1 00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:06,400 Speaker 1: Hey, and welcome to the Short Stuff. I'm Josh, and 2 00:00:06,440 --> 00:00:09,239 Speaker 1: there's Chuck and guests. Who's here. It's j E. R. 3 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:14,720 Speaker 1: I Jerry, our producer, and this is short stuff. I'm 4 00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:17,000 Speaker 1: glad you spelled that because no one ever spells it right. 5 00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:20,200 Speaker 1: I My brain wanted so bad to go to j 6 00:00:20,360 --> 00:00:24,320 Speaker 1: E l l Oh. Yeah, and I had to stop myself. 7 00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:26,119 Speaker 1: I think if you go back and listen, there's a 8 00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:28,280 Speaker 1: half of a pause there, and that's me stopping myself 9 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:32,120 Speaker 1: from spelling jello instead. I'll bet you did. We know 10 00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:37,959 Speaker 1: each other so well? Can we talk about Forest Lawn Cemetery? Oh? Well, well, 11 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:40,040 Speaker 1: you've probably never been there. I have not, have you? 12 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:42,879 Speaker 1: I have? Uh? I used to live not too far 13 00:00:42,920 --> 00:00:46,559 Speaker 1: from there in Eagle Rock. Uh. It is a it's 14 00:00:46,560 --> 00:00:49,839 Speaker 1: called Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, kind of situated 15 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:54,920 Speaker 1: between Pasadena and downtown l A. Which ended up being 16 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:58,160 Speaker 1: a good thing back when it was first. What would 17 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:02,400 Speaker 1: you do install it? Yeah? They installed the cemetery. I 18 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:07,840 Speaker 1: guess you build things. And he established? Yeah, established, that's 19 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:11,760 Speaker 1: the word. But it was established by Dr Hubert Eaton 20 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:16,960 Speaker 1: about three acres worth in nineteen seventeen. Big thanks to 21 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:19,720 Speaker 1: Kate Morrigan of how stuff works with this one. But 22 00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:22,640 Speaker 1: Hubert Eaton had it was a bit of a visionary 23 00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:25,360 Speaker 1: and that he was just sort of known as and 24 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:28,720 Speaker 1: is still known as the Builder, this very revered figure 25 00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:32,440 Speaker 1: for doing something quite different with his cemetery. Yeah, he 26 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:36,040 Speaker 1: was like one part Gomez Adams in one part Walt Disney. 27 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:39,080 Speaker 1: That's what I'm gonna that's what I'm gonna put him mask. 28 00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:41,800 Speaker 1: But there's a plaque there called um with the title 29 00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:45,280 Speaker 1: the Builder's Dream and the Builder's Creed Creed, and he 30 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:48,000 Speaker 1: says that um, he this is supposed to be a 31 00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:50,960 Speaker 1: great park, devoid of misshape and monuments and other signs 32 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:54,960 Speaker 1: of earthly death, but filled with towering trees, sweeping lawns, 33 00:01:55,240 --> 00:02:00,280 Speaker 1: splashing fountains, beautiful statutory and memorial architecture. And it's signed 34 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:03,000 Speaker 1: the Builder and apparently still today that's what they referred 35 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:07,000 Speaker 1: to Dr Eaton as at the cemetery. But he achieved 36 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:10,720 Speaker 1: his vision. Um. This was all established at a time, Chuck. 37 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:15,080 Speaker 1: When you know, people have been making cemeteries in the 38 00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:18,520 Speaker 1: United States for hundreds of years by this time, and 39 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:21,079 Speaker 1: there was like a certain way that you made them, 40 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:24,840 Speaker 1: and Dr Hubert Eaton happened to be at this place 41 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:27,640 Speaker 1: in southern California at a time where it was starting 42 00:02:27,639 --> 00:02:29,079 Speaker 1: to come alive, and it was a place where you 43 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:32,400 Speaker 1: could reinvent yourself. And he used that opportunity to reinvent 44 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:36,160 Speaker 1: cemeteries with Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Yeah, and it was 45 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:40,919 Speaker 1: a time in southern California and Los Angeles where, uh, 46 00:02:40,919 --> 00:02:43,400 Speaker 1: well a couple of things on that he he wanted 47 00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:45,960 Speaker 1: it to be a place where people could go and 48 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:49,640 Speaker 1: see art and feel like they've sort of had a cultural, 49 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:54,640 Speaker 1: uh culturally enriching experience because at the time, you know, 50 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:56,560 Speaker 1: doing what they called the Grand Tour. If you had 51 00:02:56,600 --> 00:02:58,360 Speaker 1: a lot of money and a lot of time, you 52 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:01,120 Speaker 1: could fly to Europe and see all the art of 53 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:05,120 Speaker 1: the world. But for people that didn't have a lot 54 00:03:05,160 --> 00:03:08,200 Speaker 1: of time and money, and this was again nineteen seventeen, 55 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:10,760 Speaker 1: he wanted to give people a little bit of taste 56 00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:14,800 Speaker 1: of that in southern Cali and the place where he 57 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:17,960 Speaker 1: ended up getting this land, like I said, between Pasadena 58 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:21,960 Speaker 1: and downtown. It was um not a booming metropolis at 59 00:03:21,960 --> 00:03:24,600 Speaker 1: the time, but it ended up being in a very 60 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:28,720 Speaker 1: great spot in Glendale because you know, it's l a 61 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:30,679 Speaker 1: in the Southland. A lot of people ended up living 62 00:03:30,760 --> 00:03:35,200 Speaker 1: right there. Yeah. So um, yeah, and he really nailed. 63 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:37,560 Speaker 1: But he was trying to do, which was make a 64 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:40,800 Speaker 1: place where you you didn't come to more and death, 65 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:44,240 Speaker 1: you came to celebrate life. Yeah, you wanted to attract 66 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:47,360 Speaker 1: people that come and and you know, be among the 67 00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:50,160 Speaker 1: graves and this memorial. But but be thinking about how 68 00:03:50,160 --> 00:03:52,280 Speaker 1: great it is to be alive, and what better way 69 00:03:52,320 --> 00:03:57,560 Speaker 1: to do that than with replicas of Michelangelo's art. That's right? Uh, 70 00:03:57,760 --> 00:03:59,360 Speaker 1: should we take a break and come back and talk 71 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:02,120 Speaker 1: a little bit more about the art and such? Yes, 72 00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:38,320 Speaker 1: all right, so you mentioned replicas of Michelangelo. There were 73 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:42,440 Speaker 1: are certainly replicas of art there. There's also a lot 74 00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:46,200 Speaker 1: of original art. There's a full on museum. Um. The 75 00:04:46,279 --> 00:04:50,200 Speaker 1: largest religious painting in the United States and the largest 76 00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:53,880 Speaker 1: painting in the Western United States period. It's called the 77 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:57,840 Speaker 1: Crucifixion from jan Stika. Yeah. He was a Polish artist 78 00:04:57,880 --> 00:05:01,039 Speaker 1: and get this, He created this painting, got it over 79 00:05:01,040 --> 00:05:05,560 Speaker 1: to the US for some exposition or another, and um, 80 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:07,840 Speaker 1: it was too big, they did. They didn't have a 81 00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:10,839 Speaker 1: place to put it, and he didn't have the money 82 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:14,160 Speaker 1: to chip it back home. So he had to leave 83 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:17,280 Speaker 1: it behind in the United States, went back and died 84 00:05:17,279 --> 00:05:21,039 Speaker 1: in poland never saw his painting again. Yeah. A hundred 85 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:26,200 Speaker 1: and wide by tall, and it's you know, it very 86 00:05:26,200 --> 00:05:30,760 Speaker 1: simply depicts the I guess the pre crucifixion when it 87 00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:35,000 Speaker 1: looks like Jesus's cross is still on the ground, the 88 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:36,960 Speaker 1: other ones are in the ground and things are just 89 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:40,280 Speaker 1: getting started. Yeah, it's a huge like landscape, like there's 90 00:05:40,279 --> 00:05:43,279 Speaker 1: all sorts of stuff going on. Yeah, but Forrest Lawn 91 00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:46,039 Speaker 1: acquired it and gave it the proper respect. It actually 92 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:49,520 Speaker 1: built a building around it too. How is it specifically 93 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:52,920 Speaker 1: so you gotta do No, one's gotta aloft that big? 94 00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:57,279 Speaker 1: Definitely not. That's a giant painting. I saw a picture 95 00:05:57,279 --> 00:05:59,000 Speaker 1: of it and there's a couple of people standing in 96 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:01,560 Speaker 1: front of it and they just look like ants. Yeah, 97 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:04,360 Speaker 1: it's it's very large. Um. I guess we should talk 98 00:06:04,360 --> 00:06:06,720 Speaker 1: a little bit because it is l A and there 99 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:11,200 Speaker 1: are some very famous Angelina is buried there. Um. And 100 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:13,200 Speaker 1: I would like to follow this up with the Hollywood 101 00:06:13,200 --> 00:06:15,840 Speaker 1: Forever Cemetery. It's it's another sort of their l A 102 00:06:15,920 --> 00:06:18,520 Speaker 1: has two great cemeteries, and that's the other one. But 103 00:06:18,760 --> 00:06:21,359 Speaker 1: they do fun stuff like movie Nights. Yeah, I saw 104 00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:25,160 Speaker 1: that in um Beneath the Silver Lake. Oh, I think 105 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:28,760 Speaker 1: I saw that that's featured in Beneath the Silver Lake? 106 00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:30,599 Speaker 1: Was that what was going? I'm pretty sure the one 107 00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:35,960 Speaker 1: with Andrew Garfield. Yeah, Underneath the Silver Lake? I think 108 00:06:37,160 --> 00:06:41,880 Speaker 1: on top of Silver Lake. A few of the notable 109 00:06:41,920 --> 00:06:48,359 Speaker 1: people buried there are no less than Elizabeth Taylor, Clark Cable, sure, 110 00:06:48,400 --> 00:06:53,120 Speaker 1: who else? How about Bogey and Bacall both hit me 111 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:56,800 Speaker 1: with another? How about that old sweet crooner Nat King Cole? 112 00:06:57,360 --> 00:07:00,040 Speaker 1: Oh you got any other crooners up your sleeve? I 113 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:03,039 Speaker 1: wouldn't crude. Michael Jackson is there? I think he croon? 114 00:07:03,720 --> 00:07:07,200 Speaker 1: Did he crun? Yeah? I want to rock with you. 115 00:07:08,600 --> 00:07:11,480 Speaker 1: I'll buy that. But here's the deal. Apparently, if you 116 00:07:11,480 --> 00:07:14,040 Speaker 1: go to Forest Lawn, uh and I have been there, 117 00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:15,520 Speaker 1: but I didn't spend a lot of time there. I 118 00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:17,640 Speaker 1: think I was. I think I was on a job 119 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:22,560 Speaker 1: shooting a stupid TV commercial or something. But you have 120 00:07:22,680 --> 00:07:24,720 Speaker 1: to and of course these days with the Internet, Internet 121 00:07:24,720 --> 00:07:27,120 Speaker 1: you can find out where everyone is buried. But it's 122 00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:30,040 Speaker 1: not one of those places that where you show up 123 00:07:30,040 --> 00:07:31,920 Speaker 1: and do a ghost tour or they say here's your 124 00:07:31,920 --> 00:07:34,360 Speaker 1: brochure where you can go see all the famous folks 125 00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:37,080 Speaker 1: that are buried here. Which is that's good, that's tasteful, 126 00:07:37,160 --> 00:07:40,200 Speaker 1: like there, that's not the point of it. Yeah, you know, 127 00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:46,440 Speaker 1: Creed So I mentioned how Hubert Eaten was half Walt Disney, 128 00:07:46,880 --> 00:07:49,840 Speaker 1: and he's very frequently compared to Walt Disney because of 129 00:07:49,960 --> 00:07:52,840 Speaker 1: some of the design of Forest Lawn. UM. There's a 130 00:07:52,880 --> 00:07:59,120 Speaker 1: lot of tutor Um architecture. UM. There's little difference burial 131 00:07:59,200 --> 00:08:01,280 Speaker 1: sections that have their own name and kind of like 132 00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:07,760 Speaker 1: vibe going on Inspiration Slope, Whispering Pines, Dawn of Tomorrow Um. 133 00:08:07,800 --> 00:08:11,120 Speaker 1: There's one called baby Land for infant burials, there's one 134 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:14,680 Speaker 1: called Slumberland for children, and oh my gosh. Yeah, and 135 00:08:14,680 --> 00:08:16,360 Speaker 1: then I guess the rest of it is just called 136 00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:21,640 Speaker 1: You shouldn't feel as bad about these graves. Yeah, these 137 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:23,920 Speaker 1: ones are fine. We have a cemetery very close to 138 00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:26,400 Speaker 1: our house that we walked through a lot on our walks, 139 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:30,960 Speaker 1: and I love just sort of reading the headstones as 140 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:34,120 Speaker 1: I walk by, and uh, you know, you'll come across 141 00:08:34,240 --> 00:08:36,280 Speaker 1: a grave that's two ft long and you're just like, 142 00:08:36,320 --> 00:08:40,880 Speaker 1: oh god, you can't even look like it'll just say infant. 143 00:08:40,960 --> 00:08:43,199 Speaker 1: Sometimes not even a name. Yeah, I mean this one 144 00:08:43,240 --> 00:08:45,440 Speaker 1: had a name, but I don't know. It's always interesting 145 00:08:45,440 --> 00:08:48,439 Speaker 1: the women always outlived the men. It seems like, uh, 146 00:08:48,679 --> 00:08:50,760 Speaker 1: quite a few like World War two veterans out there. 147 00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:55,839 Speaker 1: But it's uh. I enjoy cemeteries and but I've never liked, 148 00:08:56,559 --> 00:09:00,320 Speaker 1: you know, romped and partied in cemeteries like some people 149 00:09:00,360 --> 00:09:03,720 Speaker 1: do in college, you know, can't always like to read 150 00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:06,200 Speaker 1: the headstones and get a little bit of a story. 151 00:09:06,240 --> 00:09:09,600 Speaker 1: Sometimes I saw some writers say I don't remember who 152 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:11,720 Speaker 1: it was, but they advised if you want to come 153 00:09:11,800 --> 00:09:14,880 Speaker 1: up with names, go to a cemetery, because you'll end 154 00:09:14,960 --> 00:09:18,120 Speaker 1: up coming up with like Kirkwood mcgilla cutty if you 155 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:20,520 Speaker 1: just try to use your imagination. But if you go 156 00:09:20,600 --> 00:09:23,480 Speaker 1: to a cemetery, you're gonna find like actual people's names 157 00:09:23,480 --> 00:09:25,880 Speaker 1: that you can use, you know. Yeah, especially these days 158 00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:27,920 Speaker 1: when everyone's like I want my baby. This sounds like 159 00:09:27,920 --> 00:09:32,600 Speaker 1: they're from the eighteen tens. It's so weird. Uh. So 160 00:09:32,880 --> 00:09:36,880 Speaker 1: eaton going back to the Disney thing. Uh, Walt Disney 161 00:09:36,960 --> 00:09:40,200 Speaker 1: is buried there in fact, and you mentioned all of 162 00:09:40,240 --> 00:09:43,920 Speaker 1: the sort of similarities with Disney, and they are there 163 00:09:43,920 --> 00:09:46,280 Speaker 1: are people out there that said it's like the Disney 164 00:09:46,280 --> 00:09:50,320 Speaker 1: World or Disneyland of cemeteries, and Forest Lawn is very 165 00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:53,240 Speaker 1: quick to point out, no, no, no, we were here first, 166 00:09:53,800 --> 00:09:56,760 Speaker 1: and we like to say that Disneyland is the amusement 167 00:09:56,800 --> 00:10:01,560 Speaker 1: park of the Forest Lawns. It's they turned it on 168 00:10:01,600 --> 00:10:06,600 Speaker 1: its head. Um. There's something one more thing about Michelangelo's work. 169 00:10:06,640 --> 00:10:10,280 Speaker 1: There was like, I think a seventeen foot reproduction of David, 170 00:10:10,920 --> 00:10:15,120 Speaker 1: a very famous statue. Uh. And it has actually toppled 171 00:10:15,160 --> 00:10:17,640 Speaker 1: several times over the years, and they've had to remake 172 00:10:17,640 --> 00:10:20,800 Speaker 1: it every time. Most recently it toppled under its own 173 00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:24,559 Speaker 1: weight and I'm not sure if they've replaced it yet 174 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:26,760 Speaker 1: or not. To someone standing there and then just a 175 00:10:26,840 --> 00:10:32,120 Speaker 1: giant three ft penis comes at them. Yeah, clocked him, 176 00:10:32,200 --> 00:10:35,680 Speaker 1: knocked him right out. Uh. And it made like this 177 00:10:36,040 --> 00:10:41,679 Speaker 1: a sound that went dong. Alright, I think we've desecrated 178 00:10:41,679 --> 00:10:44,360 Speaker 1: this episode. Wait, hold on, there's one more thing. Ronald 179 00:10:44,360 --> 00:10:48,200 Speaker 1: Reagan married his first wife, Jane Wyman, at Forest Lawn Cemetery. 180 00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:50,800 Speaker 1: It's true. People do get married there. There's a like 181 00:10:50,840 --> 00:10:54,280 Speaker 1: a legit church. Yeah, sixty thousand people have been married there, 182 00:10:54,480 --> 00:10:56,800 Speaker 1: one fifth of the number of people who are interred 183 00:10:56,840 --> 00:11:00,240 Speaker 1: there have been married there. I got married there. Did 184 00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:03,120 Speaker 1: you really know? You didn't? I get married at by 185 00:11:03,720 --> 00:11:08,640 Speaker 1: the poolhouse of my brother's neighborhood. That's what I thought. Yeah, okay, 186 00:11:08,679 --> 00:11:10,719 Speaker 1: you almost got me there. For a second though, I'm 187 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:13,160 Speaker 1: I'm gonna start telling people that, Okay, why not? You 188 00:11:13,200 --> 00:11:15,760 Speaker 1: got anything else? I got nothing else? All right? Everybody's 189 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:21,800 Speaker 1: short stuff is out. Stuff you Should Know is a 190 00:11:21,840 --> 00:11:25,199 Speaker 1: production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts my heart Radio, 191 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:28,440 Speaker 1: visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 192 00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:29,880 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.