Fred & Ginger: Together Forever

In my quest to visit historic cemeteries, Oakwood Memorial Park was low on the totem pole. Located in Chatsworth, it’s just far enough away from LA/Hollywood to make it an inconvenient trip. Last month though, I finally rectified that situation! The area surrounding the cemetery which opened in 1924 is plagued by 1990s faux adobe architectural style, and the entrance to Oakwood is not much better, littered with mismatched signs. How could this be the final resting place of a classy guy like dancer/actor Fred Astaire, seen below in a behind-the-scenes shot from “Easter Parade” (1948):



And yet, here’s where he lies for all of eternity. The cemetery is pretty much all markers vs. headstones. Unlike most of the cemeteries I have visited, this one just feels a bit sterile without much character. Even Fred’s marker is a bit curious; I “assume” his last wife, Robyn Smith, is the “I” in the inscription. No birth/death dates listed, either. I wonder how his kids feel about this, as the “I” definitely leaves them out of the picture. Wouldn’t “we” have been a bit more inclusive? Ah, the things one could infer from a single sentence.



Fred’s sister and initial dancing partner, Adele, has a more traditional inscription:



Fred and Adele’s mother:



Fred’s first wife, Phyllis, who died of lung cancer in 1954, leaving him devastated:



Although they were just about the most famous dancing pair from Old Hollywood, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were never married to each other or even linked romantically. Just work buddies.



Below is the marker for Ginger and her mother, Lela. I’m not sure how it happened, but yes, Fred & Ginger are buried at the same cemetery.



You might remember Oscar winning actress Gloria Graham from “It’s a Wonderful Life” (pictured below), “The Bad and the Beautiful,” or “Oklahoma.”



She is buried here at Oakwood, too. She was married four times; #2 was director Nicholas Ray and #4 was her stepson, Anthony Ray. Talk about all in the family…



Nearby is the historic Pioneer Church, which was built in another location in 1903 and originally called the Chatsworth Community Church. A lot of great info about this place on the Chatsworth History website.



In 1962, the building was set to be demolished, but instead ended up being moved to its present location in 1965.



The fundraising to move the building was begun by a $1000 donation from the famed Dale and Roy Rogers. The two also held an “Appreciation Reception” at their ranch, attended by over 200 people. Any of my readers in attendance? Interestingly enough, Dale and Roy are buried elsewhere (in Apple Valley), not here in Chatsworth.



When the foundation of the church was removed, the Church Cornerstone revealed several items including a bible, a Sunday School attendance roster dated January 8, 1903 and a membership list of the church’s ladies aid society. The items were saved, but exposure to the air after being stored in the stone, with no protective container, caused them to crumble within the week. Oops.



Inside the entrance to Oakwood is the Chapel of the Oaks, built in 1933. At least this building has a bit of authentic character.



Wikipedia lists actor Earl Holliman (shown below with Cloris Leachman) as a “resident” of Oakwood, yet he was nowhere to be found. Upon further investigation, the Find A Grave website lists him as being buried at Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood. AI says that Holliman’s ashes were scattered at sea, but that he has a memorial cenotaph at Valhalla.



With inhabitants Bea Benadaret and Oliver Hardy, I guess I need to add Valhalla to my list of places to visit!

See more cemetery photos at my main website.

Little Miss Sunshine in CA: The Conclusion!

Today is the grand finale of Christy’s (Little Miss Sunshine) 2026 California visit. First stop is the Whaley House in Old Town San Diego State Park. From the plaque Christy is so graciously pointing to:

Built by Thomas Whaley in 1856-57, this is the oldest brick structure in southern California. In addition to being the home of the Whaley family, it served variously as granary, store, court-house and school and as the town’s first theater. Whaley’s home was the cultural center of San Diego as well as its most luxurious residence.

All of that info is fantastic, but the marketing campaign focuses on one other piece of info painted directly on the side of the structure: “America’s most haunted house.” That doesn’t hurt the ticket sales.



How the house looked in 1874:



August 1962:



2019:



Our tour guide was very entertaining and gave us some fun facts as we walked around the perimeter and then parked inside the courthouse portion of the museum:



After his spiel, we were free to roam.



Christy enjoyed putting on a show upstairs in the small theater. It was a sold-out performance!



San Diego State University did an archaeological excavation of the grounds, the family well, and the family privy which unearthed more than 66,000 artifacts between 2007-2011. Below is a small sampling of what is on display at the museum:



A selfie, taken in hopes that maybe one of the spirits would appear in the background, but no such luck:



Christy did notice a higher heart rate while in the Whaley House that didn’t go back to normal until she had descended the stairs and exited the building. For real!



Down the street is the El Campo Cemetery. This sign on one of the graves is a bit ironic.



Some of the graves are inside the fenced area of the cemetery:



…and some got paved over OUTSIDE of the fence and are now part of the sidewalk. Yikes. Careful where you step.



Christy was ready for a guest role on “Little House on the Prairie” after exploring Old Town:



Truth be told, we were both ready for some food. The restaurant of choice was the festive Casa Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant:



First things first: Christy got out the Shark to help her cool down!



Then chips and salsa:



drinks:



…and the epic Pollo Fundido! Yum!



I just couldn’t keep this girl out of the fountains.



Back in the old days, we would have taken advantage of this special BIG TIME!



Instead, we paid a visit to the Mason Street Schoolhouse, built in 1865. It was the first publicly owned school in San Diego, used from 1865 to 1872:



Wonder what’s inside?



We played teacher and got this view from behind teacher’s desk:



Enough edutainment already; it was time to get to the good stuff. Christy had never been to a See’s Candy Store. It was time to rectify this tragic situation. Free samples abounded!



For dinner, we went to the classic Rudford’s Diner in North Park; Christy posed by the JFK mural showing his motorcade driving by the restaurant in 1963:



Before we dug into the meal:



Christy is still recovering from the glow of Rudford’s JFK shake; if nothing else, I know this will get her to come back soon!



My Buffalo Chicken salad was tasty!



And then, all too soon, it was time to head to the airport. The fantastic trip by my Indiana bestie had come to a close. Dropping her off at the airport, we took one more selfie until next time:



Back in Indiana, Christy’s mom has been enjoying the See’s Candies. Her first question after eating one, “Can you buy these online?”



Shirley, you jest! What a silly question…

See more Old Town, San Diego photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Rodeo Drive and Howard Greer

In the film “Pretty Woman” (1990), Julia Roberts’ character asks her friend Kit (Laura San Giacomo) where the best place in Los Angeles is for expensive clothes. Her response: “Rodeo Drive, Baby!” In the 1940s, Shirley Temple already knew the answer to that question!



Here she is in her off hours (am guessing 1946/1947), strolling down that legendary street for shopping. Other cities may have a Rodeo Drive, but Beverly Hills has the most famous one! Behind Shirley is the 300 block of Rodeo Drive, which at the time had The London Shop (a British clothing importer for men), Chapman-Pollock tailor, and a Jewelry Store. Shirley is blocking any other details about the jeweler!



Below are two vintage ads for The London Shop:






How that section of Rodeo Drive looks now (from approximately the same angle, thanks to Google Maps!), with the Burberry shop and a completely different structure in its place:



In this previously posted image, Shirley and her mother have just parked at the Rodeo Auto Park lot in Beverly Hills as they go to pick up her wedding dress at designer Howard Greer’s private fashion studio, September 10, 1945. This parking lot was located at 485 North Rodeo Drive, near the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Rodeo Drive.



Below, Shirley flashes her engagement ring to Greer, a Hollywood costume and fashion designer, once under contract to Paramount before going on his own:



Shirley’s class mate from the Westlake School for Girls and future sister-in-law, Joyce Agar, was also along for the fitting that day:



Shirley and her mother as they exit Greer’s Beverly Hills fashion studio, reported by the following publicity caption:

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF., SEPT. 10 — SHIRLEY SHOPS FOR WEDDING DRESS. Shirley Temple, accompanied by her mother, Mrs. George Temple, leaves a dressmaking shop here today after picking out her wedding dress. The young screen actress will become the bride of Sgt. John Agar sometime between Sept. 15 and 22, depending on when Agar is granted a furlough.



The LA Evening Citizen News breathlessly described Greer’s creation:

A small crown of corded satin in loops topped Shirley’s famous golden curls. Her dress of white satin, especially designed for her by Howard Greer, had a fitted bodice, short sleeves and a “Little Infanta” skirt held out at the sides by panniers. The round low neck was edged by a looped cord of satin studded with seed pearls, more of which dotted the bodice. The train was full and long. From the headdress coronet fell a silk net veil and a short cape veil of the same material. Shirley’s gloves were of self-satin in wrist length, scalloped and embroidered with seed pearls.



Two shots from the Agar wedding, taken during the reception that followed at the Temple residence:



According to the LA Daily Mirror website, Greer’s shop was originally at 6530 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, moving in 1940 to the 310 N. Rodeo Drive location where Shirley and her mother were pictured. Previously on August 28, gossip columnist Louella Parsons for the LA Examiner mentioned Shirley and Greer:

Don’t let anyone tell you that the Shirley Temple wedding to John Agar isn’t just around the corner. Three dresses for her trousseau were modeled at the Howard Greer fashion show that brought out Loretta Young, Irene Dunne, Dinah Shore, Doris Le Roy, Kay Williams et al. But to get back to Shirley’s little numbers—one was a sky blue cocktail suit with a jacket of Bugle beads shimmering like blue sunshine. Another was a black and white check suit but the “bridiest” of all was a white robe with quilted bodice and sleeves and a full flaring flannel skirt.



I don’t see any bugle beads, but this suit was worn by Shirley as she exited the Temple residence for her honeymoon.



Shirley is holding the same purse; not sure if the interesting pin is buried underneath the gigantic corsage of orchids or not!



Here’s a genuine Howard Greer label, found on eBay:



Didja’ know…Greer also designed this uniform for TWA flight attendants in 1944 with the interesting logo cutout on the shoulder, found on csews.com:



And so concludes this particular Shirley Temple rabbit hole!

See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.