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and in some of the fanciest cemeteries in Tinselto
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BILL CARROLL
Special to the Jewish News
Los Angeles
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2002
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Above: The Al Jolson Memorial: "That monument is a fitting
place for Jolie because it's as big as the ego he had," quipped a
Hollywood observer.
hen Warner Bros. decided to
make a movie version of The
Jazz Singer, the story of a
Jewish singing star who returns
to chant Kol Nidrei on Yom Kippur eve in
place of his dying cantor father, the natural
person for the lead was George Jesse!, who
played the role on Broadway.
But Al Jolson, arguably the greatest enter-
tainer of the first half of the 20th century,
knew the film would be the first "talkie," and
he wanted the part.
Jolson sabotaged Jessel by planting an item
in a newspaper column stating that Jessel was
sick and probably couldn't handle the tough
role. Warner Bros., already irked by Jessel's
increasing salary demands, then selected Jolson
for the part.
The 1927 movie zoomed Jolie to the pinna-
cle of his career — and Jessel never forgave
him for his actions. The two Jewish entertainers didn't
speak to each other again. Jolson even told his wife to
ban Jesse!, the nation's "Toastmaster General," from
eulogizing him at his funeral.
But when Jolson died in 1950, his widow relented
and let Jessel give the eulogy
Feeling somewhat remorseful about betraying his
wishes, and upset that the U.S. government didn't
posthumously award Jolson the Congressional Medal
of Honor for many years of entertaining the troops, his
family then created one of the largest and most osten-
tatious monuments in the annals of cemeteries any-
where.
It's the monument that made a cemetery famous.
Hillside Memorial Park in Culver City, Calif. — "the
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Jewish celebrity cemetery" — is the final resting-
- place for some of the most famous Jews in the
entertainment business and the sporting world.
Remembering Jolie
Above left: Among those buried in Hillside's huge
mausoleum are Jack Benny, Eddie Cantor, Jeff Chandler
and David Janssen.
Above right: The grave of Mel Blanc, the voice of
Porky Pig: "That's All Folks."
Above: Mobster Bugsy Siegel is remembered by
"the Family"
With about 50,000 graves, the cemetery is easy
to find for anyone driving along the San Diego
Freeway just north of Los Angeles International
Airport.
A quick glance to the hills north of the freeway
brings into view the towering Jolson monument,
a six-pillar marble structure topped by a mosaic
dome with a 120-foot waterfall. There's a statue
of Jolson on bent knee in his famous "Mammy"
song pose, with a simple inscription: Al Jolson,
1886-1950.
"That monument is a fitting place for Jolie
because it's as big as the ego he had," quipped a
Hollywood observer.
Born Asa Yoelson, the singer-entertainer was
one of the world's most popular performers, off-
and-on, through four decades. Any song he sang
even one time was certain to be a hit.
When he died of a heart attack while playing
cards in a San Francisco hotel, the often tough-to-get-
along-with star was praised by most fellow performers
— except the outspoken Jewish comedienne Fanny
Brice, who said: "I never liked him."
The monument cost $75,000, plus $9,000- for the
plot. Interred in Hollywood's Beth Olam Cemetery for
a year until the memorial was ready, Jolson's body was
re-interred at Hillside in 1951. This time, Jack Benny
gave the eulogy.
"Up to that time, this was just an average Jewish
cemetery — then the Jolson monument really put us
on the map," said Eric Rothman, Hillside's director of
operations.
"Mr. Jolson's burial was the most significant in our
history After that, we began receiving business from