The Roots Graveyard?

 

In January 1977, approximately 140 million Americans tuned in to the eight-part television mini-series Roots, based on author Alex Haley's book of the same name.  Spanning more than 100 years, it tells the story of Haley's ancestors, abducted from Africa and sold into slavery in Colonial America.

The main protagonist, Kunta Kinte (played by Levar Burton), was a fictional character based on one of Haley's Gambian ancestors.  Upon arriving in America, he was sold into slavery, eventually working on a plantation in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.

Today, that land has been reclaimed and turned into Loriella Park, which features hiking trails, a swimming pool, a frisbee golf course and more.  One area that remains undisturbed is the former slave graveyard.  While the headstones are no more, many historians and Roots aficionados believe that Haley's ancestor, who died around 1822, is among those buried in this sacred plot.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• Roots: The Saga of an American Family, was one of 1976's top-selling books.  It spent 46 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller List.  You can pick up a copy on Amazon.
  
  
• Haley eventually passed away in 1992 at the age of 70.  He was buried on the grounds of his childhood home in Henning, Tennessee, which today serves as the Alex Haley Museum and Interpretive Center.
  
  
• The series had hundreds of well-known actors and others who were just starting out.  Many of them have since passed away, and some of those graves have been profiled by this blog.  You can re-visit Robert Reed, Vic Morrow, Carolyn Jones and Roxie Roker.
  
  
• Can't make it to Virginia to see for yourself?  Vlogger VA Travels posted an eight-minute walking and drone tour of the park and the burial grounds.  Check it out on YouTube.

Arnold Horshack!

 

Ronald Gabriel Paolillo was born in New Haven, Connecticut on April 2, 1949. He was the son of Gabriel and Carmel, the former of whom died of lung cancer when Ronald was just ten years old.  He graduated from high school in 1967 and attended the University of Connecticut at Storrs.  Intent on becoming an actor, he made his way to Hollywood, where he changed his name to Ron Palillo.

In 1975, he was cast in his signature role, that of Arnold Horshack on the sit-com Welcome, Back Kotter.  It was his first television role.  The series ran for four seasons totaling 94 episodes.  The final episode was a back-door pilot that would serve as a starring vehicle for Paolillo, but the new series was never produced.

In the 1980s, he made guest appearances on many popular shows of the day, including The Love Boat, Chips, and of course, Murder, She Wrote.  He also appeared in a number of feature films, including Friday the 13th, Part 6: Jason Lives (1986) and the charmingly titled Snake Eater (1989), an action vehicle for Lorenzo Lamas.  Apparently the movie was a success, because later the same year, he reprised his role in its sequel, Snake Eater 2: The Drug Buster.

In 1991, he returned to the New York stage, where he played Mozart in Amadeus and Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, among many other roles.  He was also a talented stage director, releasing his first full-length play, The Lost Boy, in 2006.  It told the story of Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie.

In 2012, Paolillo was living in Palm Beach, Florida with his partner of 41 years, Joseph Gramm.  It was there that he suffered a heart attack on August 14th.  Although he was rushed to a nearby hospital, he was pronounced dead on arrival.  He was just 63 years old.  A memorial tribute, hosted by Cagney and Lacey star Tyne Daly, was held in New York City later that year.

Ron Paolillo was laid to rest in Saint Larence Cemetery in West Haven, Connecticut.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• Paolillo was the second Sweathog to pass away in 2012, the first being Robert Hegyes, who also died of a heart attack.
  
  
• In the early 1980s, Paolillo became a voice actor for several Saturday morning cartoons, including Laverne and Shirley in the Army.  He provided the voice of Sargeant Squealy, a talking pig.  Think I'm making this up?  You can watch an episode in its entirety on YouTube.
  
  
• Paolillo was also an illustrator who worked on the children's book The Red Wings of Christmas with fellow former child star Wesley Eure.  You can pick up a copy on Amazon.  He illustrated a second children's book with author Michael Mele entitled A Gift for the Contessa, which is also available on Amazon.
  
  
• In 1983, Paolillo cut a public service announcement for The Alcoholism Center in Chicago.  Check it out on YouTube.
  
  
• In the 1990s, Paolillo returned to the University at Connecticut, this time as a professor.
  
  
• Remember Celebrity Boxing?  It was a guilty pleasure back in 2002.  During the second season, Paolillo fought a fellow TV nerd about three decades younger, Saved by the Bell's Dustin Diamond.  You can watch the fight in its painful entirety on YouTube.

Pearl S. Buck

 

"The secret of joy is contained in one word - excellence.  To know how to do something well is to enjoy it."

Pearl S. Buck is not exactly a household name.  Chances are however, that at some point in your life, you were reading the dust jacket on a book and saw that it was recipient of the Pearl S. Buck Award. This prestigious honor is given to female American authors whose work reflects the same principles for whom the award is named.  But who exactly was she?

She was born Pearl Comfort Sydenstriker in Hillsboro, West Virginia on June 26, 1892.  She was the daughter of American missionaries, who took her to China when she was just four months old. She'd spend her formative years abroad, even learning to speak Chinese before English.  Then in 1911, she returned to the States and settled in Lynchburg, Virginia, where she enrolled in Randolph-Macon Woman's College.  She graduated Phi Beta Kappa just three years later.

Upon graduation, she returned to China where she married fellow missionary John Lossing Buck.  They'd settle in the Suzhou, Anhui Province, which would serve as the inspiration for her most famous work, The Good Earth, first published in 1931.  This influential novel won Buck the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1932, and later, the Nobel Prize for Literature.  It is today considered an American literary classic.

Buck died of lung cancer on March 6, 1973.  She was 80 years old.  She was interred on the grounds of Pearl S. Buck International, a non-profit organization founded in 1964 in Perkasie, Pennsylvania. It's mission is to "bridge cultures and change lives through humanitarian aid and intercultural education."

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Pearl S. Buck, take a voyage to Amazon.  It's all in books.
  
  
• Winners of the Pearl S. Buck Award receive a medallion and a $25,000 prize.
  
  
• Randolph-Macon Woman's College is today known simply as Randolph College.
  
  
• In 1973, the National Women's Hall of Fame opened in Seneca Falls, New York.  Buck was the first inductee.

The MGM Lion

 

Since 1917, MGM movies have begun with a lion's roar, provided by a studio mascot named Leo.  Over the years, a series of lions have all portrayed Leo, including an Irish cat named Slats, who is today buried on a simple farm in New Jersey.

Slats was born at the Dublin Zoo in Ireland, on March 20, 1919.  Shortly thereafter, he was bought by famed New Jersey animal trainer Volney Phifer, who provided a variety of animals for the Broadway stage.  He took the cat to Hollywood, where in 1924, Slats became the official face of MGM, first appearing in that years' feature He Who Gets Slapped.  Slats would continue in the role, appearing in all MGM features through 1928.

In 1934, Phifer bought a farm in Gillette, New Jersey.  Slats would pass just two years later and Phifer buried him on the property.  For years, a simple granite marker adorned the grave, which has today been replaced by a tribute to Slats.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• Slats is buried on private property.  If you go, please be respectful.
  
  
• Unlike those lions who would follow, Slats did not roar, rather, he simply looked back and forth.  This is perhaps due to the fact that films would not include sound until 1927.
  
  
• Since 2021, Leo has appeared via computer animation in all MGM films.  Although this new version is based on a Leo, it is not clear as to which cat is represented.
  
  
• On an unknown date in the mid-1990s, WABC-TV in New York did a story on Leo's grave and Phifer's connection to New Jersey.  Check out the grainy video on YouTube.
  
  
• Phifer died in December 1974 at the age of 76.  This blogger has been unable to locate his final resting place, if there is one.

Stephanie Zimbalist

 

"I have a personal connection with my Savior...I feel very beholden to Him...I feel He's there for me in my darkest moments."

No, you didn't miss a headline.  Stephanie Zimbalist is still very much alive, but why should that stop her from having a grave, or for this blog to cover it?

She was born Loranda Stephanie Zimbalist in New York City on October 8, 1956.  She is the daughter of actor Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., star of the 1960's television series 77 Sunset Strip, and the granddaughter of Efrem Sr., a renowned concert violinist and symphony conductor.  By age 11, she was already following in her father's footsteps, appearing in a 1969 stage production of Gypsy.

After graduating from an all-girls prep school in Virginia, she enrolled in the renowned Juilliard School in New York City.  While still studying drama, she began her acting career on the small screen, with roles in a variety of made-for-TV movies, including The Gathering (1978) with Ed Asner and The Awakening (1980) with Charlton Heston. One of her first guest roles on a television series was a two-part episode of The Love Boat in 1978. 

In 1982, she was cast in the role for which she is most famously known, that of Detective Laura Holt on the NBC series Remington Steele.  The show ran for five seasons and made household names of her and future James Bond star, Pierce Brosnan.  When the series ended, she continued acting, racking up several film and stage credits.  Her most recent role was in the 2023 black comedy Lucky Louie.

In 2014, Efrem Jr. passed away.  He was buried at Town Hill Cemetery in New Hartford, Connecticut.  It is home to the Zimbalist Family plot, where several generations, including Efrem Sr., have all been laid to rest.  Although she is still very much alive, Stephanie's grave is prepared for inevitable arrival.

Here's to many more years. Stephanie.

Trivia

• This blog post will inevitably be updated, but hopefully not for many years to come.
  
  
• If you want to learn more about Stephanie, visit her website, at www.stephaniezimbalist.net.
  
  
• A woman of faith, Stephanie's headstone bears the Bible verse Ephesians 4:6, which says "One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."  She also discussed her faith with the YouTube series Credo in Hollywood.
  
  
• Stephanie was originally cast to play Officer Anne Lewis in one of this blogger's favorite movies, RoboCop, but was unable to appear due to her filming commitment to Remington Steele.  The part ultimately went to actress Nancy Allen.
  
  
• Stephanie's co-star Pierce Brosnan later famously took on the role of James Bond, making him the second 007 she would appear with on television, the first one being Timothy Dalton in the 1978 mini-series Centennial.
  
  
• In recent years, Stephanie has narrated a number of audiobooks, including A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux.  For a complete listing of her work, please visit audible.com.

The Human Frisbee

 

Ed Headrick is not a household name.  Odds are, you've never heard of him.  But his contributions to the world of recreational sports cannot be overlooked, nor can his seemingly unusual and some would say bizarre, final request. 

Steady Ed, as he was known, was born on June 28, 1924.  As a member of the greatest generation, he enlisted in the army and served his country during World War 2.  After he was discharged, he returned to his native California, hoping to begin a career at Wham-O.  Although the toy manufacturer was not currently hiring, Ed was not to be deterred, and he offered to work for free in order to prove his worth.  Amazingly, Wham-O agreed to the offer.

His first assignment was to find a new use for the company's excess supply of Hula Hoops, as the craze had run its course in American pop culture.  It would become a theme throughout his career, as he was constantly improving older toys that were no longer marketable.

One such product was Wham-O's flying saucer, first invented by Walter Frederick Morrison in 1948.  Ed turned it into the modern-day Frisbee and began a marketing campaign like no other.  To him it was now more than just a mere toy, but rather its own recreational sport.

To that end, Ed left Wham-O in 1975, intent on furthering this idea.  The following year, he co-founded the Disc Golf Association with his son Ken and introduced a new sport, Frisbee Golf, to the world. The two would design and patent a series of courses and related equipment for their new sport.  

In 2002, Ed was competing in the Professional Disc Gold Association's 2002 Amateur World Championships in Miami when he suffered a series of strokes.  Although he was able to return to his home near Santa Cruz, California, he would pass away just a few days later on August 12th.  He was 78 years old.

Now here's where it gets crazy.  Before his death, Ed told his family that he wished to be memorialized with the product that he had made his life's work.  He was cremated, and his ashes were incorporated into a limited number of Frisbees.  One such Frisbee found its way to the Ripley's Believe it or Not! Odditorium in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• Ed's final transformation was documented by the Ripley's Believe it or Not! TV series as hosted by Dean Cain.  You can watch the fascinating segment in its entirety on YouTube.
  
  
• Ten years after his passing, Ed was featured in the flying disc documentary The Human String.  Check out the trailer on IMDb.
  
  
• The proceeds from those discs that were sold were used to establish the Steady Ed Memorial Disc Golf Museum in Columbia County, Georgia.
  
  
• The Ripley's display case description misspells Ed's last name as "Hendricks."

Robin Leach

 

"Champagne wishes and caviar dreams."

Robin Douglas Leach was born in London, England on August 29, 1941.  As a young man, he attended the Harrow County School for Boys, where he first became interested in journalism, serving as editor of the school newspaper.  By the time he was 15, he was already a news reporter for the local paper.

When he was 18, Leach went to work for the Daily Mail, the same British tabloid that shows up on your Facebook page every day.  He was the youngest "Page One" reporter on staff, a record he still holds to this day.  Four years later, he emigrated to the United States (legally), where he went to work for such publications as the New York Daily News, the Ladies Home Journal and People.  He later became Show Business Editor for that classic American tabloid The Star.  

In the 1970s, he began appearing on television, as a regular contributor on AM Los Angeles, hosted by Regis Philbin and Sarah Purcell.  From there, he went national, reporting for both CNN and Entertainment Tonight. 

In 1984, he began hosting the show for which he is most famously associated, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.  It ran in syndication for the next twelve years, making Leach a household name.  When the show was canceled in 1995, he'd stay in the public spotlight, appearing as himself on such programs as Boy Meets World, The Surreal Life, and Celebrity Wife Swap, wherein his wife Judith went to live with Eric Roberts, whose wife Eliza visited Leach at his home in Las Vegas.

In 2017, Leach suffered a stroke while on vacation in Cabo San Lucas.  He'd never fully recover, eventually ending up in hospice care, where he suffered a second stroke in 2018.  By now the clock was ticking, and he ultimately passed on August 24th.  He was just 76 years old.

Robin Leach was laid to rest at Palm Memorial Park in Las Vegas.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• In 1994, Leach co-authored a celebrity cookbook with the ridiculous title The Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous Cookbook: Recipes and Entertaining Secrets From the Most Extraordinary People in the World.  Pick up a copy from Amazon.
  
  
• In 1988, the producers of the ABC sit-com Sledge Hammer! asked Leach to introduce their first season finale, where he bluntly told the audience it was a ratings grab, which ultimately worked.  Check it out on YouTube.
  
  
• In 1993, Leach hosted an unauthorized documentary of the material girl herself entitled Madonna Exposed.  Before the program aired, he gave Madonna a cell phone number, inviting her to call in at any point to refute the show's claims, which she did not.  You can watch the film in its entirety on YouTube.
  
  
• Palm Memorial Park is also the final resting place of comedian Redd Foxx, previously profiled by this blog.