Celebrity Graveland

Disclaimer: The last time I visited Forest Lawn Glendale and the Freedom Mausoleum, this blog wasn’t even a thought in my mind. So, there were a number of graves I visited but didn’t photograph. I hesitated to write a post about these celebrities, but, in the end, figured “why not?”. This is one of those posts.

September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964

Alan Walbridge¹ Ladd was an athletic young man who struggled to catch a break in the film industry (due, largely, to his lack of height.) But, once he did, he came to personify the genres in which he worked. After a bit part in a small film called Citizen Kane, Ladd found steady work in westerns and gangster movies throughout the 1940’s and ’50’s. It was the former that landed him his most iconic role, that of the titular drifter in Shane. Alan often costarred with the beautiful – and equally diminutive – Veronica Lake. The pair made seven films together. Many of which are Film Noir classics. Continue reading →

Disclaimer: The last time I visited Forest Lawn Glendale and the Freedom Mausoleum, this blog wasn’t even a thought in my mind. So, there were a number of graves I visited but didn’t photograph. I hesitated to write a post about these celebrities, but, in the end, figured “why not?”. This is one of those posts.

July 29, 1905 – September 27, 1965

 Hollywood’s first “It Girl,” silent-era starlet Clara Bow was literally the “It” girl. Her turn in the 1927 comedy “It” garnered all sorts of attention and made her a star. In fact, she would go on to appear in more than 50 films (most of which were silent) over her short 12-year career during which she was one of the top box-office draws in the country. Her foray into “talkies” was just as successful. Audiences loved her. Investors loved her. Fellow actor Rex Bell loved her. Continue reading →