Travels with Auntie M: January 2020

Inglewood Park Cemetery (near LAX) was founded in 1905. At the time it was proposed as "the largest cemetery in the world" with only 200 acres, it was far smaller than 1934 Mount Hope (Bangor, ME) which has 300 acres and is the second oldest garden cemetery in the US.

In 1928 they changed their claim to the "Largest in California." They have a number of 'Notables'; however, finding them is not an easy task, even with a designated location. The Cemetery is mostly flat green land, devoid of raised grave markers. They also have many mausoleums and columbariums.

Johnnie Cochran is in the Manchester Garden Mausoleum, Chapel of Honor, Crypt 1202, yet it took over an hour to find his gravesite. The Mausoleum was on the map but there were several buildings or Chapels that were not, making it a long walking process to find the right building.

Plaque in Manchester Complex

I tried following the crypt numbers, but 1200's didn't follow 1100's. Once I found the Chapel of Honer, it still took some time to find the right crypt.

Johnnie Cochran was part of OJ Simpson's 'Dream Team' and is known for saying, "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit."

I knew Edgar Bergen was buried in Miramar, Lot 131, Grave 2, but none of the lots or grave numbers were listed on the map or displayed in the area. I had a vague description of his grave being atop a small knoll but he was actually on the down-slop closer to the road than the top of the knoll. I had to return the next day with latitude and longitude to find his marker.

Edgar Bergen is my all-time favorite ventriloquist, if not for his superstardom, Shari Lewis many not have been a hit in the 50-60's or America's Got Talent may not have had three ventriloquist winners: Darci Lynne, Terry Factor, and Paul Zerdin.

Charley McCarthy & Edgar Bergen - Candice Bergen

Edgar started in vaudeville, doing the circuit, living out of and on trunks for ten years, then he reached the 'Big Time' performing at the Palace. The Palace hosted the greatest performers of the era: Jack Benny, Fanny Brice, Marx Brothers, Houdini, Al Jolson, Will Rogers, Fred Astaire. Charley McCarthy and Edgar Bergen was the first ventriloquist act booked at the Palace. Shortly thereafter, the Place closed and vaudeville was dead. Surprisingly Edgar made the transition to radio, becoming a big star and extending into movies and television. His only daughter, Candice Bergen, also became a movie/TV star.
Link to Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy radio debut.

Tinky Windy says "O-tay!" to Billie Thomas, Los Angeles native, child actor best know as Buckwheat in the Our Gang films.

Billie Thomas aka Buckwheat

Joining the US Army in 1954, William Thomas left active duty with a National Defense Service Medal in 1956.

Our Gang

No longer interested in acting, he became a film lab technician with Technicolor Corp. He died of a heart attack at the young age of 49.

Born Rose Louise Hovick, Gypsy Rose Lee was an American burlesque entertainer, actress, author and playwright. Her 1957 memoir was adapted into Stephen Sondheim stage musical Gypsy (1959).

Rose Louise Hovick aka Gypsy Rose Lee

The play won a Tony in 1989 for 'Best Revival' and in 2016 the Laurence Olivier Award for 'Best Revival'. It was made into a movie in 1962 starring Natalie Wood and Rosalind Russell. Rose died of lung cancer at the age of 59, leaving behind a $3 million estate.

Born Walker Smith Jr, Sugar Ray Robinson was an American professional boxer, competing from 1940-1965. He holds the third-longest unbeaten streak (91 fights) in professional boxing history.

Walker Smith, Jr aka Sugar Ray Robinson

Having earned over $4 million during his boxing career, he died a pauper, at the age of 67, suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

Born Tony Russell Brown, Charles Brown was an American blues singer and pianist. Between 1949 to 1952, he had seven Top 10 hits on the US Billboard R&B chart.

Tony Russell Brown aka Charles Brown

Best known for 'Driftin' Blues' and 'Merry Christmas Baby'. Inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1996. He died in Oakland in 1999 from congestive heart failure.

Lowell Fulson was an American blues guitarist and songwriter, best known for '3 O'Clock Blues' and 'Reconsider Baby' (recorded by Elvis Presley in 1960 and Eric Clapton in 1994).

Lowell Fulson

He died in Long Beach at the age of 77 from congestive heart failure.

Miss Ella Jane Fitzgerald, American jazz singer, known as the First Lady of song. She won 13 Grammy awards and sold over 40 million albums. She worked with all the jazz greats: Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Dissy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, Nat King Cole and big names such as Frank Sinatra and The Ink Spots.

Ella Fitzgerald

She also received the National Medal of Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Suffering from diabetes, she gave her last public performance in 1993 and died three years later of a stroke.

Tom Bradley, former police officer and 38th Mayor of Los Angeles. Not only was he the only African American Mayor of Los Angeles, his 20 year tenure is the longest in my city's history.

Mayor Tom Bradley

He got us through the '74 shoot out with the Symbionese Liberation Army (kidnappers of Patty Hearst), '77 Hillside stranglers crime spree, '84 Olympics, and the '92 riots. He died from a heart attack at the age of 80.

Born Jamesetta Hawkins, Etta James was the platinum blonde African American singer known for a variety of genres: blues, R&B, rock & roll, jazz, and gospel. Think of the song 'At Last' and you will hear her voice. She has been called 'Queen of Stank', 'Diva of Diva', dynamic, flamboyant, raunchy, dignified, classy, strong, vulnerable, a counter-intuitive genius who never sang an unwarranted note.

Jamesetta Hawkins aka Etta James

She holds Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (Grammy nominated 18 times, winner 3), and is in the Grammy Hall of Fame as well as NAACP Image Award - Hall of Fame Award. Considering her many health problems (heroin and drug addiction, Alzheimer's disease, leukemia), it's surprising she almost made it to her 74th birthday. Stevie Wonder, Beyonce, Chrristina Agullera gave musical tribute at her funeral, presided over by Rev. Al Sharpton.

Born Elizabeth Ruth Grable, Betty Grable was an American actress who is best know as the pin-up girl with the 'Million Dollar Legs'. Her Bathing suite poster adored barracks around the world making her the number-one pin-up of WWII.

Elizabeth Ruth Grable aka Betty Grable

She was the highest-salaried American Woman in 1946-47. She was only 12 when she started her film career, but it took 16 years before the public finally took notice of her (after 53 films), when she did "Down Argentine Way".

Betty Grable

I loved her in "How to Marry a Millionaire" with Marilyn Monroe and Lauren Bacall. She was among the top 10 box office stars for 10 consecutive years (1942-1951). She was only 56 when she died of lung cancer in 1973.

Cesar Julio Romero Jr, was an American actor, singer, dancer and vocal artist. His career spanned 60 years and covered film, radio and television. During WWII he volunteered for the US Coast Guard and served in the Pacific Theater, seeing action during the invasions of Tinian and Saipan.

Cesar Romero

He played 'The Cisco Kid' in six movies and did over 50 movies before moving on to television. Looking at his credits in IMDB, it seems there wasn't a hit TV show during the 60's and 70's he didn't appear on. Known as 'The Latin from Manhattan" he usually played the Latin Lover; it was a surprise when he became an epic villain, Joker, on the original Bat Man TV Show. At the age of 86, he died from complications of a blood clot while being treated for bronchitis and pneumonia.

Some of the Mausoleums had private cut out areas with stain glass and some of the buildings had their own stain glass such as Father Sierra below.

I did find this interesting maker:

Only the oldest section (near Edgar Bergen) had individual crypts and statues.

That's also where I found my angels:

While watching the Rose Parade on television, I learned an interesting fact: Proteas are considered the oldest flowering plant, dating back over 300 million years.

Pink Ice Protea

Doing some additional research, I learned: Proteas occur naturally in the Southern Hemisphere. Believed to have originated on the super-continent of Gondawana. When the continent split, they were spread across different continents: Australia, New Zealand, and South America.