Stonewall Jackson - A Man With Two Graves!

 

"Let us cross over the river and rest under the shade of the trees."
  -- Stonewall Jackson's dying words

When most people pass away, they're typically laid to rest or cremated and that's the end of it.  There are some occasions however, when the deceased will have more than one final resting place.  This was the case for both Judy Garland and Anton Yelchin, both previously covered in this blog.  

In both of those cases, family members had the final remains moved from one cemetery to another, in order to better accommodate grieving fans.  Yelchin even got a statue!  Like those two Hollywood notables, Confederate General Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson also has two graves, but he's actually buried in both of them!

On May 2, 1863, Jackson was wounded by friendly fire at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia.  He took three bullets to the arm, which necessitated its amputation.  Regiment Chaplain Beverly Tucker Lacy buried the limb in a field behind Ellwood Manor in Fredericksburg.  A stone marker was set in place, which still welcome visitors to this day.

Jackson died of his wounds eight days later on May 10th.  He was 39 years old.  He was laid to rest at Oak Grove Cemetery in Lexington, about 120 miles away.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Stonewall Jackson, take a voyage to Amazon.  It's all in books.
  
  
• Jackson earned his nickname during the Battle of Bull Run, where General Barnard Bee noted "there is Jackson standing under a stone wall."
  
  
• Legend tells that the arm was exhumed by the military in 1921, but this has never been substantiated.  Whatever the truth may be, the marker remains as a local tourist attraction.
  
  
• Several museums honoring Jackson can be found in Virginia.  They include Stonewall Jackson's Headquarters in Winchester, the Jackson House Museum in Lexington, and the Jackson Death Site in Woodford.
  
  
• In recent years, several memorials to Jackson have been removed, including a monument in Richmond, Virginia and a stained-glass window at Washington National Cathedral.

Merv Griffin - I Will Not Be Right Back After This Message

 

"You know I never really get down.  My philosophy is that you have to constantly be turning the page, which prevents me from getting caught up in any negativity.  It's all about change for me.  I just keep moving and enjoying the ride."

Mervyn Edward "Merv" Griffin was born in San Mateo, California on July 6, 1925.  He was the son of a stockbroker and a homemaker, both active in their local church.  It was there that Griffin got his first taste of music by singing in the choir, then later serving as the official organist.

After graduating from high school, Griffin wanted to serve his country in World War 2.  His dreams were cut short, however, when he was classified as 4F, a status that would exempt him from military service.  He launched his professional singing career instead.  In 1949, he released the curiously titled single I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts, which sold three million copies.

Griffin began performing in nightclubs, where he was soon discovered by Doris Day.  She brought him to Hollywood for a screen test, where he was subsequently cast in a number of films, including The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953) and Phantom of the Rue Morgue (1954).  Griffin was dissatisfied with the films however, and turned his attention to television.

By 1958, Griffin was an established game show host working for friends Mark Goodson and Bill Todman.  He had a few ideas of his own however, including one initially dubbed What's the Question?, wherein contestants are given the answer and must come up with the question.  This concept, which he credited to his wife Julann, evolved into the worldwide phenomenon called Jeopardy!, a series initially canceled by NBC, but which now flourishes in syndication.  In 1975, he created companion series Wheel of Fortune, which has found equal if not greater success in worldwide syndication.

Between hosting game shows and launching his own, Griffin found equal success as a daytime talk show host, first at NBC before setting out on his own.  He launched The Merv Griffin Show in 1965 and spent the next two decades interviewing actors, politicians, and all sorts of newsmakers.  His show is credited with introducing America to an as-yet-unknown actor named Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In 1996, Griffin was diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer.  It bought him another decade, but by 2007, it had returned with a vengeance.  He ultimately died on August 12th at the age of 82.  He was laid to rest at Pierce Brothers Westwood Memorial Village.  His headstone contains a humorous nod to his show business career.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Merv, take a voyage to Amazon.  It's all in books.
  
  
• The musical interlude that accompanies "Final Jeopardy" was written by Griffen himself.  Take a listen on YouTube.
  
  
• Griffin owned more than 20 hotels, gaming resorts, and riverboats throughout the world.
  
  
• Griffin's sexuality was a source of constant speculation for the tabloids.  Although divorced with a son, it was generally accepted in Hollywood's inner circles that Griffin was gay.  In 1991, he was even sued for sexual harassment by Dance Fever host Deney Terrio.  The case was later dismissed.
  
  
• There's a classic episode of Seinfeld from 1997 wherein Cosmo Kramer finds the remains of Griffin's set in a New York City dumpster and recreates it in his living room.  That was quite an accomplishment, considering that Griffin's series, which was filmed in Los Angeles, ended its run in 1986.  Check out a clip on YouTube.
  
  
• Pierce Brothers is the final resting place for hundreds of Hollywood notables, most famously Marilyn Monroe.  Griffin's plot can be found among its famed "Celebrity Row," which includes the likes of Farrah Fawcett, Carroll O'Connor, George C. Scott and more.
  
  
• Scroll back up and look at Merv's profile picture.  What's he hiding in his pocket?

The Final Flight of Carole Lombard

 

"Heads up, hands up, America!  Let's give a cheer that will be heard in Tokyo and Berlin!"

A few years ago, my friend Tom gave me a fantastic biography of actress Carole Lombard called Fireball (see Trivia below).  Author Robert Matzen shares the fascinating story of Lombard's rise to fame, her marriage to the legendary Clark Gable, and the horrific plane crash that took her life while serving her country.  It offers much more than this blog post will ever convey, and I highly recommend it.

Carole Lombard was born Jane Alice Peters in Fort Wayne, Indiana on October 6, 1908.  She was born into a lap of luxury, and by the time she was 12, the family had relocated to Los Angeles, where she made her debut in the 1921 film A Perfect Crime.  Her career was almost cut short, however.  When she was just 19, she was involved in a horrible car accident, a precursor for tragedies to come.  Her face was severely scarred, threatening any hopes for a Hollywood career.  She'd spend more than a year in physical therapy and would often wear her hair so as to cover the scar.

In 1927, she began her comeback by appearing in a series of short sketch comedies.  They caught the eye of Paramount Pictures, who signed her on as its next leading lady.  During this time, she married Hollywood hearthrob William Powell, but the marriage was doomed from the start.  By 1937, they were divorced, at which time she married Clark Gable.  They were Hollywood's first power couple.

Hollywood stars of the day tended to be quite patriotic, and Gable and Lombard were no different.  When America entered World War 2, they wrote to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, asking how they could help serve their country.  As a result, Lombard became the public face of America's war bond campaign.  In early January 1942, she traveled by train to her native Indiana, where she kicked off the campaign by raising more than $2 million (in 1942 dollars).

After the event, Lombard was in a hurry to return to Los Angeles, having recently fought with her husband.  Against the wishes of both Gable and the studio, Lombard and her party, which included her mother, opted to fly home.  While that may seem like an everyday occurrence now, air travel in 1942 was not the refined operation that exists today.  The Lombard Party boarded TWA Flight #3.  Although bound for Boulder City, it would reroute to Las Vegas, where it would meet with tragedy.

On Friday, January 16, shortly after 7:00 p.m., Flight #3 took off from Vegas bound for Los Angeles.  A few minutes into the flight, it disappeared from radar.  In the nearby town of Goodsprings, locals heard a fiery explosion atop Mount Potosi.  A command center was established at the Pioneer Saloon (see Trivia below), where a team of volunteers launched their search and rescue operation.  Upon hearing of the crash, Gable immediately traveled to Goodsprings, though his exact mode of travel is still a subject of great debate.

It took the rescue team more than a day to locate the wreckage, which ended all doubt of any possible survivors.  Lombard and 21 others, including members of the Army Air Corps, all perished in the crash, which was later attributed to pilot error.  Fireball describes the exact condition of Lombard's charred remains, which were missing the head and left arm.

In accordance with his wife's wishes, Gable conducted a fairly low-key service at Forest Lawn Glendale, a dual ceremony for both Carole and her mother.  Lombard was interred in the Great Mausoleum.  Despite remarrying twice in the years that followed, Gable would claim his final resting place next to her when he ultimately passed away himself in 1960.

Location: Memorial Terrace, Sanctuary of Trust, Crypt #5874

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• For more information on Lombard's life, the accident, and the aftermath, this blogger recommends Fireball: Carole Lombard and the Mystery of Flight 3, by author Robert Matzen.
  
  
• Two months after Lombard's death, her final film, To Be or Not to Be, a satirical look at the rising Nazi threat, was released in theatres.  It was a box office success, in part due to morbid curiosity.  Out of respect for Lombard, producers deleted a sequence in which her character asks the question "what can happen in a plane?"
  
  
• Lombard's childhood home in Fort Wayne is a recognized historical site.  There is also a memorial bridge named in her honor.
  
  
• Lombard and Gable honeymooned at Palm Spring's historic Willows Inn, which is still in service today.  The couple shared what's known as the Library Room, which you and your party can custom reserve.  
  
  
• Following her death, the Navy christened the S.S. Carole Lombard, a cargo ship that saw great service during World War 2 and beyond.  It has since been decommissioned and scrapped.
  
  
• Wanna see the crash site for yourself?  Plan your hike today!
  
  
• As noted above, much of the rescue effort was headquartered in Goodsprings, Nevada.  Today, the Pioneer Saloon, which first opened its doors in 1913, maintains a Clark Gable Room which tells the story.  This blogger first visited the saloon in 2008.