LAist: Hollywood Forever: Six Feet Under?

Elise Thompson

Sat, 31 May 2008 22:01:54 -0800

Edie was scattered in the rose garden, hence my inability to find her. They probably have some kind of plaque, but I had been looking at headstones and mausoleums.

Donna Lethal

Sat, 31 May 2008 12:40:44 -0800

PS: Sorry, here's the link: http://laist.com/2008/05/30/hollywood_forev.php

Donna Lethal

Sat, 31 May 2008 12:39:25 -0800

Check the update I posted last night. There's no judgments yet and all claim info is on the Lincoln Memorial site, as well as all legal documents and contact info for the Appointees.

Flyte534

Fri, 30 May 2008 20:57:44 -0800

I am a property owner at Hollywood Forever and I have been paying a monthly premium to Lincoln Memorial. The funds from that policy were to cover any funeral expenses not covered by the original amount I paid to the cemetery. I have the deed to my niche space; but is all of the $$ I have been sending to Lincoln gone down a black hole? Am I shafted?

Will Campbell

Fri, 30 May 2008 10:50:34 -0800

Makes me yearn for the ooooooold days as a Hollywood punk when I'd bike over to the cemetery on lazy summer days and spend an afternoon hanging out with the dead and/or catching guppies in the Fairbanks memorial's reflecting pool. P.S. my thumbnail image of the goose snacking on my bike was snapped at HFC a couple years ago.

Donna Lethal

Fri, 30 May 2008 10:19:32 -0800

You can take pix as long as you're unobtrusive. FL wouldn't even let Huell in when he did his "Hollywood Pets" episode b/c it's rumored that Frank Inn has some of his animals, like Arnold the Pig, with him! Edie doesn't have a plaque, does she? I thought she was just ... scattered.

Elise Thompson

Fri, 30 May 2008 01:01:09 -0800

I have taken pictures at Forest Lawn and never had any problems. I was once looking for Edie the Egg Lady at Westwood, and the wandering stranger I asked didn't know where she was - it was Emilio Estevez. Very 80s moment.

daytimedrama

Thu, 29 May 2008 23:11:02 -0800

hmmm Property owner? I like it. My family are property owners at Westwood.

pissah

Thu, 29 May 2008 21:39:33 -0800

We need flashier cemeteries in Boston. After all, we got The Boston Strangler AND Major Mudd!

Donna Lethal

Thu, 29 May 2008 18:39:50 -0800

Thanks, Brainy! What a great word! Joe - thanks to you, too - I didn't want to bring up Jules Roth in that article for more reasons than one, and glad you're doing something on him. Emoney, it's not Missouri's fault - the Cassitys aren't the first ones to do this, just the latest to get caught. AARP (I know, I read it at the gym!) did an article on funeral ripoffs in February and the Cassitys weren't even in the article. With the exception of NY State, there is very little regulation of prepaid funeral packages, and anytime new legislation is introduced, it generally gets shot down. I'm donating my body to science! PS. Markland, have you tried that at Forest Lawn?

brainylagirl

Thu, 29 May 2008 18:17:52 -0800

Great article, Ms. Lethal. PS - one of my favorite words, and don't have enough occasion to use it: lemniscate. ("infiniti logo brand symbol")

mavis

Thu, 29 May 2008 18:05:35 -0800

Oh, boos and hisses! I have such lovely memories of watching "Johnny Guitar" on the big mausoleum...a lovely LA visual for this Carolina girl! Fight, y'all!

Emoney

Thu, 29 May 2008 17:51:42 -0800

This gives me another reason to hate Missouri - as if being from there isn't enough in the first place.

JoeOesterle

Thu, 29 May 2008 16:56:47 -0800

Another excellent article from one of my favorite local writers, Donna Lethal. Donna is contributing on a new book of mine entitled, "Weird Hollywood." I planned on doing a story of H4ever, and glad I took my pictures already. The former owner (Jules Roth) was, by generous description, a low-life con man. He took money from grieving families, who expected decent upkeep for their dearly departed, and let the place rot, spending the money on gold-digging woman, exotic vacations and expensive artwork. The Cassity brothers really seemed to be making things right over there. I'm curious what's going on. My previous book, "Weird California" touches on Hollywood Forever, but this new twist is unexpected. Of all the cemeteries in LA, H4ever certainly celebrated it's tourist appeal. Please keep us posted Donna.

Markland

Thu, 29 May 2008 16:51:07 -0800

(but I should add, thanks for bringing this to my attention - the Hollywood Forever rocks, it would be a shame to see it be passed onto owners less open to keeping it a public center)

Markland

Thu, 29 May 2008 16:29:58 -0800

"any cemetery lover will tell you that the surest way to get yourself removed from cemetery grounds is to ask where a famous person is buried" Really? I've been to many cemeteries, and the caretakers are usually very proud of any "celebrities" there. Asking for the gory details of how some residents were killed will likely result in frowns, but not simply asking about some of the more notable graves.