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.

Jackie Mason, the Equal Opportunity Offender

 

"I have nothing but love in my heart and everything I say is just an instrument for laughs."

Jackie Mason was born Yaakov Moshe Maza in Sheboygan, Wisconsin (really) on June 9, 1931.  He was the fourth of six children and came from a long line of rabbis, going back four generations.  

He graduated from the City College of New York in 1953 with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Sociology.  He followed in the family tradition and was ordained as a rabbi, leading congregations in North Carolina and Pennsylvania.  His sermons often included the humor that he'd become famous for, and he later quipped that even the gentiles were attending.  Taking this cue, he resigned his position in 1962 and became a professional comedian, saying "someone in the family had to make a living."

Mason made several appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show throughout the 1960s, but was banned by the host after appearing to give him the middle finger on air.  Mason vehemently denied the allegations and even filed a defamation lawsuit.  Although it initially hurt his career for a few years, he made his Broadway debut in 1969, playing a Jewish widower in the comedy A Teaspoon Every Four Hours.  He'd return to the stage in 1986, headlining The World According to Me!, the first of several successful one-man shows.

Mason was no stranger to the silver screen either, with memorable appearances in The Jerk (1979) and History of the World, Part 1 (1981).  He'd probably rather you forget however, that he also headlined 1988's Caddyshack 2, one of the most poorly received films of the decade.  Mibikh!

In July 2021, Mason was admitted to Mt. Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, where he was treated for inflammation of the lungs.  It ultimately took his life two weeks later on July 24th at the age of 91.  He was laid to rest at Beth David Cemetery in Elmont, New York.  His headstone is taller than most people I know.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Jackie Mason, take a voyage to your public library, or Amazon.  Its all in books.
  
  
• The inscription on the main headstone reads "My precious angel.  For 46 years you have given me so much love, affection, strength, joy & laughter.  I have loved you every moment of it.  I miss you so much.  It broke my heart to lose you, but you didn't go alone.  A part of me went with you the day G-D took you home.  Even though you have left life's stage, you will live in my heart forever.  Sleep peacefully my darling little bubbala until we are together again."  It is accompanied by Hebrew text that reads Jacob Moshe, the Priest of Zea.  The smaller headstone reads "No one spread more laughter and happiness in one lifetime and now its SRO in Heaven.  It's the world's loss and G-D's gain.  Blessed are those who walked in the light of your presence."  In both cases, the word "God" is abbreviated on the headstones, not by this blogger.  "SRO" is most likely short for standing room only, meaning that Mason's heavenly concerts are all sold out.
  
  
• You can find memorabilia from Mason's career at the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, New York as well as the National Comedy Hall of Fame in Holiday, Florida.
  
  
• In 2001, Mason co-founded an organization called One Jerusalem, an educational foundation. Per its mission statement, its purpose is to maintain a united Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel. Growing increasingly frustrated with Democratic policies towards Israel, Mason officially left the party in 2007, registered as a Republican, and later publicly supported President Donald J. Trump.
  
  
• Other notable Beth David interments include Martin Landau, Dr. Joyce Brothers, Andy Kaufman and Mad Magazine artist Al Jaffee.

Harvey Pekar - American Splendor

 

"I very frequently get letters from people that say, 'yea, I went through that myself, and I really got a lot of comfort from your story.'  That makes me feel good.  People who've had lousy experiences like to read about somebody else going through the same crap, so they find out they're not the only ones.  Misery loves company.  There's a lot to that."

Harvey Pekar was born in Cleveland, Ohio on October 8, 1939.  He was the oldest of two sons born to Polish immigrants Saul and Dora, who owned a local grocery store.  Although the family lived right upstairs, Pekar would state that he seldom ever saw his parents, due to their hectic work schedules.

After high school, Pekar did a short stint with the Navy before enrolling at Case Western Reserve University.  College life wasn't for him however, and he dropped out after one year.  He was hired by the Veterans Administration as a file clerk in 1965, a job he would hold until his retirement in 2001.

In the 1960s, Pekar became good friends with artist Robert Crumb.  It rekindled in him a long-held desire to draw comic books.  That dream came to fruition in 1972, when the two collaborated on their first project together, Crazy Ed, which was published in Crumb's comic book series The People's Comics.  They'd continue working together over the next few years before launching the series American Splendor, for which they are best known.

Rather than focusing on traditional comic book tropes, such as heroes and villains, the series was an autobiographical peek into Pekar's life as a file clerk, with a focus on the mundane.  It proved extraordinarily popular, with Amazon later declaring it "one of the first and most groundbreaking literary memoirs in comic history."  It ran for 32 years, ending its run in 2008.

In 1990, Pekar was diagnosed with lymphoma, the first of several cancer diagnoses he'd receive over the next two decades.  He ultimately passed away on July 12, 2010, but it wasn't cancer that ended his life. An autopsy revealed he'd died of a drug overdose at the age of 70.  Doh!

Harvey Pekar was cremated.  His ashes were interred at Lake View Cemetery in his hometown of Cleveland.  To date, it is the most decorated grave this blogger has ever visited, even surpassing PBS artist and host Bob Ross.

Location: Section #7, Lot #9, Grave #1
Inscription #1: Beloved Husband and Guardian
Inscription #2: Life is About Women, Gigs, An' Bein' Creative

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Harvey Pekar, take a voyage to your public library or Amazon.  It's all in books.
  
  
• Pekar was a recurring guest on The Late Show with David Letterman, for which he was paid peanuts.  For his final appearance in 1994, he received a paltry $600.  Somebody with too much time on their hands compiled all of those interviews into this YouTube clip.
  
  
• In 2003, HBO produced the biopic American Splendor, featuring Paul Giamatti as Pekar.  Check out the trailer on YouTube.
  
  
• One year after his passing, Pekar was inducted into the Will Eisner Comics Hall of Fame.  Check out his profile here.
  
  
• Other notable Lake View internments include our 20th president James Garfield, business magnate John D. Rockefeller, and "the father of Rock and Roll," DJ Alan Freed.  Pekar's headstone is right next door to famed federal law enforcement officer Eliot Ness.

Dear Abby

 

Dear Abby was born Pauline Esther Freedman in Sioux City, Iowa on July 4, 1918.  She was the daughter of Jewish immigrants who owned a chain of movie theatres in the Hawkeye state.  

She attended Morningside College, where she studied journalism and psychology, coursework that would define her adult career.  It was here that she had her first advice column, which she co-wrote with her twin sister Esther (see Trivia below).  

In 1956, she moved to San Francisco.  Looking for work, she called the editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, stating that she could write a better advice column than what they were running at the time.  Impressed by her boldness, the editor gave her a trial run and soon put her on staff.  It was during this time that she adopted her pen name of Abigail Van Buren (see Trivia below) and the column that would become synonymous with her - Dear Abby.

Her column proved incredibly popular and was syndicated later that year, eventually appearing in more than 1,400 newspapers worldwide.  In 1987, daughter Jeanne began co-writing the column with her mother, eventually joining the byline in 2000.  Two years later, she assumed full responsibility for "Dear Abby," which she still runs to this day.

In the early 2000s, Phillips was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, which ultimately took her life on January 16, 2013.  She was 94 years old.  She was laid to rest in the Minneapolis Jewish Cemetery in her home state of Minnesota.

Location: Section #3, Block #17, Lot #2, Grave #6

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Dear Abby, aka Abigail Van Buren, aka Pauline Esther Phillips, take a voyage to your public library, or Amazon.  It's all in books.
  
  
• The headstone, which she shares with her husband, contains three sets of Hebrew text:
    * Pasha, Daughter of Abraham and Rebecca, Nephi, 5th Shevat, 5773 
    * Moshe Aril, Son of Yitzhak and Rachel, Deceased, Menachem Av 5777 
    * May his/her soul be bound up in the bond of life 
  
  
• As mentioned above, Phillips was the identical twin sister of fellow advice columnist Ann Landers, aka Esther Pauline Lederer.  Ann was the older of the two siblings by 17 minutes, and she preceded Abby in death by 11 years.  Upon her death, she was cremated and her ashes were scattered in Lake Michigan.
  
  
• Phillips chose the name "Abigail" from the Old Testament and "Van Buren" after our eighth president, Martin Van Buren.
  
  
• In 1964, Abby appeared as herself on an episode of the curiously popular sit-com Mister Ed.  You know, the show about a talking horse.  The plot has Ed moving out on his own and leaving his owner Wilbur behind, following bad advice from Abby herself.  Hilarity ensues.
  
  
• In 1999, Hollywood produced a made-for-TV movie about the twins, entitled Take My Advice: The Ann and Abby Story, starring Wendie Malick in a dual role.  You can rent or buy the film from YouTube.
  

Tiny Tim

 

"I'd love to see Christ come back to crush the spirit of hate and make men put down their guns.  I'd also like just one more hit single."

Tiny Tim was born Herbert Butros Khaury in New York City on April 12, 1932.  He was a born musician, who was singing and playing the guitar by the time he was six.  He spent much of his teenage years studying sheet music and listening to records in the New York City Public Library.

In 1949, he discovered his high voice, a trait that would define his career.  That same year, he taught himself to play the ukelele, which would become a key ingredient in his act.  By 1958, he was already performing in clubs throughout Gotham, singing his signature hit Tiptoe Through the Tulips.

Tiny Tim first came to national attention in 1968, when he appeared on the premiere broadcast of Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, where he performed A-Tisket, A-Tasket and On the Good Ship Lollipop (watch both here).  A few months later, he made his first of 22 appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, the most famous of which featured his wedding to first wife Victoria Budinger, whom he lovingly referred to as "Miss Vicki."  Over the course of his four-decade career, Tiny Tim released 14 albums, but he'd never match the success of his signature hit. 

In 1995, Tiny Tim married one of his fans, Sue Gardner ("Miss Sue"), his third and final bride.  He moved to her home state of Minnesota, and by this time, he'd been diagnosed with diabetes.  He revealed that he was, much to Gardner's dismay, impotent, due to poor blood circulation.  He suffered the first of two heart attacks while performing on stage at Massachusetts ukelele festival in September 1996.  Spectators later posted the video online, which you can see for yourself on YouTube. 

He suffered a second heart attack just two months later on November 30, while once again performing on stage, but this one would prove fatal.  When asked by his wife if he felt alright, he'd utter his final words to her, saying "no, I'm not."  He died later that night at the age of 64, passing on to the Other Side.

Unfortunately, you can't tiptoe through anything to reach his grave in Minneapolis, as Tiny Tim is entombed within the Memorial Mausoleum at Lakewood Cemetery.  A single ukelele was placed with him in the coffin.  There are pictures of this online, including this one (scroll down to the bottom).

Location: Room #117, Tier #2, Crypt F

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Tiny Tim, take a voyage to your public library or Amazon.  It's all in books.
  
  
• Australia's Seven Network gave Tiny Tim his own TV special in 1970.  Although A Special Tiny Tim never aired on American television, you can watch it in its entirety on YouTube.  
  
  
• Tiny Tim twice ran for elected office as a member of the New Age Party.  In 1989, he threw his hat into the ring during the New York City mayoral race, but he later admitted that it was just a publicity stunt.  In 1992, he was Pat Paulsen's running mate in the presidential election, but the team never moved past the primary stage.
  
  
• The 1970 Saturday morning series Groovie Ghoulies included a character inspired by Tiny Tim, simply named Tiny.  The singing mummy was known for his song Slip-Slop Through the Swamp Weeds, an obvious riff of Tiny Tim's signature song.
  
  
• Until her passing in 2025, Miss Sue spearheaded a campaign for her husband's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Her application never received serious consideration, however, and seemingly died with her.

The John List Family Grave

 

"I have visited my friend's grave every two or three months for the last 18 years.  I am begging you.  This horrible guy murdered my best friend."

  --Friend of murder victim Frederick List, in a letter to America's Most Wanted.

In November 1971, John List, an accountant from Westfield, New Jersey, brutally murdered five people - his mother, his wife, and their three children, the youngest of whom was just 13 years old.  It was a pre-meditated act that he had planned so meticulously, it took more than a month for the bodies to be found and over 18 years for List to be captured.

By 1989, the case had gone cold.  Detective Barney Tracy, who had worked it from the beginning, approached the new FOX television series America's Most Wanted (AMW), asking them to do an episode on the case.  Series host John Walsh agreed to do the segment after hearing from a friend of one of the victims (see quote above).  Cameras rolled, and the case aired in May of that year.

The story recounted how List had lost his job earlier that year, unbeknownst to his family.  For more than a month, he put on a charade of going to work every day.  At the same time, List noticed what he perceived to be a decline in his family's values.  As a devout Christian, he disapproved of his wife's drug and alcohol addiction and of his daughter's more liberal attitude on life. 

With money growing tight, he feared that the family would be separated, and he didn't want his kids to be raised by strangers, not knowing what values they'd instill.  At this point, he rationed that the only solution was to send them to Heaven before it was too late.  He shot all five in cold blood and never looked back.

The Lists were laid to rest in a family plot at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield, New Jersey.  A single headstone bears most of their names.

The AMW segment included an age-enhanced bust created by forensic artist Frank Bender.  It was a near-perfect match for the 63-year-old List, who had assumed the name Bob Clark and was living with his new wife in Richmond, Virginia.  He was captured nearly two weeks later thanks to viewer tips.

List died in prison at the age of 82.  No one claimed his body, which is rumored to be buried in the prison cemetery.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about the List family murders, take a voyage to your public library, or Amazon.  It's all in books.
  
  
• This grave is the final resting place for List's wife Helen and the three children, but the fifth murder victim, John's mother Alma, was buried with her husband in Frankenmuth, Michigan.
  
  
• In 1993, Robert Blake, who would later famously be accused of murder himself, landed the starring role in Judgment Day: The John List Story.  Helen was played by Beverly D'Angelo.  You can watch the film in its entirety on YouTube.
  
  
• The forensic bust created for America's Most Wanted is now on permanent display at the Alcatraz East Crime Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.  Other items in their collection include John Wayne Gacy's Pogo costume, DB Cooper hijack money, and OJ Simpson's white Ford Bronco.
  
  
• Fairview Cemetery is also the final resting place of the voice herself, Whitney Houston, who's grave was once profiled by this blog.  Her daughter and parents are buried there as well.

This blog will return on June 27th.

The Understated Grave of the Overrated Andy Kaufman

 

"There's no way to describe what I do.  It's just me."

Andrew Geoffrey Kaufman was born in New York City on January 17, 1949.  He was the oldest of three children born to a middle-class family on Long Island.  He was born an entertainer, and by age nine, he was already performing at children's birthday parties.  He spent much of his youth writing poetry, as well as an unpublished novel (at age 16) titled The Hollering Mangoo.

After college, Kaufman went to Las Vegas to meet his idol, Elvis Presley.  Kaufman fans will know that the King became a huge part of his act, as he'd often portray him to near comedic perfection while on stage.

Around this time, Kaufman also developed a character known as "Foreign Man," who was based on his old college roommate.  This character, like Elvis, became a staple of his act, one that would propel him to the NBC sit-com Taxi as Latka Gravas in 1978.  The series lasted for five seasons on two networks.  Other characters during this time included Tony Clifton, his fictitious loud-mouth manager.  Kaufman, who was also a huge fan of wrestling, developed a secret alliance leading to public feud with wrestler Jerry Lawler.

During Thanksgiving 1983, Kaufman was experiencing a severe cough, which he told family members he'd had for over a month. He was subsequently diagnosed with large cell carcinoma of the lung, which is often attributed to smoking.  He underwent palliative radiotherapy, leading to severe weight and hair loss.  When the treatment didn't work, he traveled to the Philippines, where, in a last-ditch effort, he underwent "psychic surgery," a procedure that has since been proven to be fraudulent.  He returned to the U.S. and died shortly thereafter on May 16, 1984.  He was just 35 years old.

Andy Kaufman was laid to rest in the family plot at Beth David Cemetery in Elmont, New York.  His two younger siblings, Michael and Carol, are still very much alive.

Location: Section #1, Block #4
Inscription: Beloved Son, Brother and Grandson
We Love You Very Much

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Andy Kaufman, take a voyage to your public library, or Amazon. It's all in books.
  
  
• In 1977, Kaufman taped a TV special called Andy's Funhouse that didn't air until 1980. Shortly before he died, Kaufman gave permission to Paul Reubens to create a similar program, which we know today as Pee-Wee's Playhouse.
  
  
• Taxi co-star Jeff Conaway punched Kaufman in the face backstage at the 1979 Golden Globe Awards, after Kaufman insulted the cast during the broadcast. 
  
  
• The only time Kaufman ever broke character on screen was during a 1982 appearance on a talk show hosted by Orson Welles.  Check it out on YouTube.
  
  
• In 1992, REM released their Andy Kaufman tribute song Man on the Moon.  The title was later borrowed for the 1999 Kaufman biopic starring Jim Carrey.

Scream Queen Janet Leigh

 

"Psycho gave me very wrinkled skin.  I was in that shower for seven days - 70 setups.  At least he (Hitchcock) made sure the water was warm."

Janet Leigh was born Jeanette Helen Morrison in Merced, California on July 6, 1927.  She came to Hollywood in 1945 via actress Norma Shearer, who spotted a photograph of the teenager as taken by her father. Shearer took the photo to MGM Studios, who quickly signed Janet to a contract.

Her first film was The Romance of Rosey Ridge, a drama set during the Civil War. She played opposite Van Johnson, with whom she'd culminate a long-standing professional career.

By 1960, Leigh was a household name, having appeared in 35 feature films. It was then that director Alfred Hitchcock cast her in her most memorable role, that of murder victim Marion Crane in his classic film Psycho.  The iconic role would cement her legacy as a film scream queen. Check out the infamous scream on YouTube.

When Janet reached her 70s, she was diagnosed with vasculitis, which ultimately took her life on October 3, 2004.  She was 77 years old.  She was cremated, and her ashes were interred at Pierce Brothers Westwood Village in Los Angeles.  Her husband passed away five years later and joined her in the family crypt.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Janet Leigh, take a voyage to Amazon.  It's all in books.
  
  
• Janet was married four times.  Her third marriage to actor Tony Curtis produced two offspring, including future actress Jamie Lee Curtis.
  
  
• While there is no official Janet Leigh Museum, there is a theatre dedicated in her honor at her alma mater, the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California.  There, you will find an assortment of her memorabilia, donated by Jamie Lee upon her mother's passing.  There is also a Janet Leigh Plaza in downtown Stockton.
  
  
• There are a number of Janet Leigh documentaries available on YouTube, as well as this 1985 episode of The Phil Donahue Show, featuring both Janet and daughter Jamie Lee.
  
  
• Janet was quite active politically, joining fellow Hollywood heavyweights Sidney Poiter, Gregory Peck and Kirk Douglas for this 1964 get-out-the-vote commercial.

The Singing Grave of Glen Campbell

 

"I'm not a country singer per se.  I'm a country boy who sings."

I first created this blog to showcase the many graves I have visited in my travels.  From time to time however, friends will send me their photos as well, which I'm only too happy to share.  Today's blog is no different, but it does highlight one of the most unique graves I've ever heard of and hope to one day visit myself.

Glen Travis Campbell was born in Billstown, Arkansas on April 22, 1936.  He was the son of a sharecropper, raised on a farm of potatoes, corn, watermelons and more.  Times were tight, so Campbell pitched in to help the family, picking cotton for as a little as $1 a day.

Campbell came from a musical family, and by age 4, he could already play the guitar.  He had no formal training, having taught himself by listening to radio and records.  When he turned 14, he began performing at fairs, church picnics, and other similar venues.  He formed his first band, the Western Wranglers, when he was just 18.  

His talents took him to Los Angeles in 1960, where he played on recordings for a number of top acts, including the Beach Boys, Doris Day, Frank Sinatra and more.  By 1968, he was hosting The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, a weekly variety series, which ran for three years (see Trivia below).  It wasn't until 1974 that he released Rhinestone Cowboy, which became his signature hit.

In 2011, Campbell announced that he had Alzheimer's disease.  He withdrew from public life, eventually settling in a long-term care facility in Nashville.  He ultimately died on August 8th, 2017.  He was 81 years old. 

Glen Campbell was laid to rest in his family's private cemetery in Billstown, Arkansas.

What makes this grave so unique?  As you pay your respects to the Rhinestone Cowboy, a carefully concealed sound system plays Campbell's rendition of Amazing Grace.  Give it a listen!

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Glen Campbell, take a voyage to Amazon.  Its all in books.
  
  
• In 1994, the Glen Campbell Goodtime Theatre, which borrowed its name from his CBS series, opened its doors in Branson, Missouri.  For the next three years, Campbell headlined the venue himself before it was rechristened in honor of the Oak Ridge Boys.  The facility was demolished in 2016 and is today the site of an emergency clinic.  However, a community of devoted fans still maintains an active Facebook page.
  
  
• In 2020, the Glen Campbell Museum opened in Nashville, featuring more than 4,000 square feet of artifacts and memorabilia from Campbell's life and career.  It closed in 2023 for relocation, but to date, has not yet reopened.  It too has a faithful Facebook following.
  
  
• Campbell was an avid golfer who often hosted the Los Angeles Open, later spending time on the greens in Arizona with fellow singer Alice Cooper.  Here's a clip of Campbell playing the Torrey Pines Tournament in the 1970s.
  
  
• Campbell tried his hand at acting, including the 1969 John Wayne western True Grit, for which he also provided the opening song.  Although the film is considered a classic today, Campbell was unimpressed by his own performance and quickly withdrew to his musical career.  

Dr. Joyce Brothers

 

"I don't give advice.  I can't tell anybody what to do.  Instead, I say this is what we know about this problem at this time.  And here are the consequences of these actions."

Dr. Joyce Brothers was born Joyce Diane Bauer in Brooklyn, New York on October 20, 1927.  Her parents, both attorneys, operated a law practice in Queens, instilling in their children the value of higher education.  To that end, Joyce attended Cornell University, where she double majored in psychology and home economics.  Really.  She later received her doctoral degree in psychology from Columbia University.

Joyce first rose to fame as a contestant on the 1950s game show The $64,000 Question, where her expert category was boxing.  Again, really.  Her popularity on the show ignited her media career, which would continue for the next five decades.

Joyce was a popular media figure who was comfortable playing herself on scripted television shows (Chips, Police Squad!, The Simpsons), as a fictitious character on other shows (JAG, Diagnosis Murder, WKRP in Cincinnati), or as the host of psychology-oriented daytime talk shows (see Trivia below). 

By 2013, Joyce's health was in decline.  She ultimately died of respiratory failure on May 13th of that year.  She was 85 years old.  CBS News broadcast this report following her passing.  She was laid to rest in the Bauer family plot at Beth David Cemetery in Elmont, New York.

Location: Section #4, Path #1, Bauer Plot

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Dr. Joyce Brothers, take a voyage to Amazon.  Its all in books.
  
  
• While there is no museum in her name per se, there is an exhibit at Cornell University, her alma mater, entitled Dr. Joyce Brothers, Mother of Media Psychology.  It is located in the Carl A. Kroch Library in Ithaca, New York.  Check out their website.
  
  
• For more than 40 years, Joyce provided a monthly column for the popular magazine Good Housekeeping.  
  
  
• Throughout her career, Joyce hosted a number of self-titled TV talk shows, including The Dr. Joyce Brothers Program on the Disney Channel.  Check out these clips - Promo #1, Promo #2.
  
  
• Not one to take herself too seriously, Joyce filmed a cute commercial for MCI's "Friends and Family" phone plan in 1995, alongside herself.  Check it out on YouTube.  You might also dig this commercial for Old Navy.

Kenny Rogers

 

"Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great."

Kenneth Donald Rogers was born in Houston, Texas on August 21, 1938. He was the fourth of eight children born to Edward and Lucille Rogers, a carpenter and a nurse's assistant, respectively.  Money was always tight for the family.  Although they lived in a public housing project, Rogers would later state that he was never hungry, despite his father's $75 a week salary.

Rogers had an interest in music from an early age, winning his first talent show when he was just ten years old.  Later, after graduating from high school (the first in his family to ever do so), he began his recording career with a Houston area group called The Scholars.  They released their first single, The Poor Little Doggie, in 1956.  He'd perform with a number of groups over the next twenty years before finally going solo in 1976.

That year, Rogers released his first album Love Lifted Me.  It was a modest success, but his self-titled album Kenny Rogers, released just one year later, made him a household name.  He followed it up in 1978 with the album, song, and character that would define his career, The Gambler.  The character became so synonymous with Rogers that Hollywood came a calling, releasing a made-for-TV movie in 1978 with Rogers in his first major acting role.  You can watch the film for free on YouTube.

Throughout his forty-year solo career, Rogers released 65 albums and sold over 165 million records.  He had a score of musical collaborations, with such country artists as Dottie West, and, most famously, Dolly Parton.  He finally retired in 2017.  His final concert, appropriately held in Nashville, included a slew of guest artists, including Lee Greenwood, The Oak Ridge Boys, and Travis Tritt.

By 2020, Rogers was diagnosed with bladder cancer.  It ultimately took his life on March 20.  He was 81 years old.  He was laid to rest in Atlanta Georgia's Oakland Cemetery.

Location: Lot 599, Bobby Jones Neighborhood

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Kenny Rogers, take a voyage to Amazon.  It's all in books.
  
  
• In 1991, Rogers opened a restaurant chain called Kenny Rogers Roasters.  By 2011, the company had closed all of its US locations.  It still thrives today overseas however, with locations throughout Asia.  At its height, the restaurant even served as a plot point in an episode of the classic sit-com Seinfeld.
  
  
• In 1973, Rogers appeared as himself in a commercial for the Quick-Pickin' 'N Fun-Strummin' Home Guitar Course, a name that I most certainly did not make up.  While it was often lampooned for its cheesiness, it is sometimes credited with revitalizing his career.  Check it out on YouTube.
  
  
• In 1986, Rogers established the Athens Area Homeless Shelter in Athens, Georgia.  It's still in operation today, providing services and financial assistance to the local homeless community, as well as their annual "Jammin' in Our Jammies" fundraising event.  Check out their website for more information.
  
  
• Rogers donated his time and talent to two classic awareness-raising music videos, We Are the World and Voices That Care, even snagging a solo bit during the former. 

Louise Brooks - Silent Film Star

 

"Love is a publicity stunt, and making love - after the first curious raptures - is only another petulant way to pass the time waiting for the studio to call."

Mary Louise Brooks was born in Cherryvale, Kansas on November 14, 1906.  Her father, Leonard, was a lawyer who had little time to be a parent, preferring that his wife Myra assume those responsibilities.  An artist herself, she instilled in Louise a love of music and books.

By her late teens, Louise was already a very skilled dancer, having toured with a national company.  She then joined the famed Ziegfeld Follies as a semi-nude dancer in New York City.  Her act caught the attention of a producer at Paramount Pictures, who signed her to a five-year contract.  She made her screen debut in the 1925 silent film The Street of Forgotten Men.

For the next fifteen years, Brooks enjoyed steady work in both America and Europe, becoming an icon of the flapper girl culture.  She starred in a number of silent film classics, including Beggars of Life and Diary of a Lost Girl.  Her most famous film during this time was Pandora's Box (1929), which is often cited as her best work.  Produced and later banned in Germany, the film tells the story of Lulu, an uninhibited and seductive ingenue who brings ruin and shame to those closest to her.  You can watch the film, complete with English subtitles, on YouTube. 

By 1940, her career had run its course, so Louise returned to her native Kansas, where she opened a dance studio.  It didn't last long however, so she returned to the Big Apple, ultimately finding work as a call girl.  Of this time in her life, she would later write "I found that the only well-paying career open to me, as an unsuccessful actress of thirty-six, was that of a call girl...and I began to flirt with the fancies related to little bottles filled with yellow sleeping pills."

Wiser heads prevailed however, and by 1955, she experienced something of a career resurgence, culminating in a Louise Brooks film festival in 1957.  She shied away from interviews, but had special relationships with film historians, and ultimately wrote her memoirs (see Trivia below).

By 1985, her health was in decline, having suffered from emphysema and osteoarthritis of the hip for several years.  She ultimately died of a heart attack on August 8th.  She was 78 years old.  Mary Hart filed a report on her passing for Entertainment Tonight.

Louise Brooks was cremated and her ashes were laid to rest at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Rochester, New York.  Beethoven's Ode to Joy was played during her memorial service while passages from her memoir were read to attendees.

Location: Section #33S, Lot #133F

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Louise Brooks, take a voyage to Amazon.  Its all in books.
  
  
• While there is no Louise Brooks Museum per se, there are a number of exhibits dedicated to her in the United States.  The Cherryvale Historical Museum in her hometown features a permanent exhibit on her life, while the George Eastman Museum in Rochester has an impressive collection of her memorabilia.  Fans are also welcome to visit the Louise Brooks Society online, which has been keeping fans connected since 1995. 
  
  
• The last known interview with Brooks was for the acclaimed 1980 documentary series Hollywood.  Check out this clip on YouTube, wherein she discusses fellow silent film star and close personal friend Clara Bow.
  
  
• In 1991, the British band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark released their single Pandora's Box as a tribute to Brooks.  The music video, available on YouTube, incorporates footage from the 1929 film.
  
  
• As a child, Brooks was good friends with fellow Cherryvale resident Vivian Vance, who would later rise to stardom herself as co-star of I Love Lucy.

The Reverend Billy Graham

 

"I am the greatest failure of all men.  I was too much with men and too little with God.  I was too busy with business meetings and even conducting services.  I should have been more with God, and people would've sensed God's presence about me when they were with me."

William Franklin Graham, Jr. was born in Charlotte, North Carolina on November 7, 1918.  He was the oldest of four children born to a dairy farmer and his wife.  As a young boy, Graham enjoyed reading the Tarzan novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs and echoing the hero's famous jungle call.  Graham's father would later declare that it was this famous yell that led his son to becoming a minister.

As a young man, Graham attended several universities, eventually earning a degree in anthropology from Wheaton College.  He would later write that it was during this time in his life that he decided to become a minister, stating he had answered the call while on the 18th green of a Florida golf course. 

Graham's career was the stuff of legends.  During a period of racial strife in the 1950s, he often preached for integration, even convening a joint crusade with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1957. Through his travels and his broadcast ministry, he is estimated to have preached the word to more than 210 million people worldwide and three presidents called him friend.  He is considered among the most influential Christian leaders of the 20th Century. 

By 2018, Graham's health was in decline.  He ultimately died of natural causes on February 21st at the age of 99.  He received tributes from around the world, with President Trump declaring him "an ambassador for Christ."  He became only the fourth private citizen to lie in honor at the Capitol rotunda in Washington, DC.  

Reverend Graham was laid to rest on the grounds of the Billy Graham Library in his hometown of Charlotte.  His pine coffin was handcrafted by convicted murderers at Louisiana State Penitentiary. While you're there, be sure to visit Bessie, the talking animatronic cow who welcomes the faithful to the site.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about the Reverend Billy Graham, take a voyage to Amazon.  Its all in books.
  
  
• In the early 1950s, Graham founded World Wide Pictures, a production company that produces short, inspirational films for churches.  You can see many of them today on the company's YouTube channel.
  
  
• Graham was the first televangelist to speak behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War, sharing his message of peace with the Soviet Union and countries throughout Eastern Europe.
  
  
• Graham founded the magazine Christianity Today.  Pick up a copy now!
  
  
• Graham was the first non-musician to be inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
  
  
• While you're in Charlotte, be sure to visit Graham's birth marker, located at 4601 Park Road.
  
  
  
  
  
  

Gilda Radner

 

"Some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end.  Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next.  Delicious ambiguity."

Gilda Susan Radner was born in Detroit on June 28, 1946. In her autobiography, she stated that she was named after Rita Hayworth's character in the film Gilda, which premiered three months earlier.

Through her father, Radner developed a love of the theatre, as he would often take her to New York for shows on the Broadway stage.  Back in their native Detroit, he managed the famed Seville Hotel, where countless artists stayed while performing in the Motor City.

In 1969, Radner dropped out of college and moved to Toronto.  It was here that she made her theatrical debut, in a production of Godspell, opposite future box office stars Eugene Levy, Victor Garber, and Martin Short.  From there, she joined Toronto's famed Second City comedy troupe, working with future greats like John Candy, Catherine O'Hara, and Dan Aykroyd.

Of course, Radner is most famous as one of the original cast members of Saturday Night Live, which she began in 1975.  Over the next five years, she introduced a slew of classic characters, including the hard-of-hearing Emily Litella and advice specialist Roseanne Roseannadanna, roles that would land her an Emmy Award in 1978.  She left the show in 1980 and appeared in a string of mostly forgettable box office comedies.

In 1985, Radner was on location with her husband, actor Gene Wilder, her co-star in one of the aforementioned films, the 1986 bomb Haunted Honeymoon.  It was during production when Radner first started to notice that something was wrong.  She complained of severe fatigue and leg pain, but doctors were stumped.  She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.  She'd spend the next four years as the public face of the disease, but, with Gene at her side, she ultimately passed away on June 28, 1946.  She was just 42 years old.

Gilda Radner was laid to rest in Long Ridge Union Cemetery in Stamford, Connecticut.

Location: Center of the cemetery
Inscription: Comedienne - Ballerina

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Gilda Radner, take a voyage to Amazon.  Its all in books.
  
  
• Despite the inscription on her headstone, this blogger can find no evidence that Radner was into ballet.
  
  
• Following her death, Radner was recognized with a series of awards, including a 1990 Grammy for the narration of her memoirs.  She was also inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame.  Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the same hospital where she passed, now has the Gilda Radner Ovarian Cancer Detection Center.
  
  
• According to Penny Marshall, Radner was considered for the role of Shirley Feeney on Laverne and Shirley, the role that ultimately went to Cindy Williams.
  
  
• In 1991, Gener Wilder co-founded Gilda's Club, a national non-profit organization that offers support to people living with cancer.  In 2009, it was rechristened as the Cancer Support Community, but still offers many of the same services.  Check out their website for more information.
  
  
• Two years after Radner's passing, Gene Wilder took his fourth wife, a speech pathologist he'd worked with on the film See No Evil, Hear No Evil, which could never be made today.  They remained married until his death in 2016, which could explain why he was not buried with Radner.  He was cremated and his ashes were scattered.

Take This Grave and Fill It - Johnny Paycheck

 

"I'm a man who believes that right is right and wrong is wrong.  Treat me right, and I will give you my all.  Treat me wrong, and I will give you nothing.  They don't like me for that, but that's the way I am."

Johnny Paycheck was born Donald Eugene Lytle in Greenfield, Ohio on May 31, 1938.  He is remembered as one of the pioneers of outlaw country music, most famously remembered for his 1977 signature hit Take This Job and Shove It, an anthem still played on radio stations every Friday afternoon at 5:00.

He started playing the guitar when he was only six and was performing professionally by 15.  It was then that he picked up stakes and hit the rails as a drifter, performing in clubs under the stage name the "Ohio Kid."  

After an unsuccessful tour of duty with the United States Navy, resulting in a court martial and dishonorable discharge, Paycheck made his way to Nashville, where he worked with such artists as Portner Wagoner and George Jones (more on him later).  It was during this time that he adopted his now famous stage name, in honor of a former heavyweight champion from Chicago.

Over the course of his career, Paycheck released 70 albums, spawning dozens of hit singles, only one of which made it to number one.  Unfortunately, his legal problems continued during this period as well.  In 1985, he was sentenced to seven years in prison for a shooting a man in Ohio.  Paycheck claimed self defense and was ultimately released just two years into his sentence.  He became a born-again Christian while in the joint, giving up many of the vices of his former life.

Years of smoking took their toll however, and Paycheck died of emphysema and asthma on February 19, 2003.  He was just 64 years old.  He was laid to rest at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Nashville, Tennessee.

Location: Chapel Garden

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Johnny Paycheck, take a voyage to Amazon.  Its all in books.
  
  
• Paycheck was broke at the time of his death.  Country music legend George Jones covered all of the funeral expenses and donated a spot in his family plot.  Now that's a good ol' boy.
  
  
• Early in his career, Paycheck used the stage name Donny Young, even recording songs under that name.  Take a listen to Shakin' the Blues on YouTube.
  
  
• Paycheck was one of the many country music stars to portray themselves on The Dukes of Hazzard when he found himself snared in Boss Hogg's celebrity speed trap.  You can watch him sing his signature hit, much to the disdain of Boss himself, on YouTube.
  
  
• Speaking of that signature hit, it inspired a movie of the same name starring Robert Hays and Barbara Hershey.  Paycheck even had a small role in the film and is credited as "Man with Hamburgers."  You can check out the trailer for Take This Job and Shove It on YouTube.