Some Hollywood Ghosts

The Academy Awards ceremony has recently taken place. The winners have accepted with pride...those who didn't win can comfort themselves knowing there's always next year. Perhaps it is this thought that gives comfort and solace to some of Hollywood's ghosts, those who achieved stardom and fame, and those who never did.

Tragedy is nothing new to Tinseltown. In a city where fame is the be all and the end all, it's easy enough to get lost in the shuffle. One person who thought she'd done just that was a young hopeful by the name of Peg Entwistle. She is probably one of Hollywood's ghosts with the most to regret. In despair over an acting career that was going nowhere, she climbed atop the Hollywood sign and jumped to her death.

That was over sixty years ago and her ghost is still being seen in the surrounding areas of the famous sign. Talk about bad timing. Rumor is that on the day of her suicide one of the studios had dispatched a letter to her offering a starring role in a major film.

Another starlet who's career never amounted to much but a few bit parts was Virginia Rappe. The unfortunate Miss Rappe was the young lady who accompanied Fatty Arbuckle to his ill-fated San Francisco soirée. Her death under mysterious circumstances destroyed Mr. Arbuckle's career and didn't do too much for hers either. She was a vivacious party girl and apparently death hasn't slowed her down. Her ghost has been spotted many times in Hollywood since her untimely demise all those years ago.

Hollywood has a more than a few unsolved murders to its credit. Some of those victims are still haunting the very places where they met such violent ends. The show must go on. And it does at many of the town's studios and back lots. It's whispered that some of the ghosts of long ago and not so long ago actors and actresses continue emoting long after the director has yelled "Cut!" Now that's dedication to ones craft.

Beverly Hills is not really Hollywood. However, it is the town many stars have called home over the years. Think palatial mansions, palm lined streets, Rodeo Drive and ghosts. You see many of the stars love their earthly abodes so much they are hesitant to vacate the premises even after death.

In 1959 George Reeves was so despondent at his stalled career that he ended it all with a bullet. Reeves had become so identified with the Superman character he played on television that he could no longer find other parts. In a cruel twist of fate, whenever the ghost of Reeves appears at his former home he is wearing the full Superman regalia, complete with cape and tights. Typecasting, it'll get you every time.

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