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Woodlawn in Santa Monica is an old-fashioned cemetery, with a sea of large, tall headstones - a somewhat unusual sight here in Hollywood, where "lawn parks" are in the majority. There are a number of celebrities buried here, including the actor who played Ingrid Bergman's husband in "Casablanca," the woman who portrayed "Granny" on "The Beverly Hillbillies," the man who played the boyfriend of "That Girl," and the actor who played the town drunk, "Otis," on "The Andy Griffith Show." And now there's Glenn Ford - one of Hollywood's best actors. Although it's a relatively
small park, celebrity graves can be difficult to find here if you don't
know where to look. Fortunately, I've been there, done the legwork for
you, and can tell you just where to go. (Click here
to see a map of the grounds.)
According to Army Archerd, Mr. Ford decided to be buried in the Woodlawn
mausoleum back in 1984, twenty two years before his death (at age 90).
He even picked out his casket at the same time (along with his son, Peter
Ford, from Glenn's marriage with actress Eleanor
Powell.) A local boy (his family moved to California when he was 8), Glenn Ford went to Santa Monica High as a youth, and worked in the stables up at the Will Rogers ranch. Which explains the choice of Woodlawn - a Santa Monica cemetery. His crypt is located on the
lower level of the mausoleum. When you enter the front doors of the mausoleum,
walk straight back down the main hallway, and on your right you will see
an elevator, as well as stairs. His crypt was unmarked on my last
visit, but Ron sent me this photo in 2012.
Go in the mausoleum's main entrance (on the west side)
and walk east down the main hallway until you come to a white statue of
a woman. To your left will be a stained glass window of a red-orange sunburst.
To your right will be a long corridor. Turn right, and walk south down
the corridor. As you walk, you will encounter four east-west corridors.
Go all the way back (past a statue of a nude female angel) to the last
corridor. Turn left (east) and walk east down this fourth corridor towards
a stained glass window depicting a beautiful scene of mountains, a steam
& a valley. Although Irene Ryan played
an elderly woman on "The Beverly Hillbillies,"
she was actually only 59 when she started the show. She died just
two years after the series finished filming. (See
a map.) (Click on the small marker photos for enlarged
images.)
Leaving
the elevator, turn left, and walk down the second aisle on the
right. There, at the end of the right wall, near a window, you'll
find the crypt of comic Harvey Korman (1927-2008). It's in the bottom row, the second space out from the wall with the window. Fans will know Harvey as a regular on the long-running "Carol Burnett Show",
where, with a droll sense of humor, he often played straight man to the
crazier antics of co-star Tim Conway and Carol herself on the
popular musical-variety show. But he also appeared as an actor in several Mel Brooks films (including the classic "Blazing Saddles"), and he did voice work on a number of animated shows (including "The Flintstones", where he provided the haughty voice of "The Great Gazoo").
When you enter the mausoleum,
just walk straight back to the rear of the main hallway, and you'll find
his crypt on the left (north) side of the main hallway, just past the last
side corridor, at about eye level.
(Click on the photo above.)
He also starred in a variety
of movies & TV shows, ranging from the serious drama "Roots"
to the silly horror film "Humanoids From the Deep."
Younger viewers might best remember him as the bumbling 'Mayor Kyle Applegate'
in the TV teen sitcom "Out Of This World."
He died of lung cancer at age 59. (See
a map.)
He was in other memorable films
as well, such as "Now, Voyager" and "Of Human Bondage."
Later in life, he directed such TV shows as "Maverick,"
"The Big Valley." and "Alfred Hitchcock Presents."
Although born in Austria-Hungary, he died right here in Santa Monica.
(See a map.)
The show ran from 1957 to 1963, and (to many) represented the idealized, white picket fence world of the '50's post-war era, when nuclear families were the norm, and
most women were stay-at-home moms, raising the new Baby Boom generation
in the suburbs. And 'June Cleaver' was the ideal mom, warding off
false compliments from 'Eddie Haskell' and always there when her kids
needed her. Later in life she did have a notable appearance
in the 1980 farce "Airplane!", where she surprised people by playing a
jive-speaking passenger. But for the most part, she was always identified
with that "Beaver" role, revisiting it for sequels to the series, and even doing 'June Cleaver' cameos on other sitcoms. Her grave is located in Section 12, on
a direct eastern line from the southeast corner of the mausoleum, about
2/3 of the way from the Mausoleum to the park's east edge (Pico
Blvd). That's
actually on the far south side of Section 12 (where it abuts section
7). Her flat lawn marker is located right next to a large, tall,
black & white family maker with the name "Mortensen". You can
see a series of photos here, which will help you find the plot.
She starred on the show
as 'Helen', the long-suffering, sexually-frustrated wife of landlord 'Stanley
Roper' (played by Norman Fell, who is buried at Mount Sinai). She later played Phoebe's grandmother
on "Friends," and Cybill Shepherd's mother on "Cybill."
She was cremated, but her ashes are here at Woodlawn, buried in an unmarked
grave near her parents.
Leo Carrillo (1881-1981) is probably best known for his portrayal of 'Pancho', the mischievous sidekick to "The Cisco Kid" in the popular TV series which ran from 1950-1956. But Carrillo starred in almost 100 productions over the years, ranging from "The Girl of the Golden West" (with Jeanette MacDonald & Nelson Eddy) to "Phantom of the Opera," usually playing Latin supporting roles. What many people do not know is that Leo Carrillo
was born into a wealthy family, which at one time owned Coronado Island
in San Diego. A preservationist , he helped preserve Olvera Street in downtown
L.A., as well as the L.A. Arboretum in Arcadia and the Hearst castle. He
was the state's official "Ambassador of Good Will" and was referred
to by the governor as "Mr. California." At one time, he also
owned an Old-California style ranch
in Carlsbad, which is now a registered historical landmark and a public
park. His grave is located out by 14th Street in section 2.
Holding a PhD in physics, she was chosen as one of the crew aboard the Challenger space
shuttle that launched on June 18, 1983. As a mission specialist,
she performed science experiments in space and helped deploy satellites. She served on a similar Challenger mission in 1984, and was scheduled for a third mission, but was fortunate not to have been aboard the After her time as an astronaut, Sally Ride
taught at the University of California, and inspired generations of
girls to pursue their interests in science and math. Her grave is in Section 18, Lot 419, Grave E, near the corner fence, west of the mausoleum.
From 1954 until his death in 1987, he served in various posts, including
as a State Assemblyman, as Speaker of the Assembly, and as State Treasurer.
(He lost a 1970 election bid for Governor to Ronald Reagan.)
He authored the historic Unruh Civil Rights Act of 1959 as well as the
pro-consumer Unruh Credit Regulation Act. When Robert F.
Kennedy was assassinated at the Ambassador Hotel in 1968, Jess Unruh
helped wrestle the gun from the hand of the assassin.
Getting there: Woodlawn is located in Santa Monica, just one mile east of the Santa Monica Place Mall, and just two blocks south of the Santa Monica Freeway. From West L.A., take the Santa Monica (10) Freeway west to the Cloverfield Blvd. exit. Turn left (south) onto Cloverfield, go two blocks south to Pico Blvd. Turn right (west) on Pico, and go about six blocks west on Pico to 14th Street. Turn right (north) on 14th Street and you'll see the entrance to the park on your right (east) side. |
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