A Visit to Evergreen Cemetery

I have a number of photo posts I'm hoping to catch up on sharing, and here is the first one!

Last April we visited Evergreen Cemetery in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Evergreen (seen above in an official cemetery photo) is an historic cemetery where a number of important figures in Southern California history are buried, with recognizable last names such as Van Nuys, Hollenbeck, and Lankershim.

Jotham Bixby, a founding father of my birthplace, Long Beach, is also buried there. I knew some of the Bixbys years ago when I worked for a law firm which represented them. As can be seen below, the cemetery isn't particularly well kept, but it's quite interesting.

For a variety of reasons Evergreen became the final resting place for many Chinese, Japanese, and black Angelenos. Medal of Honor recipient Joe Hayashi, the son of Japanese immigrants -- who was himself born in Salinas, California -- is among those buried at Evergreen. He died in combat in Italy in 1945.

We made this trip particularly to visit the gravesites of three beloved black entertainers.

Our first stop was at the gravesite of Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, who of course appeared not only in movies but on Jack Benny's radio and TV programs.

My husband regularly listens to the Benny radio show, so this was a special visit for him.

Our next stop was at the burial place of one of my very favorite character actresses, Louise Beavers. I especially love her in HOLIDAY INN (1942) and MR. BLANDINGS BUILDS HIS DREAM HOUSE (1948).

Louise is buried with her mother, Ernestine Monroe Beavers. Louise's father died the year after Louise's 1962 passing and is buried at Evergreen under a separate gravestone.

Sadly, Louise's name was never added to the bottom of her mother's gravestone. Fortunately FindaGrave, an invaluable resource, has documented her final resting place.

Finally, we visited the gravesite of Matthew "Stymie" Beard, who was one of the Little Rascals, aka Our Gang.

As is always the case on such visits, it is moving to have the opportunity to pay our respects to those whose work has lived on to entertain us, while also learning more about Southern California and filmmaking history.

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 (2017), A Visit to Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, Part 2 (2017), A Visit to Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, Part 3 (2019), 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 Palm Springs (Coachella Valley Public Cemetery), A Visit to Marysvale Cemetery, A Visit to Holy Cross Cemetery, Part 1 (2022), A Visit to Holy Cross Cemetery, Part 2 (2022), A Visit to Rose Hills Memorial Park, A Visit to San Fernando Mission Cemetery, A Visit to Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, Part 1 (2023), A Visit to Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, Part 2 (2023), and Memorial Service for Edmund Gwenn.

Articles on the final resting places of Western stars and filmmakers from my Western RoundUp column at Classic Movie Hub: May 2019, February 2022, November 2, 2022, November 29, 2022, April 2023, November 2023, March 2024, July 2024, and February 2025.

Tweet