Philip K. Dick - Author of "Blade Runner," "The Man in the High Castle"

 

"The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words.  If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words."

Philip Kindred Dick and his twin sister Jane were born in Chicago, Illinois on December 16, 1928.  The twins were six weeks premature, which contributed to Jane's death just one month later. 

Dick's parents divorced when he was just five years old, and his mother won custody.  They moved to Washington, DC and then later to Berkeley, California.  He briefly attended the University of California, but ultimately dropped out after just one semester.

By 1951, Dick was already drafting science fiction stories.  He sold his first one that year and soon became a regular contributor to the pulp magazines of the day, including Galaxy Science Fiction and Science Fiction Quarterly.  His first novel, Solar Lottery, was published in 1955.

Over the next thirty years, Dick published a number of stories that would later inspire feature films.  The most famous of these is his 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which Hollywood adapted into the iconic film Blade Runner in 1982.  The film version launched the popular tech-noir and cyberpunk film genres in Hollywood.  Some of his other adapted works include We Can Remember it for You Wholesale, which became Total Recall (1966), Minority Report (1956), and The Man in the High Castle (1962).

As production on Blade Runner began in late 1981, Dick's health was already in decline.  There are conflicting reports as to whether he was able to view any of the completed work, but he wouldn't survive to see opening day.  He died of a stroke on March 2, 1982.  He was just 53 years old.

Dick was cremated.  His father took the ashes to Riverside Cemetery in Fort Morgan, Colorado and buried them with his long-dead twin sister.

Location: Section K, Block #1, Lot #56

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Philip K. Dick, take a voyage to your public library or Amazon.  Its all in books.  His novels are also worth your time.
  
  
• To date, the films based on Dick's novels have grossed more than $1 billion worldwide.  Dick himself saw little to none of this money, having passed away before earning any royalties.  Ironically, he died in relative squalor.
  
  
• Inspired by his twin sister's premature death, Dick often infused the idea of a "phantom twin" into many of his works.
  
  
• In 1979, Dick sat down for an interview with fellow sci-fi author Charles Platt.  You can listen to this exceptional two-hour conversation on YouTube.
  
  
• Dick served as a mentor to many up and coming sci-fi authors, including K.W. Jeter, who authored three Blade Runner sequel novels in the late 1990s.
  
  
• In 2021, artist Brennan Roach designed a utility box dedicated to Dick in his hometown of Santa Ana.  It was one in a series of such projects designed to beautify the city.  Check out its official website.
  
  
  
  
  
  

Olympia Dukakis

 

"So, I constantly play women who are damaged and out of touch, who are seeking without knowing, or knowing without the skills to transform their lives.  But then, that's really the fate of many women today."

Olympia Dukakis was born in Lowell, Massachusetts on June 20, 1931.  She was the daughter of Greek immigrants and had a younger brother named Apollo.  She was the cousin of former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, who would one day run for president (see Trivia below).

Olympia began her stage career at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts in the 1950s.  In 1973, Olympia and her husband co-founded the Whole Theater Company in Montclair, New Jersey.  She served as artistic director, producing five productions per season, and welcoming such actors as Samuel L. Jackson, Blythe Danner, Jose Ferrer and more.  The final curtain call was in 1990.

Olympia made her silver screen debut in the 1963 avant-garde production Twice a Man.  She'd go on to star in some of the biggest films of the 1980s, including Steel Magnolias (1989), Look Who's Talking (1989), and Moonstruck (1987), for which she'd win an Academy Award (see Trivia below).

By 2021, Olympia's health was in decline, prompting her to enter hospice care.  She ultimately passed away on May 21st at the age of 89.  Her exact cause of death has never been revealed.

Olympia Dukakis was entombed in a mausoleum at Mount Hebron Cemetery in Montclair, New Jersey.  Her alcove is rather high up and can be difficult to photograph.

Location: Lower Mausoleum, North Wing Panel #2

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Olympia Dukakis, take a voyage to your public library or Amazon.  Its all in books.
  
  
• Vlogger Jordan the Lion documented Olympia's final resting place in 2025.  Check out his video on YouTube.
  
  
• In 2018, a documentary film entitled Olympia was released in theatres.  Today, it is available for free on some streaming services, including Roku and Tubi.  Check out the trailer on YouTube.
  
  
• In 1988, Olympia was recognized by the Academy Awards as Best Supporting Actress in the 1987 film Moonstruck.  During her acceptance speech, she gave a shout out to her cousin Michael, who was running for president that year and ultimately won a whopping ten states. In 1989, Olympia's home was burglarized and the award was stolen.  The thief was kind enough, however, to leave her nameplate.
  
  
• Other notable Mount Hebron interments include paint magnate Benjamin Moore, TV inventor Allen DuMont, and Hazel star Shirley Booth, formerly featured in this blog.

Jack Webb

 

The story you about to read is true.

John Randolph "Jack" Webb was born in Santa Monica, California on April 2, 1920.  He never knew his father, who left the family before Webb was born.  He grew up in the Bunker Hill section of Los Angeles, an area ripe with poverty.

Webb attended St. John's University in Minnesota, but he never received his diploma.  Like many of his generation, he put his studies on hold as America entered World War 2.  He enlisted with the Army Air Corps, where he served on the crew of a B-26 Marauder.  Webb was ultimately issued a hardship discharge however, as he was the sole provider for his mother and grandmother.

After the war, Webb got his start in radio, working for station KGO in San Francisco.  The Jack Webb Show, his first weekly series, was actually a comedy, running contrary to the serious persona for which he'd become known.  In 1949, he introduced Dragnet and his Joe Friday character on NBC Radio in Los Angeles, where it ran for the next eight years. 

Three years into its run, the first television version, also starring Webb, began airing on NBC.  It ran until 1959.  Webb brought it back to television as a mid-season replacement in 1967, where it ran for the next three years.  If you've ever stumbled across a Dragnet rerun in syndication, its from this three-year time period.

On December 23, 1982, Jack Webb died of a sudden heart attack.  He was just 62 years old.  He was laid to rest at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills with full honors befitting an LAPD detective, including a 17-gun salute.

Location: Sheltering Hills Section, Map #C07, Lot #1999

Rest in peace.

Just the Facts

• If you want to learn more about Jack Webb, take a voyage to your public library or Amazon.  Its all in books.
  
  
• While there is no Jack Webb Museum per se, there is a rather unique exhibit on display at the Valley Relics Museum in Lake Balboa, California.  It includes a wall of televisions sets from Webb's former living room, from which he would simultaneously watch his own shows as well as those of his competitors.
  
  
• Joe Friday's badge number was 714.  This was an homage to Babe Ruth and the number of home runs he scored during his baseball career.  Webb was his biggest fan. 
  
  
• Upon Webb's passing, the LAPD retired his badge number and christened a police academy auditorium in his honor.
  
  
• Back when late-night television was actually funny, Webb appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in a spoof of his Joe Friday character.  If you've never seen it, I highly recommend it.  Check it out on YouTube.
  

JonBenet Ramsey

 

JonBenet Patricia Ramsey was born in Atlanta, Georgia on August 6, 1990.  She was the youngest of two children born to John Bennett and Patrica Ramsey.  She had an older brother named Burke and three half-siblings.

As a former Miss West Virginia herself (1977), Patricia began entering her daughter in beauty pageants from a very early age.  During her brief career, JonBenet won no less than seven titles, including Little Miss Colorado, Little Miss Charlevoix (Michigan), and Little Miss Christmas, the latter of which she won the week before her death.

On the morning of December 26, 1996, the Ramsey family reported that JonBenet was missing.  Later that day, her body was discovered in the basement of their home.  A subsequent investigation determined that she had been strangled on Christmas night, and the case was ruled a homicide.

Sadly, the case remains unsolved to this day, almost thirty years after the crime.  JonBenet was laid to rest at Saint James Episcopal Cemetery in Marietta, Georgia.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• Several books have been written on this tragic case, enough to fill a library.  Check out some of them on Amazon.
  
  
• The Alcatraz East Crime Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee has a few of Ramsey's personal effects on display, including her bicycle and a pair of tap-dancing shoes.  They are housed within the museum's cold cases gallery.
  
  
• Seven years after the murder, forensic investigators examined DNA taken from Ramsey's clothing and compared it to every sample on file.  There was no match in their database.
  
  
• The current owners of the former Ramsey House in Colorado, Timothy and Carol Milner, have turned down multiple Hollywood offers to showcase the property, including those from Netflix and Dr. Phil.  As Carol told one media outlet, "we want nothing to do with the exploitation of that poor family."
  
  
• Ten years after her daughter's death, Patricia Ramsey lost her battle with cancer, passing away at the age of 49.  She was laid to rest with her daughter.
  
  

  

  This photo courtesy of Find a Grave.

Strother Martin

 

"No man can achieve immortality.  We don't live for what comes after we are dead, but for what we can achieve in this life - the only chance we have."

Strother Douglas Martin, Jr. was born in Kokomo, Indiana on March 26, 1919.  As a child, he excelled at swimming and diving (see Trivia below).  He later served as a swimming instructor with the U.S. Navy during World War 2 and then as a student at the University of Michigan.

His swimming abilities then took him to Hollywood, where he found work as an instructor for such films as The Damned Don't Cry (1950) starring Joan Crawford.  His foot in the door, he soon started earning small parts on such series as Gunsmoke and Have Gun - Will Travel.  Throughout his career, he'd amass 189 credits in television and feature films.

Martin is best remembered for his role in the 1967 Paul Newman film Cool Hand Luke. Credited simply as the Captain, he served as a prison warden and main antagonist in the film, who was best remembered for this scene.

By 1980, Martin was under a doctor's care for diabetes and cardiac-related issues.  He ultimately died of a heart attack on August 1st at the age of 61.

Strother Martin was cremated and his ashes were interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Hollywood Hills.

Location: Court of Remembrance, Columbarium of Radiant Dawn,
Outdoor Garden Niche #62310

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• While there are no biographies or museums for Martin, there is a mural painted in his honor in Los Angeles.
  
  

  

  Location: 5200 Fountain Avenue

  
  
• In 1970, Chico State College in California hosted the First Annual Strother Martin Film Festival.  Sadly, it did not become an annual event as originally billed.
  
  
• Martin's most famous line of dialogue from Cool Hand Luke serves as the opening of the Guns N' Roses song Civil War.  Check it out on YouTube.
  
  
• An avid swimmer who earned the nickname "T-Bone Martin," Martin won the National Junior Springboard Division Championship in 1936.  Although he failed to make the 1948 Olympic team, he would later coach the children of Hollywood stars, agents, executives, and more.
  
  
• Just a few months before Cool Hand Luke opened in theatres, Martin appeared on a classic episode of the sit-com Gilligan's Island (see profile picture above).  He played a man who was attempting to win a cash prize for being marooned on an island.  Despite the similarity between this concept and the reality series Survivor, it would take CBS 37 years to develop the award-winning format.  
  

Liz Taylor

"I, along with my critics, have never taken myself very seriously."

Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was born in London, England on February 27, 1932.  As her parents were American citizens traveling abroad, she was granted dual citizenship.  By 1939, with war brewing across Europe, the family returned to America, settling in Pasadena, California.

Taylor's natural good looks, including her dark blue eyes, often earned praise from friends and teachers alike.  With her mother's approval, she auditioned for Universal Pictures and MGM, both of whom offered her contracts.  She ultimately signed with Universal.

Taylor's first role was in the 1942 feature There's One Born Every Minute.  It would prove to be her only film with Universal however, though she'd soon sign a contract with MGM.  Before retiring in 2003, she'd star in over 50 theatrical releases, including Cleopatra (1963), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), the latter of which would earn her an Academy award.

Taylor suffered a myriad of illnesses throughout her life, starting with scoliosis as a child.  She had back and hip problems and underwent an emergency hysterectomy, but it was congestive heart failure that ultimately took her life on March 23, 2011.  She was 79 years old.  Her obituary, as published in the New York Times, was penned by former staffer Mel Gussow, who had himself passed away six years earlier.  In explaining why they chose to run the piece, editors stated it was "too good to throw away."

Liz Taylor was cremated and placed within an angelic statue at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.

Location: The Great Mausoleum, Memorial Terrace

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Liz Taylor, take a voyage to your public library or Amazon.  Its all in books.
  
  
• While there is no standalone Liz Taylor Museum, her estate has created a virtual archive.  
  
  
• Taylor was famous for her eight marriages (to seven men), all of which ended in divorce. Of this, she once quipped "I am a very committed wife.  And I should be committed too, for being married so many times."
  
  
• Taylor was famous for her friendship with musical icon Michael Jackson, who wrote the 1987 song Leave me Alone as a tribute to her.  Today, they are enshrined in the same mausoleum just one floor apart.
  
  
• Taylor was the visual inspiration for the DC Comics character Carol Ferris/Star Sapphire, the girlfriend of Hal Jordan/Green Lantern.

The Guest Stars of Star Trek!

This month marks the 60th anniversary of the premiere of Star Trek, the cultural juggernaut that has spanned countless movies, spinoffs, novels, and so much more.  We thought in honor of that occasion, we'd visit (or re-visit) the final resting places of those guest stars who have at last reached the final frontier.  Engage!

Ricardo Montalban (Khan, Space Seed)
Holy Cross Cemetery (Los Angeles, California)
Cause of Death: Congestive Heart Failure

Frank Gorshin (Bele, Let That Be Your Last Battlefield)
Calvary Cemetery (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Cause of Death: Lung Cancer, Emphysema, Pneumonia

Jill Ireland (Leila Kalomi, This Side of Paradise)
Brownsville Cemetery (West Windsor, Vermont)
Cause of Death: Breast Cancer

Gene Lyons (Ambassador Robert Fox, A Taste of Armageddon)
Calvary Cemetery (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Cause of Death: Alcoholism

Michael Ansara (Kang, Day of the Dove)
Forest Lawn Memorial Park Hollywood Hills (Los Angeles, California)
Cause of Death: Alzheimer's Disease

Jay Robinson (Ambassador Petri, Elaan of Troyius)
Forest Lawn Memorial Park Hollywood Hills (Los Angeles, California)
Cause of Death: Congestive Heart Failure

Janos Prohaska (Mugato, A Private Little War)
Woodlawn Cemetery (Santa Monica, California)
Cause of Death: Plane Crash

Morgan Woodward (Captain Ron Tracey, The Omega Glory)
Arlington Cemetery (Arlington, Texas)
Cause of Death: Prostate Cancer

Vic Tayback (Jojo Krako, A Piece of the Action)
Forest Lawn Memorial Park Hollywood Hills (Los Angeles, California)
Cause of Death: Heart Attack

Jeffrey Hunter (Captain Christopher Pike, The Menagerie)
Glen Haven Memorial Park (Sylmar, California)
Cause of Death: Skull Fracture

Glenn Corbett (Zefram Cochrane, Metamorphosis)
Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery (San Antonio, Texas)
Cause of Death: Lung Cancer

Robert Lansing (Gary Seven, Assignment: Earth)
Union Field Cemetery (Ridgewood, New York)
Cause of Death: Lung Cancer

Harry Townes (Reger, Return of the Archons)
Maple Hill Cemetery (Huntsville, Alabama)
Cause of Death: Undisclosed

Live long and prosper!

Tom Burnett - Hero of Flight #93

 

"Don't worry, we're going to do something."

Thomas Edward Burnett, Jr. was born in Bloomington, Minnesota on May 29, 1963.  He was the middle child of Tom Sr. and Beverly and had both a younger and an older sister. 

After graduating from high school in 1981, he studied Economics at the University of Minnesota, where he was a star quarterback on the football team.  An injury shortened his athletic career however, but he ultimately graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Finance before earning his MBA from Pepperdine University.

In 1996, Burnett joined the Thoratec Corporation, a medical product manufacturer, as Vice President of Sales and Marketing.  That same year, he and his wife Deena welcomed the first of three daughters, having settled down in San Ramon, California.  According to Deena, Burnett began experiencing an extreme sense of foreboding by late 2000.  Unable to explain it, he began attending mass on a daily basis.

One year later, on September 11, 2001, Burnett was one of 33 passengers who boarded United Airlines #93 in Newark, New Jersey, bound for San Francisco, California.  It was one of four planes hijacked that day in the single largest terrorist attack on American soil, culminating in the deaths of more than 3,000 citizens.

Burnett and his fellow passengers were ushered to the back of the plane by the four hijackers.  The time was 9:28, almost an hour after the attack on the World Trade Center had begun.  Burnett called Deena, who informed him of the attacks.  He rallied with his fellow passengers, including Todd Beamer, Jeremy Glick, and Mark Bingham, to retake the plane and prevent another attack.  While they were ultimately successful, the plane did crash near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing all 44 people aboard.

Having begun his college education at the United States Air Force Academy, Burnett was entitled to a military burial.  He was laid to rest at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minnesota.  Appropriately, his headstone bears the title "Citizen Soldier."

Rest in peace, and never forget.

Trivia

• The final resting place of fellow passenger Todd Beamer, who was also instrumental in retaking the plane, has also been profiled by this blog.  
  
  
• Along with the other passengers and crew, Burnett's name is etched on the memorial wall at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.  Their names also appear at the South Pool of the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York. 
  
  
• The University of Minnesota, Burnett's alma mater, founded the Tom Burnett Leadership Program in 2006.  According to its website, the program "teaches students how to become personal leaders who are active, engaged citizens committed to the broader community and their careers after graduation."
  
  
• The post office in Burnett's hometown of Bloomington, Minnesota was renamed in his honor.
  
  
• Although Burnett's life story has never been told, his widow Deena did publish Fighting Back: Living Life Beyond Ourselves, in 2006.  Highlighting actions taken by the passengers as well as events from her own personal life, the author demonstrated how each of us can be a hero, however big or small.  Pick up a copy from Amazon.

The Dolly Parton Family Cemetery

 

Nope, she ain't buried here, nor is she going to be.  After her untimely death on August 25th, Dolly Parton was laid to rest In Nashville, at Woodland Memorial Park and Mausoleum.  She joined her husband Carl Dean in a spacious mausoleum alcove.  They were reunited in the afterlife after a one-year separation.

Most of Dolly's immediate family, however, are buried in Sevierville, Tennessee's Angel Hill Cemetery, just a stone's throw from Dollywood.  It's a private cemetery owned by the Parton family, and it serves as the final resting place for several generations.

Dolly herself coined the name following the tragic passing of her baby brother Donnie in 1967. She would later record a song with the same title for the made-for-TV movie Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors. 

The centerpiece of the park is the final resting place of Dolly's parents, Robert and Avie Lee Parsons, who passed away in 2000 and 2003, respectively.  

Sadly, Dolly's older brother Coy preceded her in death by only one month, passing away himself on July 23rd at the age of 82.  He now rests besides his parents for all time.

Rest in peace, Dolly, and to all of your family the same.

Trivia

• Robert and Avie Lee appeared with their daughter Stella in a 1978 interview for Good Morning, America.  Check it out on YouTube.
  
  
• Following in her daughter's footsteps, Avie Lee released a cassette tape in 1990 called Smokey Mountain Mama.  It was only available for sale at Dollywood or by mail.  Check out the single Little Rosewood Casket on YouTube.
  
  
• This blogger has previously visited Woodlawn Cemetery in Nashville.  It's the final resting place for several country music legends, including Tammy Wynette, George Jones, Jerry Reed, and Johnny Paycheck.
  
  
• In addition to Dollywood, Sevierville and the surrounding Smokey Mountain community are home to many other Dolly-related attractions, including a water park and dinner theatre.  There are also several small businesses trying to cash in on the name, including Dolly Nails and Lash as well as a gift shop called Lid'l Dolly's Factory Store.

Minnie Pearl

 

"God has a plan for all of us, but He expects us to do our share of the work."

Minnie Pearl was born Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon in Centerville, Tennessee on October 25, 1912.  She was the youngest of five daughters born to a prosperous local family who made their fortune in the timber industry.

She graduated from what is today known as Belmont University in Nashville, where she majored in theater and dance.  After graduation, she joined a theatrical touring company based in Atlanta, where, in 1939, she developed the now-famous Minnie Pearl persona.  This led to her first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry just one later.  It would become a lifetime association.

The newly christened Minnie Pearl became a fixture on American television, starting with Ozark Jubilee in the late 1950s.  She later appeared on such long-running series as Hee Haw and Hollywood Squares.  She made the jump to the silver screen as well, appearing as herself in the 1979 feature film Coal Miner's Daughter.  She retired from public life following a stroke in 1991.

Minnie Pearl spent her final years at a Nashville nursing home before succumbing to a second stroke that ultimately took her life on March 4, 1996 at the age of 83.  She was laid to rest in the Cannon Family plot at Mount Hope Cemetery in Franklin, Tennessee.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Minnie Pearl, take a voyage to your public library or Amazon.  It's all in books.
  
  
• While there is currently no dedicated Minnie Pearl Museum, you can find permanent exhibits at the Grand Ole Opry as well as the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, both of which are in Nashville.
  
  
• While not known for her singing, Pearly did reach the Billboard Top 10 chart in 1966 with her song Giddyup Go Answer.  Check it out on YouTube.
  
  
• In the late 1960s, Pearl started her own fast-food restaurant chain called Minnie Pearl's Chicken, with the slogan "how-dee-licious!"  It failed to catch on, however, and is today seen as something of a marketing disaster.  Check out this documentary on YouTube.
  
  
• In the 1980s, Pearl did a series of commercials for Spic and Span cleaner.  Check out this one on YouTube.

Death With Louie

 

"I hope I'm not on 'E True Hollywood Story' 'til I'm dead."

Louis Perry "Louie" Anderson was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on March 24, 1953.  He was the tenth child born to father Louis, a trumpeter, and mother Ora Zelly, who could trace her ancestry back to the Mayflower.

Anderson was a gifted comedian from the start.  He made his professional debut in 1984, appearing on Rodney Dangerfield's Young Comedians Special on HBO.  That same year, he made his silver screen debut as well, appearing as a cab driver in the Dabney Coleman spy thriller Cloak and Dagger.  He would later famously appear opposite Eddie Murphy in the classic comedy Coming to America (1988) and its subsequent sequel Coming 2 America (2021).  I didn't see it either.

In 1999, Anderson assumed hosting responsibilities for the long-running game show Family Feud.  He was the third such comedian to host the program, following Richard Dawson and Ray Combs.  In 2002, he was replaced by Home Improvement alum Richard Karn.  He later predicted to the press that the show would be off the air in less than a year.  However, in 2017, he returned as a contestant on Celebrity Family Feud, now hosted by comedian and talk show host Steve Harvey.

Around 2010, Anderson was diagnosed with a lymphoma, a fact he kept private for more than a decade.  It ultimately took his life on January 21, 2022.  He was just 68 years old.  He was cremated, and his ashes were entombed at Acacia Park Cemetery in Mendota Heights, Minnesota.

Location: Niche #5, South, #R-3, #01

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Louie Anderson, take a voyage to your public library or Amazon.  It's all in books.
  
  
• In 1986, Anderson was cast in the pilot episode of Perfect Strangers opposite Bronson Pinchot.  Executives felt they lacked chemistry however, and the role was recast with series lead Mark Linn-Baker.
  
  
• In 1997, Anderson won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program for playing himself on the series Life With Louie.  Check out the intro on YouTube.
  
  
• That same year, Anderson began paying hush money to Richard John Gordon, who was blackmailing the comedian over a 1993 encounter at a casino in Hawthorne, California.  By 2000, Gordon had raised his rates, at which time Anderson finally reported him to the authorities.  Gordon subsequently spent two years in prison.
  
  
• Proving that they too had a sense of humor, former retail giant The Sports Authority hired Anderson to promote their products in a series of silly commercials, like this one.  Coincidentally, the brand filed for bankruptcy in 2016.

Fay Wray

 

"Every time I'm in New York, I say a little prayer when passing the Empire State Building.  A good friend of mine died up there."

Vina Fay Wray was born in Alberta, Canada on September 15, 1907.  She was born into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was the granddaughter of church pioneer Daniel Webster Jones.  The family lived in Salt Lake City for much of her youth before moving to Hollywood in the 1920s.

She began her acting career while still a teenager, appearing in the 1925 silent picture The Coast Patrol.  It led to a contract with Paramount Pictures and her first leading role in the 1929 Erich von Stroheim film The Wedding March.  She'd leave Paramount one year later, signing with rival studio RKO.

In 1933, she starred in the film that would define her career - King Kong.  Not only did the film launch Wray to super stardom, it also saved the studio itself, which was on the brink of bankruptcy.  Her film career spanned more than twenty years, and by the 1950s, she found steady work on television, putting in memorable guest appearances on such series as Perry Mason, 77 Sunset Strip, and The Real McCoys.  Her last credited role was the 1980 made-for-TV movie Gideon's Trumpet.

Fay Wray died in her sleep on August 8, 2004.  She was 96 years old. Two days later, the Empire State Building dimmed its lights for 15 minutes in honor of her memory.  She was laid to rest in a modest grave at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Location: Section #8 (Garden of Legends), Lot #2300, Grave #7

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Fay Wray, take a voyage to your public library or Amazon.  It's all in books.
  
  
• While there is no dedicated Fay Wray museum, there is a memorial fountain in her hometown of Alberta, as well as local history displays.  You'll find them at the Courthouse and Heritage Museum.
  
  
• In 1997, Wray was offered the role of adult Rose in James Cameron's Titanic, later saying "I think to have done Titanic would have been a tortuous experience altogether."  The part eventually went to actress Gloria Stuart.
  
  
• During the 1998 Oscar awards telecast, host Billy Crystal ambushed Wray on live television declaring her the "beauty who charmed the beast."  Wray was caught completely off guard and seemed uncomfortable with the recognition.  Curious?  Check out this clip on YouTube.
  
  
• In 1993, Type O Negative released a tribute song entitled Fay Wray Come Out and Play.  Check it out on YouTube.

Jesse James

 

"My pistols, however, I always kept by me."

Jesse Woodson James was born near Kearney, Missouri on September 5, 1847.  He was the son of Robert, a Baptist minister and farmer, and Zerelda.  Jesse had two full siblings, older brother Frank and younger sister Susan, as well as four half-siblings.

James fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War.  He wasn't an actual soldier per se, rather, he served brutal guerrilla leaders commonly referred to as "bushwhackers."  These included William Quantrill (see headstone below) and William "Bloody Bill" Anderson.  Exact numbers are unknown, but James participated in several mass killings during this time.

After the war, Jesse continued serving with the bushwhackers in a deeply divided Missouri, before later starting his own gang with brother Frank and the Younger Brothers (Cole, Jim, John, and Bob). Over the course of this collaboration, the gang was credited with 12 bank robberies, 7 train robberies, and 5 stagecoach heists.  Jesse himself would be credited with killing as many as 26 people.

By 1882, Jesse was Missouri's most wanted fugitive.  Governor Thomas Crittenden had made his arrest a top priority.  Although he was barred from offering a bounty himself, Crittenden convinced railroad officials, the most frequent of Jesse's victims, to offer $5,000 for his arrest and another $5,000 for his conviction.  The total amount was later claimed by gang member Robert Ford, who betrayed and murdered Jesse on April 3rd, 1882, at the age of 34.

Jesse was initially laid to rest on the family farm in Kearney (see Trivia below).  In 1902, he was relocated to Mt. Olivert Cemetery and the family plot.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to know more about Jesse James, take a voyage to your public library, or Amazon.  It's all in books.
  
  
• There is no shortage of Jesse James museums in Missouri.  You'll find the James Farm in his hometown of Kearney.  Stanton is home to the Jesse James Wax Museum.  The Jesse James Home and Museum is in St. Joesph, while the Jesse James Bank Museum is in Liberty.
  
  
• Following his death, several people came forward claiming to be Jesse, the most famous of which was J. Frank Dalton of Oklahoma.  Check out this 1948 news clip from Movietone News.
  
  
• Hollywood has produced more than 30 films about the outlaw, who's been portrayed by Roy Rogers, Tyrone Power, Brad Pitt, and more.  The most notable actor to ever play him, however, was his own son, Jesse James, Jr., who appeared in Jesse James Under the Black Flag and Jesse James as the Outlaw, silent films that were released in 1921.  You can watch the first one on YouTube.
  
  
• Jesse's father Robert was one of the original founders of William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri in 1849.  I bet they have an interesting History curriculum.
  

This blog will return on August 14th.

The Schott Heard 'Round the World

 

Editor's Note: This blog finds and documents the final resting place of the famous, and sometimes, the infamous.  They're not always nice people.

"When you don't have kids and you're in a Catholic family - one of my sisters has ten children in eleven years - she's part rabbit - you feel kinda guilty about that.  So, I want to do things for other people's children."

Marge Schott was born Margaret Carolyn Unnewehr in Cincinnati, Ohio on August 18, 1928.  She was one of five daughters born to a family that earned its wealth in the lumber industry.  She doubled that fortune when she married Charles Schott, who's family owned several car dealerships in the Cincinnati area, all of which she'd inherit upon his death in 1968 (see Trivia below).

Like many in the Queen City, Schott was a huge baseball fan and of her home team, the Cincinnati Reds. She bought a minority interest in the team in 1981, buying control interest just three years later.  She is notable for being the first woman to buy an MLB team.

Her ownership years represented both sides of the coin.  While she was praised for keeping seats and concession prices below average and for creating a family friendly environment, she was also criticized for failing to invest in the team itself.  While most owners would be thrilled with a World Series victory, which the Reds claimed in 1990, Schott publicly criticized her own team for winning it in four games, one shy of a major financial windfall.  As a result, she refused to pay for a post-game celebration, leaving the winners to pay for it themselves. 

Her mouth got her into trouble on more than one occasion.  In 1993, she was suspended for one year and fined $25,000 for using derogatory language against her minority players.  She faced a similar suspension just three years later, after making public comments praising Adolf Hitler.  By 1999, the MLB had had enough, and she was forced to sell the team.

By 2004, a lifetime of smoking had finally caught up with Schott.  She was hospitalized on February 9th, the reasons for which are still unclear.  She developed breathing problems during her stay however, and was eventually put on life support.  She ultimately passed away on March 2nd at the age of 75.

Marge Schott was laid to rest at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Montgomery, Ohio.  She is wearing her signature red suit.

Location: Section #1, Lot #49, Grave #32

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Marge Schott, take a voyage to your public library, or Amazon.  It's all in books.
  
  
• As is custom, this blog began with a famous quote.  That statement really was the nicest thing this blogger could find attributed to Schott, who was known for saying some truly awful things.
  
  
• Schott owned two car dealerships in the Cincinnati area, both of which bore her name.  She did her own commercials for them too.  Check out this one on YouTube and tell 'em Schottzie sent you!
  
  
• Despite the controversies, Schott was known for her philanthropy.  She made frequent donations to the University of Cincinnati, who in turn, named their baseball stadium after her.  Her name was taken down in 2020, however, and is today simply known as the UC Baseball Stadium.  When she died, she left an estate valued at $124 million to charity.
  
  
• Schott is not the only controversial figure you'll find at Gate of Heaven Cemetery.  It's also the final resting place of Charles Keating, Jr., who made headlines in the 1980s for his role in the savings and loan scandal.  He ultimately served four and half years for wire fraud and bankruptcy fraud.