U.S. Figure Skater Mabel Fairbanks 2001 Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Mabel Fairbanks (November 14, 1915 – September 29, 2001) was an American figure skater and coach. She was inducted into the US Figure Skating Hall of Fame, as the first person of African-American descent, and the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame.

Early life

Of African-American and Seminole descent, Mabel Fairbanks was born on November 14, 1915 in Florida's Everglades.[1][2] She had a sister, Pearl, who was a year younger,[1] and an elder brother.[3]

Fairbanks never met her father and was orphaned at the age of eight when her mother died.[3] After staying with a teacher who treated her like a "maid," she joined her brother in New York City but his wife did not accept her.[3] A wealthy woman saw her sleeping on a park bench and offered her a job as a babysitter at a home overlooking Central Park.[1]

Career

Fairbanks began figure skating around 1925 to 1928.[4] After observing children at the Central Park ice rink, she bought herself used skates, stuffed them with cotton because they were two sizes too big, and began skating at the rink.[1] She said, "Blacks didn't skate there. But it was a public place, so I just carried on."[2] She later practiced on a 6ft by 6ft rink constructed by her uncle in her room.[2] She gained further inspiration after seeing Sonja Henie in the 1936 film One in a Million.[4]

In the 1930s, Fairbanks, due to her race, was denied access to the local rink by the cashier but she kept returning until the manager admitted her.[4] Maribel Vinson Owen and Howard Nicholson provided her with technical advice.[4] Fairbanks was not allowed to compete in the national qualifying event for the Olympics or any competition.[2] In a 1998 interview, she said, "If I had gone to the Olympics and become a star, I would not be who I am today."[3]

Fairbanks performed in shows in New York until the 1940s.[5][1] After relocating to Los Angeles, she toured internationally, skating with Ice Capades in Mexico and later with Ice Follies.[2]

Fairbanks coached singles and pairs, including Tiffany Chin, Billy Chapel, Scott Hamilton, Kristi Yamaguchi / Rudy Galindo, Tai Babilonia / Randy Gardner, Leslie Robinson, Michelle McCladdie, Richard Ewell, Debi Thomas, Atoy Wilson, and Jean Yuna.[3][6][7] She also taught skating to the children of many celebrities.[3] In 1997, she became the first African American inducted into the US Figure Skating Hall of Fame.[1] She was inducted into the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame in October 2001.[8][9]

Personal life

Fairbanks never married.[1] She was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis in 1997[3] and with acute leukemia in mid-2001.[1] She died on September 29, 2001 at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California.[1][2][10] She is interred in the ground at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Hollywood, California. Her grave is right at the beginning of the bridge to the Clark Mausoleum.

References

1. Quintanilla, Michael (October 4, 2001). "Obituaries: Mabel Fairbanks, 85; Black Ice Skater". Los Angeles Times.

2. Reed, Christopher (October 8, 2001). "Obituary: Mabel Fairbanks". The Guardian.

3. Levine, Bettijane (February 19, 1998). "The Ice Mother Blazed the Skating Trail for Others". Los Angeles Times.

4. Scheurer, Ronald A. (December 1, 1997). "Breaking the Ice: The Mabel Fairbanks Story". American Visions. HighBeam.

5. "Mabel Fairbanks Harrassed [sic] By Jim Crow". The Afro American. May 5, 1945.

6. Schneider Farris, Jo Ann (September 22, 2008). "Ewell helped create African-American skating legacy". IceNetwork.

7. Elfman, Lois (January 15, 2015). "Wilson looks back on barrier-breaking experience". IceNetwork.

8. "Mabel Fairbanks: Breaking Down Barriers". Women's Sports Foundation. 

9. "International Women's Sports Hall of Fame". Women's Sports Foundation. 

10. Andres, Holly (October 5, 2001). "MEMORIALS PENDING FOR ICE SKATING LEGEND". Daily News (Los Angeles, CA). The Free Library.

Playboy Founder Hugh Hefner 2017 Westwood Village Cemetery

Hugh Marston Hefner (April 9, 1926 – September 27, 2017) was an American businessman, magazine publisher, and playboy. He was the founder of Playboy and editor-in-chief of the magazine, which he founded in 1953. He was also the chief creative officer of Playboy Enterprises, which is the publishing group that operates the magazine. An advocate of sexual liberation and freedom of expression, Hefner was a political activist and philanthropist in several other causes and public issues.

Death

Hefner died at his home in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, California, on September 27, 2017, at the age of 91. The causes were cardiac arrest, respiratory failure, sepsis and an E. coli infection.

He is interred at Westwood Village Memorial Park in Los Angeles, in the $75,000 crypt beside Marilyn Monroe. "Spending eternity next to Marilyn is an opportunity too sweet to pass up," Hefner had told the Los Angeles Times in 2009.

"Queen of Outer Space" Actress Laurie Mitchell 1928-2018 Memorial Video

Laurie Mitchell (born Mickey Koren; July 14, 1928 – September 20, 2018) was an American actress and model. Mitchell was perhaps best known for her role as Queen Yllana, the ruler of Venus, in Edward Bernds's 1958 science-fiction film Queen of Outer Space.

Early life

Mitchell was born in Manhattan on July 14, 1928. Her parents were Samuel and Adele Koren. She began her career in The Bronx where she was a child model. Her family moved to Los Angeles, when Mitchell was in her teens.

Career

In 1954, she made her acting debut as a hooker opposite Kirk Douglas in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. She also appeared on television for the first time in an installment of Ford Television Theatre. She garnered a degree of fame in her role alongside Zsa Zsa Gabor in the 1958 science-fiction film Queen of Outer Space.

Mitchell also starred in Calypso Joe (1957) and That Touch of Mink (1962) and on television in Adventures of Superman, 77 Sunset Strip, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Hawaiian Eye, Perry Mason, Bonanza, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Addams Family, and The Virginian.

Personal life

In 1949, aged 21, Mitchell married magician Larry White. They had two children and divorced in 1976. Mitchell later remarried and had two stepsons.

Laurie Mitchell died on September 20, 2018 in Perris, California, from natural causes, aged 90.

"Queen of the B's" Actress Gloria Talbott 2000 San Fernando Cemetery

Gloria Talbott (February 7, 1931 – September 19, 2000) was an American film and television actress.

Early life and career

Talbott was born in Glendale, California,[2] a city co-founded by her great-great grandfather.[3] She began her career as a child actress in such films as Maytime (1937), Sweet and Low-down (1944)[4] and A Tree Grows In Brooklyn (1945).

Her sister, Lori Talbott, also became an actress. After leaving school, Talbott formed a dramatic group and played "arena"-style shows at various clubs. She stopped acting following her first marriage, and resumed after her divorce, working extensively in film and television.

Film roles

Talbott worked in film on a regular basis during the 1950s. She appeared in Crashout (1955), Lucy Gallant (1955), the Humphrey Bogart comedy 

We're No Angels (1955),  

and All That Heaven Allows (1955).

She later became known as a 'scream queen' after appearing in a number of horror films including: 

The Daughter of Dr. Jekyll (1957), 

The Cyclops (1957), 

I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958), 

and The Leech Woman (1960).

Her final film role was as Bri Quince, the love interest in the 1966 Western film An Eye for an Eye.

Television roles

In 1955, Talbott appeared in TV Reader's Digest episode America's First Great Lady as Pocahontas.

On November 27, 1956, she starred as Maureen in a science fiction episode of the television anthology series Conflict entitled "Man From 1997." On October 1, 1957, she appeared as Linda Brazwell in the episode "Reluctant Hero" of the ABC/Warner Brothers western television series Sugarfoot, in which her character is involved in a range war with the elderly rancher that Sugarfoot (Will Hutchins) is working for.

Talbott's multiple television credits also includes the syndicated Adventures of Superman, The Range Rider and The Cisco Kid, the NBC western anthology series Frontier, and the syndicated western-themed crime drama, Sheriff of Cochise with John Bromfield. She appeared in the 1956 episode "The Singing Preacher" of the religion anthology series, Crossroads, and in the fourth episode of the first season of Gunsmoke that same year, entitled "Home Surgery," appearing later in the season episodes "Cody's Code," and "The Cousin."

Talbott was cast in the syndicated American Civil War drama Gray Ghost, the 1958 episode "Fatal Memory" on CBS's Wanted: Dead or Alive (returning for the 1960 episode "Tolliver Bender"), the 1959 episode "Have Sword, Will Duel" of the NBC western Cimarron City, and in the 1961 NBC western Whispering Smith in the role of Cora Gates. She guest-starred as Jenny in the 1958 episode "A Cup of Black Coffee" of the CBS crime drama Richard Diamond, Private Detective. She also guest-starred in several episodes of ABC's Zorro.

In 1960, Talbott made guest-starring appearances as Nora Lanyard and Lucinda Jennings in the episodes "Landlubbers" and "Devil in Skirts" of the NBC western series, Riverboat. She was cast as Sandy in "The Velvet Frame" of the ABC/WB drama, The Roaring 20s. She also appeared in the ABC western series, The Rebel. In 1961, she portrayed Maria Mosner in the episode "The Twenty-Six Paper" of the ABC adventure series, The Islanders. That same year she guest-starred in the episode "Buddy's Wife" of the CBS sitcom Bringing Up Buddy.

She appeared on CBS's Rawhide in the episodes "The Incident of the Calico Gun" (1959), "Incident of the Broken Word" (1960) and "Prairie Elephant" (1961). She appeared in the 1961 episode "Terror in the Afternoon" of the syndicated crime drama The Brothers Brannagan. Talbott made four guest appearances on the CBS courtroom drama series Perry Mason: defendant Eve Nesbitt in "The Case of the Angry Dead Man," Ann Gilrain in "The Case of the Crying Comedian" (both in 1961), co-defendant Bonnie Lloyd in the 1963 episode, "The Case of the Elusive Element," and Minna Rohan in the 1966 episode, "The Case of the Unwelcomed Well."

In 1962 she appeared in an episode of Gunsmoke called "Cody's Code."

In 1965, Talbott was cast as Kate Melville, a temporary woman sheriff and the daughter of a sheriff who clashes with a judge over courtroom fairness and frontier justice in the episode "Kate Melville and the Law" of the syndicated series, Death Valley Days.[5]

Death

On September 19, 2000, Talbott died in a hospital in Glendale, California,[2] as a result of kidney failure. She was survived by her fourth husband, Dr. Patrick Mullally, and by two children, Mark Charles Parrish and Mea Mullally.

Gloria Talbott is interred at San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, California.

Partial filmography

Maytime (1937) - Little Girl (uncredited)
Sweet and Low-Down (1944) - Teen-Ager on Dance Floor (uncredited)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945) - Teen-Age Girl in Classroom (uncredited)
Desert Pursuit (1952) - Indian Girl (uncredited)
We're Not Married! (1952) - Girl in Hector's Daydream (uncredited)

Northern Patrol (1953) - Meg Stevens

Crashout (1955) - Girl on Train
We're No Angels (1955) - Isabelle Ducotel
All That Heaven Allows (1955) - Kay Scott
Lucy Gallant (1955) - Laura Wilson
Strange Intruder (1956) - Meg Carmichael
The Young Guns (1956) - Nora Bawdre

The Kettles on Old MacDonald's Farm (1957) - Sally Flemming

The Oklahoman (1957) - Maria Smith
The Cyclops (1957) - Susan Winter
The Daughter of Dr. Jekyll (1957) - Janet Smith
Taming Sutton's Gal (1957) - Lou Sutton
Cattle Empire (1958) - Sandy Jeffrey
I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958) - Marge Bradley Farrell

Alias Jesse James (1959) - Princess Irawanie

The Oregon Trail (1959) - Shona Hastings

Girls Town (1959) - Vida

Oklahoma Territory (1960) - Ruth Red Hawk
The Leech Woman (1960) - Sally
Gunsmoke (1955-1963, TV Series) - Hallie / Rose Loring / Holly Hawtree
Arizona Raiders (1965) - Martina
An Eye for an Eye (1966) - Bri Quince (final film role)

References

1. Profile, glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com
2. Lentz, Harris M. III (2001). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2000: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. McFarland. p. 215. ISBN 9780786410248. 
3. Weaver, Tom (2006). Interviews with B Science Fiction and Horror Movie Makers: Writers, Producers, Directors, Actors, Moguls and Makeup. McFarland. p. 332. ISBN 9780786428588. 
4. "Sweet and Low-Down". IMDB.
5. "Kate Melville and the Law". Internet Movie Data Base. May 4, 1965. 

"Blood & Orchids" Author & Screenwriter Norman Katkov 2009 Westwood Village Cemetery

Norman Katkov (July 26, 1918 - September 13, 2009) was an author and screenwriter. Katkov was born in the Ukraine.

Katkov's feature screenplays include: 

IT HAPPENED TO JANE (1959), 

ONCE YOU KISS A STRANGER (1969), 

and VIVA KNIEVEL! (1977).

Katkov's TV movies include: "Quarantined" (1970), "The Last of the Powerseekers" (1971), 

"Fire" (1977), 

"The Amazing Captain Nemo" (1978), 

"Cave In!" (1983), 

and "Blood and Orchids (1986), which was based on his novel.

Katkov's TV series credits include: "Studio One in Hollywood" (1956), "Wanted: Dead or Alive" (1960-1961), "Dr. Kildare" (1961), "The Untouchables" (1963), 

"Slattery's People" (1964), 

"Ben Casey" (1962-1965), 

"The Wild Wild West" (1965), 

"The Virginian" (1963-1968), "Mannix" (1969), 

"Ironside" (1968-1970), 

"Adam-12" (1970-1971), "Mission Impossible" (1970-1972), "Kung Fu" (1975), and "Dynasty" (1981).

Norman Katkov's books include: "Eagle at My Eyes" (1947), "Embattled Twins" (1951), 

"The Fabulous Fanny: The Story of Fanny Brice" (1953), 

"It Happened to Me" (1958), "Eric Mattson" (1964), "With These Hands" (1976), 

"Blood and Orchids" (1983), 

"The Judas Kiss" (1991), 

and "Millionaires Row" (1996).

Personal Quotes

"All you had to do was see him move in front of the camera and you knew he was going to be a big, big star. It was obvious."

- about Steve McQueen, whom he first met after being hired to write for Wanted: Dead or Alive (1958)

"He had a sense of self-destruction. But that was true of all Lithuanians. He was a nice guy, who had some bad habits, like he would cut a slice of bread and only eat the insides--leave the crust all over the table. Only eat the soft parts."

- on Laurence Harvey, with whom he worked on Walk on the Wild Side (1962)

Personal Life and Death

Norman Katkov was married to Betty Katkov from 1951 to his death. They had two children. He died of natural causes on September 13, 2009 in Los Angeles, California.

Norman Katkov's memorial plaque is located in the rose garden at Westwood Village Cemetery.