86: HELLO BATMAN; GOODBYE NORMA JEAN

For the first time in a long time, my photographer and his wife didn’t set the alarm clock. If I didn’t know better, I’d bet the wild California NASCAR group had worn them out – but even then, Tom and Vicki were up before 8:00am. After a complete day of lonely solitude during the party, I was ready to go. The day’s plan on Sunday August 5, 2018 was to visit a couple of sites near Hollywood and then get back to Tustin by 3:00pm for a rendezvous with George Washington.

When we left Tom Currier’s house, my photographer was behind the wheel while Mr. Plumber manned the navigator’s seat. Vicki and I held down the back seat of the Mustang for the 42-mile ride to Bronson Canyon. The Los Angeles traffic was a non-issue, but then again, it was Sunday morning and that wasn’t a complete surprise. It was a surprise, however, when I saw my photographer had an easy time navigating the path to the first site of the day. Although the walking surface was constructed of dirt and stone, the graded pathway was level and there was not much of an uphill grade at all. The scenery along the path was gorgeous; from the reddish-tan dirt landscape to the beautiful cacti – the entire area of Griffith Park was a sight to behold. After we had hiked about a quarter mile, we saw it – we saw the cave. But that wasn’t just any hole-in-the-wall cave, it was the Batcave. And not just any cave with bats in it, this was “The Batcave” entrance used in the 1960s television show ‘Batman’.

The flower of a coastal prickly pear cactus near the trailhead to Bronson Caves.
A heart shaped prickly pear cactus showed us some love on the trail to the Batcave.
At Bronson Caves, we found the man-made tunnel that was used as the entrance to the Batcave in the 1966 television series ‘Batman’.
The Batmobile emerged from the Batcave as the Caped Crusaders headed to Gotham City.
The Batcave was actually The Bat-tunnel. During the TV series ‘Batman’, cameramen photographed at an angle to give the image of a cave.

In 1903, the Union Rock Company founded a quarry at Brush Canyon that supplied the crushed rock for a lot of the city streets in the area. The quarry closed in the late 1920s, leaving the man-made caves behind, although it was a tunnel rather than a cave. Locals began calling the caves the Bronson Caves after a nearby street, and soon after, the canyon changed names from Brush to Bronson Canyon. Over the years, dozens of movies and TV shows were filmed at the Bronson Canyon area, including Bonanza, Gunsmoke, The Wild Wild West, and The Lone Ranger. But in 1966, the Bronson Caves became most famous for its use as the entrance to Batman’s Batcave. There was no doubt that the producers of the TV show had to disguise the cave entrance with vines, brush, and other foliage because the entrance we saw looked like a tunnel through a barren stone wall. As a matter of fact, it was obvious that they also had to shoot from an angle to keep the audience from seeing completely through to the other side of the tunnel. As the four us walked through the short and rocky passageway, I heard Tom call Mr. Plumber a name that made me laugh to myself – he said: “Hey Robin, we’re inside the Batcave – isn’t this cool?” At that moment, Currier shot back with: “Right you are, Batman! Let’s jump into the Batmobile and take it for a spin to find the Joker!” While those two were pretending to be superheroes, Vicki just rolled her eyes and smiled at their juvenile behavior.

Once we had walked through the short tunnel, the backside afforded us a surprising view of the famous HOLLYWOOD sign off in the distance. It was then when I heard Tom say to his companions: “This is the third time I’ve been to L.A. and this is the first time I’ve seen the Hollywood sign.” After Tom had captured a handful of images of the sign, as well as the rugged terrain that surrounded us, we returned to the tunnel. In our final few moments at the Batcave entrance, I saw my photographer pull a hammer out of his camera case and he said to Mr. Plumber: “I need to get a piece of the Batcave for my collection”; and he began to pound at the entrance wall. Impatient with my camera guy’s lack of success, “Robin the Boy Wonder” grabbed the hammer and began to wreak havoc on the opening. Within seconds, a few large chips of rock fell into Tom’s hands and he had his souvenir. “There ya go, Batman, you’ve got your chunk of the Batcave”, said Currier with a sarcastic, semi-cocky tone. I thought to myself: “Holy Hammer Time, Batman!”

My photographer and his wife at Bronson Canyon with the famous Hollywood sign in the background. That sign has graced the Hollywood Hills since 1923.
After we had walked through the Batcave, I thought to myself: “I’m hanging out with Superheroes Batman, Robin, and Batgirl”.
HOLLYWOOD is spelled out in 45-foot tall white capital letters and is 350 feet long.
Tom Currier, known as Mr. Plumber, gained a new moniker at the Batcave. He became affectionately known as Robin, the Boy Wonder. Perhaps it should’ve been Robin, the Boy Plumber!
The beautiful and rugged terrain of Bronson Caves.
Batman, with his sidekick Robin, moments before The Boy Wonder hammered several pieces of the Batcave into Batman’s collection.
Had the two Tom’s been in costume, they would’ve looked similar to the real Batman and Robin. It’s amazing how a Bat costume makes a person look thinner!
Our last glimpse of the Batcave was from an area where the collapsible barricade was located on the television show.
Out of the Batcave and en route to Gotham City, Batman and Robin are on the way!

While it was only a little over 10 miles to our next site, the GPS guided us along a faster route that was a dozen miles further, but at the same time it kept us out of the Hollywood Boulevard and Beverly Hills tourist traffic. I was excited for the next stop as it was technically a Presidential site; although that description was a bit of a stretch. Either way, when we parked inside the Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary, I couldn’t get to the crypt of actress Marilyn Monroe fast enough. From the Mustang, I was carried to the Corridor of Memories Mausoleum that was located in the northeastern section of the small cemetery. It was easy to locate the final resting place of the Blonde Bombshell of the 1950s and early 60s as there were dozens of flower arrangements that had been placed below her crypt. It was also the only vault that had photographs affixed to the marble face of the crypt – photos that showed exactly how beautiful and sexy Marilyn Monroe had been in life. Once my photographer had hung me by my ponytail from the permanent bronze flower vase attached to Monroe’s crypt, Tom snapped several images – all the while I had hoped I wouldn’t fall to my death. Once the pictures had been captured, my sneaky camera guy secretly pilfered a red rose from the dozen that had been placed in the vase.

The crypt of actress Marilyn Monroe, located in the Corridor of Memories Mausoleum at the Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Park cemetery.
From my precarious position on the bronze vase, I had a good look at some of the pictures that fans had left on Marilyn’s crypt.
As I “hung around” Marilyn for a few minutes, I also had a good look at Hugh Hefner’s crypt that was “next door”. Hefner purchased that crypt in 1992 and he said at the time: “Spending eternity next to Marilyn is an opportunity too sweet to pass up.”
While we were in the cemetery, we discovered that the reason there were so many flowers at Marilyn Monroe’s crypt was the 56th anniversary of her murder was the day before.
Marilyn Monroe as she sung “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” at Madison Square Garden on May 19, 1962 – ten days before JFK’s actual 45th birthday.
During the after-party at Arthur Krim’s house, the only known photograph was captured of Marilyn Monroe and the Kennedy brothers. At the moment this photo was taken, Monroe had less than three months to live; while JFK died 18 months later in Dallas.

I was extremely excited to pose for photos at Marilyn Monroe’s tomb because of her connection with President John F. Kennedy. While it had been rumored over the years that JFK and Monroe had a lengthy affair and numerous encounters during Kennedy’s presidency, that was simply not true. As a matter of fact, high-end investigations have proved that the President and actress only had a one-time fling on March 24, 1962 at the Palm Springs, California home of Bing Crosby. Less than two months after the amour, however, Marilyn Monroe attended a fundraiser and early birthday party for Kennedy at New York’s Madison Square Garden where the actress sang “Happy Birthday” to JFK. The two met briefly at an after-party celebration in movie executive Arthur Krim’s house, but JFK turned a cold-shoulder to the actress – which may or may not have broken her heart and sent her spirally into a deep depression. Then suddenly, just seventy-eight days after the event at MSG, Marilyn Monroe was found dead at the age of 36 in her Brentwood apartment of an apparent suicide. While an autopsy revealed that she indeed had a lethal amount of prescription drugs in her system at the time of her death, there were no capsules found in her digestive system – which looked fishy. It was later revealed that Bobby Kennedy, who also had an affair with the actress after his brother cut ties with her, had visited Monroe’s apartment the morning of her death. Investigative evidence showed little doubt that Bobby Kennedy ordered Dr. Ralph Greenson, who was Monroe’s psychiatrist, to murder the movie star – and he did so around midnight on August 4, 1962. As I hung from the vase and looked at her nameplate right in front of me, a song popped into my resin-filled mind: “Goodbye Norma Jean, though I never knew you at all; you had the grace to hold yourself, while those around you crawled.” John F. Kennedy had crawled away from Marilyn after a one-night stand, and then Bobby fell in love with her – only to break off their relationship abruptly on the day she died. “And it seemed to me you lived your life, like a candle in the wind. Never knowing who to cling to, when the rain set in.” For Marilyn Monroe, America’s biggest sex symbol and movie star, the rain set in on August 4, 1962. Although her candle was extinguished by the Kennedy’s, the brothers could never douse her legend. “Goodbye Norma Jean, from the young man in the twenty-second row; who sees you as something more than sexual; more that just our Marilyn Monroe. And I would have liked to have known you, but I was just a kid. Your candle burned out long before, your legend ever did.”

Marilyn Monroe 1926 – 1962

After we said goodbye to Norma Jean Baker, the four of us spent the next half-hour touring the famed cemetery where we saw numerous celebrity grave sites. The first marker that we came upon was one that was very special to my photographer; it was the grave of Don Knotts. Tom’s a huge fan of the Andy Griffith Show and when he saw the final resting place of Mayberry’s deputy sheriff Barney Fife, all my photographer could do was smile as he thought about Barney’s favorite saying: “Nip it. Nip it in the bud!”

Jesse Donald Knotts died on February 24, 2006 at the age of 81.
Don Knotts 1924 – 2006

I found it ironic that soon after my photographer had mentioned Barney Fife’s saying that began with “Nip it”, we stumbled upon a grave site that also reminded Tom of someone associated with “nip” – it was the final resting place of the ’70s sex symbol Farrah Fawcett. There likely wasn’t a teenage boy alive in 1976 who didn’t own the Farrah poster that pictured her wearing the one-piece red bathing suit. That poster, which became the best-selling poster in history, came out just before the start of her one-year stint as Jill Munroe in Charlie’s Angels. With her flowing blonde locks and perfect smile, Farrah Fawcett was without a doubt viewed as the most beautiful woman in the late ’70s.

We thought that Farrah’s gravesite was fairly plain for a woman who was anything but plain. Farrah Fawcett died on June 25, 2009 at the age of 62.
Farrah Fawcett posed in her one-piece red bathing suit for this poster in 1976. If anyone says this isn’t the greatest poster in history, you need to “Nip it. Nip it in the bud!”
Farrah Fawcett 1947 – 2009

While there were a lot of famous celebrities who were buried or entombed at Westwood Village Park Cemetery, we winged-it blindly without a map. Some of the other celebrity graves that we stopped at were Rodney Dangerfield, Florence Henderson, Jack Klugman, Brian Keith, Walter Matthau, and Dean Martin. Just after we had paid our respects to the person who never got any respect, my photographer captured an unexpected image of Marilyn Monroe as she walked through the burial ground. The Marilyn look-a-like was dressed in period clothing and walked silently alone through the cemetery – and then she seemed to vanish into thin air. Mr. Plumber and my camera man thought perhaps the woman had dressed like Monroe to pose for photos at Marilyn’s crypt, especially since it was the day after the 56th anniversary of the actress’ death, but she wasn’t at the crypt either. Once we had discovered that the woman was nowhere in the cemetery, my photographer was convinced that he had captured an image of Marilyn Monroe’s ghost. At that moment, I was happy that I wasn’t a John Kennedy bobble head – or better yet, a Bobby Kennedy bobble head.

Born Jacob Rodney Cohen, the comedian-actor who never got any respect was known by his stage name Rodney Dangerfield. Dangerfield died at the age of 82 on October 5, 2004. We found it funny that below his name on the tombstone was etched: “There goes the neighborhood.”
Rodney Dangerfield 1921 – 2004
My photographer managed to snap one picture of the ghostly image of Marilyn Monroe in Westwood Village Park Cemetery. While the “ghost” was likely a real woman dressed like Monroe, we found her shadow to resemble a raven in flight.
The cremated ashes of Florence Henderson were interred here. The Brady Bunch mother died unexpectedly on November 24, 2016 at the age of 82.
Here’s a story, of a lovely lady – Florence Henderson 1934 – 2016
Jack Klugman, whose birth name was Jacob Joachim Klugman, portrayed Oscar Madison in television’s ‘The Odd Couple’. I found it ironic that his ashes were interred above two sisters named Unger; only because Oscar Madison’s roommate was named Felix Unger. Klugman died at the age of 90 on December 24, 2012.
Jack Klugman 1922 – 2012
Robert Alba Keith, who was known as Brian Keith from TV’s ‘Family Affair’, died on June 24, 1997 from suicide by gunshot. His ashes were interred next to his daughter Daisy who had committed suicide two months before her father. Keith was 75 years old.
Brian Keith 1921 – 1997
We had stood on the field where Morris Buttermaker coached the Bears. Two days later, we visited Walter Matthau’s grave. Born Walter John Matthow, the actor died on July 1, 2000 at the age of 79. The iconic actor’s death was definitely “bad news”.
Walter Matthau 1920 – 2000
Dino Paul Crocetti, better known as Dean Martin, died on December 25, 1995 at the age of 78. His signature song, “Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime” was etched onto his crypt.
Dean Martin’s crypt, located in the Sanctuary of Love at Westwood Village Park Cemetery, was the only crypt in that mausoleum covered with lip stick. It definitely appeared that “everybody, loved ol’ Dino, sometime!”
Dean Martin 1917 – 1995

We were 50 miles from Tustin and Mr. Plumber kept reminding my photographer of our 3:00pm appointment with George Washington. As we headed out of Westwood Village Park Cemetery, I kept an eye out for the ghost of Marilyn Monroe, but I never saw her. The L.A. traffic south was light, and we arrived at Tom Currier’s house at 1:50pm. After we grabbed some leftovers from the NASCAR party for a quick lunch, we (including Macy) arrived at the nearby Tustin apartment of Gary Beard at exactly 3:00pm. Once Gary’s wife Joann invited us into their home, we waited for a few minutes before we got our first glimpse of Beard in his full George Washington uniform. I was blown away – George Washington had come to life and I was in his presence. As a former pastor, Beard had a booming voice that commanded attention when he spoke. The 83-year old Gary also sported a full head of snow-white hair and he wore an identical replica of Washington’s Revolutionary War uniform – including the 76 golden buttons. The only difference between the Tustin George Washington and the one who lived at Mount Vernon was Gary had better teeth than the Father of our Country had in his mouth.

Gary Beard, dressed as George Washington, explained what it’s like to portray the Father of our Country at the Nixon Presidential Library.
I was proud to be in the hands of greatness as Gary Beard held me tightly in his grasp.

For over 30 years, Gary Beard has portrayed George Washington in hundreds of classrooms, assemblies, and churches throughout Southern California. But the gig he seemed most proud of was portraying the Father of our Country at the Richard Nixon Library and Museum on President’s Day and the Fourth of July for the past 20 years or so. Gary loves children and he says it’s important to let kids have a “hands-on” experience with his George Washington artifacts. The best part of all is Gary Beard doesn’t just dress up in a George Washington costume to play the character – he transforms into the General himself. When I first met Gary, the first thing that immediately popped into my resin-filled mind was: “I wish Gary would’ve been at Washington’s tomb when I was there in 2014 instead of the crabby old lady that ridiculed my photographer. I have no doubt in my mind that he would’ve let me stand on Washington’s sarcophagus – Gary understands what my photographer and I do and he appreciates our love for the history of our Presidents.”

Reverend Gary Beard first portrayed George Washington in a Bicentennial Parade in 1976 and has been to Mount Vernon roughly 25 times in his life. He has studied the first President by reading a countless number of books and is a leading expert about the General who won American Independence. But it was his passion about the first President that impressed me the most. While Beard doesn’t claim to be a reincarnation of George Washington, he does do an amazing job of bringing the Father of our Country to life so that visitors can better understand him. And at 83 years young, there is one thing that Gary Beard had over George Washington – the first President died at the age of 67. Sadly, the General lived only two years after leaving the presidency, even though some of his inaugural buttons were etched with the words “Long Live The President.” As we left Gary’s apartment and headed back to Tom Currier’s house, I left with a greater appreciation for our first President – as well as a newfound friendship with Gary Beard. As I stood in the camera case and replayed the visit in my resin mind, I thought to myself: “Long Live Gary Beard – The First President of Tustin, California!”

While Gary Beard demonstrated his antique stereoscope, he quickly mentioned that the device wasn’t invented until 1832 – over three decades after Washington’s death.
The reason for his smile was because the image he had for the stereoscope featured President Grover Cleveland and First Lady Frances Cleveland.
Sporting his ‘cocked hat’ that was similar to one that Washington would have worn, Gary stood next to a Gadsden flag that was first adopted in 1778. The yellow banner, that featured a snake along with the words ‘Don’t Tread On Me’, was used by the Continental Marines that were established by General Washington.
General Washington and Sergeant Pepper donned their ‘cocked hats’. Out of style by the early 19th century, only the first five Presidents wore those type of hats. James Monroe earned the nickname “The Last Cocked Hat” because of that.
My photographer couldn’t get enough of Gary’s tales about George Washington.
Gary proudly showed Tom his authentic 1886 Martha Washington one dollar silver certificate.
Martha Washington was the first woman to appear on U.S. currency and Beard was very proud to own one.
Gary also showed us his authentic Colonial paper money of Connecticut, which was issued several weeks before the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
George Washington Wants You – to visit him on President’s Day at Richard Nixon’s Presidential Library and Birthplace in Yorba Linda, California.
“Come on, let’s go – I need a nap!”
At 6:15pm, Macy got her wish as she and Mr. Plumber caught some late-day shut-eye. While Macy was dreaming about George Washington, Tom was likely fantasizing about Batman!

When we returned to Tom and Rhonda’s house, my photographer, his wife, and Mr. Plumber wanted to watch some of the NASCAR race that Currier had recorded. To save time, Currier fast-forwarded through the boring part of the race (which was most of it) and we saw that Chase Elliott had won the GoBowling at The Glen race that was held in Watkins Glen, New York. While my camera guy went to work on his Road Hog League stats, Tom Currier, Vicki, and Macy went to the back patio for a well-deserved nap.

After dinner, I was placed back on the bedroom shelf where my thoughts immediately turned to George Washington and Gary Beard. While the 90-minute visit at Gary’s home went by extremely fast and I was sad to see it end, I couldn’t wait for the next day. My photographer had planned to dump his excess baggage as the Currier’s were taking Vicki to the beach, while Tom had scheduled a full day of Presidential sites for me. And the cherry on top of the sundae was Gary Beard planned on hanging out with us. That’s right – George Washington himself had arranged a private tour at the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace and we had the entire day to enjoy each other’s company. It doesn’t get any better than that!

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Thomas Watson

My name is Thomas Watson and I've been a U.S. history fanatic since I was 9 years old. In 2013, I decided to take my passion to the next level when I purchased a Thomas Jefferson bobble head with the sole intention of photographing that bobble head at Presidential sites. From that first day on July 10, 2013 at Spiegel Grove in Fremont, Ohio, this journey has taken on a life of its own. Now, nearly 40,000 miles later, I thought it was time to share the experiences, stories, and photos of Jefferson's travels. Keep in mind, this entire venture has been done with the deepest respect for the men who held the office as our President; no matter what their political affiliations, personal ambitions, or public scandals may have been. This blog is intended to be a true tribute to the Presidents of the United States and this story will be told Through the Eyes of Jefferson. I hope you enjoy the ride!

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