A Visit to Holy Cross Cemetery (2022), Part 2

It's time for Part 2 of my recent visit to Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.

Part 1 may be found here.

We paid our respects to Jean Peters, who is buried under her full married name, Elizabeth J. Hough. I have particularly fond memories of Peters as good-natured Polly in NIAGARA (1953).

Big Band singer Helen O'Connell is also at Holy Cross. At the time of her passing she was married to composer Frank DeVol, who was a widower when they married; he is buried next to his longtime first wife at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills.

Fay Helm was in movies for a decade, from 1936 to 1946. She played Mrs. Fuddle in the BLONDIE series; other notable films included THE WOLF MAN (1941) and PHANTOM LADY (1944).

Jackie Coogan did a little of everything in his long career, appearing in silent films such as THE KID (1921) as a child; as an adult, he played Uncle Fester on THE ADDAMS FAMILY (1964-66) and played guest roles on many other TV series.

Jim and Marian Jordan, famed as radio's Fibber McGee and Molly, are at Holy Cross too. I first got to know them listening to their shows on LP records as a child, so this was a special visit for me.

Cinematographer John F. Seitz filmed some of the greatest movies ever made, including SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS (1941), DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944), and SUNSET BLVD. (1950). The good and great movies he shot are too numerous to count. Suffice it to say that classic film fans own him a debt of gratitude for all the wonderful movies we can enjoy thanks to his cinematography.

Producer William Dozier, whose work included TV's BATMAN (1966-68), was married to Ann Rutherford. Ann is also said to be buried at Holy Cross but we couldn't discover the location; we hoped we might find her here but if she's buried with her husband there is not a marker. (Update: According to IMDb, Ann was cremated and the ashes given to her daughter.)

Mary Frann is best known for playing Bob Newhart's wife Joanna on NEWHART (1982-1990). She died less than a decade after it went off the air, at the age of 55.

We also stopped by the graves of a pair of local legends, longtime L.A. Lakers announcer Chick Hearn...

...and KTLA reporter Stan Chambers. Chambers was at KTLA for 63 years; he retired on his 87th (!) birthday. I recall driving past him in 2002 when he covered a story in my area.  I enjoyed his memoir KTLA'S NEWS AT 10: 60 YEARS WITH STAN CHAMBERS.

Lawrence Welk, whose musical show was a TV staple when I was a child, is also at Holy Cross.

As always, our visit was an opportunity to reflect on the contributions each of these people made to our culture and how much their work has added to our lives.

Like Forest Lawn Glendale and Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, Holy Cross is so large that although we have made multiple visits in the last few years, we'll be returning again in the future.

Additional photo posts on the final resting places of historic Hollywood figures: A Visit to Forest Lawn Glendale, Part 1, A Visit to Forest Lawn Glendale, Part 2, A Visit to the Forest Lawn Museum, A Visit to Hollywood Forever Cemetery (2014), A Visit to Westwood Village Memorial Park - The Musicians, A Visit to Westwood Village Memorial Park - The Comedians, A Visit to Westwood Village Memorial Park - The Actors, A Visit to Westwood Village Memorial Park - Writers, Directors, and More, A Visit to Holy Cross Cemetery, Part 1, A Visit to Holy Cross Cemetery, Part 2, A Visit to Holy Cross Cemetery, Part 3, A Visit to Desert Memorial Park, Los Angeles National Cemetery, A Visit to Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, Part 1, A Visit to Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, Part 2, A Visit to Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, Part 3, A Visit to Forest Lawn Cathedral City, A Visit to Oakwood Memorial Park, A Visit to Hillside Memorial Park, Part 1, A Visit to Hillside Memorial Park, Part 2, A Visit to Hollywood Forever Cemetery (2019), A Visit to Woodlawn Cemetery, A Visit to Valley Oaks Memorial Park, A Visit to Valhalla Cemetery, A Visit to Pacific View Memorial Park, A Visit to Glen Haven Memorial Park, A Visit to Forest Lawn Glendale (2020), A Visit to Calvary Cemetery, A Visit to Home of Peace Memorial Park, Visits to Sedona and Las Vegas Cemeteries, A Visit to Forest Lawn Glendale (2022), Visits to Orange County Cemeteries (Holy Sepulcher Cemetery and El Toro Memorial Park), A Visit to Inglewood Park Cemetery, A Visit to Mt. Sinai Memorial Park, A Visit to Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills (2022), A Visit to Palm Springs (Coachella Valley Public Cemetery), A Visit to Marysvale Cemetery, and A Visit to Holy Cross Cemetery (2022), Part 1.

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