History of Hollywood Forever Cemetery

I’m working on a novel that or may not include a seance that takes place in Hollywood Forever Cemetery. This may or may not be inspired by the Father John Misty song. But anyways:

The hypothetical seance in the hypothetical novel takes place in 1994. But…back in 1994, it apparently wasn’t called Hollywood Forever Cemetery. It was actually known as Hollywood Memorial Park. Caused massive hypothetical rewrites on my end because I like to be as historically accurate as possible.

Remember squad, I didn’t get a degree in literature or an MFA. Double major in history and sociology here. That kind of information is everything to me…

When it was founded in 1899, it was called Hollywood Cemetery and became the final resting place for many of Hollywood’s stars from the big studio era. In 1939, however, it was renamed Hollywood Memorial Park, to reflect the fact that it had become a tourist destination and a kind of “third-place” park hangout for locals. Again not shocking because many cemeteries were designed as parks, places for the living to enjoy as well as the dead. Hollywood Forever didn’t start off that way but it did become one of those places where people came to picnic among the graves. 

Fun and random. Right?

However, by the 1990s, the cemetery had fallen into severe disrepair. I had inkling that it was likely different because of the Ryan Murphy miniseries Hollywood, when one of the people on set explained how the set explained how the famous Hollywood sign had changed throughout even those early years. I then recalled how damaged it looked in other movies I had seen that took place in the 70’s-90s.

Proof that sometimes, even fictional stories get it right…

Flash forward to two more Ryan Murphy miniseries: The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story and Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. Both referenced an earthquake that had done considerable damage to the city. It was the Northridge earthquake, a devastating 6.7 magnitude event, and caused significant damage across Los Angeles, including Hollywood Forever. The earthquake left potholes, cracked mausoleums, and open crypts, and even forced the relocation of the courtroom where O.J. Simpson was almost tried due to the destruction. I’m aware that many speculate that the trial probably would’ve gone down differently if he had been tried in the original location. Same with the Menendez retrial…

Back to the cemetery and away from controversial court cases!

The cemetery’s owner at that sad time, Jules Roth, was notorious for mismanaging funds, exacerbating the neglect, making it impossible to enjoy as a “third place” or even a tourist destination. The cemetery was in such poor condition that it barely made any money, relying on the sparse amount of cash that it got from said tourists. Who enjoyed it probably less than the dead.

Sad…

FINALLY, in 1998, Tyler and Brent Cassity purchased the cemetery and embarked on a mission to restore its former glory. These VIPS They renamed it Hollywood Forever Cemetery to honor its storied past while giving it a fresh start where many people come to enjoy it and oay respect to the old Hollywood grandeur that it once represented.

Legit, Paramount Pictures’ studios is located right there! It doesn’t get more classic than that.

So now, it’s old school vibe is back and hosts outdoor movie screenings, concerts, and random events.

Seances are unlikely to be one of those events, but hey, you never know…