowd, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as well as alongside
comedy great Buster Keaton in the 1927 film, College. Florence also wrote and produced
many of her films during the silent era. But come the age of the talkies, her starring
days were behind her, and her roles in the 30s and 40s were small and few. She retired
to the Motion Picture Country Home, where she passed away at age 61.
William Desmond was an actor, known as The King of the Silent Serials. He appeared in
more than 200 films between 1915 and 1948. Desmond became a major action and western
star during the silent era, known particularly for his serials, as his nickname denotes.
He continued making films into the sound era, but generally in smaller roles. He passed
away from a heart attack at age 71. Resting just above William is his wife, Mary
McIvor. She too was an actress during the silent era, and also performed on the Vaudeville
stage. Her first film appearance was in 1917’s Paddy O’Hara, alongside her future husband,
William Desmond… the first of many appearances on screen together. Mary retired from the
screen after marrying Desmond in 1919, save for a 1925 appearance in The Burning Trail.
She died from a heart attack at the young age of 36. Her ashes were placed here in vaultage, but according
to this removal permit on her urn, were meant to be sent to her husband. They never made
it to him before his death 8 years later. We found her ashes on a nearby shelf, and
moved her here next to her husband, to finally reunite them.
Lastly in vault 1 we find Maude Fulton. As an actress she appeared in a handful of films
in the 20s and 30s, including Silk Legs. But Maude was equally well-known as a playwright
and screenwriter. In an era when screenwriting was dominated by men, she wrote numerous successful
screenplays, including Nix on Dames, and the Maltese Falcon, as well as the Broadway play,
The Humming Bird. She passed away in 1950 at age 69. Vault 2 is right next to vault 1. It’s one of the smaller rooms, covering the years 1957
to 1962. The remains of close to 1500 individuals rest in here, and like room 1, among them
are a handful of stars. Kurt Neumann was a director who previously
had erroneously been reported as being at Home of Peace Cemetery. Truth is, he’s right
here in vault 2. Kurt directed numerous films in the 30s through the 50s, known for low-budget
sci-fi, westerns, and thrillers. Among his best-known films are Rocketship X-M, and his
biggest hit, the 1958 film, The Fly. “It will be alright now. I know it worked!” But Kurt would never know the success of The Fly, passing away suddenly at age 50 just
one week before the film’s release. Alma Bennett was a silent-film actress, who
appeared in some 65 films throughout her career, often as alluring vamps. Among her best-known
films are The Lost World in 1925, and Long Pants in 1927. Her career ended with the talkies,
and she lived to be 54 (not 44 as listed here). Patricia Mallory was known as Boots Mallory
during her career as an actress and model. She began her career as a Ziegfeld girl in
New York, before moving to Hollywood to appear in films. The following year she’d be named
one of 1932’s WAMPAS baby stars. Her films include Handle with Care, and The Wolf Dog,
alongside Rin-Tin-Tin Jr. Boots was just 45 when she died from throat cancer.
H. B. Warner was an actor in both the silent and sound eras. He was nominated for an Oscar
in 1938 for his role in Lost Horizon. You also saw him in the perennial Christmas classic,
It’s a Wonderful Life, as Mr. Gower. His greatest success during the silent era was
the lead role in Cecil B. DeMille’s The King of Kings. Warner passed away from a heart
attack in 1958. Heinie Conklin was a prolific actor of the
silent and sound eras, appearing in more than 500 productions. He’s remembered in the
silent era as a regular in Keystone Comedies, with his distinctive mustache. He’d go on
to have small roles in 2-reel comedies during the sound era, and would have bit parts in
numerous classics, like Modern Times, and All Quiet on the Western Front.
Noel Francis began her acting career on the Broadway stage as a Ziegfeld girl before moving
to Hollywood. Early films channeled her singing and dancing, but by the 30s she became better
known for tough-girl roles, like in Blonde Crazy alongside James Cagney, and Smart Money,
alongside Cagney and Edward G. Robinson. Noel died after a battling breast cancer.
Philip Pinheiro went by the stage name Philip Van Zandt. As an actor he appeared in more
than 200 productions between 1939 and 1958. His notable roles include Mr. Rawlston in
Citizen Kane, Jose in His Kind of Woman, and he appeared in Three Stooges comedies like
Bedlam in Paradise. Philip took his own life at age 53.
There was one more star we had hoped to find here in vault 2, who managed to elude us:
Edmund Gwenn. So these shelves here correspond to the dates
around the time Edmund Gwenn died. Edmund Gwenn of course is famous for playing Santa
Claus in Miracle on 34th Street. So we were hopeful that this is where he would be. But
unfortunately for us, he’s not here. So the hope at this point is that perhaps he
was misplaced in a different vault, and we’ll just have to stumble onto him as we continue
to catalog the vaults. Um, it’s frustrating because all of the other stars that we have
sought out in the vault down here have been more or less where they were supposed to be
chronologically. Um, but if we can’t find Edmund somewhere in these vaults, then he
may be lost forever. Vault 3, known colloquially as the Rose Room,
was the smallest room, but the most emotionally challenging. It tore at our heartstrings,
as I’m sure it will yours too, to know that this room is dedicated to infants and children.
Herein are housed the remains of more than 2000 infants who were stillborn or who died
in childbirth. Others were babies who only lived hours, days, or weeks. Tiny boxes, and
tiny urns, with names like infant, or baby boy and baby girl. Little lives who were never
given a chance; little flowers never allowed to bloom. Vault 4 was the second largest, after vault 1. It mainly comprised the years around 1969
into the 90s, but was also something of a hodge podge from the entire 20th century.
It posed a particular challenge, because it was the least organized. That was because
half of this vault held cremains that had been shipped in from other locations for storage
here. It seems that Chapel of the Pines became Southern California’s universal storage
site for cremated remains. When others didn’t know what to do with them, they sent them
here. Funeral homes and mortuaries were not allowed to store cremated remains, so if any
went unclaimed, many of them turned to the Pines vault for storage. We found boxes and
urns here from just about every familiar cemetery and funeral home in the area, from the Forest
Lawns, Westwood, even neighboring Angelus Rosedale. There were even some from out of
state. And accompanying this array of urns was a panoply of curious stories. We found
some with requests for placement or shipment elsewhere that were never fulfilled for unknown
reasons (and with so many decades having passed, there’s little the current owners can do
about those); we found empty urns that were engraved; there were unknown remains; there
was a sad story of someone who accidentally picked up the wrong ashes, so his wife’s
actual ashes are still here waiting for him; we even found a section dedicated to amputations,
from local hospitals, labeled, arm or leg of so-and-so. The stories in this room really
did run the gamut. This was also the room where the elements seemed to have wreaked
the most havoc. But amid the disarray of this room, we did
manage to lasso a legend from Hollywood’s old west. “Broncho Billy” Anderson is
considered the father of Western stars, Hollywood’s first cowboy hero. He began appearing in films
as early as 1903, like The Great Train Robbery. Broncho Billy would star in hundreds of silent
westerns, many of which he would also write, direct, and produce. He paved the way for
cowboy stars to come, like William S. Hart, Tom Mix, and John Wayne. In 1958, Broncho
Billy was given an honorary Academy Award for his contributions to the development of
motion pictures as entertainment. The last vault is vault 5. It’s a smaller
room, but is still stacked floor to ceiling two stories high. It comprises the years around
1962 to 1968, with close to 2,000 urns. Despite being one of the smaller rooms, it’s packed
with Hollywood history. And my nerves were tested finding some of them, climbing to the
top of a rickety ladder that looked about as old as many of this room’s residents.
Vertigo anyone? Hobart Henley was an actor and director during
the silent era, and early talkies. He directed the film that marked Bette Davis’s screen
debut, Bad Sister in 1931, as well as Will Roger’s debut in the 1918 film, Laughing
Bill Hyde. And in front of the camera, he can be seen in films like The Evil Women Do.
A few shelves away on this same wall is a name familiar to you fans of classic horror:
Helen Chandler. She began her career as a standout on the stage in New York, where she
was born, appearing in over 20 plays before making her way out to Hollywood. Helen is
best known today for playing Mina, the female lead, in 1931’s Dracula, alongside Bela
Lugosi. “Count Dracula.” “I had a frightful dream a few nights ago, and I don’t seem to be able to get it out
of my mind.” “I hope you haven’t taken my stories too
seriously.” “Stories?” Other films include Outward Bound, Christopher Strong, and her final film, Mr. Boggs Steps
Out, after which she retired from the screen to dedicate more time to her first love, the
stage. Helen died following surgery for a bleeding ulcer in 1965. According to her birth
certificate she was born in 1908, so she was actually 57.
Straight down below Helen, in the bottom shelf, is a name familiar to you fans of the Marx
Bros: Margaret Dumont. As comedic foil in seven Marx Bros films, she’s sometimes thought
of as “The fifth Marx Brother.” Notable among her films are Duck Soup, Animal Crackers,
At the Circus, and A Night at the Opera. Margaret died after suffering a heart attack in 1965.
High on the wall to the right we find Gladys Parker. She was a pioneer of female cartoonists
in the 30s to the 50s, in an era when comics were dominated by men. In 1937 she created
the character and comic strip, Mopsy, which would run in hundreds of newspapers nationwide.
The character of Mopsy was modeled after Gladys herself. In addition to her comics, Gladys
was also a fashion designer. She passed away from lung cancer.
Lower on this same wall is Tom Conway. The actor is best remembered for playing “The
Falcon,” in 10 of the popular detective series of films in the 1940s. He’s also
remembered for appearing in several b-horrors of this era, like Cat People, and I Walked
with a Zombie. Tom died from cirrhosis of the liver at age 62.
Our next star here in vault 5 appeared in several of the biggest films of Hollywood’s
golden age, and was one of the first we sought out down here. Thomas Mitchell died in December
of 1962, so we came over to this shelf which corresponds to December of ’62. We scanned
all the name plates on this shelf, but were disappointed to not see him. I began to climb
the ladder to look at the next shelf up, while Jessica pointed out that there was one urn
without a label on it, but found the label loosely slipped into a plastic bag. She said
something along the lines of, “What do you suppose the odds are that it’s this one?”
She pulled out the label and read “Thomas Mitchell.” I thought she was messing with
me, but when she turned the label around to show me, I nearly fell off the ladder. It
was indeed the urn of Thomas Mitchell. The legendary actor played Uncle Billy in It’s
a Wonderful Life, Scarlett O’Hara’s father in Gone with the Wind, and he won an Oscar
for his role as Doc Boone in the 1939 film Stagecoach. “Well well, how are you Mr. Haycock.” “Peacock.”
“Don’t tell me, sir, I know, I know a familiar name, and anon a name. I never forget
a face or a friend. Samples?” Mitchell was the first male actor to win the
Triple Crown of acting: Oscar, Emmy, and Tony. Thomas Mitchell passed away from cancer at
age 70. His wife signed off on his placement in vaultage after he died, so it was a conscious
family decision for him to be here. He wasn’t simply unclaimed. The family of Thomas Mitchell
recently confirmed to us that since this is where he chose to be, this is where he will
stay. Weeks later, before we finished up in here,
Vault 5 had one more secret to tell… But if we can’t find Edmund somewhere in
these vaults, then he may be lost forever. “But I’m warning you, I don’t give up
easily. Good night.” September 11th, 1959!
Unreal! Ladies and Gentlemen, Edmund Gwenn. He’s not lost. He’s not lost!
He’s not lost anymore. He was just misplaced.
Wow, unbelievable. What an amazing find! And he’s in a nice urn. Look at this urn. And in a beautiful urn… look at that! Jessica, what have you found?
Talk us through what just happened. I’m still in shock. I’m holding Edmund
Gwenn, in my hands, in an amazing urn. I was looking through one of the vaults, this was
covered in paper. And I just turned it around to see what the nameplate said, and I read
Edmund Gwenn, and I said it out loud, and you didn’t believe me…
I didn’t believe you. So I said it again, you still didn’t believe
me, and I had to do like this, like hold it up to you… we were both in shock, like,
still… Because we had looked in every vault, he was
not where he was supposed to be chronologically. It was a bummer to see that he wasn’t where
he was supposed to be, but I did not give up hope that we would find him.
No you did not. I still had the hope that he as misplaced,
he was mislabeled, something… and I’m still in shock that we found him, but I’m
so happy that we found him. He is no longer lost.
No. How long has he been hiding in a paper bag
on a shelf? 1959.
Since 1959. And he was placed in this beautiful urn. And
so that begs the question: why did he end up in a dark vault for all these years? Over the decades, numerous individuals have
undertaken efforts to bring those stars lost in the vault out of the darkness and into
the light, where they can be visited and remembered. We mentioned Mae Busch earlier, star of Laurel
and Hardy films, whose niche is right here in the Chapel of the Pines columbarium. In
the 1970s it was discovered that her ashes had gone unclaimed in the vault. The Sons
of the Desert, a Laurel and Hardy appreciation society, paid for her to be inurned in this
niche, decades after her death. “I’ll put you in jail first! And you too,
with the rest of the Sons of the … Oh, the Sons of the Desert!” In 2005, a biographer of the classic screen
actress Ann Sheridan, discovered that in her will, Ann had requested to be laid to rest
in a Los Angeles niche, but that her ashes were still in the storage vault at Chapel
of the Pines. She coordinated with her family to have her ashes retrieved from the vault,
and placed in this glass niche at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, some 38 years after her
death. Ann Sheridan was an actress known as “The Oomph Girl,”
and was popular in the 40s, particularly in films noir and crime dramas. She’s known
for her roles as Randy in King’s Row, Cassie in They Drive by Night, Laury in Angels with
Dirty Faces, and the title character in Nora Prentiss. “I like me, just the way I am. Nora Prentiss, six songs an evening and the occasional drink
with the better customers.” Ann was working on the show Pistols ‘n’
Petticoats when she died from cancer at just 51. Unbeknownst to us, at the same time that we were cataloging vault 5, a group of fans,
headed up by classic Hollywood enthusiast Bob Satterfield and the Sons of the Desert,
had already initiated the process to retrieve some stars from the vault for placement in
niches in the chapel upstairs. One day I was cataloging some of the last urns in vault
5 when I noticed that Margaret Dumont’s urn, which we had already cataloged here,
was missing. This was a pretty spooky discovery, given that Jessica and I were the only ones
accessing the vaults regularly. But we were eventually informed by Pines that she was
getting a new home upstairs in the chapel. In April 2023, Margaret’s urn was removed
from the vault after 58 years, and placed in this niche just right of the entrance to
the chapel, where you Marx Bros fans can finally come visit her in her new final resting place.
“I’ve been sitting right here since 7:00.” “Yes, with your back to me. When I invite
a woman to dinner I expect her to look into my face… that’s the price she has to pay.”
Margaret did indeed get all the jokes. This same group of fans who raised money to
retrieve Margaret, retrieved Wilfred Lucas the same time. You’ll recall we had found
actor and director Wilfred Lucas in vault 1. The prolific actor was seen in more than
400 films, including Keystone comedies, and DW Griffith films. In April 2023 he got a
new home, right here in this niche alongside Margaret, after 83 years in the vault. It was a thrilling moment when Jessica found the urn of Edmund Gwenn, Hollywood’s beloved
Santa Claus from Miracle on 34th Street – a role that would earn him an Oscar for best
supporting actor. “Would you please tell her that you’re
not really Santa Claus, that there actually is no such person.”
“Well I’m sorry to disagree with you, Mrs. Walker, but not only is there such a
person, but here I am to prove it.” He’s also remembered for the comedy Mister
880, which earned him another Oscar nomination, and for appearing in a number of Alfred Hitchcock
films. He lived to be 81. Finding Edmund was something of our own Miracle on Catalina Street.
After finding his urn, Jessica reached out to notify the next of kin, and efforts are
currently underway to give Edmund a new home in a niche at Hollywood Forever Cemetery,
hopefully just in time for Christmas. As a fan of the classic 1931 film Dracula,
I was particularly excited to have found the urn of Helen Chandler. Helen was actually
the first star I sought out and found down in the vaults. Her funeral expenses were covered
by the Motion Picture Relief Fund, and due to the limited funds, her ashes were placed
here in vaultage. Having finally found her urn, I reached out to her next of kin to inform
them. They were delighted. Helen had been brought to the Chapel of the Pines by her
brother, and placed in vaultage, so she wasn’t simply unclaimed. But in our discussions with
the family, we decided that Helen might rather be in a place where her fans could visit her.
With their permission, Helen’s urn was finally retrieved from vault 5. Helen, we’ve found you a new home. Driving Ms. Helen through the streets of a
Hollywood that has changed quite a lot since the 1960s… en route to her new home.
And that new home is Hollywood Forever Cemetery. With the help of generous donations from you
the fans, we raised funds to give Helen a beautiful new resting place, where she can
be visited by those who love and remember her all these years later. And I’m excited to unveil for you the new urn and new niche of Helen Chandler, here
at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, in the Cathedral Mausoleum, just down the hall from other Hollywood
legends like Rudolph Valentino and Peter Lorre. So, if you’re looking for a special Halloween
outing this year, come say hello to Helen Chandler, bright-eyed star of Dracula, and
darling of the New York stage, for the first time in more than a half century. Hollywood loves a happy ending, and for us here at Hollywood Graveyard, this has been
one of our most rewarding experiences, and I hope for you it has been enlightening, educational,
and a little entertaining as well. As we wrap up our time today, and close the
vault, I wanted to thank our friends at Hollywood Forever Cemetery for helping us give a new
home to some of those who have been down in the vault for decades. And of course, a huge
thank you to our friends here at Chapel of the Pines for opening their doors to us and
allowing us to tell their story. Chapel of the Pines wanted me to be sure to make it
clear once again that the vaults are not open to the public. So if you’d like to come
visit Chapel of the Pines, you can visit the public columbaria during regular hours M-F,
but not the vaults. That said, the catalog of names of individuals in the vault is now
digitized and searchable, link in the description below. So anyone doing family history can
search the document, and those who locate family down there, and would like to retrieve
them and have them publicly placed or privately held, you can contact Chapel of the Pines
about how to start that process. Thanks for watching, we’ll see you on the
next one. Do I look like a ghostbuster with this thing on my head?
You look really cool right now. As one does.
