Shelley Winters

 

"I think on-stage nudity is disgusting, shameful and damaging to all things American.  But if I were 22 with a great body, it would be artistic, tasteful, patriotic and a progressive religious experience."

Shelley Winters was born Shirley Schrift in St. Louis, Missouri on August 18, 1920. She was the daughter of Austrian-Hungarian immigrants, her mother a singer, her father a clothing designer.  Her parents were in fact, third cousins. 

In 1929, the family moved to Brooklyn.  It was here that she took her first steps towards stardom.  As a young woman, she worked as a model, before embarking on a career on the Broadway stage.  Her first role was in a 1941 production of The Night Before Christmas. 

By the mid-1940s, Winters had relocated to Los Angeles, where she was under contract with Columbia Pictures.  Her career would span more than four decades, and she appeared in nearly 40 films.  She was twice named Best Supporting Actress by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, for The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) and A Patch of Blue (1965).  This blogger could never do her career the justice it deserves.

On October 14, 2005, Winters suffered a heart attack, from which she'd never fully recover.  She ultimately died of heart failure just three months later, on January 14, 2006.  She was 85 years old.

Shelley Winters was laid to rest at Hillside Memorial Park in Culver City, California.

Location: Hillside Slope, Block #11, Plot #358, Grave #8

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Shelley Winters, take a voyage to Amazon.  Its all in books.
  
  
• During a 1975 episode of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Winters got into a heated debate with fellow guest Oliver Reed.  She walked off stage, retrieved a glass of whiskey, and dumped it on Reed's head, much to the shock of Carson.  Fortunately, you can watch the entire segment on YouTube.
  
  
• Winters donated her Oscar for The Diary of Anne Frank to the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam.
  
  
• In 1966, Winters appeared on the Adam West Batman TV series, playing one-off villain Ma Parker.  Four years later, she'd play the real thing, Ma Barker, in Roger Corman's Bloody Mama.
  
  
• Vlogger and friend to Winters Jordan the Lion shared a video on the 2023 demolition of her Los Angeles home.  You can check it out on YouTube.
  

Loving Couple Goes to Washington

 

Maybe you've never heard of Richard and Mildred Loving, but their's is a fascinating tale.  An interracial couple from Virginia, they were the plaintiffs in a landmark 1967 case, in which the Supreme Court overturned the legal ban on such unions.  More on that later.

They met in their hometown of Central Point, Virginia in 1950, when he was 17, and she was just 11.  They started dating several years later, during Mildred's senior year in high school.  By the time she was 18, Mildred was pregnant with their first child, and after a few years of living together, they decided to make their union official. In June 1958, they drove up to Washington, DC, where they took their vows before God and State.

At the time, interracial marriage was still against the law in Virginia.  An anonymous source informed the Caroline County Sheriff's Department, who proceeded to arrest the couple while they slept in their bed. They were charged with "cohabitating as man and wife, against the peace and dignity of the Commonwealth."  The Lovings pled guilty and were sentenced to a year in prison.  The sentence was suspended however, when the Lovings agreed to leave Virginia for 25 years.

The couple relocated to Washington, but whereas jobs had been plentiful in Central Point, they now faced economic hardships.  They also discovered that the city could be unforgiving as well, when their young son was hit by a car on the busy streets.  In their hearts, they knew it was time to go home.

After a few years of legal wrangling, the case of Loving v. Virginia finally went before the Supreme Court in 1967.  In a ruling passed down on June 12th, the Court overturned their convictions and ruled the ban on interracial marriage as unconstitutional.

The Lovings returned to Virginia, where they began to raise a family.  Their happiness would be short-lived, however.  On June 29, 1975, their car was hit by a drunk driver.  Richard, only 41, died on the scene.  Mildred survived the accident, and would spend the next 40 years living a quiet, secluded life in Virginia, often downplaying her role in history, giving the real credit to God.  She ultimately passed of pneumonia on May 2, 2008.  She was 68 years old.

The Lovings are laid to rest in a quiet church cemetery in Central Point, Virginia.  A historical marker lies just outside the park.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Richard and Mildred Loving, take a voyage to Amazon.  It's all in books.
  
  
• Following the Supreme Court ruling, the couple discussed their story with ABC News.  You can watch that interview on YouTube.
  
  
• The Loving story has been chronicled in a number of films, with varying degrees of accuracy.  Of 1996's Mr. and Mrs. Loving, Mildred would state "not much of it was very true.  The only part of it right was I had three children."  Other adaptations include the 2011 documentary The Loving Story and 2016's Loving.
  
  
• In 2009, country artist Nanci Griffith released her single The Loving Kind in tribute to the couple.  Take a listen on Amazon.
  
  
• In honor of the landmark case, June 12th is now an unofficial U.S. holiday - Loving Day.

The Forgotten Grave of John Spencer

 

"I've never wanted to do anything but act.  It saved my life, it's the reason I get up in the morning, it's my opiate.  The prize for me was always getting the next gig so I could do this wonderful thing that I love."

John Spencer was born John Speshock, Jr. in New York City on December 20, 1946.  He was interested in the theatre from an early age, much to the chagrin of his parents, who had immigrated to America and settled in Totowa, New Jersey.

Spencer attended a prep school in Manhattan, alongside fellow future celebrity Liza Minnelli, before enrolling in Fairleigh Dickinson College.  He never completed his degree however, moving straight into the world of theatre.

His first role was on The Patty Duke Show, before moving onto the Broadway stage.  His first theatrical role was in the 1983 Matthew Broderick film War Games, playing a silo commander who was told to "turn your key, Sir!"  Later films included the 1990 Harrison Ford thriller Presumed Innocent and 1996's The Rock.

In 1990, he returned to television for the final four seasons of the hit drama L.A. Law, playing grizzled attorney Tommy Mullaney.  It wasn't until 1999 that he assumed the role for which he is most famously known, that of Leo McGarry on the political drama series The West Wing, a role for which he'd win an Emmy Award in 2002.

Well into his West Wing run, Spencer died quite unexpectedly of a heart attack, on December 16, 2005.  He was just four days shy of his 59th birthday.  He was laid to rest in Laurel Grove Memorial Park in his hometown of Totowa. 

The grave appears to be neglected, as this blogger had to clear away shrubbery and bird residue.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• Like his West Wing character, Spencer was a recovering alcoholic.
  
  
• At the time of his death, Spencer had completed two episodes of The West Wing that were in post-production, each of which featured his character as a candidate for Vice President.  Following his untimely death, the writers gave his character a heart attack as well, having him die on election night. 
  
  
• The episode featuring McGarry's death aired on March 19, 2006.  It came two months after a similar death on the series Smallville, which saw Jonathan Kent, played by John Schneider, die of a heart attack after winning his seat for Kansas State Senate.  
  
  
• Spencer was an avid gardener, who once presented Ellen DeGeneres with a bouquet of flowers on her daytime talk show.  You can watch the clip on YouTube.
  
  
• Spencer was a regular participant in L.A.'s annual AIDS Walk fundraising event.

The Luckiest Man in America

 

Last year, Hollywood finally made the documentary that this blogger had been waiting 20 years for - sort of.  The 2024 film The Luckiest Man in America tells the improbable story of an ice cream truck driver named Michael Larson, who in 1984, won more than $110,000 on the TV game show Press Your Luck.  Starring Paul Walter Houser, the film does an adequate albeit fanciful job of showing how Larson beat CBS at its own game, but it failed to delve into his life prior to 1984, nor did it disclose his fate.  Enter Six Feet Under Hollywood.

Paul Michael Larson was born in Lebanon, Ohio on May 10, 1949.  He was the youngest of four children to father Robert, a butcher with a local grocery store chain, and mother Ruth, a stay-at-home mom.  While his older brothers took on great responsibilities, including college, military service, and joining the workforce, Michael leaned more towards get-rich quick schemes, which often blew up in his face.  During the 1970s, he was arrested on three separate occasions for larceny, possession of stolen goods and petty theft.

Larson also had commitment issues, with two failed marriages under his belt, each of which produced a single offspring.  By 1984, he was living with his common-law wife Teresa, with whom he had a third child.

By the 1980s, he had turned to television for the next big thing, amassing twelve sets in his living room, from where he would launch his next attack.  In 1983, he discovered a new game show called Press Your Luck, which featured a supposedly random prize board.  For those who haven't seen the film, and it is worth a watch, Larson used his VCR, a new technology then, to slow down the board's blinking lights. 

He learned that despite the show's claims, the lights did indeed have a pattern, five in fact, all of which he memorized.  He also discovered that two squares on the board never held a "Whammie," the dreaded demon who would steal all of a contestant's earnings.  Armed with this knowledge, Larson made his way to Hollywood, was cast on the show, and took CBS for more than $110,000 in cash and prizes, more than ten times the amount that any previous contestant had ever won.

Larson returned to Ohio with his winnings, quickly losing much of it in a shady real estate scheme.  CBS, embarrassed by the event, aired Larson's episode in two parts, locked them away in a vault for 20 years, and did their part to move on.  Press Your Luck would run for another three years before ultimately being canceled in 1986.

Larson resurfaced in 1994, when he was interviewed by Good America, America.  In a raspy voice, he said that it had taken him six months to memorize all of the patterns, and that he hoped to one day be cast on Jeopardy, as he had figured out a few angles on their board as well.  He'd never get the chance to implement them however, as he died of cancer five years later while living in Florida.  At the time of his death, he was in hiding from the law, the result of another of his get-rich quick schemes.  He was just 49 years old.

Michael Larson was laid to rest in the family plot at Lebanon Cemetery in Lebanon, Ohio.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Michael Larson, take a voyage to Amazon.  It's all in books.
  
  
• While this blogger missed the initial 1984 broadcast (it was a school day), you can watch it in its entirety (both parts) on YouTube.
  
  
• In 2003, Game Show Network pulled Larson's episodes out of mothballs and incorporated them into an excellent documentary called Big Bucks: The Press Your Luck Scandal.  In this blogger's opinion, the two-hour basic cable presentation does a better job of telling Larson's story than its big brother Hollywood counterpart would do twenty years later.  Check it out on YouTube.
  
  
• As noted above, Larson lost most of his winnings in more get-rich-quick schemes, one of which involved a local radio contest.  Larson withdrew half of his winnings in $1 bills, attempting to match a serial number that the station was looking for.  While he and Teresa were out one evening, their home was robbed, and the bills were never recovered. 
  
  
• To say that the film's producers embellished the story would be an understatement.  Whereas the film shows us Larson driving his ice cream truck from Ohio to Hollywood, he actually flew in coach.  Producer Bill Carruthers is portrayed in the film, but he's joined by executives who simply did not exist, thrown into the film to present a more diverse cast than was present in 1984.  Also, ludicrously, the movie shows Larson stepping out during the taping to appear as a guest on a talk-show hosted by Johnny Knoxville. 

Space Monkey!

 

When I first started this blog, my goal was to showcase the grave photos that I have taken in my travels and to help the reader locate them for themselves.  That said, I do have spies in the field, and, on occasion, I will showcase someone else's photos.  When my friend Neil told me that he had just visited the grave of the first monkey in space, I knew this would be one such exception.

Miss Baker, as she is known, was a squirrel monkey born in Peru in 1957.  She came to the U.S. shortly thereafter, eventually ending up in a Miami pet store.  Around 1958, she was one of 26 monkeys bought and sent to the Naval Aviation Medical School in Pensacola.  

The research team there noted that she was smarter than the other test subjects and was also much more loving.  As a result, she was moved to the head of the pack along with another female.  They were later christened Alpha and Beta by the Army, but just before flight, their names were changed to Able and Baker, in conjunction with the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet.

On May 28, 1959, the two were packed into a Jupiter rocket and launched from Cape Canaveral.  Their flight lasted for 16 minutes, more than half of which was spent in weightlessness.  They traveled more than 1,500 miles and were recovered off the coast of Puerto Rico.  Able and Baker were the first animals launched into space by the United States who safely returned.

In 1971, Miss Baker moved to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.  There, she was a popular museum exhibit, who welcomed guests to the center on a daily basis.  She also received up to 150 letters a day from schoolchildren all around the world.  Her birthdays were four-star affairs, as were the anniversaries of her historic flight.  Miss Baker ultimately passed of kidney failure on November 29, 1984.  At age 27, she was the oldest living squirrel monkey on record.

Miss Baker was buried on the grounds near the museum.  As seen in the photo below, her grave is often decorated with bananas and some of her other favorite foods.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• In 1960, author Olive Woolley Burt released a children's book entitled Space Monkey: The True Story of Miss Baker.  You can pick up a copy from Amazon.
  
  
• Upon their return to Earth, Able and Baker attended a NASA press conference, where they addressed a crowd of eager journalists.  You can watch this fantastic news account on YouTube. They also appeared on the cover of Life magazine.
  
  
• Popular podcast The Space Shot devoted a 2017 episode to the pair, entitled Able & Miss Baker: The Monkeynauts.  You can listen wherever you get your podcasts, or you can watch it on YouTube.
  
  
• So what happened to Able?  Her body was taxidermied and later put on display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.  It has since been archived, but you can see a picture of it here.  YouTuber Jacob the Carpetbagger vlogged Able back in 2019 when she was still on display and you can watch that video here.  Fast forward to the 11-minute mark.

Creepy David Carradine

 

"I'm perhaps the most gifted actor of my generation."

David Carradine was born John Arthur Carradine, Jr. in Los Angeles on December 8, 1936.  He was the son of celebrated actor John Carradine and his first wife Ardanelle.  John Sr. would later remarry (again and again).  As a result, John Jr. was brother to a handful of half-siblings, including Bruce, Keith, Christopher and Lewis Skolnick himself, Robert.

After a tour with the army, Carradine decided to follow in his father's footsteps by becoming an actor.  It was at this point that he legally changed his name to David, so as to avoid any confusion between the two.

He had early roles on such TV series as Gunsmoke, Ironside, and Night Gallery.  Then in 1972, he landed the role that would not only define his career but would change his life as well, that of martial arts expert Kwai Chang Caine on Kung Fu.  The series ran for three seasons with reruns continuing for years in syndication.  Although Carradine had no previous experience in the martial arts, he embraced the techniques and the culture into his daily life.  This was evident years after its cancellation, when he was cast by Director Quentin Tarantino as the title character in the martial arts film series Kill Bill.

With his career reinvigorated, Carradine flew to Bangkok in late May 2009, having signed on to appear in the film Stretch.  He was last seen alive on June 3rd.  When he failed to report to the set the next day, investigators went to his hotel room, where he was found dead, hanging in a closet.  While there was no suicide note, authorities did find rope attached to his genitalia, leading them to conclude that he accidentally died by his own hand, a case of auto-erotic asphyxiation.  He was 72 years old.

David Carradine was laid to rest at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills. 

There is a lot of text on this one, which this blogger suspects that Carradine wrote himself.  It reads as follows:

He will ever more be revered as one who popularized the spiritual values of the east in the west.  

Dancer, musician, artist, actor, producer, director, writer, composer, storyteller, poet, philosopher, aesthete, academician, martial artist, master, teacher, Kung Fu.

Devoted and loving brother, husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, uncle and friend.

"I'm lookin' for a place where the dogs don't bite, and children don't cry and everything always goes just right and brothers don't fight....."   --David Carradine

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• Carradine authored a series of martial arts book as well as an autobiography.  Check out his library of work at Amazon.
  
  
• Five years after his death, Carradine was posthumously inducted into the Martial Arts History Museum in Glendale, California.
  
  
• Unhappy with the relationship of his father and stepmother, Carradine attempted to commit suicide when he was just five years old.  His preferred method?  Hanging.
  
  
• Carradine appeared with his father and two half-brothers, Keith and Robert, in a 1984 episode of The Fall Guy entitled "October the 31st."  Adding further titillation to this Halloween-centric episode is an appearance by TV hostess Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, aka Cassandra Peterson.  You can watch a recording of the 1984 broadcast, complete with commercials, on YouTube.  
  
  
• In 1987, Carradine marketed his own tai chi workout video.  Check out this hilarious commercial for it on YouTube.
  
  
• In 1993, Carradine returned to television in a revival of his signature series, now titled Kung Fu: The Legend Continues.  The series ran for four seasons in first-run syndication, surpassing the original series, which had only lasted for three.
  

Mummified Nun on Display!

 

Odds are you've never heard of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini.  No worries, I hadn't either, until a recent trip to New York City.  She'd come to be known as the Patron Saint of Immigrants, but would ultimately be famous for something much macabre.

She was born in Italy on July 15, 1850.  She was the youngest of 13 children and one of only four to survive past adolescence.  As a young girl, she fell into a river and was swept downstream, later attributing her survival to divine intervention. 

After years spent as a teacher and in service to the church, Cabrini came to America in 1889, eventually becoming an American citizen in 1909.  Over the course of her career, she helped open and establish nearly 70 institutions throughout the United States, including schools, hospitals, and orphanages.  Today, there are 41 churches named in her honor throughout the United States as well as six hospitals, one near you. 

By 1917, her health was failing, so she traveled to Chicago to be cared for the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.  There, she was diagnosed with chronic endocarditis, which ultimately took her life on December 22nd.  She was 67 years old.

She was initially interred at what is today known as the National Shrine of Saint Frances Cabrini in Chicago.  Her remains were exhumed in 1933 however, when the church began her sainthood campaign. 

As part of the canonization process, her remains were divided up.  Most significantly, her head was removed and sent to the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart Motherhouse in Rome, where it is currently on display.  The rest of her body was sent to the Saint Frances Cabrini Shrine in Hudson Heights, New York, a quiet residential neighborhood just a few miles from Manhattan.  Today, it remains on permanent display, complete with a fake head.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Mother Cabrini, take a voyage to Amazon.  It's all in books.
  
  
• Mother Cabrini was officially canonized by Pope Pius XI on November 13, 1938, more than 20 years after her death.  She was the first American to be recognized by the Vatican as a saint.
  
  
• In 2020, Colorado officially renamed Columbus Day "Cabrini Day" in her honor.  That same year, Inside Edition took its viewers on a video tour of the shrine.  You can check it out on YouTube.
  
  
• The shrine is a functioning house of worship, where the faithful come to pray and pay their respects on a daily basis.  If you go to visit, please be respectful.
  
  
• The 1989 John Candy film Uncle Buck contains a reference to Mother Cabrini when a drunken clown arrives at a children's birthday party.  Check out this clip on YouTube to see what happened next.

Tallulah Bankhead - Unlikely Bat-Villain

 

"Nobody can be exactly like me.  Even I have trouble doing it."

Tallulah Bankhead was born in Huntsville, Alabama on January 31, 1902.  Her mother died in childbirth, something Tallulah would never forgive herself for.  Her father, a democratic politician, would later serve as Speaker of the House of Representatives during the 1930s.

Like many aspects of her life, Tallulah took an unconventional route to fame and stardom.  At 15 years old, she submitted her photo to Picture Play magazine, in response to a contest seeking new starlets.  She forgot to include her name and address however, and only learned she had won some months later, when the magazine published her photo and asked for the public's help to identify her.  She set off for New York to begin her career, but before leaving, she was warned by her father to avoid alcohol and men.  As a bisexual, she'd later famously quip "he didn't say anything about women and cocaine."

Tallulah made a name for herself on the Broadway stage as well as in films and television.  Over the course of her career, she amassed more than 300 credits, including an Academy Award-winning performance in Alfred Hitchcock's 1944 film Lifeboat.  Her last credited role is the one that this blogger knows best - that of arch villain Black Widow on the 1960s Adam West Batman TV series.

By this time, she was already feeling the effects that a lifetime of drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes were having on her health.  By the end of 1968, she was being treated for pleural double pneumonia, which ultimately took her life on December 12th.  She was just 66 years old.  Reportedly, her final words were a request for bourbon and codeine.

Tallulah Bankhead was laid to rest on the grounds of St. Paul's Church in Chestertown, Maryland, near the Eastern Shore.  While she never personally lived in that community, it was the home of her sister Evelyn, who saw to her final arrangements.  When Evelyn herself passed away in 1979, she was laid to rest next to her sister.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Tallulah Bankhead, take a voyage to Amazon.  Its all in books.
  
  
• Tallulah was named after her paternal grandmother, who was herself named after the community of Tallulah Falls, Georgia.
  
  
• An advocate of civil rights. Tallulah was the first Caucasian woman to appear on the cover of Ebony magazine.
  
  
• Tennessee Williams wrote a number of characters for Tallulah in his plays, the most famous being Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire.
  
  
• Tallulah is referred to in the 1958 Blossom Dearie song "Give Him the Ooh-La-La."  Take a listen on YouTube.

Chris Kyle - American Sniper

 

"I would love for people to be able to think of me as a guy who stood up for what he believed in and helped make a difference for the vets."

Christopher Scott Kyle was born in Odessa, Texas on April 8, 1974.  He was the oldest of two sons, receiving his first firearm from his father, a Sunday school teacher, when he was just eight years old.  He'd often go deer hunting with his father and brother, but it was evident from an early age just who was top shot in the Kyle family.

After high school and a brief career with the rodeo, Kyle decided to serve his country.  He was initially intent on joining the Marines, but as the recruiter had stepped out to lunch that afternoon, he joined the Navy Seals instead.

Kyle's proficiency with firearms landed him on SEAL Team 3, serving in both Iraq and Afghanistan.  Today, the Navy credits him with more than 160 confirmed kills.  He was honorably discharged in 2009, and went on to write a best-selling novel, American Sniper, detailing his experiences.  The film was later turned into a motion picture directed by Clint Eastwood, starring Bradley Cooper in the title role.

While Kyle was heavily involved in the production, he would never see the finished film.  On February 2, 2013, he and friend Chad Littlefield were both shot and killed by Ray Routh, a 25-year-old Marine Corps veteran, while the three were at a Texas shooting range.  With a history of schizophrenia and mental evaluations, Routh would later claim he killed the two since they were both ignoring him.

On February 11th, a memorial service was conducted at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.  It was followed by a funeral procession the next day, which traveled more than 200 miles to Austin, where Kyle was laid to rest at Texas State Cemetery.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• You can pick up your copy of American Sniper on Amazon.
  
  
• If you go to pay your respects, watch yourself.  The cemetery is in a very sketchy neighborhood.
  
  
• In 2012, Kyle stopped by Conan O'Brien's TBS talk show to promote the book's release.  You can watch the interview on YouTube.
  
  
• In 2006, Kyle boasted that he had punched out Jesse Ventura after the former made derogatory remarks about the military.  Ventura denied the incident and sued Kyle for defamation, a legal battle that ended with a settlement five years after Kyle's death.  Ventura, dubbing Kyle an "American Liar," received an undisclosed amount from Kyle's estate.
  
  
• A fan of the 1980s GI Joe cartoon series, Kyle dubbed his military vehicles after two of its more famous characters - Duke and Snake Eyes.  Yo Joe!

The Voodoo Queen of New Orleans

 

Marie Catherine Laveau was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on September 10, 1801, at a time when that future state was still under Spanish rule.  While slavery was still the law, she was born a free woman of color to her unwed mother Marguerite.  The identity of her father has never been conclusively confirmed, but many historians point to a local politician named Charles Laveau.

Today, Laveau is a folk figure known for her practice of the occult.  What is often forgotten is that she was also a shrewd businesswoman.  She owned a beauty parlor, catering to the elite and upper class of society, many of whom felt free to gossip while in her care.  Laveau would later use the information she'd overheard to enhance her reputation as a clairvoyant.  

She became a celebrated voodoo practitioner with three locations throughout the Big Easy.  Like the Miss Cleo commercials that would come two centuries later, Laveau's clients wanted help with their families, their finances, and their love lives.  She was so popular that she was named the third female leader of voodoo in New Orleans, a less-than official office granting her the titles of Queen and Priestess.

Marie Laveau died on June 15, 1881, at the age of 79.  She was entombed in Saint Louis Cemetery #1 just outside the French Quarter in New Orleans, ensuring that she would not return as a zombie.  Legend tells that if you draw three Xs on the tomb and leave an offering, your wish will be granted.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Marie Laveau, take a voyage to Amazon.  Its all in books.
  
  
• In 1974, country singer Bobby Bare released his single Marie Laveau, a tribute to the Voodoo Queen.  It was an overnight success, reaching the top spot on the Billboard country chart.  Take a listen on YouTube.
  
  
• A number of documentaries on voodoo and Marie Laveau have been produced over the years, including the History Channel's The Truth of Voodoo Revealed, hosted by Leaonard Nimoy.  Check it out on YouTube.
  
  
• Not only is Laveau's grave a tourist attraction in New Orleans, but her house is as well - sort of.  The original structure was torn down in 1903, but today, the house built on its foundation welcomes visitors and their wallets for guided tours.  Interested?  Visit Ghost City Tours for more information.
  
  
• Although a free woman of color herself, Laveau owned many slaves.
  
  
• Vlogger Jacob the Carpetbagger toured the cemetery and Laveau's grave in 2018.  Check out his video on YouTube.
  
  
• While this blogger has visited hundreds of graves throughout the United States, this is the only one that charged an admission fee.  Saint Louis Cemetery is by guided tour only.

Dom DeLuise - Captain Chaos!

 

"I became a comedian when they laughed at my serious acting."

Dom DeLuise is known for many roles, but for my generation, he will always be Captain Chaos, aka Victor Prinzim, from the Cannonball Run movies.  In fact, until I wrote this blog, I had completely forgotten the character's real name.

He was born Dominick DeLuise in New York City on August 1, 1933.  He later graduated from Tufts University in Massachusetts with a degree in biology, most say to please his father, a garbageman, but Dom had his sights set on Hollywood.

He got his start working in children's television in the New York City area, taking over the role of Tinker the Toymaker on Tinker's Workshop, a role vacated by future Captain Kangaroo star Bob Keeshan. 

From there, he moved on to the New York theatre scene, appearing in a number of off-Broadway productions, including All in Love and Around the World in 80 Days before taking on the Great White Way in such productions as Last of the Red Hot Lovers.

In 1981, Dom was cast with longtime friend Burt Reynolds in the first Cannonball Run movie.  It was a box-office success, which guaranteed the 1984 sequel.  Dom would also appear with Reynolds in several other films as well, including Smokey and the Bandit Part 2 (1980), The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982), and an often-forgotten film about suicide called The End (1978).

In 2008, Dom was diagnosed with cancer.  It ultimately took his life just one year later on May 4, 2009, while Dom was sound asleep.  He was 75 years old.

Dom was cremated.  His ashes were laid to rest in the family plot at Calvary Cemetery just outside New York City.

Rest in peace, Captain.

Trivia

• Dom was a prolific author, who released a number of cookbooks (go figure) as well as a series of children's books.  Check out his library on Amazon.
  
  
• Dom was a prolific voice-over artist as well, appearing in such film as All Dogs go to Heaven (1989).  For the VHS release of the film, Dom appeared in a special segment as himself for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.  Check it out on YouTube.
  
  
• Both Roger Daltrey and Pete Townsend of The Who have recorded a song called After the Fire.  Both versions reference Dom.  Take a listen on YouTube - Pete Townsend and Roger Daltrey.
  
  
• Dom worked with all three of his sons on a number of TV series, including Stargate SG-1, SeaQuest 2032, and Third Rock From the Sun, as well as the 1979 film Hot Stuff.
  
  
• Dom spoofed The Godfather in two films - Cannonball Run II (1984) and Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1991).
  

Brittany Murphy

 

"I would like to be very, very, very, very old.  With all the technology we are inventing and what they are coming up with scientifically, people are having longer lifetimes."

Brittany Anne Murphy was born in Atlanta, Georgia on November 10, 1977.  By the time she was just three years old, her parents had already divorced and her father, a member of the Italian mafia, was on his way to prison.  Brittany and her mom soon relocated to Edison, New Jersey.

By the time she was a teenager, Murphy was already intent on becoming an actress.  Her mother encouraged the dream by relocating the family to Hollywood.  It proved to be a smart bet, as Murphy quickly found work.  Her first role was in this flashback sequence on the hit comedy Murphy Brown. 

From there, she joined the cast of the FOX sit-com Drexell's Class, playing the daughter of series lead Dabney Coleman. Here's a cute clip on YouTube.  Her breakthrough role however, was in the 1995 film Clueless, playing transfer student Tai Frasier.  It was a box office success, earning $88 million worldwide and projecting Murphy to superstar status.

In 2006, Murphy began dating British screenwriter Simon Monjack.  Friends and family became increasingly distrustful of him and were often cautioning Murphy about the relationship.  She went ahead and married him anyway however, in a private ceremony in 2007.  The couple, joined by Murphy's mother, then moved into a Beverly Hills mansion formerly owned by Brittany Spears and Justin Timberlake.  

On the morning of December 20, 2009, paramedics were called to the mansion after Murphy was found unconscious on a bathroom floor.  She was transported to Cedars-Sinai Hospital, where she passed away following a cardiac arrest.  She was just 32 years old. 

On Christmas Eve, she was laid to rest at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills.  The Associated Press filed this report from the cemetery. 

An autopsy cited a number of factors contributing to her death, including pneumonia, anemia, and drug intoxication.  Monjack and Murphy's mother publicly contested the autopsy, re-iterating that Murphy had never been a known drug user.  Then, just five months later, Monjack was also found dead in the home.  Amazingly, his death was also attributed to pneumonia and anemia, leading some to speculate that the house was full of toxic mold.  It remains a subject of great debate to this day.

Rest in peace.  As if!

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Brittany Murphy, take a voyage to Amazon.  Its all in books.
  
  
• Four years after her death, independent lab tests funded by her father discovered the presence of ten heavy metals at levels deemed unsafe by the World Health Organization.
  
  
• Murphy was a talented singer as well.  In the 1990s, she collaborated with fellow actor Eric Balfour and launched the band Blessed With Soul.  You can check out her video for Faster Kill Pussycat on YouTube.
  
  
• Speaking of videos, in 2004, MTV followed Murphy to a Blockbuster video store in Manhattan, where she treated viewers to her movie picks, on VHS no less.  What did she recommend?  Check it out on YouTube.
  
  
• Murphy was a devout Christian and patriot, who visited our troops in both Baghdad and Kuwait during the War on Terror. 

Chris Farley

 

"I want to live fast and die young."

Christopher Crosby Farley was born in Madison, Wisconsin on February 15, 1964.  He was one of five children born to Thomas John Farley, Sr., owner of an oil company, and Mary Anne, a homemaker.

In 1986, he graduated from Marquette University in Michigan with a double major in communications and theatre.  While there, he honed his talent for comedy, making his way to Chicago's Second City Theatre following graduation.

In 1990, he began a five-year stint on Saturday Night Live (SNL), along with other newcomers Adam Sandler, Tim Meadows, and David Spade.  His most famous recurring character during this time was that of motivational speaker Matt Foley, who often reminded viewers that he "lived in a van down by the river."  He also formed an intense bond with Spade, which would lead to them making a series of films together.  Along with Sandler, Farley fired from SNL in 1995.

In late December 1997, Farley was entertaining a hooker in his apartment at the John Hancock Center in Chicago.  The two imbibed on one of Farley's oft-joked about subjects, cocaine and heroin.  An accidental overdoes would lead to his death at the young age of 33.  He was eventually found by his brother John on December 18th.

A private funeral was held in Madison on December 23rd.  More than 500 people attended, including former castmates Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, George Wendt and more.  Noticeably absent was his best friend Spade, who later recalled that it would have been too emotionally overwhelming.  Farley was then entombed in the main mausoleum at Resurrection Cemetery.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• Following his death, Heidi the Hooker sold photos of Farley's dead body to the Globe tabloid, which naturally published them.  This blogger has seen them, as they are easily searchable on the internet.
  
  
• Twelve years after Farley's passing, his older brother Tom decided to cash in by publishing The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts.  You can pick up a copy from Amazon.
  
  
• Farley was cast as the title character in the 2001 animated hit Shrek and even recorded dialogue for the film.  After his untimely passing however, the role was re-assigned to his SNL castmate, Mike Myers.  Test footage does survive however, including this version on YouTube.
  
  
• At the time of his death, Farley's next-door neighbor was talk show host and disgraced former mayor Jerry Springer.
  
  
• As a tribute to the comedian, the Red Hot Chili Peppers included the lyric "Farley is an angel and I can prove this" on their single Purple Stain.  You can hear it for yourself on YouTube.
  
  
• Farley often appeared as former House speaker Newt Gingrich on SNL.  Following the former's first 100 days in that role, Farley played the part live at a meeting on Capitol Hill.  C-SPAN covered the event, which you can watch on YouTube.

The Babe!

"The only game, I think, in the world is baseball."

George Herman "Babe" Ruth was born in Baltimore, Maryland on February 6, 1895.  He was the son of German immigrants and one of only two siblings (out of seven) to survive past infancy.

Though much of his childhood remains a mystery, it is believed that his interest in baseball first began while as a student at St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys.  There, he was mentored by Brother Matthias Boutlier, himself a skilled baseball player.

When Ruth was 19, he began his career with the Baltimore Orioles.  It was here that he earned his nickname, due to both his young appearance and his almost familial relationship with team owner, Jack Dunn.  He was later sold to the Boston Red Sox, where he had a well-earned reputation as an outstanding pitcher.

In 1920, Ruth was sold again, this time to the New York Yankees.  Over the next 15 years, he'd help them win seven American League pennants and four World Series.  By the time he retired in 1935, he'd achieved 714 home runs in his big-league career, a record that would stand until 1974, when Hank Aaron scored 715.

By 1946, Ruth was experiencing the early symptoms of cancer.  He'd continue traveling the country however, doing promotional work for the Ford Motor Company.  He also collaborated on his autobiography The Babe Ruth Story.  During one of his final public appearances, he donated a copy of the yet-unpublished manuscript to Yale University.  There, he met the captain of the baseball team, future President George H.W, Bush.

Babe Ruth passed away on August 16th, 1948, at the age of 53.  He was laid to rest at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Babe Ruth, take a voyage to Amazon.  It's all in books.
  
  
• The eulogy that appears on Ruth's marker (shown above) was delivered by Cardinal Francis Spellman, who served as Archbishop of New York and officiated at the funeral.
  
  
• The Babe had a tendency to call each of his teammates "kid."  It wasn't a term of endearment; rather, he could never remember their names.
  
  
• The Babe's father once owned a pub in downtown Baltimore.  The neighborhood was later redeveloped and turned into Camden Yards, home of the Baltimore Orioles.  It is said that the pub was located at what is now center field.
  
  
• Camden Yards also includes a tribute to the Babe in the form of a statue.  Unfortunately, it incorrectly portrays him as a right-hander.  The Babe was a lefty.

Buried in a Pringles Can?

 

Fred Baur is not exactly a household name, but the product he created certainly is. At some point in your life, you've probably had Pringles, the uniquely shaped stackable potato chip he created for Procter and Gamble in 1966.  Five years later, he received a patent for the tubular can that would help make the chips a household name.  It would also play a pivotal role in his demise.

Baur was born in Toledo, Ohio on July 14, 1918.  He received his master's degree from Ohio State University, then did a tour with the Navy during World War 2.  After the service, he returned to Ohio and began a career as an organic chemist and food storage scientist.  

Baur died of Alzheimer's disease on May 4, 2008.  He was 89 years old.  For many, that would have been the end of the story, were it not for the unique final arrangements he had requested in the days leading up to his death.

Baur was cremated, and his ashes were divided into thirds.  The first set was given to his grandchildren.  The remaining two sets were buried at Arlington Memorial Gardens in Mount Healthy, Ohio, just twenty minutes outside Cincinnati.  Two separate containers were used - a traditional urn and a standard Pringles can.  Baur had requested that a portion of his remains be interred with the product he had given to the world.  

Artist's rendition.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• This blogger has been to known to consume an entire can of Pringles in one sitting.  Favorite flavors include original, Buffalo Ranch, Sour Cream and Onion, and Honey Mustard.
  
  
• In addition to developing Pringles and its packaging, Baur created frying oils and freeze-dried ice cream.
  
  
• In 2012, Kellogg's acquired Pringles from Procter and Gamble for the tidy sum of $2.7 billion.
  
  
• There are a number of YouTube videos regarding Baur, Pringles, and the grave.  Unfortunately, they all suck.  Here's one that sucks less than the rest.  

Wayland Flowers....and Madame?

 

"This was an underground act that took root and shot up out of nowhere."

If you grew up in the 70s or 80s, you probably remember Wayland Flowers and Madame for their regular appearances on Hollywood Squares.  While many would agree that Madame was the brains of the act, most of the credit goes to Wayland himself.

He was born in Dawson, Georgia on November 26, 1939.  A few years later, his father was killed in World War 2, and Flowers was raised in a devoutly religious all-female household.  After college, he enlisted in the Coast Guard, before eventually settling in New York City, having become enamored with the Broadway stage. 

In 1964, Flowers landed a job as a puppeteer for the New York World's Fair.  There is some historical debate as to whether this was his first involvement with the world of puppets, but it would ultimately provide the inspiration for the character of Madame. 

Recognizing Flowers' affection for a Wicked Witch of the West puppet, his boss gave it to him, which he soon transformed into the first version of the Madame puppet.  Her feisty personality would come later, after Flowers overheard an elderly Ziegfeld Follies girl become irate with an abusive bartender.  Believe it or Not!

The duo would spend the next twenty years appearing in sold-out live performances and on a host of television shows.  From 1981 to 1984, they were regular co-hosts on the syndicated musical countdown series Solid Gold, often providing some much-needed comic relief.  Check out these clips with generous co-host Marilyn McCoo.  The team would even have their own short-lived series called Madame's Place, which aired for one season in 1982.  Co-stars included Judy Landers and a then-unknown Corey Feldman.

In September 1987, Flowers was diagnosed with HIV.  A little over one year later, he collapsed on stage wile performing at Lake Tahoe.  After a brief hospitalization, he visited with friends and family in Georgia, before retiring to a Los Angeles area hospice to live out his final days.  He ultimately passed away on October 11, 1988.  He was just 48 years old. 

Wayland Flowers was cremated and his ashes were returned to Dawson, Georgia.  He was laid to rest in the family plot at Cedar Hill Cemetery.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• In 1983, the duo released a scandalous, tell-all autobiography to generally positive reviews.  You can pick up a copy of Madame: My Misbegotten Memoirs, from Amazon.
  
  
• Following his death, the Star tabloid incorrectly reported that Madame was buried with Flowers, an urban legend that persists to this day.  In fact, the Madame puppets (there were multiple) were bequeathed to friends and family members.
  
  
• Flowers left part of his estate to the Hughes House, the L.A. hospice where he'd spent his final days.  It was later renamed the Wayland Flowers House, but it ultimately closed just a few months after his passing.
  
  
• It might shock fans of Hollywood Squares to know that Wayland Flowers and Madame was a stage show for adults only.  Flowers insisted that no one under 18 be admitted to a live performance.
  
  
• As Madame, Flowers would often state that Jim Henson and his team had been inspired by the duo in the creation and performance of Muppets star Miss Piggy.  This blogger definitely sees the resemblance.