HOLLYWOOD FOREVER CEMETERY
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Maila Nurmi aka Vampira
Bob Mitchell
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Posts Tagged ‘Bob Mitchell’
Hollywood Forever Markings
Tuesday, September 1st, 2009Rudolph Valentino Memorial Service
Sunday, August 23rd, 2009VALENTINO
The 82nd Annual Rudolph Valentino Memorial Service
By Allan R. Ellenberger
Today the fans of Rudolph Valentino arrived in the heat and humidity to Hollywood Forever Cemetery for the actors 82nd annual memorial service. The Memorial Committee once again surpassed their previous efforts in providing a dignified and entertaining celebration of the life of silent film actor, Rudolph Valentino.
Fans enter the Cathedral Mausoleum (above) to attend the the 82nd Annual Rudolph Valentino Memorial Service.
The foyer of the Cathedral Mausoleum where fans gathered to begin today’s service.
Chanell O Farrill welcomes everyone on behalf of Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
Valentino author and emcee, Tracy Ryan Terhune gave the opening remarks and introduced each of today’s speakers. The first speaker for the day, Jeanine Villalobos, the great-granddaughter of Rudy’s brother, Alberto, was delayed by that-infamous Los Angeles traffic, but the show must go on so a Valentino video based on the upcoming photo book by Valentino authority, Donna Hill, was premiered.
Actor Garrett Brant gave a reading of three selected poems from Valentino’s book of poetry, Daydreams.
The late Bob Mitchell in a photo from last years service.
There was a moving tribute to organist Bob Mitchell as a recording of Mitchell’s organ music played. Mitchell, who played the organ at many former Valentino services, passed away on July 4th and is also interred at Hollywood Forever.
Tracy Terhune presents an award for the late Bob Mitchell to his partner and friend, Vince Morton (above), who also perfomed the music for today’s service.
Jeanine Villalobos (above), the great-granddaughter of Alberto Guglielmi Valentino, spoke about her uncle’s funeral and read from archival letters of Alberto to his wife Ada. Ms Villalobos also commended the memorial committee for conducting the services, both past and present, with respect and decorum.
Craig MacPherson (above) shared his thoughts on the influence of Natacha Rambova in the life of Valentino. The 2009 Valentino Memorial Video showing the relationship of Valentino and Rambova was premiered to the song, “If I Love Again.”
Christopher Riordan (above), manager of Falcon Lair, shared his memories and the current and future of Valentino’s former home. Singer Ian Whitcomb entertained the audience with the songs, “My Buddy” and the perennial, “The Sheik Of Araby.” Valentino Memorial Committee member, Stella Grace, then led the audience in repeating the 23rd Psalm.
The Valentino Memorial Committee: Marvin Page, Stella Grace, Chanell O Farrill and Tracy Ryan Terhune (missing is Jay Boileau).
Celebrating the life of Rudolph Valentino are Michael Francis, Kari Bible, the Lady in Black and Allison Francis.
Flowers surround the crypt of Rudolph Valentino.
The mysterious Sue Guldin reads a newspaper account of Valentino’s death.
Valentino memorabilia on display provided by Marvin Page.
Valentino authorities and memorial committee members, Stella Grace and Tracy Ryan Terhune (above). Stella, Tracy and the rest of the committee worked hard to produce a service that was respectful and entertaining. They should be congratulated. We look forward to next year.
Photos by Allan R. Ellenberger
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Rudolph Valentino Memorial Service
Monday, August 17th, 2009VALENTINO
82nd Annual Rudolph Valentino Memorial Service
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
6000 Santa Monica Bld. @ Gower
Cathedral Mausoleum
Sunday, August 23, 2009
12:10 p.m.
The life & legacy of Rudolph Valentino will be remembered at the annual Valentino Memorial Service which will be held on August 23rd, just as it has every year, steadfastly without fail for the past 82 years.
The program for the Valentino Memorial Service will include:
- For the 1st time in over 75 years a member of the Valentino family will speak at the Valentino Memorial. Alberto Valentino’s great granddaughter, Jeanine Villalobos will be our featured speaker, drawing from family archived letters from Alberto Guglielmi Valentino (to his wife Ada who remained back home in Italy for the first year) of his thoughts and observations about the public’s outpouring of emotion, traveling across country on the Valentino funeral train and the West Coast funeral and burial of his brother, Rudolph Valentino. The letters have never been made accessible to researchers and are being translated from Italian to English for this presentation.
- A tribute to honor Bob Mitchell, who for almost 30 years was involved with the Memorial first with his Bob Mitchell’s Boys Choir, and later on as a speaker/singer and musical accompaniment.
- Donna Hill will also be making her first speaking appearance at the Valentino Memorial.
- A new Memorial tribute video short spotlighting the relationship of Rudy & Natacha Rambova.
Also – the Valentino outdoor screening the evening of the 23rd returns after a two year absence. “A Society Sensation” and “Stolen Moments” will be shown. Bob Mitchell recorded his only in-studio recording for a silent movie when he did the score for “A Society Sensation” and that will be presented with his score, and Vince Morton will play live for “Stolen Moments.”
— Tracy Terhune
More to be announced.
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Bob Mitchell Memorial
Saturday, July 11th, 2009FUNERALS/MEMORIALS
Bob Mitchell
The funeral for organist Bob Mitchell, who died on July 4, 2009, was held yesterday at Christ the King Roman Catholic Church. Interment was at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. The following is from his funeral program:
Bob Mitchell was born in Los Angeles on October 12, 1912. He began piano study at four and pipe organ at the age of ten. He accompanied silent movies beginning in 1924 (age twelve) until 1928 when sound replaced live music. At eighteen, he was the youngest candidate to receive the degree of Fellow of the American Guild of Organists (F.A.G.O). He was a scholarship winner at Eastman School of Music and the New York College of Music and still found time to sing and play on his own radio show in New York City.
Returning to Los Angeles, he founded the Mitchell Choirboys in 1934 – which continued for nearly 70 years. They performed in some one hundred motion pictures, most notably Going My Way, The Bishop’s Wife, and White Christmas. They toured extensively – five times abroad and once around the world, and made thousands of radio and TV appearances.
Bob served overseas in the Navy during World War II, and was pianist/organist for Meredith Willson’s Armed Forces Radio Service Orchestra.
He served as staff pianist/organist at several Los Angeles radio stations – KFI, KHJ, KECA, among others, and on TV with Art Linkletter’s House Party, The Jack LaLanne Show, and even The Mitchell Choirboys Show. Bob and the choir were featured in the Academy-monimated short film Forty Boys and a Song, and he was honored on Ralph Edwards’ This is Your Life.
Bob was organist for four years for the Dodgers and Angels at the then new stadium, the only person to ‘play’ for both the National and American leagues at the same time. He was musical director for many religious institutions over his 87 years as a professional musician, and most recently regularly exciting his many fans at the Silent Movie Theatre, Hollywood. Bob passed away peacefully on Saturday afternoon, July 4, 2009.
Bob Mitchell’s crypt at Hollywood Forever Cemetery at the Sanctuary of Memories, Elevation 8, Crypt C-49 (this is the new section in front of the Abbey of the Psalms, the second corrider to your right as you face the Abbey). Bob’s crypt is the one at the top (third row) center. The flowers are from his service.
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Bob Mitchell’s Funeral
Thursday, July 9th, 2009FUNERALS/MEMORIALS
Services for theater organist Bob Mitchell
(Cinecon)
Larry Harnisch
The Daily Mirror
Los Angeles Times
Daily Mirror fan Karie Bible of Film Radar reports the death of theater organist Bob Mitchell. Mitchell was a regular feature of the Los Angeles Conservancy’s Last Remaining Seats series. He was quite frail at this year’s event but it was good to see him.
Mitchell’s services are scheduled on Friday at 9:30 a.m. at Christ the King Catholic Church, 624 N. Rossmore Ave. He will be buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, 6000 Santa Monica Blvd.
Memorial donations may be made to the American Heart Assn. or Boys Town.
Here’s a field recording I made at Last Remaining Seats a few years ago of Mitchell playing “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.”
Thanks to our friend Jon Weisman of the fabulous Dodger Thoughts blog for reminding us that Mitchell was the first organist at Dodger Stadium.
Interview with Bob Mitchell (YouTube)
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Bob Mitchell Obituary
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009OBITUARY
Bob Mitchell dies at 96; silent-movie organist was house musician for Dodgers
George Wilhelm / Los Angeles Times
Bob Mitchell improvised soundtracks for silent movies, starting when he was 12 years old at Strand Theater in Pasadena.
The longtime director of the Robert Mitchell Boys Choir played at the Silent Movie Theatre in Los Angeles.
By Valerie J. Nelson
Los Angeles Times
July 8, 2009
Bob Mitchell, an organist who was the first such house musician at Dodger Stadium and the last surviving working accompanist from the silent-film era, has died. He was 96.
Click here to continue reading the Los Angeles Times obituary for Bob Mitchell
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Rudolph Valentino Memorial Service…
Saturday, August 23rd, 2008
The 81st Annual Rudolph Valentino Memorial Service was held today in the foyer of the Cathedral Mausoleum at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. The Valentino Memorial Committee put together an exceptional service this year and should be congratulated. The committee members include: Chanell O’Farrill, Jay Boileau, Tracy Ryan Terhune, Stella Grace and Marvin Paige.
This year’s special guest speaker was actor Tim Considine, the son of John W. Considine, Jr., producer of the Valentino films, The Eagle (1925) and Son of the Sheik (1926). Considine spoke of his father and was surprised by a brief pictorial video of Considine and his relationship with Valentino as producer and friend.
Other participants in today’s program included 95 year-old Valentino perennial, organist Bob Mitchell, Vince Morton and Ian and Regina Whitcomb who handled the musical portion. Garrett Bryant read selections from Valentino’s book of poems, Daybreak and Woolsey Ackerman spoke about and displayed a rare Valentino doll which depicted the actor from The Eagle.
TODAYS PROGRAM
Photos from todays service…
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It was a full house at this years memorial service
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Hollywood Forever Cemetery representative, Chanell O’Farrill opened the 81st Annual Valentino Memorial Service
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Valentino author and emcee, Tracy Ryan Terhune introduced the scheduled guests |
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Organist Bob Mitchell sang “You, My Love” and “He Love, He Danced, He Tangoed”
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Garrett Bryant read a selection of poems from Valentino’s book, Daybreak
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Special guest speaker, actor Tim Considine spoke about his father, John W. Considine, Jr., who produced two Valentino films, The Eagle (1925) and The Son of the Sheik (1926)
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Woolsey Ackerman spoke about his rare Valentino doll from The Eagle (1925) that can be seen in the background |
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Ian and Regina Whitcomb sang popular Valentino Songs, “New Star in Heaven Tonight” and “Sheik of Araby”
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Stella Grace (center) of the Valentino Memorial Committee, closed the service with a reading of Psalm XXIII with audience participation
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Special guest speaker, Tim Considine speaks with committee member, Marvin Paige
Close-up of a rare Valentino doll from The Eagle (courtesy Woolsey Ackerman)
Floral tributes at Rudolph Valentino’s crypt
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Rudolph Valentino Memorial Service…
Sunday, August 17th, 2008VALENTINO WEEK
The 82nd Annual Rudolph Valentino Memorial Service
HOLLYWOOD FOREVER CEMETERY
6000 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood
Cathedral Mausoleum foyer
Saturday, August 23, 2008
12:10 pm
By Tracy Ryan Terhune
This coming Saturday – August 23, 2008 marks the date of the 82nd anniversary of the passing of Rudolph Valentino. And keeping with long time tradition, once again we will be celebrating the LIFE and legacy of Rudy in the annual Valentino Memorial Service. (Contrary to some misguided opinions we do NOT celebrate his death. Only a person who’s never attended the respectful recent memorials would think in that way.)
This year our key-note speaker will be Tim Considine. He himself was named a “Disney Legend” in 2006 for his classic Walt Disney television work in the Spin and Marty serials as well as the Hardy Boys and co-starring in The Shaggy Dog and much more.
Tim’s father was United Artist producer John W. Considine Jr. – who produced Valentino’s final two films: The Eagle (1925) and Son of the Sheik (1926). His father was, along with Charlie Chaplin, (and others) a pall bearer for Valentino’s West Coast Funeral on September 7, 1926. He will speak for the first time publicly on his father’s stories and association with Rudolph Valentino.
Also there will be a new introduction video on John W. Considine Jr which is being edited by Bob Birchard. Also a complete new Valentino Tribute video will be shown.
Legendary musician Bob Mitchell (who will turn 96 next month) will once again be on hand to both play the music and sing two Valentino related songs.
Much more is in the works – and I hope anyone who’s in Hollywood next Saturday will make plans to be there. 12:10 is the time it starts, which is the exact time of day that Valentino died.
Please note: there will be NO outdoor Valentino screening this year.
Tracy Ryan Terhune has been the emcee of the Valentino Memorial Service for several years and is the author of Valentino Forever: The History of the Valentino Memoral Service (2004) and Valentino The Unforgotten (2007). He is also the moderator of the Valentino Yahoo Group and has a website dedicated to the silent film actor.
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