April 22, 1906 – May 26, 2005
Green Acres is the place for me.
Fa-arm livin’ is the life for me.
Land spreadin’ out so far and wide
Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside… Continue reading
Archive for Actors
Eddie Albert
Posted in Westwood Memorial Park with tags Actors, Green Acres, Westwood Memorial Park on March 15, 2013 by CadeJack Haley
Posted in Holy Cross Cemetery (CA) with tags Actors, Holy Cross Cemetery (CA), Wizard of Oz on March 15, 2013 by Cade
August 10, 1898 – June 6, 1979
I’m not going to say that Jack Haley wouldn’t have had a career if Buddy Ebsen didn’t almost die from a reaction to aluminum-based make-up…but he certainly wouldn’t have been AS famous. Probably. I don’t know. Jack had a pretty decent career as a song-and-dance man/comedian. He starred in such musicals as Alexander’s Ragtime Band and Poor Little Rich Girl. But none of them came close to as big as his accidental role as the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz. It’s true, though, he did replace TV’s Jed Clampett in the iconic role when Ebsen had a serious reaction to the metallic paint in the costume and make-up. The rest is history.
Al Jolson
Posted in Hillside Memorial Park with tags Actors, Hillside Memorial Park on March 12, 2013 by Cade
May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950
Look, I’m not here to judge.
I wasn’t around in the first quarter of the 20th century to understand what was and wasn’t culturally acceptable. I don’t know, first hand, what race relations were like. I don’t know whether it’s okay or not that the primary image that comes to mind when one hears the name “Al Jolson” is this:
That’s not my business. Continue reading
Tom Bosley
Posted in Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills with tags Actors, Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, Happy Days on March 12, 2013 by Cade
October 1, 1927 – October 19, 2010
Thomas Edward Bosley was a beloved television star who will be forever remembered as “Mr. C.” Bosley, of course, played Howard Cunningham on the long-running ABC comedy Happy Days, but he was also known for Broadway (Fiorello!) and other television roles (Father Dowling Mysteries). Tom also had an extensive voice over career thanks to his distinctive, husky voice.
John Cazale
Posted in Holy Cross Cemetery (MA) with tags Actors, Holy Cross Cemetery (MA), The Godfather on March 12, 2013 by Cade
August 12, 1935 – March 12, 1978
John Cazale might not be a name you instantly recognize, but his face should be familiar. He is probably best known for portraying Fredo Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather trilogy. His career in Hollywood was brief, but unprecedented: He appeared in six full-length motion pictures (The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather Part II, Dog Day Afternoon, The Deer Hunter and The Godfather Part III) , ALL SIX of which were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. That’s right, he batted a 1.000 lifetime average. He was close friends with Al Pacino and dated Meryl Streep. Cazale had just wrapped his scenes on The Deer Hunter when he succumbed to cancer at the age of 42. Continue reading
James Cagney
Posted in Gate of Heaven Cemetery with tags Actors, Gate of Heaven Cemetery on March 9, 2013 by Cade
July 17, 1899 – March 30, 1986
No matter how much I want it to be true, James Cagney was not a gangster in real life. In fact, he was more light-hearted comedian and dancing showman than cold-blooded criminal. But, whatever, I like the version of the ultimate mobster in my head better.
Either way, Cagney was a showman. He showed his range throughout his career on stage (Vaudeville and Broadway) and in films. He even tried to sing a time or two. Continue reading
Don Knotts
Posted in Westwood Memorial Park with tags Actors, Three's Company, Westwood Memorial Park on March 8, 2013 by Cade
July 21, 1924 – February 24, 2006
Don Knotts will forever be associated with one of the greatest characters in television history. His portrayal of Deputy Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show cemented Knotts’ place in America’s collective living room for decades. He appeared in many post-Mayberry films and other tv shows (including wannabe-lothario landlord, Ralph Furley on ABC’s Three’s Company), but he was and always will be Barney to his adoring public. Continue reading
Anne Bancroft
Posted in Kensico Cemetery with tags Actors, Kensico Cemetery on March 8, 2013 by Cade
September 17, 1931 – June 6, 2005
Born Anna Maria Louisa Italiano in the Bronx, NY, Anne Bancroft was a multiple Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA, Emmy and Tony award winner (fake EGOT!) Not too shabby. She is probably best remembered for her turns as Anne Sullivan in 1962’s The Miracle Worker and the ever-seductive Mrs. Robinson opposite Dustin Hoffman in 1967’s The Graduate.
Ray Bolger
Posted in Holy Cross Cemetery (CA) with tags Actors, Dancers, Holy Cross Cemetery (CA), Wizard of Oz on March 7, 2013 by Cade
January 10, 1904 – January 15, 1987
Song and dance man, Ray Bolger, had quite the stage and film career going when he stumbled upon a little role as a scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz. Total career killer that one.
Seriously, though, Bolger was immensely talented and any lack of recognition of his work outside of Oz is strictly on us. We suck.
Jack Lemmon
Posted in Westwood Memorial Park with tags Actors, Odd Couple, Some Like It Hot, Westwood Memorial Park on March 7, 2013 by Cade
February 8, 1925 – June 27, 2001
Confession time: I cried the day that Jack Lemmon died.
For someone who was just barely a quarter of a century old, it was like losing a celluloid grandfather. Jack was so likable on screen that I felt like I knew him. And there were plenty of opportunities to get to know him on screen. He starred in more than 60 films including the classics Some Like It Hot (with Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe, directed by eternal neighbor, Billy Wilder,) The Apartment (also directed by Wilder) and The Odd Couple (with perennial friend and co-star, Walter Matthau.)
Celebrity Graveland 