Historic Newport

Do you remember the Fun Zone when it still attracted local kids and tourists?  Here is a collection of some of the older shots that I have found. Now’days, ExplorOcean has purchased the building.  The rides were pushed out in exchange for a museum that I’ve literally never seen kids in.  Rumors abounded: The shops had their rents denied for …

Don’t you love the Balboa Ferry?  We’ve all taken countless trips on it, and it’s been here as long as anyone can remember.  Newport’s historic Beek family built the ferry service back in 1919, and have been running it since. Here is a collection of some great shots from the 1930s, and one from the 1920s! The original ferry prices were just a nickel …

Whoops, we missed this anniversary!  On February 17, 1984, “Footloose” was released.  This movie was released over 30 years ago, making fun of a small, backwards town whose City Council was literally trying to ban dancing and rock music. Thankfully, America has grown in the last three decades and we now realize that music and dancing are actually enjoyed by human beings …

The Lido Theatre was opened in 1938, and the first film it played was Bette Davis in “Jezebel”. The reason for that was Davis lived nearby in Corona Del Mar and traveled by the site daily. Upon stopping by, she told the owner “they had better open with my picture.” And they did. Davis also is responsible for the sitting parlor …

Balboa has been known to be the center of entertainment for the better part of a century. Built on a fishing and shipping industry, this beautiful spot gave the start to some of the worlds most famous personalities– even including the Righteous Brothers, and Dick Dale, pictured here.  Heck, all the way back to the 1930s we were even inventing international dance …

Today is Ronald Reagan’s birthday– but did you know of the local role our beach culture played in the ascension of arguably the greatest president in generations? Most people don’t know this, but Reagan got his start as a sports announcer for the Chicago Cubs during their Spring Training. Where did they train? Wrigley field, of course! No, not that …

On this day 86 years ago, the movie “All Quiet on the Western Front” was released. Did you know that this movie was filmed just above Corona del Mar? Here’s a photo of the original movie poster: . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .

Ernie Minney, owner of Minney’s Yacht Surplus, remembers a simpler time in Newport.  But he also is keen to remember the potential dangers of open water.  Catalina Harbor’s famous waters still hold the skeletons of a boat called Ning Po, which stranded there after a particularly bad storm, and then burned there in 1938, relinquishing its title of “oldest ship still sailing”, …

Here’s the Arches, circa 1955. (courtesy OCHS) Do you remember when Newport looked like this? We’ve certainly grown up a lot, but there is something to say for the history of this beautiful city!

It’s crazy to see this photo of Castaways from the mid 50s. Do you remember it looking anything like this? It’s just down the way, and you can still easily recognize this photo, but it really seems like a different world!