When we lived in San Diego, I loved to visit dead celebrities. That is, I love to visit cemeteries filled with celebrity burial sites and there is probably no better placed to do that than in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, we left there in 2001, just as a now famous cemetery was making its comeback.
Hollywood Forever is located in – well, Hollywood as you might imagine. It sits on 62 acres with large lots that were sold to Paramount and RKO Studios. A look around is like looking into Hollywood itself. You will find Don Adams of “Get Smart” fame, Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny and many more classic cartoon characters, several Chaplins including Charlie’s mother Hannah and son Charlie Jr., revered director/producer Cecil B. DeMille, tap dancer Eleanor Powell,the woman known as the first movie star, Florence Lawrence, and the man known as the “Latin Lover,” Rudolph Valentino.
There are actors (Douglas Fairbanks, Peter Finch, and Peter Lorre,) and actresses (Janet Gaynor, Estelle Getty, Fay Wray, and Ann Savage).
There are also musicians (Dee Dee Ramone, Johnny Ramone, Nelson Eddie), politicians (Senator Cornelius Cole), and even the publisher of the LA Times (Harry Chandler). There are scandal ridden names such as Virginia Rappe (the young actress who was the reported victim of murder at the hands of Fatty Arbuckle, who was later acquitted but not before his career was ruined), Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel (a gangster who was LA murder remains unsolved), and Carl Switzer (“Alfalfa” from “Our Gang” who was shot during an argument over money and a dog).
Like I said earlier, the cemetery was making its comeback in the early part of this century. Why? Well, it was purchased by Jules Roth, a felon, in 1939. He didn’t keep the cemetery up and it fell in disrepair. All in all, he took about $9 million that was supposed to go towards the cemetery upkeep.
In 1998, Tyler and Brent Cassity bought it, renamed it Hollywood Forever (from its original name of Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery), repaired it, and made it a tourist attraction. People gather for picnics, films viewing, and music events. It is even featured in a documentary called The Young and the Dead.