We drove through the gates and no one was in the guard tower so we just kept on driving.Edited to add this part - Just as we passed the guard tower the GPS system spoke to us. "You have arrived at your final destination" Q and I turn and look at each other and burst out laughing. Oh my goodness I hope not! That moment started a big case of the giggles.
We came upon a sign that said "Ugly Betty". WHAT?! We concluded that Ugly Betty must be shooting scenes right here in this cemetery, not today of course - it's Saturday but they either just finished shooting or they will be coming out this week.
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Could this be some sort of plot coming up? Is Betty visiting her mother's grave site or might someone die this season???? I guess we'll find out soon enough.Now I must admit it's been quite a while since I've been to a cemetery.
When you drive on the Hollywood Forever cemetery the first thing I noticed (other than the Ugly Betty stuff) is how packed the cemetery is. The grave sites are jam packed in there. The next thing I noticed was the laser etched portraits on many of the newer headstones.
That caught me off guard and I just started laughing - laughing at a very inappropriate noise level for a cemetery. I forgot where we were for a moment. Then Q and I started a debate over what photo we would want etched on our own headstones, if you had to pick one. Don't etch me when I'm older please, etch me from my prime - somewhere around my late 20's would be great, but don't etch my 80 year old face up there.
We drove down a little further and viola - our first celebrity tombstone sighting. Mr. Mel Blanc! He had odd little offerings on the top of his headstone. Mostly pennies, marbles and a few rocks. 
We drove a little more and you couldn't miss Johnny Romane. 
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someone left him a YooHoo chocolate drink. Here's the left side of his cenotaph-
We drove a little more and you couldn't miss Johnny Romane. 
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Here's the right side with two more quotes - 
and here's the back - 
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(click on any photo in this post to enlarge)We went inside the Cathedral Mausoleum and found a few more famous folks including Peter Finch. He's the only person to win the Oscar posthumously! That's not all he's famous for, I read this little tidbit on IMDB "Despite being one of the finest actors of his generation, Peter Finch will be remembered as much for his reputation as a hard-drinking, hell-raising womaniser as for his performances on the screen." May he rest in peace because from the sound of things that man needs some rest.
Right across from Peter is one of the most famous graves in the cemetery - Rudy Valentino
I've never seen a Valentino movie, are they all silent? After reading his mini biography on IMDB I really want to see one.
Q noticed Ida's grave on another wall - sweet Ida was born in 1855 and she is still with us! Somebody better call Willard Scott because Ida is 152 years old!
Do you recognize the man from this sculpture? 
It's Larry Tate from Bewitched! David White was one tough guy. He served in the US Marine Corps in WW II. Tragically his son Jonathan White (in the photo on the right side) was killed on Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, UK.Back outside we saw this decorated wall
I walked over to get a closer look and they are all children's grave sites. So sad...some of the kids didn't even live for a day, some were only three.
After that very sobering moment, we walked closer to the pond and saw this headstone -
I don't know who "Jimmy Hollywood" is, but I'm sure curious now.Of course Jayne Mansfield would have a pink granite headstone
The actor Darren McGavin
This one had me curious "The Lady in Black"
I did a little research and I think she should have been placed closer to Valentino"One of the greatest and most enduring Hollywood legends concerns the mysterious "Lady in Black" who visits Valentino's crypt each year on the anniversary of his death. The visits began on the first anniversary when the woman, clad in black from head to toe, including a heavy black veil, entered the mausoleum, left roses at Valentino's crypt, and departed without saying a word." from Cemeteryguide.com
Peter Bruni got his Hollywood Star!
We didn't have a map and we missed quite a few important grave sites. We found out that the cemetery has a gift shop that sells maps of the celebrity grave sites but it closes at 4p.m. I guess we'll have to go back! They had this banner hanging up by the exit -
The 8th annual Day of the Day celebration is coming up on October 27th - if you haven't been to the Hollywood Forever cemetery, this would be a great time to visit. I think Q and I will be checking it out! click here to check out the LADAYOFTHEDEAD.COM website, it's worth a look
Hollywood Forever is the only cemetery in the country which opens its gates to commemorate this tradition will hold this annual event:
Saturday, October 27, 2007
4:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
12 thoughts????:
You know that cemetery did outdoor "movie nights." My friend Ali had her bday party there and they screened some ol' B movie. Not sure if they still do that anymore???
What a neat tour you gave us!
Wow, what a cool cemetery. Thanks for all the pics and explanation!
thanks for the tour Mary! I loved "Bewitched"....
What an interesting post! Do you know that pebbles & stones on a gravestone are a Jewish tradition (instead of flowers)?
Any chance those smiling headstone faces were singing these lyrics:
"When the crypt goes creak,
And the tombstones quake.
Spooks come out for a swinging wake.
Happy haunts materialize,
And begin to vocalize.
Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize."
Kelley, YES, they still do the outdoor movie nights. I think the season is over, the nights are pretty chilly now.
Nancy and Maddy, there is so much I missed too! These are the headstones that we just happened upon.
Beth, I loved Bewitched too! I wanted to be just like Samantha when I was growing up.
Wendy, I had no idea about the Jewish tradition of placing pebbles and stones on a headstone. That explains so much! If you blow up the Mel Blanc photo there is another headstone with stones on top on the right side of the photo
Bella - Is that from the Disney ride?
ROFL! You and Q are such adventurers! ONLY YOU GUYS would make a cemetery post HILARIOUS and informative.
By the by--I have NEVER seen an episode of Ugly Betty. I know--what is wrong with me?
Lately I am HOOKED on The Biggest Loser. Love it!
Hope you and Q are doing GREAT!
thanks for the tour! loved it!
Yep, from the same ride with the singing faces on the headstones. :)
Schwartzenegger insists the victims of the 2007 Southern California firestorm residing at Jack Murphy Stadium are happy.
First he calls Tonight Show host Jay Leno an "idiot". Then he drops this bomb.
If it were Gray Davis the gods would have their media attack him mercilessly for these mistakes. Together they may be enough to cost any other politician his career. But not Arnold Schwartzenegger.
They say he says makes suspect comments all the time, and they are all buried. And it is because they have BIG plans for him::::He is a tool who will be used to accomplish historical evil for the gods.
They say there is a sense of "unease" at the State Capital, like he doesn't belong there. It is because he doesn't. He is not American. Sadly this is an issue that is too readily discounted:::
He is not from the United States. His loyalties lie with a country that was the enemy of the United States a mere 65 years ago.
Just as we witnessed with Clinton in 1992 expect blacks to register and vote en masse for Schwartzenegger as well, a clue and a red flag.
Just as we haven't seen any more of that "Everybody is happy." idiocy from the Preditor so do we no longer hear anything of the possibility a firefighter started one if not more of these SoCal fires, buried forever.
Weight training, promotion of pharmeceuticals, desensitizing "guy flicks" all prove the name "Preditor" is warranted.
Thank you for including Peter Bruni in this Blog. Peter was a very close friend of mine as well as my mothers best friend for over 40 years. He was a wonderful performer mostly working on the stage. His coolest role (and I suggest everyone see) is the ice cream man in John Carpenter's first film "Assault on Precinct 13." Not as stupid as the remake this dark film rocks! Peter is the first killed by the gang and then they kill Kim Richards of Witch Mountain fame! Check it out!
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