Celebrities, Dead And Alive

• Review
• Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Although many visitors never tire of celebrity spotting in L.A, sometimes it can just be--well-very tiring. On those occasions, it might be a nice change of pace to pay respects to some of the biggest names in show business as they bask in peaceful repose after that final curtain call. Dating from 1899, Hollywood Forever Cemetery "Resting Place of Hollywood’s Immortals" (www.hollywoodforever.com) was built and still sits on the back portion of Paramount Studios. Among the more than 100 celebrities buried on the grounds are such Hollywood greats as heart throb Rudolph Valentino, swashbuckling actor Douglas Fairbanks, producer Cecil B. DeMille; and legendary gangster (and apparently a buddy--or something--of my uncle) Bugsy Siegel. Monumental-sized Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills (www.forestlawn.com) is permanent home to Lucille Ball, Bette Davis, Stan Laurel, Liberace, and numerous other mega-stars--not to mention an impressive array of statuary and a free film focused on the American Revolution. Forest Lawn’s Glendale branch also has impressive A-list "guests." Over on the west side of the city is Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary (www.dignitymemorial.com), a compact two-plus acres but no less illustrious. On these grounds are Truman Capote, Natalie Wood, Roy Orbison, and Marilyn Monroe. Word has it that Playboy magazine tycoon Hugh Hefner is the owner of the crypt adjacent to Marilyn.