This is a great cemetery to visit, but when I went to pay respects to Lon Chaney in Glendale, I was very rudely told to shove off! I conduct myself with the utmost respect while visiting cemeteries, but the Glendale staff were very rude!
And this is exactly where Al & I were yesterday (Hollywood Forever). He shot a few stills and there were a couple other photographers there, but it just felt odd to break out my camcorder, probably because we were just doing a looki-loo thing and not giving an insightful tour.
:-)
Any chance you and your brother will do more of these?
No need to be shy about cameras at Hollywood Forever; they love being a tourist destination.
Steve and I shot a lot more than this, and someday... someday... I'll finish up editing the longform version of this, or at least a couple of other shorts.
I can't believe you're still sitting on footage from this. WOW!
Yeah, I say go for it.
What blew me away about the place were all the 'grand' head stones. I'm just not used to a cemetery being so... theatrical. And the number of head stones that were all in Russian surprised me too.
When we got back to Al's place we had to go online to look up what the cross bearing the extra bars meant (you'd think as a history student I'd already know).
Dwight Frye is at Forest Lawn, Glendale. You can look him up on Steve's web site, beneathlosangeles(dot-com), and on findagrave(dot-com). Thanks for watching!
Can't wait till you get more videos up. I sure would love to come to LA and have you take me a a visit through the cemateries..
Hint hint... idea
I've been fascinated with Hollywood and the dead for so many years. Glad to know there are others that take in to their heart, don't forget the ones that brought us so much joy when we were growing up on the silver screen.
Great work!
Kathy
PS.. I'm still tickled you did a piece with Huell Howser, he's the man!
Holy Cross and Hillside in this video are beautiful, but some of the most beautiful in a more interesting and mystical sense have been some tiny ones I've found in Northern California from Gold Rush days, no celebrities, just pioneers who came from all over to seek fortune in the dirt.
Not Forest Lawn - They're very strict about not filming there. - The Hollywood sign is from "Hollywood Forever" on Santa Monica by Gower. The other sites are Hillside and Holy Cross each off the 405 just north of the airport.
Cool! That's how Steve started, when we were kids in Boston, with grave rubbings. He talks about that in the longer version of the video that I'm still editing. Thanks for stopping by!
A monument or statue says something but my name and dates on cold granite? Says nothing about me. Fun to be with someone who knows the person behind the plain stone.
How can you guys pass that giant world cup looking tihng in stone w/o mentioning what the heck it is? I've never seen anything like that. You live in Cali? Man I really am a dizzy chick. lol
The world cup looking thing? LOL - There are so many interesting monuments that I'm not even sure which one you mean. Check out Steve's web site at beneathlosangeles(dot=com) for hundreds of his photos, maybe it's on there. Thanks!
i enjoyed this i like walking through cemetries and reading death notices yes weird , but nope dont think i would walk through one at night ((((HUG))))
It would have had a different feel if we'd done it at night, or even on a more overcast day. That it was a beautiful, clear, sunny day did help to lighten the mood. Thanks!
still making us use our brain in your videos. very cool. cemitarys are a magical place about the past and the present. your imagination can really kick into over time in one. never herd of gravyard hunting before but that was cool. the points were intresting. history is important to me so we dont make the same mistakes twice and we can learn alot from the past from others. and so on. morbid or wierd no. intresting. until next time time take it easy.
Thanks - Yes, very true about cemeteries being a link between the past and present, very good point. That's why, even though sometimes we get weirded out about death, we still get drawn in and need to visit and see the graves and think about all these things.
Hopefully it won't take another year to edit the rest of the footage! But, really, although this is the video I wanted to do from the start (before that photo montage one), I'm glad we waited till I bought a decent camcorder and had a little more experience with digital editing.
Really? You know Beneath Los Angeles? Cool! I'd done a video out of his photos before, but I took it down because it used copyrighted music (the Kinks' Celluloid Heroes). Yeah, it is a Small World (which, coincidentally, was the name of Steve's band at San Diego State).
Oh, that was extremely cool! Adolphe Menjou...one of my all time favorites. After seeing this, I went to IMDB and discovered that he was born in my adopted home town of Pittsburgh! What a treat. More please!
I love the fact that even graveyards sometimes can make people smile. That's a pretty cool hobby, your brother got there. And he knows a LOT about all these people.
And omg Fay Wray!!!
Bah, Hollywood. Hmpf. I'm not jealous or anything.
Nothing to be jealous of - Just a lot of smog and dead people. And, as you can see, the weather is horrible in October. Personally, I can only handle Los Angeles for 72 hours at a time, tops.
It's those old cemeteries back east that got my brother started in all this when we were growing up outside of Boston. That would make an excellent video!
It's one of those things where everybody says, "That's sick... tell me more!" Morbid, but fascinatingly so. There's nothing wrong with visiting cemeteries, that's what they're for, to provide memorials that remind us of the past, and honor those who went before. Glad you enjoyed it!
I tried to keep it bright, even in the mausoleums, and resisted the urge to do it in black and white. Had to be careful not to get too dark and morose in the video. If course, with another hour and 45 minutes of video to go through, there's always that possibility...
Ooh! I know~ you could do a special for Halloween. With groovy special effects. Cheesy, I know. But I love cheese. :D Besides, you might get featured, since it will be timely to the season. Just a thought.
A little morbid, but actually very cool ken. I like how you put your name on the grave at the end. I know iMovie's texting capablilties are limited, so was that a photoshop file you put up there? I'm such a geek! LOL
Not photoshop, just "graphic converter" - I pulled the still frame in then added the text. It's my quick and easy shareware solution to iMovie's titling limitations.
"Wearing black is not a requirement": LOL!! This reminds me of "The Loved One" by Evelyn Waugh; does your brother "do" pet cemeteries as well? Could be some famous animal actors there ...
Very interesting video. That's an intruiging hobby. In a way, I suppose, it's a way that great people continue to be remembered. I look forward to more.
That's one word for it... It was a little odd for me to spend an entire day in cemeteries, but very interesting as well. There are many more stories yet to edit... Thanks!
He loves doing this. I had to ask very few opening questions; I just turned on the camera and he started doing his thing. Check out his web site (in the description) for many more photos and stories.
This will be fascinating, Ken, can't wait! (Must point out -- Adolph Menjou played mostly fathers, husbands, bosses, military officers -- but not butlers.)
LOL - I'm not responsible for the accuracy of Steve's trivia - and hey, I'm just glad people still know who Adolph Menjou is! This is a fun project - We've been talking about doing this forever, and just finally had the chance to shoot it a couple of days ago.
This is a great cemetery to visit, but when I went to pay respects to Lon Chaney in Glendale, I was very rudely told to shove off! I conduct myself with the utmost respect while visiting cemeteries, but the Glendale staff were very rude!
Kaffyboy 1 year ago
Hey, I remember this!
And this is exactly where Al & I were yesterday (Hollywood Forever). He shot a few stills and there were a couple other photographers there, but it just felt odd to break out my camcorder, probably because we were just doing a looki-loo thing and not giving an insightful tour.
:-)
Any chance you and your brother will do more of these?
OhCurt 3 years ago
No need to be shy about cameras at Hollywood Forever; they love being a tourist destination.
Steve and I shot a lot more than this, and someday... someday... I'll finish up editing the longform version of this, or at least a couple of other shorts.
kenrg 3 years ago
I can't believe you're still sitting on footage from this. WOW!
Yeah, I say go for it.
What blew me away about the place were all the 'grand' head stones. I'm just not used to a cemetery being so... theatrical. And the number of head stones that were all in Russian surprised me too.
When we got back to Al's place we had to go online to look up what the cross bearing the extra bars meant (you'd think as a history student I'd already know).
Someone left spare change on Alfalfa's grave.
Odd.
OhCurt 3 years ago
please could you and your brother if you go there again find Dwight Fryes grave, the actor from frankenstein and dracula!
poisonheartthrob 2 years ago
Dwight Frye is at Forest Lawn, Glendale. You can look him up on Steve's web site, beneathlosangeles(dot-com), and on findagrave(dot-com). Thanks for watching!
kenrg 2 years ago
cool thanks.
poisonheartthrob 2 years ago
Steve,
Can't wait till you get more videos up. I sure would love to come to LA and have you take me a a visit through the cemateries..
Hint hint... idea
I've been fascinated with Hollywood and the dead for so many years. Glad to know there are others that take in to their heart, don't forget the ones that brought us so much joy when we were growing up on the silver screen.
Great work!
Kathy
PS.. I'm still tickled you did a piece with Huell Howser, he's the man!
LupusMCTD 4 years ago
What is the most beautiful funeral place there is that you have been to?
JPPT1974 4 years ago
Holy Cross and Hillside in this video are beautiful, but some of the most beautiful in a more interesting and mystical sense have been some tiny ones I've found in Northern California from Gold Rush days, no celebrities, just pioneers who came from all over to seek fortune in the dirt.
kenrg 4 years ago
Is that Forest Lawn?
I don't recall being able to see the HOLLYWOOD sign from there, in Glendale.
atree3 4 years ago
Not Forest Lawn - They're very strict about not filming there. - The Hollywood sign is from "Hollywood Forever" on Santa Monica by Gower. The other sites are Hillside and Holy Cross each off the 405 just north of the airport.
kenrg 4 years ago
I suppose there are worse ways to spend the day... but no, that was quite interesting esepcially the Fay Ray and Al Jolson bits
21stCenturyCat 4 years ago
I've got much more footage - MUCH more... I'll be editing this thing until next February at this rate.
kenrg 4 years ago
ha ha well ironically I'm just editing some more of my Vegas footage from March!
21stCenturyCat 4 years ago
Very Interesting. I did rubbings of the headstones of each family member, as I recorded them in our family genealogy/history books.
gidgetblogs 4 years ago
Cool! That's how Steve started, when we were kids in Boston, with grave rubbings. He talks about that in the longer version of the video that I'm still editing. Thanks for stopping by!
kenrg 4 years ago
Please let me know when it is finished. I subscribed, but perhaps you want to link as friends. I am so interest in your videos and the features.
gidgetblogs 4 years ago
I watched this video last night and it brought a huge smile to my face. Great job! I love your subject!
MattieCooper 4 years ago
Thank you - I'm working on the rest of the footage right now...
kenrg 4 years ago
I found this extremely interesting, ken. Looking forward to more.
Minniver 4 years ago
Thanks - I've barely had time to go through all the footage, so it'll be another couple of weeks. Glad you enjoyed!
kenrg 4 years ago
A monument or statue says something but my name and dates on cold granite? Says nothing about me. Fun to be with someone who knows the person behind the plain stone.
Sabrnig 4 years ago
Exactly, it's the stories that bring the memorials to life, so to speak. Thanks for stopping by!
kenrg 4 years ago
Interesting to see what keeps other people busy ;P
DeXimE 4 years ago
Exactly - Whatever keeps him out of trouble, we're happy for ;^) Thanks!
kenrg 4 years ago
Fascinating...reminds me of these explorations my mother would take me on into old abandoned houses in the country. It was scary and fun all at once.
Neotrific 4 years ago
Scary and Fun - Two great tastes that taste great together!
kenrg 4 years ago
al jolson. that's funny! didn't he play a white guy painted in black paint playing a black waiter. those were the days!
citizenstand 4 years ago
Yeah, it was something like that ;^)
Thanks!
kenrg 4 years ago
That's kind of a depressing topic... but I realize as I watch this that I don't want to be buried anywhere near a freeway...
blackturtleus 4 years ago
Like he says in the video, location is everything!
kenrg 4 years ago
How can you guys pass that giant world cup looking tihng in stone w/o mentioning what the heck it is? I've never seen anything like that. You live in Cali? Man I really am a dizzy chick. lol
Furnifur 4 years ago
The world cup looking thing? LOL - There are so many interesting monuments that I'm not even sure which one you mean. Check out Steve's web site at beneathlosangeles(dot=com) for hundreds of his photos, maybe it's on there. Thanks!
kenrg 4 years ago
At .33 seconds it was behind him in the shot. It looked like a trophy cup in stone, I've never ever seen one like that.
Furnifur 4 years ago
i enjoyed this i like walking through cemetries and reading death notices yes weird , but nope dont think i would walk through one at night ((((HUG))))
HuggableAngel 4 years ago
It would have had a different feel if we'd done it at night, or even on a more overcast day. That it was a beautiful, clear, sunny day did help to lighten the mood. Thanks!
kenrg 4 years ago
I thought it would be a bit morose at first, but its kind of like a lesson in film history.
MBRHIndustries 4 years ago
Yes, thank you! No morose or negative things, just history and fun and honoring the past. Glad you liked it!
kenrg 4 years ago
still making us use our brain in your videos. very cool. cemitarys are a magical place about the past and the present. your imagination can really kick into over time in one. never herd of gravyard hunting before but that was cool. the points were intresting. history is important to me so we dont make the same mistakes twice and we can learn alot from the past from others. and so on. morbid or wierd no. intresting. until next time time take it easy.
twister7boy 4 years ago
Thanks - Yes, very true about cemeteries being a link between the past and present, very good point. That's why, even though sometimes we get weirded out about death, we still get drawn in and need to visit and see the graves and think about all these things.
kenrg 4 years ago
Hopefully it won't take another year to edit the rest of the footage! But, really, although this is the video I wanted to do from the start (before that photo montage one), I'm glad we waited till I bought a decent camcorder and had a little more experience with digital editing.
kenrg 4 years ago
Wait a minute. I'm already familiar with your brother's work. Had no idea you were related. Amazing!
Small world, this Innerweb.
costernocht 4 years ago
Really? You know Beneath Los Angeles? Cool! I'd done a video out of his photos before, but I took it down because it used copyrighted music (the Kinks' Celluloid Heroes). Yeah, it is a Small World (which, coincidentally, was the name of Steve's band at San Diego State).
kenrg 4 years ago
I'm a big silent-movie fan. I reckon that's how I first learned about him. Just followed the links. :)
costernocht 4 years ago
Oh, that was extremely cool! Adolphe Menjou...one of my all time favorites. After seeing this, I went to IMDB and discovered that he was born in my adopted home town of Pittsburgh! What a treat. More please!
tlg847 4 years ago
More on the way (if only I didn't have to actually work for a living I could get the rest edited in no time). Thanks!
kenrg 4 years ago
Great job Steve and Ken!
MizQue 4 years ago
Thank you!
kenrg 4 years ago
i used to go to the Melbourne General Cemetery - some crazy Elvis fan paid for a big monument to him and every anniversary it's covered with flowers!
Looking forward to more!
juliact 4 years ago
An Elvis memorial in Melbourne? Is there an Elvis connection beyond the crazed fan? That's great! Thanks for watching.
kenrg 4 years ago
no other connection i'm aware of. BTW that's Melbourne, Australia NOT Melbourne, FL!
juliact 4 years ago
I didn't know there was a Melbourne, FL! I assumed Australia. Although, I suppose, with Elvis a Florida connection would make more sense ;^)
kenrg 4 years ago
I used to go to these places! I remember when I worked on the Paramount lot, I used to hang out there with dogs! (long story)
rextangle 4 years ago
I got some nice shots of the Paramount water towers in the background of C.B. DeMille's grave. We'll have to hear some of that long story sometime...
kenrg 4 years ago
great. looking forward to it.
blairtoo 4 years ago
Thank you!
kenrg 4 years ago
Yes a little weird but very cool.
Justinmazing 4 years ago
I'll take that as a compliment - Weird and cool can definitely go well together - Thanks!
kenrg 4 years ago
I love the fact that even graveyards sometimes can make people smile. That's a pretty cool hobby, your brother got there. And he knows a LOT about all these people.
And omg Fay Wray!!!
Bah, Hollywood. Hmpf. I'm not jealous or anything.
Really.
Not.
Much.
Hmpf.
speedyconkiwi 4 years ago
Nothing to be jealous of - Just a lot of smog and dead people. And, as you can see, the weather is horrible in October. Personally, I can only handle Los Angeles for 72 hours at a time, tops.
kenrg 4 years ago
It's those old cemeteries back east that got my brother started in all this when we were growing up outside of Boston. That would make an excellent video!
kenrg 4 years ago
Your brother really knows his dead people, Ken. No I'm kidding, no disrespect intended!... Your brother really knows his stuff!
I have to say I find graveyards in general fascinating... it just really gets the imagination going!...
H0neyBabyD0ll 4 years ago
It's one of those things where everybody says, "That's sick... tell me more!" Morbid, but fascinatingly so. There's nothing wrong with visiting cemeteries, that's what they're for, to provide memorials that remind us of the past, and honor those who went before. Glad you enjoyed it!
kenrg 4 years ago
Your brother is so cool! I really liked the tour, so far, and am looking forward to more!!
thanks Ken. Your videos always brighten my days. Even the ones shot in cemeteries. :)
lookingforananswer 4 years ago
I tried to keep it bright, even in the mausoleums, and resisted the urge to do it in black and white. Had to be careful not to get too dark and morose in the video. If course, with another hour and 45 minutes of video to go through, there's always that possibility...
kenrg 4 years ago
Ooh! I know~ you could do a special for Halloween. With groovy special effects. Cheesy, I know. But I love cheese. :D Besides, you might get featured, since it will be timely to the season. Just a thought.
lookingforananswer 4 years ago
A little morbid, but actually very cool ken. I like how you put your name on the grave at the end. I know iMovie's texting capablilties are limited, so was that a photoshop file you put up there? I'm such a geek! LOL
anakin1814 4 years ago
Not photoshop, just "graphic converter" - I pulled the still frame in then added the text. It's my quick and easy shareware solution to iMovie's titling limitations.
kenrg 4 years ago
Oops, I just answered my own question by watching 'one of five'. D'oh!
divalolo 4 years ago
"Wearing black is not a requirement": LOL!! This reminds me of "The Loved One" by Evelyn Waugh; does your brother "do" pet cemeteries as well? Could be some famous animal actors there ...
Thanks Ken!
divalolo 4 years ago
I loved the Loved One, the book and the movie. One of the great depictions of L.A. of all time.
Check out his channel (link in description) for his pet cemetery tour with Heul Hauser.
kenrg 4 years ago
Great video.
When does your brother write the book?
phillipah7 4 years ago
He's been working on it for years, but just found a publisher willing to do it recently - Hopefully it will be out by the end of next year.
kenrg 4 years ago
Your brother is crazy...... in a nice way!
periurban 4 years ago
Crazy is fine as long as you're not also dangerous. Even dangerous can be okay, if you've been disarmed. But, yeah, crazy in a nice way. Thanks!
kenrg 4 years ago
Very interesting video. That's an intruiging hobby. In a way, I suppose, it's a way that great people continue to be remembered. I look forward to more.
livingpassion 4 years ago
That's one word for it... It was a little odd for me to spend an entire day in cemeteries, but very interesting as well. There are many more stories yet to edit... Thanks!
kenrg 4 years ago
Very interesting.
Your brother is a great guide :)
andymooseman 4 years ago
He loves doing this. I had to ask very few opening questions; I just turned on the camera and he started doing his thing. Check out his web site (in the description) for many more photos and stories.
kenrg 4 years ago
This will be fascinating, Ken, can't wait! (Must point out -- Adolph Menjou played mostly fathers, husbands, bosses, military officers -- but not butlers.)
liz1060 4 years ago
LOL - I'm not responsible for the accuracy of Steve's trivia - and hey, I'm just glad people still know who Adolph Menjou is! This is a fun project - We've been talking about doing this forever, and just finally had the chance to shoot it a couple of days ago.
kenrg 4 years ago
I'm nutty for movies from the 1930's so I probably know things that are of no use whatsoever unless I'm in a Hollywood cemetary!
liz1060 4 years ago
I LOVE this kind of stuff! I'll be looking forward to seeing more! :-)
GreatGig1 4 years ago
Thanks - I'm looking forward to not having all that footage taking up my entire hard drive! Stay tuned for more...
kenrg 4 years ago