Wee Kirk of the Heather - Chapel for the Stars

Wee Kirk of The Heather at Forrest Lawn Glendale

Above is a vintage postcard I picked up recently of the Wee Kirk O'The Heather chapel located in the vast Forrest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California. The chapel and the grounds around look nearly the same today. This quaint chapel, which is a replica of a European church, has many old Hollywood connections.

Ronald Reagan & Jane Wyman Wedding 1940

The actor turned president, Ronald Reagan, married actress Jane Wyman at this chapel in 1940. The two met while filming the Warner Brothers picture, "Brother Rat."

Clark Gable & Carole Lombard at Jean Harlow Funeral

But there are also funerals at the chapel. Above is a photo from 1937 of Clark Gable and Carole Lombard attending Jean Harlow's funeral. Gable was Harlow's costar on the then unfinished film, Saratoga. Harlow's funeral was a huge event, like one of the big musicals her studio MGM would create. At the funeral MGM stars Jeannette McDonald and Nelson Eddy sang Harlow's favorite song, "Ah Sweet Mystery of Life." Harlow was later buried in the Great Mausoleum also located on the Forrest Lawn grounds.

Five years later Carole Lombard would be back at Forrest Lawn for her own funeral. Her funeral, unlike Harlow's was a small private event. Lombard and Gable are also buried at Forrest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale.

If you haven't been to Forrest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale it is definitely worth visiting. The grounds are beautiful and there are numerous old stars buried here. Some others include Irving Thalberg, Red Skeleton, Walt Disney, George Burns, Gracie Allen, and Errol Flynn to name a few. And if you go soon you can still check out the "Fine Art of Marc Davis" exhibit being held at the Forrest Lawn Museum. The exhibit, featuring artwork by Disney animator Marc Davis, runs until July 26, 2009. See me my post on that here.

The Fine Art of Marc Davis: a new exhibit at Forest Lawn Museum

If you're not familiar with the name Marc Davis you certainly must be familiar with his work. Davis was a legendary animator, one of Walt Disney's "Nine Old Men," best known for his skill at drawing female characters. Some of his most notable characters include Tinker Bell, Alice from Alice in Wonderland, and Cruella DeVil. In addition to his work in animation Davis created concept art for attractions at the Disneyland theme park. If you've ever been on the Haunted Mansion or Pirates of the Caribbean rides you've seen the outcome of Davis's work.

From now until July 26, 2009 the Forest Lawn Museum in Glendale, California is exhibiting some of Davis's non-Disney work. The collection includes paintings of ships, Greek mythology, harlequins and experiments with space and color. There are some pieces that are connected to Disney, but almost all the works are very non-Disney.

Legendary Disney Animator: Marc Davis

The museum is open every day except for Mondays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00p.m. To get there you have to drive through the winding roads of Forest Lawn Cemetery all the way to the top of the hill. Once you get there you will have a beautiful view of both downtown Glendale and downtown Los Angeles.

To round out your visit with another Disney connection you can visit Walt Disney's grave site (No, Disney is not frozen). Disney is located just outside and to the left of the Freedom mausoleum. Inside the Freedom Mausoleum you will find George Burns and Gracie Allen.

The exhibit is free and definitely worth checking out.