February 2007: Hollywood Forever and Dolly Parton

Hello again. I hope all is well with you. I’m a few days late, but here’s a look back at February 2007 in the Cameron/Utt household.

VISITORS
Our friend David Fernandez arrived the first weekend of February and my sister Susie was here the second weekend. We also got to spend some time with our friend Jill Caruth who was visiting from London.

HOLLYWOOD FOREVER
On Santa Monica Boulevard, located directly behind Paramount Studios is a cemetery that literally came back from the dead. Established in 1899, the Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery flourished in the 1930’s but slid into disrepair and almost didn’t make it to its 100th birthday. New owners purchased the land in 1998, changed the name to Hollywood Forever and refurbished the grounds. Before long, people were dying to be buried there.

The most famous resident is probably Rudolph Valentino, whose crypt was visited every year on his birthday by a woman dressed entirely in black. She’s buried at Hollywood Forever, too, about three plots from Jayne Mansfield. A short walk from her is the tranquil marble bench that doubles as Tyrone Power’s final resting place.

Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and Jr. are here, as well, sharing a crypt and a reflecting pool that’s comparable in size to a football end zone.

Close by is a modest, four-foot column dedicated to Hattie McDaniel. When she died in 1952, segregation was the norm and Hattie was not allowed to be buried alongside her white co-stars. Fifty years later, she is represented by a lovely cenotaph next to a peaceful lake. [Factoid: A memorial marker erected in honor of a person whose remains are elsewhere is called a cenotaph.]

Right next to Hattie’s monument is a huge stone with a life-size bust of punk rocker Johnny Ramone. Dee Dee Ramone is also a resident, but we did not see his marker.
There are lots more names here, including Cecil B. DeMille, John Huston, Janet Gaynor and the Native American actor who cried in the anti-pollution commercials, Iron Eyes Cody.

FUNEREAL TRENDS
If you are not into celebrities Hollywood Forever is still worth a visit just to see what’s new in funereal trends. You can scroll through their website to get an idea of what I mean: http://www.hollywoodforever.com/Cemetery.htm Some trends we noticed:

Headstones don’t have to be square or symmetrical as we saw many large headstones in the shape of irregular trapezoids. When placed side-by-side—as several married couples were—it looked like a marble version of the Publix sign.

Families can now have the deceased’s photo etched directly into the stone. A nice idea, but most of the pictures were less than flattering. I doubt we’ll soon forget the one man, wearing just his undershirt and a scowl, who seemed to be menacing his nervous wife on the next stone. I’ve no idea what their relationship was like in life, but we couldn’t help but assume the worst.

Hollywood Forever offers interactive kiosks where you can look at pictures, watch a short film or read more about the deceased. For those friends or relatives unable to visit the cemetery, these media presentations can be accessed online. Here’s a sample: http://www.forever-studios.com/lifestories/lifestory.cfm?Archive_ID=19268&Directory=/Archives/ForeverOnlineArchive&Sort=P

My personal favorite of the new-fangled remembrance options is a combination mausoleum/department store window called “niches.” Imagine a display case the size of a large microwave oven filled with personal items of the deceased. One niche was decorated like a tiki bar; another was filled with miniature album covers, and a third one featured a blue Rock ‘Em Sock’Em Robot. My favorite one belonged to character actress Kathleen Freeman. In addition to a cremation urn and a few personal effects, Kathleen’s niche featured a terrific caricature of her by Al Hirschfeld.

Kathleen had a long career; her imdb profile lists almost 250 credits. I remember her from from Singin’ in the Rain where her big line is “Rrround tones, Miss Lamont. Rrrrrrrround tones.” Most people would recognize her from The Blues Brothers when she played Sister Mary Stigmata, a.k.a. The Penguin. Her last role was one of the voices in the big green hit movie Shrek. Here are the rest of her credits: http://imdb.com/name/nm0293466/ and some photos: http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=kathleen+freeman&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2

VISTING TIPS
Even though Hollywood Forever courts tourists with a gift shop, celebrity postcards and maps to the movie stars final homes, it is a working cemetery with no admission charge.

There are quite a few amateur websites that list the names and location of the famously departed within Hollywood Forever. Download the information ahead of time so you don’t have to wander around aimlessly. If you visit the cemetery on a Saturday, be aware that the mausoleums reserved for those of the Jewish faith are closed.

Bring along someone who is knowledgeable about old Hollywood—like our friend David Fernandez. Daryl and I drew a blank on some of the names until David rattled off some screen credits, an anecdote, or both. Thank you, David!

Be sure to stop by Mel Blanc’s gravesite. I thought this was a rumor, but I saw it for myself. His headstone really does read, “That’s All, Folks.”

MEET THE OSCARS
Later that same day, David, Daryl and I headed over to Hollywood and Highland to stop by the Meet the Oscars exhibit. In addition to photos and kiosks with Academy Award trivia, there were several glass cases housing the actual trophies that were eventually handed out March 25.
There was case displaying Katherine Hepburn’s four Best Actress awards. She still holds the record for most acting wins received by one person. Do you know which movies she won for?

The most popular part of the exhibit was the chance to hold an Academy Award. All three of us got our pictures taken with it, trying hard to keep its steel tether out of the shot. At 13 ½ inches tall and 8 ½ pounds, it feels like a gold dumbbell.

ANNIE AWARDS
The next day, we were walking down the street from our house and realized that the 34th Annual Annie Awards were taking place at Glendale’s Alex Theater. The three of us bumped into former DCL cast member/current PIXAR bigwig, Angie Bliss. We caught up and talked for a while as folks like Jeffrey Katzenberg and funny man Dave Thomas walked the red carpet.

For a list of winners, go here. http://www.annieawards.com/ For a bit of the history of the event, including the famous flying squirrel that started it all, go here: http://www.annieawards.com/anniehistory.htm

By the way, it was a crazy night for awards shows. The Annies, The Grammies, The Producers Guild and the Visual Effects Society were all taking place at the same time.

DOLLY PARTON
The following weekend, Daryl and I drove to Indio to visit Fantasy Springs Casino, which was just as classy as it sounds. Although their special event venue seemed more suited to a high school graduation than a concert, Dolly Parton and her 10-piece group put on a terrific show.

There was one awkward moment prior to the concert as the local DJ’s hosting the event said “Coming here next month is The Queen of Country Music herself, Reba McEntire!” Not sure how Dolly felt about that.

Dolly took the stage a few minutes later and launched right into “Baby, I’m Burning,” which is fitting since she seemed to have the energy of a nuclear plant. Dolly turned 61 last month but she had no problem singing and dancing—in stiletto heels, mind you—for two hours. She performed on the guitar, piano, banjo, harmonica, recorder, and dulcimer. Did I mention she was 61?

Dolly shared the stories behind “Jolene,” “Smoky Mountain Memories” and “Coat of Many Colors,” and recounted some of the events in her life and career, like the time Elvis wanted to record “I Will Always Love You.” Colonel Tom Parker would only agree to it if Dolly would give up the song rights. She said no, of course, and explained to Colonel Tom: “These songs are like my children. I expect them to take care of me in my old age.”

She had ten more zingers like that so be assured we laughed a lot at the show. She sounded great on every song, whether it was up-tempo hits like “9 to 5”, “Here You Come Again” and “Islands in the Stream” or mournful songs like “Little Sparrow” and “The Grass Is Blue.”

She talked about Carl Dean, her husband of forty-something years, widening her musical horizons. He listens more to rock music, so Dolly has recorded her own version of Neil Young’s “After the Gold Rush,” Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” and the Collective Soul hit “Shine.” Her last album Those Were The Days features her take on classics by Kris Kristofferson, The Byrds, Judy Collins, and Cat Stevens. You can sample all twelve tracks here:
http://www.amazon.com/Those-Were-Days-Dolly-Parton/dp/B000AQDQ7S/ref=sr_1_2/103-4377917-9046264?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1173233953&sr=8-2

Dolly is one busy woman. She recently showed up on The Disney Channel’s hit series Hannah Montana playing—who else?—Aunt Dolly. She just released a cookbook called Dolly’s Dixie Fixins’ http://cookbook.dollywood.com/order.aspx and she’s almost done writing the music for a Broadway version of 9 to 5. She’s already written 3,000 songs so coming up with a few more for Broadway shouldn’t be too hard.

She’s been inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame. Each organization has its own version of Dolly’s biography:
http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/exhibit_bio.asp?exhibitId=137
http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com/site/inductees.aspx?cid=150

But what better biography is there than a look at all of her album covers. Her look—with the exception of “The Girls” as she referred to them—has changed almost as much as Madonna’s. I wonder which one she’s planning to use for her tombstone? http://www.dollyon-line.com/archives/albums/index.shtml

It was a terrific show that we would’ve missed completely if my sister Gail hadn’t been so thoughtful. She and I were talking on the phone about music and I mentioned that Daryl and I both wanted to see Dolly Parton in concert. It was one of my Hundred Things To Do Before I Die. I think Gail went online as soon as we hung up and through some fluke of the universe saw that Dolly had just announced three shows in California. By the time Daryl and I saw a billboard for the concert, everything was sold out. You can imagine our surprise on Christmas morning. Thank you, Gail!!!

MT WILSON OBSERVATORY/ANGELES FOREST
Two days later, my sister Susie was town for a wedding. We hadn’t seen each other in two years so it was great getting to hang out and to meet her boyfriend Mike.

For our day together, Susie didn’t want to go to crowded, touristy places. She wanted to visit some serene natural beauty that she couldn’t see in Central Florida. Luckily, just north of Glendale is the 650,000 acre Angeles National Forest.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/angeles/about/index.shtml

After a late breakfast, the four of us headed out of town towards Mt. Wilson Observatory with Mike behind the wheel. Glendale sits less than 800 feet above sea level; Mt Wilson is listed as 5,715 feet. We made it there in approximately 25 minutes thanks to Mike’s confident handling of the car.

As is typical with this kind of mountain road, the guard rails were either too low or missing completely, so the drive was something of an adventure. Susie got plenty of natural beauty but very little serenity until we stopped at some of the scenic overlooks.

To give you an idea of how close we were to Glendale, I found this Mt Wilson towercam site. Last week, it had a great shot looking southwest at La Canada, Glendale, and LA. This week, however, the camera is aimed due east towards Altadena, which is a beautiful shot, but now I can’t point out my house. http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~obs/towercam.htm

Even though the weather was warm and sunny, when we got to the top, the observatory was closed. For good reason, as there was snow at the higher elevations the following weekend. To read more about the observatory which is over 100 years old go here: http://www.mtwilson.edu/

Another great site that the observatory offers is this live diagram of the night sky specific to LA. There a few versions you can click through that highlight constellations, stars, and planets. http://www.fourmilab.ch/cgi-bin/uncgi/Yoursky?fov=1&lat=34.225744&lon=118.057129&depm=0&consto=1&imgsize=1000&moonp=1

DAMON’S STEAKHOUSE
Afterward, we made a quick circle in the car so they could see Mulholland Drive, the Hollywood sign, Los Feliz, and Forest Lawn Glendale. We had dinner at the very retro, very tiki, Damon’s Steakhouse, which is just a few block from our house.

The restaurant opened in 1947 and Damon hasn’t changed the interior or the menu much since then. There were shell lamps, bamboo ceilings, Mai-Tai’s and plenty of regulars. Here are some photos I found of the place from a Tiki-enthusiast site:
http://www.critiki.com/cgi-bin/pictures.cgi?loc_id=65

After dinner, as the sun set and the temperature dropped, we said goodbye. It was too short a visit, but we are planning to get together soon.

ACADEMY AWARDS
Last March’s update was almost completely devoted to the Oscars as Daryl and I got to sit on the red carpet in 2006. This year, we were not in the bleachers at 9:00am but down the street at our friend Diana’s for a viewing party that started around 4:00.

As our friend Linda pointed out, “Thanks to Diana, I can honestly say I got to attend an actual Hollywood Oscar party.” There’s even a view of the Hollywood sign from Diana’s.

Because we are on the West Coast, the ceremony starts three hours earlier. For the truly devoted TV fan, Oscar day can look something like this:

3:00pm E! and KABC begins their live Red Carpet coverage
5:00pm ABC’s national half-hour pre-show from the Red Carpet
5:30pm The almost four hour ceremony airs
9:30pm Barbara Walters Oscar Special airs
10:15pm KABC airs two hours of recaps and party coverage
12:15pm Local News
12:45pm More KABC Oscar coverage!

We had a swell time even if the show was kind of a dud this year. Luckily there was Oscar Bingo to fill in the dull parts. Thank you, Diana!

STAR SIGHTINGS
While we watching the red carpet arrivals at the Annie Awards, we saw Zachary Ty Bryan. The oldest son on Home Improvement was hanging out with his friends next door at Don Cuco’s Mexican restaurant.

At the Disney Commissary, Daryl bumped into and had a nice conversation with Jack Plotnik, whom we have seen in films like Girls Will Be Girls and Down With Love. He’s not a household name, but, you might recognize him from the milk commercial as the alien with the phrase book asking the cow for “Di-Arry.”

QUOTE OF THE MONTH
Love is a possible strength in an actual weakness.—Thomas Hardy

MARCH
More visitors, more daylight and a rewrite on my play The Wedding Toast. I’ll tell you all about it next month.

Until then,
James & Daryl