Join me at Nor’easter Island February 5th weekend as I get into the history of Don the Beachcomber in LA in the 1930s and the mob, and then the next day I’ll cover Donn’s life in the 1940s.
Donn Beach’s Wars at Home and Abroad:
For Donn, the 1940s was a time of tremendous struggle and the ultimate realization of a decade’s long desire. Donn lost everything, again and again, and fled from the mental trauma and possibly physical threats to the relative safety of World War II. He returned renewed, and found his forever home in the islands, and transformed them with his vision. Once again, he was the right person, at the right time and place, to have an outsized impact on Hawaii and Polynesia. Here the dynamic tale of the 40s life of the man, myth and legend, Don the Beachcomber.
Don the Beachcomber and the Mob in LA
The mob was involved with Donn Beach, the person, and Don the Beachcomber, the speakeasy bar, from the very beginning. The brothers Hugh and Ernest Gantt, aka Donn Beach, were bootleggers to the stars in Hollywood’s Golden Age. The mob corrupted LA during Prohibition in a way never seen before. Hear the untold story of the turmoil that would haunt Donn all his life. It began in that bright and guilty place.
Nor’easter Island – February 5th weekend
Tiki-A-Go-Go – March 27th weekend – At Tiki-A-Go-Go I’ll reprise the Donn at War presentation and give a new presentation for Donn Beach:
Donn Beach: The Man, the Myth and the Legend
An in-depth exploration of the life of Don the Beachcomber, looking at the truth and fabrication of his life, his many stories and his legacy. A first look at some of the mysteries unearthed in his biography which was the outline for the Donn Beach documentary.
See you there. Lots more to come!