Hollywood Memorial

Actor and singer, maybe remembered best for his many ‘Road’ movies with costar Bob Hope, as well as for such classic movies as ‘Bells of St. Mary’, and “White Christmas.’ When one of his songs became successful on the radio in 1931, it brought him to the attention of Hollywood where Paramount Pictures included him in the movie, ‘The Big Broadcast of 1932; (1932), and his relaxed, low key style hit just the right note with the audience, making him a star. More films followed with varying acclaim, but in 1940, he was teamed with his friend, Bob Hope along with Dorothy Lamour in ‘The Road to Singapore’ and the combination of jokes, songs, romance, burlesque and exotic locations lead to additional ‘Road’ movies including ‘Road to Zanziba’, ‘Morocco’, ‘Utopia’, ‘Rio’, ‘Bali’, and ‘Hong Kong.’ In 1944, he played ‘Father O’Malley’ in the sentimental comedy-drama ‘Going My Way’ (1944) and won an Oscar for Best Actor, later receiving two other nominations in his long career. In the film ‘Holiday Inn’ (1942), he sang Irving Berlin’s ‘White Christmas’ and it went on to become the world’s biggest selling record for the next 50 years. An avid golfer with long time pal Bob Hope, he died of a heart attack on a golf course in Madrid, Spain, after completing a tour of England that had included a sold-out engagement at the London Palladium. His last words were reportedly, ‘That was a great game of golf, fellers.’ He is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Los Angeles, not far from Bela Lugosi, Sharon Tate and Bert Lahr.