{"id":1729,"date":"2007-08-16T10:15:00","date_gmt":"2007-08-16T10:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/deaconsbench\/2007\/08\/merv-griffins-hollywood-funeral.html"},"modified":"2007-08-16T10:15:00","modified_gmt":"2007-08-16T10:15:00","slug":"merv-griffins-hollywood-funeral","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2007\/08\/merv-griffins-hollywood-funeral.html","title":{"rendered":"Merv Griffin’s Hollywood funeral"},"content":{"rendered":"

The man who gave the world, among other things, “Jeopardy” (and its insistent theme song) and Vanna White will be buried tomorrow<\/a> from one of the most celebrated Catholic churches in Tinsletown: <\/p>\n

<\/a>Merv Griffin’s funeral will be held tomorrow at 3 p.m. – in one of Hollywood’s most famous churches. <\/p>\n

Griffin’s by-invitation-only service, expected to draw a veritable “Who’s Who” of the Hollywood elite, will be held in The Church of the Good Shepherd. <\/p>\n

The 600-seat church, located around the corner from swanky Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, is relatively small and unassuming by Hollywood’s oversized standards – but is a veritable treasure trove of show-biz history dating back to the 1920s. <\/p>\n

Not only was it was the site of silent-screen heartthrob Rudolph Valentino’s funeral – which created mass hysteria at the time – but it’s drawn mourners for the funerals of Frank Sinatra, Danny Thomas, Eva Gabor (Griffin’s close friend), Rita Hayworth, Gary Cooper and Alfred Hitchcock, among others. <\/p>\n

The church’s interior was even used for fake funerals, including a scene in 1954’s “A Star is Born,” according to seeing-stars.com. <\/p>\n

It’s also been host to happy occasions, particulary weddings. <\/p>\n

Rod Stewart, Loretta Young and Elizabeth Taylor all chose The Church of the Good Shepherd for their nuptials. <\/p>\n

In Taylor’s case, she was marrying her first husband, hotel magnate Nicky Hilton – Paris Hilton’s great-uncle. <\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A few years ago, on a visit to the Left Coast, my wife and I attended Sunday mass at the Church of the Good Shepherd. I don’t recall seeing any stars. But I did spot someone standing in the back who bore an uncanny resemblance to Kato Kaelin<\/a>. <\/p>\n

For more on the church, visit this site<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The man who gave the world, among other things, “Jeopardy” (and its insistent theme song) and Vanna White will be buried tomorrow from one of the most celebrated Catholic churches in Tinsletown: Merv Griffin’s funeral will be held tomorrow at 3 p.m. – in one of Hollywood’s most famous churches. Griffin’s by-invitation-only service, expected to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":365,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1729","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nMerv Griffin's Hollywood funeral - The Deacon's Bench<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2007\/08\/merv-griffins-hollywood-funeral.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Merv Griffin's Hollywood funeral - The Deacon's Bench\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The man who gave the world, among other things, “Jeopardy” (and its insistent theme song) and Vanna White will be buried tomorrow from one of the most celebrated Catholic churches in Tinsletown: Merv Griffin’s funeral will be held tomorrow at 3 p.m. – in one of Hollywood’s most famous churches. 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