The Warner Brothers’ Mausoleums

Home of Peace Cemetery
Los Angeles, California

The mausoleum on the left contains the remains of a number of members of the famed Warner Bros. family, most notably the brothers’ parents, Benjamin Warner (1857–1935) and Pearl Leah Warner (1857–1934), and their son, Samuel Warner (August 10, 1885–October 5, 1927), one of the founders of Warner Bros. (Sam, Harry, Albert, and Jack). Benjamin and Pearl were emigrants from Krasnosielc, Poland, moving first to Baltimore in 1883, then to Ontario, Canada, and then to Youngstown, Ohio. The family changed its name from Eichelbaum to Warner. All of the Warner boys had the entrepreneurial spirit and opened diverse businesses including a bicycle repair shop, a bowling alley, and a grocery store.

In 1903, the brothers jointly purchased a movie projector and a print of the 10-minute-long film The Great Train Robbery. Using the profits from ticket sales, the brothers purchased a movie theater the following year. During the next few years, the brothers, singly and as a group, made their own films and became involved in film distribution. They moved to Los Angeles in 1918. In 1923 they official joined forces and established Warner Bros. Pictures with Harry as president, Sam and Jack as vice-presidents, and Albert as treasurer.

As with all siblings, certain rivalries and tensions erupted through the years, but, collectively, the Warner brothers were responsible for many motion picture triumphs and innovations, and the company continues to thrive to this day. Perhaps Warner Bros. most memorable achievement was the The Jazz Singer (1927) where spoken dialogue was used for the first time as part of the action of the film. Although the film was not the first movie with sound, it is widely credited with introducing “talkies.”

The most famous occupant of the smaller Warner mausoleum, sandwiched between a couple of evergreen trees, is eldest son Harry Warner (December 12, 1881–July 25, 1958). Sharing space in the mausoleum is motion picture director Charles Vidor (July 27, 1900–June 4, 1959), who was married to Dorothy Warner, the daughter of Harry Warner.

Albert Warner (July 23, 1884–November 26, 1967) died in Miami Beach, Florida.
Text and copy © Douglas Keister Visit Doug’s Author Page

[address cemetery=”Home of Peace Cemetery” street=”4334 Whittier Blvd” city=”Los Angeles” state=”California” zip=”90023″]