Forest Lawn Cemetery and Hollywood

Forest Lawn Cemetery - Table of Contents ...................................... Buffalo Movie History

Forest Lawn Cemetery and Hollywood
Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo, New York

Basil Brothers

Section N

Permanent residents of the Basil lot include the brothers: Nicholas J., Constantine J., Theophilos J., and Basil J. Basil. They came to Buffalo from Greece and founded a chain of twelve Basil theaters in Buffalo, Kenmore, and Niagara Falls.

Bell, Lawrence

(1894-1956), Section 35

Bell Aircraft's X-1 (first jet to break the sound barrier) was included in the movie The Right Stuff

Bell Aircraft's Rocket Belt was used in the James Bond movie Thunderball

Berlin, Dorothy Goetz

(1892-19l2), Section 9,

Married to Irving Berlin in 1912.

Boasberg, Al

One of the greatest comedy writers for both stage and screen

Caldwell, Janet Taylor

A sarcophogaus with an inscrtiption for author Janet Taylor Caldwell is locatd in Section 23. This is the grave location of her second husbnd, Marcus Reback. Her name appears next to his.

The lcoation of her grave is unknown. She died in 1985 while living in Greenwich, Ct., and her then husbandRon prstie believed it was her wish to have her cremated and her ashes scattered at sea.

Caldwell's books sold over 30 million copies during her career.

One of her novels, Captains and the King (1976) became a movie.

Christian, Arlester

DOD 3/13/1971, Section 28, Lot 153

Aftrican-American recording artist and writer who composed and origianlly sang 60s hit song "Funky Broadway."

Songs used as soundtrack in 4 movies

Cornell, Katharine

Section 1, Lot 4; Tifft Plot - Cenotaph (Actress)
Buried in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts

Acted in the TV Hallmark Hall of Fame episode There Shall be No Night in 1957 and in the TV Producers' Showcase in the episode The Barretts of Wimpmpole Street in 1956. Played herself in Stage Door Canteen in 1943 and in The Unconquered (1954)

Marian de Forest

De Forest wrote the novel Erstwhile Susan as a play, and it became the basis for movie of the same name in 1919.

Fuqua, Charles G.

(1911-1971), Section 14

Black motion-picture actor, but he is chiefly remembered for being a member of the famous Ink Spots quartet (PHOTO).

Goetz, E. Ray

Section 9

Brother of Dorothy Berlin (See above)

Wrote many songs used in movie soundtracks (LIST).

Green, Anna Katherine

IMDb: Filmography

Howard, Kathleen

(1879-1956), Section 25

First Buffalo singer to perform with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. She debuted there in 1916 and sang starring roles until 1928 when she left the Met to become a fashion editor for Harper's Bazaar. But because she had been an opera singer who could act, a rarity in those days, her talents took her to Hollywood where she made 43 films.

She co-starred with W.C. Fields in two of his classic comedies, It's a Gift (1934) and The Man on the Flying Trapeze (1935)

Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide: Biography

IMBd: Filmography

James, Rick (born James Ambrose Johnson, Jr.)

(1948-2004) , Section 10

Born in Buffalo, James was the third of eight children. His father was an autoworker who abandoned the family, his mother was a former dancer. His uncle was Melvin Franklin, bass vocalist of The Temptations.

R&B/funk star famed for his 1981 hit "Super Freak. Three days before James's death, Dave Chappelle had signed a contract to star in a Paramount movie biography of Rick James.

Wikipedia: Rick James

Three articles about his death

IMDb: Filmography

Johnson, Pete

(1904-1967), Section CC

King of Boogie, started out as a jazz drummer but switched to piano and became famous for his boogie-woogie piano style. He also excelled in blues working in a duo with legendary blues singer Joe Turner, which included a concert at Carnegie Hall in 1938.

Mr. Johnson appears as himself in Boogie Woogie Dream (1944) and his music also appears on the soundtrack.

See also: Internet Movie Database: Pete Johnson

Mark, Mitchel

The inventor, with his brother Moe, of the modern motion picture theater and, by 1917, the richest and most powerful movie theater owner in the world

Reynolds, Alpheus

One of only three lots in Forest Lawn that is enclosed by a wrought-iron fence. This one is circular, dates to the 1850s, and is elaborately decorated with Gothic crockets, rosettes, and fleurs-de-lis.

This monument was used in the movie Best Friends

Scherbatow, Prince Kyril of Russia

(1902-1993), Section 23

Escaped with his parents from the court of his godfather, Czar Nicholas II, during the reign of terror following the 1917 revolution. As a child, Prince Kyril played in the palace of the Czar in St. Petersburg and knew Rasputin, who was later killed by the prince's uncles.

After living a number of years in Europe, he moved to the United States in 1932 and married a Buffalo native, Lucile Forman, in 1971.

His godfather, Czar Nicholas II, was the subject of the first movie filmed in Russia (YouTube). The filmmakers were the Lumiere Brothers. This film was serendipitously included in the very first film showing in 1896 at the Buffalo Vitascope Theater, the world's first true motion picture theater.

See the obituary in the New York Times

Streeter, Edward

(1891-1976), Section 9

Had two quite diverse careers: banking and writing. Although he became vice-president of the Bank of New York, it was his books of humor that made him famous. Of the dozen novels he wrote, his best-known work was Father of the Bride, published in 1949, in which a dismayed but happy father surveys the cost and chaos of his daughter's marriage. Elizabeth Taylor was the daughter in the motion-picture version, and the role elevated her to stardom. Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation, which predictably was not an altogether carefree one, was made into a movie in 1962 with James Stewart.

See also: Internet Movie Database: Edward Streeter

Thomas, Edwin R.

(1850-1936), Section 26

Invented the Thomas Flyer, a sturdy automobile that he entered in an around-the-world race from New York City to Paris in 1908. Every automobile maker in the world wanted to participate in this next-to-impossible race, so there was a vast number of entries. The Thomas Flyer raced across the U.S., Canada, Alaska, Siberia, Asia, and Europe, and after 16 months of travel over 16,000 miles, it arrived first at the finish line in Paris.

The Thomas Flyer is portrayed in Blake Edward's film The Great Race (1965)

Text sources:

"A Field Guide to Forest Lawn Cemetery," text by Richard O. Reisem. Pub. by Forest Lawn Heritage Foundation, 1998
Patrick Kavanagh
Edward Summer, consultant


	Basil Brothers Section N Permanent residents of the Basil lot include the brothers: Nicholas J., Constantine J., Theophilos J., and Basil J. Basil. They came to Buffalo from Greece and founded a chain of twelve Basil theaters in Buffalo, Kenmore, and Niagara Falls.
	Bell, Lawrence (1894-1956), Section 35 Bell Aircraft's X-1 (first jet to break the sound barrier) was included in the movie The Right Stuff Bell Aircraft's Rocket Belt was used in the James Bond movie Thunderball
	Berlin, Dorothy Goetz (1892-19l2), Section 9, Married to Irving Berlin in 1912.
	Boasberg, Al One of the greatest comedy writers for both stage and screen
	Caldwell, Janet Taylor A sarcophogaus with an inscrtiption for author Janet Taylor Caldwell is locatd in Section 23. This is the grave location of her second husbnd, Marcus Reback. Her name appears next to his. The lcoation of her grave is unknown. She died in 1985 while living in Greenwich, Ct., and her then husbandRon prstie believed it was her wish to have her cremated and her ashes scattered at sea. Caldwell's books sold over 30 million copies during her career. One of her novels, Captains and the King (1976) became a movie.
	Christian, Arlester DOD 3/13/1971, Section 28, Lot 153 Aftrican-American recording artist and writer who composed and origianlly sang 60s hit song "Funky Broadway." Songs used as soundtrack in 4 movies
	Cornell, Katharine Section 1, Lot 4; Tifft Plot - Cenotaph (Actress) Buried in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts Acted in the TV Hallmark Hall of Fame episode There Shall be No Night in 1957 and in the TV Producers' Showcase in the episode The Barretts of Wimpmpole Street in 1956. Played herself in Stage Door Canteen in 1943 and in The Unconquered (1954)
	Marian de Forest De Forest wrote the novel Erstwhile Susan as a play, and it became the basis for movie of the same name in 1919.
	Fuqua, Charles G. (1911-1971), Section 14 Black motion-picture actor, but he is chiefly remembered for being a member of the famous Ink Spots quartet (PHOTO).
	Goetz, E. Ray Section 9 Brother of Dorothy Berlin (See above) Wrote many songs used in movie soundtracks (LIST).
	Green, Anna Katherine IMDb: Filmography
	Howard, Kathleen (1879-1956), Section 25 First Buffalo singer to perform with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. She debuted there in 1916 and sang starring roles until 1928 when she left the Met to become a fashion editor for Harper's Bazaar. But because she had been an opera singer who could act, a rarity in those days, her talents took her to Hollywood where she made 43 films. She co-starred with W.C. Fields in two of his classic comedies, It's a Gift (1934) and The Man on the Flying Trapeze (1935) Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide: Biography IMBd: Filmography
	James, Rick (born James Ambrose Johnson, Jr.) (1948-2004) , Section 10 Born in Buffalo, James was the third of eight children. His father was an autoworker who abandoned the family, his mother was a former dancer. His uncle was Melvin Franklin, bass vocalist of The Temptations. R&B/funk star famed for his 1981 hit "Super Freak. Three days before James's death, Dave Chappelle had signed a contract to star in a Paramount movie biography of Rick James. Wikipedia: Rick James Three articles about his death IMDb: Filmography
	Johnson, Pete (1904-1967), Section CC King of Boogie, started out as a jazz drummer but switched to piano and became famous for his boogie-woogie piano style. He also excelled in blues working in a duo with legendary blues singer Joe Turner, which included a concert at Carnegie Hall in 1938. Mr. Johnson appears as himself in Boogie Woogie Dream (1944) and his music also appears on the soundtrack. See also: Internet Movie Database: Pete Johnson
	Mark, Mitchel The inventor, with his brother Moe, of the modern motion picture theater and, by 1917, the richest and most powerful movie theater owner in the world
	Reynolds, Alpheus One of only three lots in Forest Lawn that is enclosed by a wrought-iron fence. This one is circular, dates to the 1850s, and is elaborately decorated with Gothic crockets, rosettes, and fleurs-de-lis. This monument was used in the movie Best Friends
	Scherbatow, Prince Kyril of Russia (1902-1993), Section 23 Escaped with his parents from the court of his godfather, Czar Nicholas II, during the reign of terror following the 1917 revolution. As a child, Prince Kyril played in the palace of the Czar in St. Petersburg and knew Rasputin, who was later killed by the prince's uncles. After living a number of years in Europe, he moved to the United States in 1932 and married a Buffalo native, Lucile Forman, in 1971. His godfather, Czar Nicholas II, was the subject of the first movie filmed in Russia (YouTube). The filmmakers were the Lumiere Brothers. This film was serendipitously included in the very first film showing in 1896 at the Buffalo Vitascope Theater, the world's first true motion picture theater. See the obituary in the New York Times
	Streeter, Edward (1891-1976), Section 9 Had two quite diverse careers: banking and writing. Although he became vice-president of the Bank of New York, it was his books of humor that made him famous. Of the dozen novels he wrote, his best-known work was Father of the Bride, published in 1949, in which a dismayed but happy father surveys the cost and chaos of his daughter's marriage. Elizabeth Taylor was the daughter in the motion-picture version, and the role elevated her to stardom. Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation, which predictably was not an altogether carefree one, was made into a movie in 1962 with James Stewart. See also: Internet Movie Database: Edward Streeter
	Thomas, Edwin R. (1850-1936), Section 26 Invented the Thomas Flyer, a sturdy automobile that he entered in an around-the-world race from New York City to Paris in 1908. Every automobile maker in the world wanted to participate in this next-to-impossible race, so there was a vast number of entries. The Thomas Flyer raced across the U.S., Canada, Alaska, Siberia, Asia, and Europe, and after 16 months of travel over 16,000 miles, it arrived first at the finish line in Paris. The Thomas Flyer is portrayed in Blake Edward's film The Great Race (1965)