March 28, 2024 The Newspaper Serving LGBT Los Angeles

Death Becomes Hollywood

By GENNA RIVIECCIO| Ask Karina Longworth or Ryan Murphy: Hollywood loves nothing more than a dead legend. Well, maybe the only thing Hollywood loves more is the In-N-Out on Sunset Boulevard. But even then, a deceased celebrity’s regalia probably isn’t going to hurt you as much as a double-double. The choice is clear: Jayne Mansfield’s smashed car – the one that scalped and killed her back in 1967 – always wins over the faux-modernity of a drive-thru.

This is why Dearly Departed Tours & Museum has found a new, larger home across the street from the Hollywood Forever Cemetery (often more alluring for the films they show than the gravesites themselves.) To inaugurate the change, Scott Michaels, the founder of the museum, has planned an event emphasizing the fact that people only appreciate stars many decades after their death. Hence, an exhibit on Jayne Mansfield, who was generally viewed as the poor man’s Marilyn Monroe in her time (she even acted in a theater production of “Bus Stop” after Monroe had already made a movie out of it, if that gives you some indication.)

Most important and iconic of all, however, is the infamous look she evoked from Sophia Loren at a dinner thrown in Loren’s honor in 1957 at Romanoff’s in Beverly Hills. Forget Mansfield’s film career, this incitement of the best embodiment of side-eye alone was worth her trip to Hollywood from Bryn Mawr. But back to the car that killed her and its rightful place in the Dearly Departed Museum: Michaels’ procurement of the vehicle was obviously an unexpected come up, and the grand catalyst for the museum’s move as, clearly, car wreckage of this magnitude takes up a lot of real estate.

But remnants of Mansfield’s life and death aren’t all you’ll find at the new location. Let us not forget about all the other artifacts Michaels has collected over the years, from Mae West’s false teeth to Karen Carpenter’s bathroom sink. Call it macabre, call it capitalism, but by God, where else are you ever going to get this good of a death fix on a weekday?

Related Posts

Team Trans* Walk-Out At Netflix Office In Hollywood

October 18, 2021

October 18, 2021

Netflix’s trans employee resource group is planning a Team Trans* employee walk-out on October 20th at the Netflix office located...

LA Pride Announces LGBTQ Cinespia Event At Hollywood Forever Cemetery

May 23, 2021

May 23, 2021

In honor of 2021’s “Thrive With Pride” theme LA Pride has announced a special night at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. ...

Byron Lane Helping Young Men Understand Testicular Cancer With “Nuts & Bolts”

May 2, 2021

May 2, 2021

Hollywood author playwright, screenwriter and testicular cancer survivor Byron Lane wants to educate young men about testicular cancer.  Testicular cancer...

East Hollywood Man Appearing on Wheel Of Fortune

October 22, 2020

October 22, 2020

Tim Quinn, an East Hollywood resident, will be a contestant on the hit TV show Wheel of Fortune on Wednesday,...

Two Men Charged After Three Trans Women Are Attacked In Hollywood

September 2, 2020

September 2, 2020

Two men have been charged with robbery against three transgender women on the evening of Aug. 17 in Hollywood. Carlton...

Three Trans Women Attacked in Hollywood

August 20, 2020

August 20, 2020

On Sunday August 16th, 2020, Instagram influencer Eden the Doll and her friends Joslyn Flawless and Jaslene White Rose were...

LGBT Icon, Talkshow Host Ellen DeGeneres Wins Award at 77th Annual Golden Globes

January 5, 2020

January 5, 2020

The 77th annual Golden Globes is looking a little bit more LGBTQ-inclusive, and talkshow host and LGBTQ+ icon Ellen DeGeneres’...

2020 Golden Globes Nominations Gayer Than Ever

January 2, 2020

January 2, 2020

Awards season is just around the corner, and the LGBTQ+ representation is bigger and better than ever before. The 77th...

GAY LA: Judy Never Really Left Los Angeles

November 2, 2019

November 2, 2019

How the queer Icon has shaped L.A. There’s no doubt about it: 2019 is the year of Judy Garland. In...

DEAR AIDAN: My Ex-Boyfriend’s Current Boyfriend Hates Me!

November 1, 2019

November 1, 2019

Dear Aidan: I am friends with my ex boyfriend, like pretty close to him. Unfortunately it seems that his new...

THEATRE PREVIEW: “Orry” Dishes Out Hollywood Gossip in Limited Run

October 26, 2019

October 26, 2019

In Gentleman George’s latest production, “Orry,” you’re invited to the funeral of three-time Oscar winner and Hollywood legend, costume designer...

Q&Slay: “What To Do Show” Advice Podcast

October 13, 2019

October 13, 2019

Can you introduce yourselves?  Hey!  I’m Aidan Park and this is my indefatiguable partner in podcasting and occasional shenanigans, Jamie...

GAY LA: Christine Jorgensen in Los Angeles

September 29, 2019

September 29, 2019

Meet the woman who changed everything. The Chateau Marmont is nothing short of an L.A. institution. Home (at one point...

DEAR AIDAN: Feeling Disappointed, Discouraged

September 27, 2019

September 27, 2019

Dear Aidan, I was wondering if you can help me… I am so disappointed in my dating life! Everytime I...

GAY LA – When Drag Was All the Rage (But Queerness Wasn’t)

August 6, 2019

August 6, 2019

Today, it’s not hard to find drag culture wherever you are. From VH1, to Netflix, to Twitter, the language of...