The fine character actor Lou Frizzell is perhaps best known for its iconic role as the pharmacist dealing with an awkward teenager in the classic movie SUMMER OF 42 (1971). Here's some biography, with a surprise or two, and his last resting place in Los Angeles.
I produced a short fan video about Frizzell and the druggist scene - script here. Video at YouTube here.
BIOGRAPHY
Wikipedia gives Frizzell's dates as June 10, 1919 (Gemini) to June 17, 1979.
His grave also says 1919, but it's frequent to see "1920."
He was "an American actor and music director who worked on Broadway, television, and film." He died of lung cancer in Los Angeles. He was born in Missouri. He was well known as a character on Bonanza "Dusty Rhodes." Wikipedia references include actor referencec books by Aaker and by Ward. See the paragraph of bio by Aaker, here.
Find a Grave has several paragraphs written by Lowell Thurgood. This says that Frizzell had a theater degree from the American Academic of Dramatic Arts in NYC and had his stage debut in 1955. During a 1959 production of "The Andersonville Trial," he was encouraged to move to LA "where he flourished" with over 70 roles. He was in the TV movie DUEL, best known for being directed by a then-unknown Steven Spielberg.
See a quite detailed fan blog about Frizzel, by C Scott Rollins, here. Interestingly, it's dated June 9, 2023, just a few weeks before I wrote this.
IMDB notes he was born in Springfield, MO. Google suggests there are still a number of Frizzels in Springfield today. IMDB gives his birth year as 1920, which is fairly common.
A 2016 exhibit discusses that a young Frizzel taught music at Manzanar, the Japanese internment camp, in the early 1940s There is a 20 minute film, "The Music Man of Manzanar," which I can no copy of, but it pays tribute to Frizzel's work there. It was by Brian Tadashi Maeda. It screened in Santa Monica in 2008.
The Online Archive of California lists Frizzell materials held at the Japanese American Museum of Los Angeles - here. See another description listing his graduation from UCLA in 1942 here.
See a longer/larger listing of archived contents of Frizzel records, by box at "UCLA Special Collections," see Online Archive of California, here. [Birth year given as 1920]. The large collection includes original music scores by Frizzell. See a Manzanar song by Frizzell.
LAST RESTING PLACE
Frizzell was born in 1919 (some sources say 1920) in Springfield, MO. According to one source, he graduated from UCLA in 1942. He died of lung cancer at age 59 in 1979, and was buried at the Catholic cemetery Calvary Cemetery in east Los Angeles. (Note, there are many other "Calvary Cemeteries in the US.)
See Find a Grave, here. See a Calvary cemetery map here or below The cemetery is at 4201 Whittier Blvd, Los Angeles, at the corner of Downey Road. It's just a few blocks off the 60 freeway, and you take exit "Downey."
There's one main entrance. (My GPS to me to a blind spot on Downey Road; go to the corner of Downey & Whittier).
Continue straight and you'll have AREA "O" on your left, and you'll see large mausoleum buildings in the distance atop a hill.
The memorial is given as Section O, Tier 18, Grave 275. Park where you're at about a 45 degree angle from the mausoleum on the hill (see pictures below). Look for "275" painted on the curb. It's somewhat faded, but the marker there at the curb is "Henry Servin 1987." Walk 10 rows in and you'll find the Lou Frizzel marker. Pics, click to enlarge.
