Bombshells to Blasters, An Auction You Can't Refuse Pt. 2

We are offering Jerry Herman’s premium, personal, vacant wall crypt at the legendary Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park at 1218 Glendon Ave. Los Angeles, California 90024. Jerry Herman (1931-2019) was a composer of legendary status. One of the most commercially successful Broadway songwriters of his time. Composer and lyricist for the beloved Hello, Dolly! (1964), once the longest-running musical in Broadway history. Three of Herman’s shows ran for more than 1500 consecutive performances! The Tony and Grammy-winning Herman emerged in a time when musicals produced memorable tunes that an audience left the theater singing. What we might call an “earworm” today, was in its time simply a memorable song that made a profound impression. A Herman song followed you home. A feat only rarely accomplished by today’s musicals. Herman’s long and prestigious career brought us many classic songs and shows, from Mame (1966), to La Cage aux Folles (1984), which are still regularly revived and enjoyed today on the Broadway stage as well as on college and high school stages all over the world. Yet, as much as Jerry Herman was a figure himself, he never lost his romance for the glitz and glamor of showbiz. Never jaded about the workings of the industry, Herman reveled in the mystique of stardom without ever losing his sense of wonder for the phenomenon of celebrity. It makes sense that Herman would be delighted to make his final resting place among his fellow stars at Westwood Memorial Park, including Burt Lancaster, Truman Capote, Natalie Wood, Dean Martin, Ray Bradbury, Farrah Fawcett, Jack Lemmon, Billy Wilder, Frank Zappa, Walter Matthau, James Coburn, Carroll O’Connor, Eddie Albert, Bettie Page, Donna Reed, Rodney Dangerfield, Merv Griffin, Don Knotts, Eve Arden, John Cassavettes, Darryl F. Zanuck, Roy Orbison, Dorothy Stratton, Louis Jourdan, Jim Baccus, Robert Stack, Jonathan Harris, Jackie Collins, Mel Torme, Irving “Swifty” Lazar, Oscar Levant, Robert Loggia, Elizabeth Montgomery, Peggy Lee, Florence Henderson, Janet Leigh, Fanny Brice, Karl Malden, Peter Falk, and many more. After purchasing and decorating over 50 homes, Herman was well aware of the adage, “location, location, location!” However, beside all the household names listed above, there is one that summons the memories that movie stardom is made of. Yes, sharing the wall with the illustrious Jerry Herman’s crypt is the biggest classic movie star and sex symbol ever to live: Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962). The blonde bombshell is interred here in crypt 24, a short 14 minute drive from the well-known 12305 5th Helena Drive address where the icon tragically passed away. She was interred at the memorial park only four days following her death. Since then, thousands of admirers visit the site yearly leaving tributes, flowers, gifts and a sea of cherry-red lipstick print-kisses. It’s not difficult to imagine Jerry Herman himself visiting his future crypt and feeling the same awe and power summoned by the very idea of Marilyn resting peacefully behind her light pink marble slab and brass nameplate. Little more than one yard of space separates Marilyn Monroe from the Jerry Herman crypt offered here. Those few feet are occupied by none other than the legend whose Playboy magazine empire began with the publication of Marilyn’s earliest and most famous nudes, Hugh Hefner (1926-2017). Herman’s crypt practically touches “Hef’s.” Like legions of Monroe admirers could only dream of, Hef ensured he would sleep next to Marilyn for the rest of his afterlife. In 1992 he paid top dollar for the privilege and commented, “Spending eternity next to Marilyn is an opportunity too sweet to pass up.” So the lives and careers of these two American icons are forever cemented in proximity as well as legacy. Guests can visit both of these pioneers in art and entertainment, assuring that the stories of their lives and adventures won’t easily fade from memory. This can be your fate as well, if you’re the lucky bidder for this lot. Family and friends will always want to come visit and pay their respects not just to you but all the amazing celebrities and talent that defined Hollywood. If you like company and to be in the company of stratospheric superstars, this crypt is the only one for you. Jerry Herman’s crypt is located in a section or suite in the memorial park called the “Corridor of Memories.” A marble slab covers the portico, fastened to the wall with four-corner finials with a smooth facing surface for placement of your personalized cast, brass nameplate. The crypt can accommodate one full-sized adult coffin or a maximum of four separate urns of cremated remains. There are hanging brass vases available for flower arrangements visitors may adorn the crypt with. The surrounding environment is serene. A road winds past the venue. The crypt itself is shaded by the eves of the structure and there is well manicured greenery of a lawn and low shrubs. The pathway ringing the outdoor mausoleum features marble benches for visitors to sit to pay respects and contemplate their memories. Our pop culture is obsessed with success, stardom, and notoriety that makes up the history of the art of movies and storytelling. Anyone possessed with the romance of the American zeitgeist at the beginnings of contemporary fusion of arts in our society of the 50s through 70s, will be excited by the opportunity to own this property. Other than a time machine, can there be a better way to admire the pioneers of arts, crafts, style, and even the portrayal of sexuality in media and culture, but by becoming a part of it? A priceless plot with the highest provenance and one that you can bid for with confidence. Rest in the company of some of the finest talents in music, theater, film, and publication. A trifecta of Who’s-Who and YOU! All fees and caretaking of the property are included and transferred to the new owner of this historical crypt.