The Twilight Zone Tragedy

Located in the lawn of Everlasting Love of Forest Lawn Glendale lies our next deathstination.

Here lies young Renee Shin-Yi Chen. Renee died at 6 years old during the making of John Landis' Twilight Zone: The Movie.

Known as The Twilight Zone Tragedy, Renee, along with Vic Morrow and My-Ca Dinh Le, were tragically killed on set the night of July 23rd, 1982. Renee and My-Ca were both hired illegally by director John Landis to film the final scene at 2:30am. Since children are prohibited from working at night, and near explosions, both Renee and My-Ca were hidden from the fire safety officer in their trailers. When it came time to film their scene, a helicopter was in place, hovering only 25 feet overhead. As the explosions were detonated, the tail rotor of the helicopter was above the blast, causing the tail to detach. Both Vic Morrow and My-Ca Dinh Le were decapitated by the blades. Renee, however, was crushed to death by the skids.

Their deaths lead to stricter safety standards within the film industry, and this event marked the first time in history a director was charged with a set death. In 1987, John Landis was found not guilty. But despite the verdict, the Directors Guild of America began to discipline directors for safety violations. This had not been done previous to The Twilight Zone Tragedy, and as a result of stricter standards, set deaths dropped 69.9%. The children's scene was ultimately deleted from the movie entirely, and neither My-Ca nor Renee were listed as cast members.

 

My-Ca rests at Forest Lawn Cypress, while Vic Morrow is at Hillside Memorial in Culver City.

 

To locate Renee's gravesite, ask for a map at the front office and navigate slightly uphill from the Great Mausoleum to the lawn of Everlasting Love. You will find a marble canopied sarcophagus; park here and begin walking up the hill of the lawn across from this structure. Renee rests in lot 3707.

 

 



Happy hunting.

Pioneer Memorial (Ed Wood Wednesday Pt. 2)

 

 

Located on the corner of Bledsoe Street and Foothill Blvd in Sylmar, CA you will find Pioneer Memorial Cemetery (formally Morningside). With burials dating back before 1880, this was the cemetery where Plan 9 From Outer Space was filmed.

 

 

The second oldest cemetery in the San Fernando Valley, Pioneer Memorial was purchased in 1925 by a mortician named, Will G. Noble. After Noble's death in 1939, the cemetery fell into disrepair and was declared abandoned in 1958. Noble's widow, Nellie, eventually relinquished ownership of Pioneer Memorial to the Native Daughters of the Golden West so that Pioneer Memorial could be preserved. Thanks to vandals, many of the headstones (which were the only records of burial) were stolen. Luckily, a few of the stolen headstones have been returned. The only question now is where to place them. In March 2012, the community was called to action in an attempt to name the nameless. So far, only 13 graves are marked. On the San Fernando Valley Historical Society's website, a short roster of names of those interred at Pioneer is available (http://www.sfvhs.com/graves.htm). Most believe many of the burials were children who perished in the 1918 influenza epidemic and those killed in the 1928 St. Francis Dam disaster.

 

To locate Pioneer Memorial Cemetery go to 14451 Bledsoe Street Sylmar, CA 91342.  Due to the way many in the community have mistreated the cemetery, it is now only accessible every third Saturday of the month. Happy hunting!

 

 

Bits & Pieces

This is the urn containing the cremated remains of Marion Parker.

 

 

On December 15th, 1927 Marion was kidnapped by William Edward Hickman aka "The Fox".

 

 

Hickman pulled Parker from class at Mount Vernon Jr. High claiming her father, Perry Parker, was seriously injured and needed his daughter. Perry Parker was a prominent Los Angeles Banker, and shortly after Marion's abduction, Hickman began sending ransom notes demanding $1,500 for Marion's safe return. Perry Parker and Hickman arranged to exchange the money several days later on the corner of 5th Avenue and Manhattan Street in Los Angeles, following previous failed attempts. Mr. Parker arrived alone and could see Marion sitting in Hickman's car with plastic up to her neck. As soon as Mr. Parker relinquished the ransom money, Hickman pushed Marion out of the car and sped off. But something was wrong; Marion was dead. It was later determined that Marion had already been dead for 12 hours. Prior to the exchange, Hickman disemboweled and dismembered Marion. Later, Hickman confessed that he had intended on dumping Marion's body but figured Mr. Parker would want to see his daughter prior to exchanging the ransom. As a result of Hickman's thought process, he attempted to piece the young Marion back together by wiring her eyes open so  that she appeared alive.

 

 

Hickman was one of the first murderers to plead insanity in California but, ultimately, he could not fool the jury. Subsequently in 1928, Hickman was executed by hanging at San Quentin.

 

 

Locating Marion's niche takes some tact since she is inurned in a section of Forest Lawn-Glendale's Great Mausoleum which is "inaccessible" to the general public. See where that arrow is pointing? That is the door to the section in which Marion rests. In order to be given entrance, you will be interrogated. Ring the door bell and wait for the voice from above. Upon being asked who you are there to see, simply say Marion Parker (most Forest Lawn employees have no clue who this little girl was). They may ask for a relation. I always say she is my Great Aunt. However you would like to be related to Marion is your choice; just keep in mind that she passed in 1927. My first time was a little difficult. I could not remember what the columbarium was called and the woman kept hounding me for the title. If you fall into this situation, just remember to keep the peace... the columbarium is called "Peace". Confidence is always key, so once you are buzzed in, walk with purpose. Take the hallway straight until you come to the stairs; take the stairs down. On the lower level you can only go right. There will be two sets of glass-fronted niches. Marion is in the second set, on the right, above eye level, just passed the entry way to a corridor of crypts.

 

 

Big Brother is watching! If access is successfully achieved, go straight to her niche and then leave. Do not roam around. I cannot begin to stress this enough.

 

As always, happy hunting!

Weekend at Columbo's

Above me is the crypt of Russ Columbo. Columbo was considered a crooner, although he despised the title.  

On September 2nd, 1934, Columbo was accidentally shot by Lansing Brown while looking at antique pistols. Brown described that the bullet ricocheted off a nearby table and entered Columbo's brain above his eye. Six hours later, at Good Samaritan Hospital of Los Angeles, Columbo died after surgeons failed to remove the bullet.

What happened after Columbo's death is especially interesting.

At this point in time, Columbo's mother was sick with a heart condition, and his siblings feared that the discovery of her son's death might send her to an early grave. So... logical conclusion? They kept his death a secret. Feeling as if the charade would only have to last for a short time due to her current illness, they began a game of lies to account for Russ' absence. Unbeknownst to Columbo's siblings, however, Mother lived for another 10 years. Keeping up appearances, Columbo's siblings would send letters to their mother signed by "Russ". All the while, Russ had been at Forest Lawn Glendale in The Great Mausoleum.

I'm sure Columbo's mother was pleasantly surprised when she met her son in the afterlife.

To locate Russ Columbo's crypt, head to The Great Mausoleum. Take the main entrance where the ticket booth is located. I have never tried to freely walk in since there is always someone standing watch over the entrance. Let the Forest Lawn employee know that you are there to see The Last Supper and they will wave you in. Once inside, take the main hallway straight. You will arrive at a statue of a large angel (Elizabeth Taylor's crypt), go to your left. Find the "Sanctuary of Vespers", which is the first corridor on your left. Columbo's crypt will be inside on the left-hand side, above eye level.

The Mansfield Bar

Sometimes deaths inspire new inventions, such as the death of Jayne Mansfield.
 

This is the cenotaph erected in Jayne's honor by the Jayne Mansfield Fan Club.

Jayne's remains are actually interred at Fairview Cemetery in Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania; not Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

 As with many of my recent features, the year of birth is incorrect on her cenotaph.

Born Vera Jayne Palmer on April 19th, 1933, Jayne was a blonde bombshell of the 50's, one of Playboy's first pin-ups, and mother to Law & Order: SVU actress, Mariska Hargitay.

On June 29th, 1967 at approximately 0225, Jayne met a gruesome demise. Jayne, her lover, Sam Brody, driver, Ronnie Harrison, and 3 of her 5 children were traveling down US Hwy 90 in Jayne's 1966 Buick Electra 225. She had just finished a gig in Biloxi, Mississippi and was headed to New Orleans, Louisiana for an early morning interview. After crossing the Rigolets Bridge, the Buick rear-ended a tractor-trailer that had slowed down for a truck up ahead that was spraying bug repellent. Going at a rate of speed of 80mph, Jayne's car went under the trailer, instantly killing all 3 adults.

Many claimed Jayne was decapitated, however this is incorrect. Jayne did suffer an avulsion, though, and was essentially scalped.

Following the accident, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration began requiring all trailers to come equipped with an underride guard to prevent these sorts of accidents in the future. The underride guard is affectionately termed a "Mansfield Bar".

The Buick, complete with blood stains, was purchased by Buddy Hough of St. Augustine, Florida. Buddy displayed the alleged death car in his museum, Tragedy in US History, until his death in 1996.

Sadly, the museum shuttered under his widow, Debra, and the doors closed April 1998. All the death memorabilia, including Jayne's crushed Buick, was sold at auction.

Happy Batman Day

In honor of Batman Day, here lies Bob Kane. 

Born October 24th, 1915, Kane is widely known as the creator of Batman. Entering the comic world in 1936, Kane worked for Eisner & Iger, one of the first comic book packagers. Through his work with Eisner & Iger, Kane began producing for DC Comics. Following the success of Superman, The Batman was created.

Kane was quoted in saying that The Batman was influence by 3 things; Douglas Fairbank's portrayal of Zorro, de Vinci's Ornithopter, and the movie "The Bat Whispers". 

Thanks to Bill Finger, we have the modern image of Batman who suggested that The Batman have a grey and black costume, a scalloped cape, gloves, and blank eyeholes in the mask. Finger also devised Batman's alias, Bruce Wayne. 

Kane eventually retired from DC in 1966, and passed away from natural causes on November 3rd, 1998. 

To locate Kane's gravesite, go to Forest Lawn Memorial Park-Hollywood Hills. Drive to the top of the hill where you see an old brick chapel. Behind the chapel is a large statue of George Washington (you can't miss it). Walk up the cement stairs into the gardens behind the statue, keeping your view to the right. Find the statue pictured above and you'll find Kane. His headstone has worn down so look closely at the stones. Happy hunting! 

A Tale of Two SpongeBobs

Amidst researching new deathstinations, I stumbled across a story I would like to share today. While I have never been to this deathstination, personally, I felt compelled to tell this woman's story because it is a shining example of a flaw in the Death Care Industry. 

Before I begin, let me preface this post by stating that I applaud the family for their creativity and for having the courage to fight, despite already coping with the loss of a child. We are cut from different cloths, and therefore, funerals should not be "cookie-cutter", one size fits all. Speaking from personal experiences, I believe memorialization is important, and that creative activities, centered around the deceased, can help facilitate the mourning process. The cemetery in this story not only did the family a disservice, but they also disserviced themselves in the process.  

Valentine's Day, 2013, 28 year old Kimberly Walker of  Cincinnati, Ohio was found dead in a Colorado hotel. Slain by the hand of her boyfriend, Kimberly was an Iraq War solider. A lover of SpongeBob SquarePants, Kimberly's family contracted with Spring Grove Cemetery of Ohio to have two headstones depicting the cartoon character installed; one for Kimberly and the other for her twin sister who is not yet deceased. Pre-approval was given to the family, and in October of 2013, the two 7,000 lbs monuments were installed. 

A day later, the monuments were evicted by cemetery management who stated that they were "inappropriate" and "nontraditional". 

In February of this year, a compromise was reached. The below photos depict what the headstones look like today. 

While I appreciate the Forest Lawns of the world, sanitized memorial parks will never carry the same allure as the stone-yards. Being able to walk among the headstones, reading the creative epitaphs, and marveling in the unique architecture is what draws many into cemeteries. Having these two monuments would have not only helped the family properly memorialize their daughter, but it would have also helped to draw business into Spring Grove Cemetery; a win-win situation. The management's actions were callous and I am sorry the family had to go through this.