Seeing Stars: Final Resting Places of the Stars

Part II
(formerly "Hollywood
Memorial Park")
6000 Santa Monica Boulevard,
Hollywood, CA. / (213) 469-1181

[This
is page 2 of a six-page article. Click
here to go to page one.]
(Click
here to see a clickable map of the grounds.)
After
leaving the Abbey of the Psalms mausoleum, go east on the road
(Maple Avenue) to the first intersection with Pineland Avenue (the entrance
road), and turn right (south). Before you reach the obelisk at the end
of this road, slow down and look to your left (east), and you will see
the tall headstone of Mel Blanc (1905-1989),
the voice of "Bugs Bunny," "Daffy Duck," "Porky
Pig," and all those other famous Warner
Bros cartoon characters. His headstone contains the witty epitaph:
"That's All Folks!"
[Click
on the small markers
to see larger versions.]

 Right
across the street from Mel's grave, to the west, you'll spot a green
hedge. If you walk behind that hedge, near its south end, you'll find
the grave of "Golden Girls" star Estelle Getty (1923-2008).
She played the cranky 'Sophia' on that popular '80s sitcom, the mother
of Bea Arthur's character, 'Dorothy' (despite the fact that she was
actually younger than Bea), alongside Betty White and Rue McClanahan.

Make
a u-turn by the obelisk and head back north to Maple Avenue. Turn right
(east) on Maple, and look for three small, green cypress trees and a bed
of red flowers near the curb, on the left (north) side of the road. This
is the grave of Carl Switzer
(1927-1959),
better known as "Alfalfa"
in the "Our Gang" comedies, who was shot and
killed at age 31 while arguing over a $50 reward for a dog.
His headstone
bears the name "Alfalfa", as well as a portrait of a dog.
Some sources say it's the "Our Gang" dog, "Petey," but apparently, it is a different breed, and represents one of Carl's 's own hunting dogs.

Nearby,
in section 14 (the same lawn, in front of - to the east of - the mausoleum),
is acclaimed actor Paul Muni
(1895-1967),
who won the Academy Award as Best Actor of 1936 for his starring role in
"The Story of Louis Pasteur." He also starred in "The Life
of Emile Zola" (1937), "The Good Earth"
(1937), the original "Scarface" (1932), "Angel
on My Shoulder" (1946), and "I Am a Fugitive From
a Chain Gang" (1932).
To find his grave, look for twin raised, black marble-covered
graves right next to the north curb of section 14. These
black graves have white Stars of David and bear the names David Fein and
Deanna Fein. From these graves, walk south 19 rows in (towards the Paramount
Studios water tower). You'll find Muni's simple marker directly under a
small, slender cypress evergreen tree, near the center of this section
(and about 30 spaces west of an eastern hedge wall).
(Click
here to see a map of the park.)

Sharing
the grounds with Hollywood Forever, in the southwest corner, is the Beth Olam Cemetery,
which was originally a separate Jewish cemetery, but which has now become the Jewish section of Hollywood Forever.
It is here where infamous gangster Bugsy Siegel (1906-1947)
is buried, inside the large mausoleum which runs along most of the park's
southwest edge.
Enter this mausoleum and turn right at the main hallway
(the second hallway from the north). Head west down the corridor to the
west end of this long hallway, where there is a stained glass window of
a Star of David and the words "The Alcove of Peace."
( It is here that they filmed
the funeral scene for Rocky's trainer in the movie "Rocky III", with
Sly Stallone reading the Kaddish at the end of this corridor. See
the video here.)
Now,
turn around, and walk back (east) to the nearest doorway. Bugsy's crypt
is located between this doorway and the next hallway, on the south side,
three rows from the bottom. His crypt doesn't have a number, but it is
located directly above crypt #1087 (Rebecca Levi).
Bugsy's crypt has a
marker shaped like an open book, with a small Star of David above his name.
The inscription reads:
"In loving memory from
the family.
Benjamin Siegel.
Feb. 28, 1906 - June 20, 1947."

Continue east on Maple Avenue (inside the
park),
and you will reach the park's second mausoleum:
"The Hollywood Cathedral Mausoleum,"
which is located south of the lake.

Click
here to continue the tour of Hollywood
Forever
[This
is page 2 of a six-page article. Click
here to go to page one.]
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