'The Mark of Zorro' with Douglas Fairbanks - #5 silent film

The fifth silent movie I watched was The Mark of Zorro from 1920. It stars the legendary Douglas Fairbanks (Sr.), who plays Zorro as well his alter ego Don Diego Vega. Fairbanks is just a whole lot of fun to watch. He preferred roles in which he could display is athleticism and agility. But while the sword fights and jumping here and there is entertaining, it's equally enjoyable to watch him as the foppish Don Diego.

Don Diego is a schmuck. His dad wants him to hit it off with Lolita Pulido (Marguerite De La Motte), but his methods of wooing her fall flat--he does magic tricks, which she does not appreciate. He basically acts like a goof. But as Zorro, he's Mr. Suave.

Douglas Fairbanks was born on May 23, 1883 in Denver, Colorado, and died at the age of 56 on Dec. 12, 1939 in Santa Monica, Calif. He was buried in Hollywood Memorial Park in Los Angeles, which is now known as Hollywood Forever.

I took the photos below in June 2014. Unfortunately the reflecting pond in front of the stately monument was only partially filled with water, so the effect wasn't as pretty as I thought it would be, but it's still an amazing and impressive memorial. CemeteryGuide.com says the reflecting pool is 120-feet long. I'm not sure on the height of the memorial around the sarcophagus, but it's super high.

According to AllanEllenberger.com, Fairbanks's funeral was at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, Calif., in the Wee Kirk o' the Heather chapel. Two years later, after the monument was completed, his remains were moved into the sarcophagus (click the link above to read more about the ceremony).

After his death, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. (Dec. 9, 1909 - May 7, 2000) was also interred in the Fairbanks' sarcophagus.

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