Sharon Tate

 

"My whole life has been decided by fate.  I've never planned anything that's happened to me."

Sharon Marie Tate was born in Dallas, Texas on January 24, 1943.  Her father was an army intelligence officer, and as such, the family was often moving from one city to another.  By the time she was 16, she had lived in six cities and had few friends.

Seeking to change that, she began entering beauty pageants when she was 16.  In 1959, she won the title of Miss Richland in Washington State.  A swimsuit photo from the pageant was published in Stars and Stripes, turning Tate into a local celebrity overnight.  While she planned to compete for the title of Miss Washington, her family relocated to Italy before the pageant.

While in Verona, Tate and her friends were cast as extras in the 1962 film Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man.  During production, she met actor Richard Beymer, who encouraged her to come to Hollywood and be a star.  She did just that, winning small roles in such popular TV shows as Mister Ed and The Beverly Hillbillies.  

In 1967, Tate was in London starring in a film that would eventually be released as The Fearless Vampire Killers.  During production, she fell in love with the director, Roman Polanski, and the two were subsequently married on January 20, 1968. 

By 1969, the two had settled into married life.  On August 8, while Polanski was out of town, a very pregnant Sharon Tate entertained a group of friends, including celebrity hairstylist Jay Sebring, Wojciech Fryowski and Abigail Folger.  Shortly after midnight, members of the Manson Family cult broke into the home.  What happened next has become the stuff of Hollywood legend.

According to cult member Susan Atkins, the family wanted "to do a crime that would shock the world, that the world would have to stand up and take notice."  One can't deny that they did just that.

Tate and her friends were repeatedly stabbed by the group, with Fryowski and Folger succumbing to their wounds.  Still alive, Tate and Sebring were hanged on a support beam in the living room.  The coroner would later cite a massive hemorrhage as her cause of death.  Her unborn baby died in utero.  Before leaving the scene, cult members wrote the word "pig" on the front door, using Tate's own blood.

Sharon Tate and her baby were laid to rest at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City.  Her mother Doris passed away in 1992 and was subsequently buried with them, marking three generations within the same plot.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• Several books have been written on Sharon's life and of the crime itself, including one co-written by Polanski and Tate's sister Debra.  Check out these selections on Amazon.
  
  
• Tate was offered the role of Billie Jo Bradley on the sitcom Petticoat Junction, but she ultimately turned it down.
  
  
• Mattel's "Malibu Barbie" was based on Tate's character in the 1967 film Don't Make Waves.
  
  
• Tate became close friends with actress Victoria Vetri during production of the 1968 film Rosemary's Baby.  Vetri was to have been a guest of Tate's on the night of the murders, but she canceled at the last minute due to poor health.
  
  
• Musician Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails recorded his 1994 album "The Downward Spiral" in the murder house, which was subsequently demolished in 1994.  Reznor purportedly took the "pig" door with him, which is now a part of his Louisiana studio.
  
  
• Tate was a distant cousin of brothers Dennis and Randy Quaid.

Nancy Parsons - Coach Balbricker

 

Nancy Anne Parsons was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin on January 17, 1942.  She was one of three children to parents Charles and Mary Margaret.

During her high school years, Parsons was a member of the drama department, where she earned the praise of both faculty and students alike.  Upon graduation in 1960, she accepted a full scholarship to the Pasadena Playhouse and was off to California.  After she completed her studies there however, she soon met her husband and spent the next decade raising a family.

She returned to acting in 1974, making her mark on the Los Angeles stage scene.  Her first screen credit was the 1977 film American Raspberry, also known as Prime Time.  This blogger has never heard of it, and after viewing the trailer on YouTube, you'll understand why.

In 1980, Parsons was cast in a schlocky, low-budget horror film called Motel Hell, where as the tagline suggests, "it takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent's fritters."  In other words, while guests check into this hotel, they never check out.

Her claim to fame however, is the role of coach Beulah Balbricker in the Porky's films of the early 1980s, a trilogy this blogger has always deemed to be overrated.  When the series ended in 1985, she continued acting in Hollywood, most notably in the 1989 hit Steel Magnolias.  She also appeared on such notable TV series as Charlie's Angels, Family Ties, and Star Trek: The Next Generation, seemingly typecast as a nurse.

Nancy Parsons died of congestive heart failure on January 5, 2001, two weeks shy of her 59th birthday.  She was laid to rest at Viroqua Cemetery, near her hometown of La Crosse.

The two inscriptions read "we love you mom" and "mother of Elizabeth & Margaret."

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• Parsons appeared in the 1985 Motley Crue video Smokin in the Boys Room.  See if you can spot her on YouTube.
  
  
• Daughters Elizabeth and Margaret both tried their hand in Hollywood as well, with limited success.  Margaret's only credit is the Lingerie Football League (?).  Elizabeth fared slightly better, appearing with her mom in the sequel Porky's Revenge.  Today, they are both retired from acting.
  
  
• To date, Porky's is the highest-grossing Canadian film of all time in the United States and Canada.  It was also a video game for the Atari 2600.  You can't make this stuff up.

Tim Russert

 

"The primary responsibility of the media is the accountability of government, whether it's about lying under oath - which upsets Democrats - or about the mismanagement of responding to a hurricane...which happens to upset Republicans."

Timothy John Russert was born in Buffalo, New York on May 7, 1950.  He came from humble beginnings - his mother a homemaker and his father a sanitation worker.  Like most parents, they wanted better for their son, opting to send him to private school. 

Russert set his sights on law, first graduating from John Caroll University in Ohio, later earning his law degree at Cleveland State University College of Law.  After graduation, he went to work for U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, heading up his Buffalo field office.  In 1983, he became a special aide to New York Mayor Mario Cuomo.

The following year, Russert joined NBC News as an executive, never intending to appear on camera.  However, he would take the helm of the network's long-running Sunday morning political affairs program Meet the Press.  He served as anchor for the next 17 years, the longest of any host to date.  Under his watch, the program extended from 30 to 60 minutes, adding in-depth interviews with high-profile guests, a tradition still done today by his inferior successor.

On Friday, June 13, 2008, Russert was at his Meet the Press studio in Washington recording voice-over segments for Sunday's show.  He collapsed in the soundproof booth, asking his colleagues "what's happening," which would prove to be his final words.  Although both co-workers and EMS personnel attempted to revive the host, he ultimately passed from a heart attack.  He was just 58 years old.

Tim Russert was buried in scenic Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• Russert was both the author and subject of several books on politics, family, and his life.  His most famous work was Big Russ and Me, Father and Son: Lessons of Life, a book devoted to the wisdom he gained from his father, Timothy Joseph "Big Russ" Russert.  Sadly, Russert would precede Big Russ in death by one year. 
  
  
• The Buffalo History Museum has a special exhibit on Russert's life and career, entitled Inside Tim Russert's Office: If it's Sunday, it's Meet the Press.
  
  
• In 2000, Russert provided the voice of our 13th President Millard Fillmore for the PBS series The American President.
  
  
• One month before he passed, Russert was included among Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World." 

Philip McKeon

 

Philip Anthony McKeon was born in Westbury, New York on November 11, 1964.  When he was four years old, his parents took him and his sister Nancy, age 2, to a modeling audition, the first step in what would become two very lucrative Hollywood careers.

He began working as a child model, appearing in magazines, newspapers, and television commercials.  This led him to the Broadway stage, where in 1974, he was spotted by actress Linda Lavin, who had recently filmed a television pilot based on the Martin Scorcese film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.  Although actor Alfred Lutter had reprised his theatrical role of Tommy Hyatt for the proposed new series, Lavin recommended McKeon to producers, and the role was recast.

When the series ended in 1985, McKeon continued working in Hollywood, mostly in a string of low-budget horror films, including Return to Horror High (1987), 976-EVIL 2 (1992) and Ghoulies IV (1994).

In the early 2000s, he began working in radio.  He began his new career working in the news department at 980 AM in Los Angeles.  He eventually relocated to Wimberley, Texas, where he hosted his own morning show called The Breakfast Taco on 94.3 FM.

Philip McKeon died on December 10, 2019, after a long, as-yet-unspecified illness.  He was just 55 years old.  He was laid to rest at Saint John Cemetery and Mausoleum in Queens, New York.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• McKeon was cremated, and his ashes were buried in the same plot as his father Donald, who had died a mere six weeks earlier.
  
  
• McKeon was a frequent guest at the Chiller Theatre convention in Parsippany, New Jersey, where this blogger saw him shortly before his death.
  
  
• Saint John Cemetery is also known as "The Mafia Cemetery," and was the subject of a recent blog post here at Six Feet Under Hollywood.

The Vampire of Dusseldorf - GRAPHIC

 

Peter Kurten is not exactly a household name. By way of introduction, he was a serial killer who roamed the streets of Germany in the late 1920s.  His crimes included murder, rape, arson, and more.  He also had a tendency to drink the blood of his victims, earning him the nickname "The Vampire of Dusseldorf."  In 1931, he was convicted and sentenced to death by beheading. 

Ordinarily, a killer forgotten to history would not necessarily merit a blog post.  Indeed, it is in fact his final resting place that makes this story so unique.  You see, his mummified head is on permanent display at Ripley's Believe it or Not! 

For those unfamiliar, Ripley Entertainment runs a series of "odditoriums" throughout the United States.  They were originally founded by the late Robert Ripley back in the 1930s, but today they're a corporate entity, displaying artifacts he collected throughout his travels.  Ripley once famously quoted "I've been to 200 countries and the strangest thing I've seen is man."

Unlike most Ripleys, which are traditional walk through museums, the odditorium in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, is very unique.  Many of the traditional Ripleys artifacts are hidden throughout the building, and its something of a scavenger hunt to track them down, making this a much more interactive museum.  Kurten's mummified head is the crown jewel in their hidden collection.


Finding Kurten is no easy task.  You must first find an area called "Ripley's Grotto" and look for a 19th Century torture device known as the iron maiden.  While this is a common display at most Ripleys museums, here in Wisconsin, it serves as the entrance to a secret passageway.

Once inside, you'll see a host of Ripley's artifacts on display, including some native statues and more torture devices, as you make your way through a metal catacomb.  You'll also notice a series of numbers along the wall, each one baring a different color (1 is green, 2 is yellow, etc.).  You'll need to remember these colors and numbers later on.

At the end of this labyrinth, you'll find yourself in a room baring more artifacts and what looks to be a combination lock vault, baring the name "Ripley Vault Company."  A sign indicates that the vault can be opened by matching a set of colors to the numbers you saw earlier in the hallway.  This blogger figured out the combination on his first try.

Enter the code on the keypad, then hit the key in the middle.  If you've successfully entered the combination correctly, then the vault will open to reveal another secret chamber.

At first, it seems as if you've hit a dead end, because the only thing you'll see hanging on the wall is a portrait of a cat made from laundry machine lint.  Its hardly a grand prize worthy of the time and effort put into uncovering this hidden lair, but don't walk out just yet!  Look behind you and you'll see the first sign that you've stumbled on to something bigger - a portrait of Kurten himself.  

If you try to pull on the photo, it won't get you anywhere.  This is just a clue to let you know that you're on the right track.  At this point, you need to carefully re-examine that seemingly innocent cat lint portrait.

Put your hand on the right side of the picture frame and gently pull it towards you.  Its actually on a hinge, as this seemingly ordinary cat portrait hides an ever bigger prize - the mummified head of serial killer Peter Kurten.  Look below if you dare!

Normally, I end these blogs by saying rest in peace, but this guy doesn't deserve it.  A fitting end for such a cruel human being.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about the life and crimes of Peter Kurten, take a voyage to Amazon.  It's all in books.
  
  
• In 2009, Kurten's crimes were the subject of the German theatrical release Normal.  Check out the trailer on YouTube.
  
  
• There are 17 Ripley's odditoriums in the United States, and this blogger has been to nine of them.  The one is Wisconsin Dells is by far the best.

Karen Carpenter

 

"People never think of entertainers as being human.  When you walk out on stage, the audience thinks nothing can go wrong with them.  We get sick and we have headaches just like they do.  When we are cut, we bleed."

Karen Anne Carpenter was born in New Haven, Connecticut on March 2, 1950.  In 1963, her family moved to Downey, California, where she continued her education, eventually enrolling at California State University at Long Beach.  It was here that she began her musical education, learning the drums and honing her voice.

Talent, it seems, was not limited to Karen, as her brother Richard had musical aspirations as well.  In 1969, they formed The Carpenters, signing on with A&M Records, achieving great commercial success throughout the 1970s. She sang most of the songs on the group's first album, known today as Ticket to Ride.  They'd follow it up one year later with their second album, Close to You.  It contained what would become two of their signature hits, (They Long to be) Close to You and We've Only Just Begun.  Over the course of their 14-year career, they'd release 11 albums, selling more than 4 million copies.

Fame was not without its price however, and by 1975, it was beginning to take its toll.  Carpenter began to exhibit symptoms of anorexia nervosa, a condition that would plague her throughout her remaining years.  She ultimately died of heart failure caused by the disease on February 4, 1983.  She was just one month shy of her 33rd birthday.

Karen Carpenter was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Cypress, California.  By 1996, both of her parents had passed as well, and they would each be buried next to their daughter.  In 2003 however, Carpenter's family opted to exhume all three and relocate them to Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Park in Westlake Village.  A 46,000-pound private mausoleum was constructed at an estimated fee of $600,000.  The interior is inscribed with the phrase "A Star on Earth - A Star in Heaven."

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Karen Carpenter, take a voyage to Amazon.  It's all in books.
  
  
• Although Carpenter died a married woman, she had planned to divorce her husband, real estate mogul Thomas James Burris.  She was to sign the divorce papers the very day she died.
  
  
• After finding success in the 1970s, Carpenter and her family bought two apartment complexes in Downey, California, dubbing them "Close to You" and "Only Just Begun."  They're still in operation today, and units can be rented via Apartments.com.
  
  
• In 1980, Carpenter recorded a self-titled solo album, which A&M Records reportedly shelved.  It was finally released in 1996, 13 years after she passed.  Take a listen on YouTube.
  
  
• After her death, the family started what is today called The Carpenter Family Foundation in her honor.  It raises money for research on eating disorders while providing funding for the arts and education.

Agnes Moorehead

"I've been in movies and played theater from coast to coast , so I was quite well known before Bewitched and I don't particularly want to be identified as a witch."

Agnes Robertson Moorehead was born in Clinton, Massachusetts on December 6, 1900.  She was the daughter of a Presbyterian clergyman and knew from an early age that she wanted to be an actress.  In later years, she would often state that her first public appearance was reading the Lord's prayer in her father's church when she was just three years old.

She attended Muskingum College in New Concord, Ohio, where she earned a bachelor's degree in biology before moving to New York.  There, in 1922, she met Orson Welles, beginning a friendship and acting collaboration that would continue for half a century.  Ultimately, her first acting role was in his 1941 classic Citizen Kane, in which she played his mother.  Here's a clip.

Radio and the stage would follow, but she'd truly make her mark on television.  In 1961, she appeared in an episode of The Twilight Zone entitled "The Invaders," a one-person play in which she has not a single line of dialogue.  It holds up today as a fan-favorite episode and is often cited as one of the series' best entries.  Check out a clip on YouTube.

However, it is her role on Bewitched for which she is most famously known, that of Endora, a witch more than 4,000 years old.  Endora was the mother of Samantha, played by series star Elizabeth Montgomery, and mother-in-law and constant irritant to Darrin, played by Dick York and later, Dick Sargent.  Here's a compilation of some of her series highlights.

The series ended in 1972 and Moorehead retired to Rochester, Minnesota.  Her health was in decline, having been diagnosed with uterine cancer.  She ultimately passed on April 30, 1974.  She was 73 years old. 

Agnes Moorehead was entombed in Memorial Abbey at Dayton Memorial Park Cemetery in Ohio.  Attendees at her service included her mother, who outlived Agnes by 16 years, eventually passing away in 1990 at the age of 106.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Agnes Moorehead, take a voyage over to Amazon.  It's all in books.
  
  
• Moorehead appeared in the 1956 film The Conquerors, which was filmed in what is today known as the Nevada Testing Grounds. Along with Moorehead, several of the film's cast and crew, including John Wayne, Susan Hayward and Director Dick Powell, have all died of cancer.  Although unproven, many today believe that they were all exposed to fallout material during production.
  
  
• Moorehead initially turned down her most famous role, but reconsidered after being asked by series lead Elizabeth Montgomery.  She accepted the role believing that the series would not last more than one season. It ran for eight.
  
  
• Moorehead's limousine is on permanent display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.  Take a look on Facebook.
  
  
• The graves of two of Moorehead's co-stars, Dick York and Paul Lynde, have also been profiled by this blog.
  
  
• If you're planning to visit Moorehead yourself, do not go on Saturday, when the Abbey is closed to the public.  It's open Sunday-Friday.