Monday at the Mausoleum: Holy Cross Cemetery

Located just off California State Route 94, Holy Cross Cemetery & Mausoleum had its first burial in 1919. It is the only Catholic Diocesan Cemetery currently serving San Diego County (sounds like it should have a drive-thru window, huh?). Visible from most incoming flights to San Diego, it is very well-maintained and feels safe. Unlike a neighboring cemetery (that shall remain nameless here), the mausoleums are accessible during the day without having to ask an attendant to unlock the doors. You also won’t find a plethora of buckets filled with water from leaks as a result of deferred maintenance.



The Mausoleum was added in 1939, and where a number of my relatives (from the Italian side!) are interred.



Walking through the grounds of a cemetery is like a combined tour of both art and history. I enjoy seeing the statuary and markers (some more than others) and attempting to fill in the blanks of those buried below. The saddest markers of those of the children, knowing that their parents must have been overcome with grief at such early loss.



I didn’t see too many family tombs, but the styling of this one was outstanding.



The inside of the mausoleum is tastefully done, with beautiful statues, art, and stained glass throughout.









Some of the people I recognized buried here included Willam Gargan:



Known to me because he played Shirley Temple’s father in “Miss Annie Rooney” (1942), pictured at center:



The previously mentioned actress Charlotte Henry, from “Alice in Wonderland” (1933) and “Babes in Toyland” (1934):



Andrew Cunanan, who went on a killing spree across the country in 1997 (ending in Miami Beach with the death of Gianni Versace), is also interred here. He was born in National City, not that far from Holy Cross Cemetery.



Still to find are silent screen actress Anita Page and actor Johnny Downs. Looks like a return visit is on the to-do list.

See more photos at my main website.

Paramount on Location, Pt. 3

Before Walt Disney released his animated version in 1951, Paramount filmed a mostly live-action version of “Alice in Wonderland” back in 1933. It’s just as odd as Lewis Carroll’s literary classic from which it was adapted and proved to be a box office failure. Charlotte Henry was cast as the cute but somewhat bland heroine, Alice, who daydreams her way through a series of adventures in Wonderland. As you can see by the still below, Cary Grant played the Mock Turtle.



Hopefully you caught the sarcasm. It’s true - the star was completely covered in costume from head to toe, as was comedian W.C. Fields who portrayed Humpty Dumpty. While their voices were fairly recognizable, the actors were not. MGM was very careful in making sure that the faces of the actors in “The Wizard of Oz” (1939) were not hidden by their makeup and costumes.



Here’s a set still of the room where Alice has her daydream, which leads into her adventure:



The accompanying scene, where Alice wishes she could see what’s on the other side of the mirror.



A set still of one of the fantastic doors Alice goes through in Wonderland. The set design for this film was extremely creative, doing a great job of capturing the surreal world that Alice visits. 



The dining room table for the grand banquet scene:



A frame from the film, with Edna May Oliver on the right as the Red Queen. At least you could see her face!



Note the “Queen Alice” on the chair:



A second shot of the table:



When stitched together, you get a view of the entire room:



Last year, I went to a service for a family member at Holy Cross Cemetery in San Diego. In researching who else was buried there, I learned that actress Charlotte Henry had her final resting place outdoors on the hill.



I had to go back to take a second photo, as a friend pointed out that the plot I had captured was actually that of her mother. Charlotte was buried under her married name, Dempsey, right next to Mama.



More on Holy Cross in a future post! See more Paramount set still photos at my main website.