If it was surprising that Tyler Cassity, then in his 20s, bought what is now Hollywood Forever cemetery back in the late 90s, it is even more surprising that he still owns it. Not to knock Mr. Cassity, but think about how many businesses fail within a few years, and think of the large scope of taking on a dilapidated city cemetery and revolutionizing it. I didn’t even know the cemetery had ever been in trouble; I know of it from reading Find A Death only, of course, having never been to California myself, but the place is mentioned a lot on that site and also whenever conversations online turn to the best places to see a movie while picnicking. Yep, that’s right, you can watch a movie in the very place where many movie stars are resting in peace, and it’s largely because of the vision of young Mr. Cassity.
I enjoyed the documentary quite a bit, but I have one issue with it. Either this documentary in particular, or the entire HBO series America Undercover of which The Young and the Dead is a part, had a huge influence on all the “look at these regular people doing a weird job” reality cable shows my TV is completely clogged up with. You know the ones, featuring really short people training pit bulls, or really ugly people repoing cars, and so forth. I mean this documentary is a lot more interesting and contains no stupid drama for it’s own sake, but it’s obviously an influence, from the opening shot of Cassity’s entire staff walking in a slo-mo line down a hall, to the way we get to watch people doing business on phones, to the wedding we “attend” between two staff members. So, sarcastic thanks for starting the stupid trend.
But other than that, and I’m half joking (grr), this is an interesting piece. We see the process of one man planning his wife’s funeral, which he knows is imminent because she has Alzheimer’s. The thing that’s unique about a funeral at Hollywood Forever, though, is that when it’s planned ahead of time, the staff puts together a multimedia presentation about the deceased’s life, just like if they were famous and they died and there were bios on TV. We meet the people who hang around the cemetery, either because they like the quiet, or because they want to be close to a favorite star. I always knew there was nothing weird about me for hanging around our local cemetery to be alone with the flowers and sculptures! You can even buy a plot near a favorite celeb. For example, Marilyn Monroe is in a mausoleum, and a guy bought the, I don’t know, drawer? above her so he could be buried face down on top of her. Yeah, I’m not weird at all compared to that guy. There was also a moving segment showing the re-interment of Academy Award winner Hattie McDaniel, who had wanted to be buried in the cemetery when she died but was prevented by the racist then-owner. Big ups to those who finally respected her final wishes and had her moved there.
Morbid thought: Tyler Cassity bought the cemetery for less than 400 grand, which means he essentially purchased, along with the land, the bodies of Marilyn, Tyrone Power, Mel Blanc, John Huston, Clifton Webb, Rudolph Valentino, and many others. He got them all for less than you could purchase even one of them on eBay, if it was legal to buy dead bodies.
Speaking of Valentino, one of the main sections of the doc dealt with the annual memorial his fans put on for him there. There’s a long history of “ladies in black” presiding, and a guy in the film named Bud Testa who hadn’t missed a ceremony since the 50s. Unfortunately, he had to miss it the year they were filming The Young and the Dead because he was sick, but Cassity went to his hospital room and recorded him opening and closing the ceremony. That way he could be there still in presence, if not physically. This is just one of the many personal services that has ensured that Cassity has stayed in business for so long.
The film came out in 2000, so I’m guessing many of the older interviewees are now permanent residents of the place. But of all the “where are they now” wondering I’m doing, I wonder mostly about a girl of 12 or so who was interviewed at the Valentino service. She was dressed in a traditional black dress and veil and her parents were so proud of her uniqueness for being such a young fan. She had over 300 pictures, they said, all over her room, of the silent film star, and had been to the cemetery for several of her own birthdays along with the yearly trips for the organized Valentino celebration. When interviewed, she mentioned that she liked Valentino’s eyes, his butt, and the way he was able to move on camera. It reminded me of my own obsession with Jim Morrison at that age, except that hers was a lot cooler. I wonder if she still likes Valentino.
It’s a testament to the power and magic of Hollywood in general, as well as Valentino in particular, that a little girl born sixty-odd years after the man died was able to feel that way. I mean, I don’t always praise the traditional Hollywood movie, but I wouldn’t be here spending countless hours writing this blog without it. Hollywood forever indeed.
