If you visit one cemetery in LA this is the one. You get more famous celebrity graves per square foot than any other grave yard. I think you can't go more than 20 yards without seeing someone famous!!!!!!!!!!!!
But its tricky to find...but worh the time!!!!
Renowned Death Hag
Yes one person I care about is buried there Dorothy Stratten.
From what I understand it's very hard to get in Westwood Memorial.
Just off a highway kind of hard to find.
Its like right in the city so its kind of in a weird place. I remember pulling to the side and parking and looking to my left and seeing Rodney Dangerfields grave. Then looking to the right I saw Dorothys and it had pics of her by her grave!!Originally Posted by theotherlondon
We had a GPS the whole time in LA and I think I got lucky finding it when I drove by because i have seen the entrance on findagrave. Its right behind a CVS pharmacy!!! Its on the same street about half way down.
Death Hag
We drove around a long time looking for it...I agree, a must see...it is actually right off Wilshire Blvd. but squeezed in behind some buildings...very strange location.
I just wanted to see if this would work. This place would be a real pecker to find, especially for a visitor.
even closer view. What is so strange to me...people literally park their cars a few feet from Marilyn's tomb space and never know it.
Heck, I ought to pin a dozen or so....
I agree, this is my favorite cemetery. Unbelievable the famous people buried there. It's not that big either. It is a weird setting being surrounded by tall buildings but it wasn't always that way. I find it a very peaceful place. An oasis in the middle of Westwood. I have sat there for hours just taking in the quiet and knowing I was surrounded by so many famous people.
That is Marylin's tomb next to all these business type parking lots? Good Grief! how lame is that?
Death Hag
I love Westwood too - I went to see Natalie Wood's grave. People had put pennies all over it for some reason. I was very surprised by how small and intimate Westwood was to have so many incredibly famous people there. Unlike Forest Lawn, you don't feel intimidated or like a criminal just to look at the graves.
It's a much different type of place and feeling. And of course, Marilyn is there. Hugh Hefner is going to be in the crypt next to hers when he goes.......interesting piece of trivia.
I'm sure the parking lot wasn't there when MM was buried in 1962, besides when you are in front of her crypt you wouldn't know there was a parking lot behind the building. Like I said previously, a very peaceful place.
These photos looks interesting...only you have to buy them. I wonder if that is the casket she was buried in??
http://www.lelands.com/bid.aspx?lot=593&auctionid=605
Thanks for the pix. Haven't seen these before.
That makes total sense.. thanks!
You guys, and your inane posts, amaze me. Seriously.
I'm not sure if that is the one. I am the proud owner of Marilyn A Hollywood Farewell. In my book there is another in front of the one in your photo that doesn't have the tuck and roll.
If we could get them to scale...can't tell what the damn type reads??
I agree with everyone here..I love Westwood..and like I posted in another thread I was amazed at how many famous people were buried there and how easy it was to find them!
It is the most peaceful place I have ever been really.
My dad drove me there in 1998. We couldn't find it at first either, there was a very small sign out on the street and you had to take an alley of sorts to get to the entrance. We called them from a side street, and they asked if we could see a flag pole..that was them. They are behind a very large office building, which I thought was strange too at first, but once inside, it is really a tranquil place.
When I had called there to make sure Marilyn was buried there (before I got internet), they were very very nice on the phone. They said that although they will not direct you to everyone famous there, that we were welcome to stop by the office and they would give you a list of all the famous names buried there, and that we were more than welcome to come and walk around. When we got there, I went in the office and they did just that, gave me a list of all the famous names. I did ask if they could point me in the direction of where Marilyn was, and the lady did just that.
We walked around for hours and took pictures.
One of the colleges campus' is on the same street..but I cannot remember which one now.
I asked in the Natalie Wood thread earlier, what is with people leaving pennies on the head stones? they were all over Natalie's, they were propped up on Dean Martins, I didn't know what it meant, and I didn't touch them.
Hey Danny,
If you go to the link you posted of the pics, below the larger one is smaller pics in a row, you can click on those and get the individual pic pulled up and you can read the type.
Looks like it is Marilyn's casket.
Thanks soooooo much!!! I will have to take a peek!!! Wow Marilyns casket...
Dan
Hey! That's not very nice!!!You guys, and your inane posts, amaze me. Seriously.
Color me "INANE" then!!!
I actually can see the cemetery (partially) from my office window. When I read about someone buried there I swing my chair around and it amazes me that the person Im reading about is "right down there". If I look to right I can make out a glimpse of Holy Cross in Culver City as well as the Sony (Formerly MGM) water tower. A lot of people would think of all the present goings on over there, all I think about are the past ones. Strange.
I went there last year. It was a great day in Hollywood for my wife and I. Breakfast at Musso & Frank's, Westwood Memorial, then Scott's tour. Action packed!
My favorite headstone there was this one:
I like Rodney Dangerfields.."There goes the Neighborhood"
I would love to tour what is left of the old MGM studios in Culver City. I am such a big fan of everything MGM from the golden age of Hollywood.
They say that on the sound stage where they filmed the Wizard of Oz, you can still see the yellow brick road. Does anyone know if this is true? Has anyone ever taken a tour of that studio? I'd love to hear all about it.
WOW!! Seeing the opening of Marilyns crypt was unreal. I was there in Sept of this year. And seeing the empty casket before she was placed it!!!!
Those damn pics are priceless!!!!
Death Hag
Would love to see that book about Marilyn!
They were cool. Her crypt scared me...of course..I was standing in front of it, and my Dad was taking my picture.."with Marilyn" and I told him...hang on a minute...and I knocked on it!! I turned back around for him to snap the picture...and I didn't like the feeling I had...I told him to HURRY UP!! He thought it was funny...
Renowned Death Hag
I wish I could vist Westwood Memorial but I live to far away.
I was told that Elizabeth Taylor put her parents in a crypt at Westwood. Also, that the two crypts are on the very bottom. Aren't they always the cheapest places? Does anyone have or ever seen a picture of her parents resting places?
Loved these pictures!!
Thanks for sharing.
I believe the "cheapest" you can get into Westwood is around $70k. While Liz Taylor is guilty of a lot of things, cheap probably isn't one of them.
By the way Buddy Rich and Heather O'Rourke are buried on the bottom row. Peter Lawford was kicked out after his estate didn't pay the full bill (I believe Capote has Lawford's old spot now).
Dean Martin has both his parents buried here. And the Beach Boys (Wilson) buried their mother along with Carl here while keeping their much despised father Murray in the cheap seats at Inglewood Park Cemetery.
Tell us more. You are our eyes, for those of us who can't be there.
Another story at Westwood involves Roy Orbison. He's located in the central lawn section in an unmarked grave rather than at the family plot in Nashville, Tennesse. Rumor has it his second wife Barbara was not well liked by Roy's remaining family (he lost his wife in a motorcycle crash and 2 sons in a house fire) or the Nashville crowd. She got her revenge by keeping him permanently in LA.
He's buried right above the Frank Wright Tuttle bronze marker.
Last edited by Tombstone Tourist; 10-18-2007 at 01:47 PM.
Guest
Some pictures of Westwood Memorial Park taken in sept of this year!
The first two are Don Knotts, Dorothy stratton, Bob Crane and Marilyn Monroe. I could not get them any bigger but if you click on them they should resize so you can tell which grave they are!
Sorry!
Last edited by Danny62; 10-20-2007 at 12:10 PM.
Ok mister, how the hell do you post pics? And your more computer illiterate then I am!
Hey if I can do it anyone can. Let me PM you and try to explain it!
thank you for posting those pictures. This is my firts post here on the board, i'm more than glad of being here, sharing one of my greatest interest with all all of you. i'd love to go to Westwood Memorial, if i ever get to go to LA, visiting this place will be the first thing i'll do!
So far that aren't running tourist out..but then again Those pic were on labor day so who knows. But it was by far the best cemetery to see celiebritys!!!
Hey Danny, now that i saw the pics youve posted, i was wondering if Dorothy Stratten is buried there of if she was actually cremated? i remember reading somewhere that she was cremated, but her grave looks big enough for somebody to be buried there.. do you know for sure?
The second pic is Dorothy strattons. If ou click on it you can tell. I need to go in and see if I can make the pics bigger.
It was cool they had photos on her grave when i took the pic!!!
^^i know, ive already seen the pic, thats why i was wondering if she was cremated or buried??
Yeah, thats pretty cool that those pictures were there, were they signed or with a message written?
Duh...I just reread your post...sorry!
I am not sure if she was buried or cremated?
I didn't look to closely at the pics to see if they had any messages or anything though!!!
Renowned Death Hag
Danny- Great pic of you by Don Knotts grave. Thanks for the pics. I feel so lame for not going to the graves before I moved outta Cali, but oh well next time I'm down I'm doing an all out Death Hag Bonanza! LOL!
I only spent about 30 minutes at Westwood...we had a cranky 4 year old with us.
I could have brought lunch and easily made a day of it!!!!!!
That was sooooooo fricken cool...I had goosebumps when I was there!!
Danny, the big grin by Don's grave showed just how excited you were, I don't think you need to explain. It's an awesome experience! Adrenaline pumps big time, egh?
Well I did want to see Don's grave. That was the highlight...even better than seeing Marilyns grave!
I wish I just could have spent more time there.
Guess what its snowing here in Salt Lake!!!
Last edited by SistaSara; 11-07-2007 at 07:31 PM.
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