I found myself at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery last Saturday for the 87th Annual Rudolph Valentino Memorial Service. The name of the location has always seemed slightly tacky to me, so I was very surprised to see just how beautiful and tasteful the grounds were. A veritable "who's who" of Hollywood, Mickey Rooney is one of the most recent buried here:
Johnny Ramone's not-so-subtle plot:
Hattie McDaniel, best known for her Oscar-winning role of Mammy in "Gone with the Wind":
Where Douglas Fairbanks and his son are buried:
The Cathedral Mausoleum, where Valentino resides:
The interior:
Many beautiful stained glass windows lend a splash of color to the white marble:
Silent Screen Director William Deane-Tanner (aka William Desmond Taylor), best known for his still unsolved murder back in 1922:
Statuary can also be found throughout:
Actor Perry Lopez's final resting place:
A shot of Lopez with Natalie Wood and James Dean:
and with Jack Nicholson in "Chinatown":
David White, best known as Larry Tait from "Bewitched":
Part 3 tomorrow!
See more Daveland Hollywood Forever Cemetery photos at my main website.
I love the name "Hollywood Forever Cemetery" and yes, it is tacky. It reminds me of Evelyn Waugh's "The Loved One".
ReplyDeleteI always anticipate and enjoy your old Hollywood/LA posts. I've definitely learned a lot of new stuff from your blog. Thanks, Dave.
I wished I'd know you were there. I was also in that same area on Saturday, driving you-know-what. It probably wouldn't have been respectful for me to drive it in there, but those are some great shots of an amazingly well cared for resting place. Very respectfully done.
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