Donn Blog
A deep dive into the history of Donn Beach, Don the Beachcomber restaurants, and all things related to that story. Never-before-seen items from Donn’s personal archives.
Steve Crane at Donn’s Home 1946
In this 1946 Life magazine article you see Steve Crane arriving with Lila Leeds. She had just been in The Show Off with Red Skelton, another regular at Donn's parties. He was 10 years Donn's junior and would go on about ten years later to be a competitor/copycat. With...
Alice Faye at Donn’s 1946
From the Phoebe Beach Archive Actress/Singer Alice Faye with her husband, actor/bandleader Phil Harris started a radio show together a couple of years after this The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show on NBC. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHS9q4BRwgM From the Phoebe Beach...
Jean Wallace and Franchot Tone Visit Encino
From the Phoebe Beach Archive UPDATE March 28, 2021: Thanks to commenter JC, it turns out the notes on the back of these images is incorrect. After Mrs. Swanky and I stared at many many images of Barbara Payton and Tone's then wife Jean Wallace, we concluded these...
Phil Harris Visits Donn’s Encino Home 1946
From the Phoebe Beach Archive Phil really went all out on the wardrobe! He and his wife Alice Faye were regulars and I have lots of images of her at Encino as well. He was a pioneer of radio situation comedy, band leader and voice actor know for Babalu in The Jungle...
Rosalie Stevenson
From the Phoebe Beach Archive Here with a nice fernwood tiki. From the Phoebe Beach Archive Mel Peterson to her right. This article mentions her as being active in hula and dance in the 40s and 50s.
Great Band at Don the Beachcomber
From the Phoebe Beach Archive Left to right is Joe Custino on steel, Simeon Bright on guitar, Mel Peterson on uke, and Eddie Spencer on bass. Joe's wife Lani was a dancer at Don's. Check out this video of her and Ed Kinney. And of course what are likely a treasure of...
Exciting Don the Beachcomber Announcements
Searching For Don the Beachcomber On the 114th anniversary of Donn’s birth, I wanted to share some exciting news with you. Short Version: I have started on a biography of Don the Beachcomber with the working title of Searching for Don the Beachcomber.I have...
Roiti Tahauri Sylva at Don the Beachcomber Waikiki
From the Phoebe Beach Archive She is center above performing at Don the Beachcomber circa 1950. https://vimeo.com/84968863
Virg Davidson-Chudacoff Co.
I started with this photo and the scribbling on the back: From the Phoebe Beach Archive This photo was taken at about the opening on the Colonel's Plantation Steakhouse. Scrawled on the back of it was this: I gave up on figuring it out and posted on Facebook where...
Pro-Filipino Business, But Donn Created The Drinks
This article is great. Long-simmered Filipino soup, charcoal-grilled pork and wild cocktails at re-imagined Auntie’s in Norfolk A nice in-depth write-up on the Filipino restaurant and bar. But this quote is just dead wrong: And then, of course, there will be the...
Early DtB Waikiki Aloha Hale
From the Phoebe Beach Archve Here it is under construction. from the Phoebe Beach Archive Donn's original Hawaii location was pure Polynesian fantasy. Thatch roof, lauhala, pandamas. From the Phoebe Beach Archive It was described to me as coming right up to the...
Waltah Clarke at the Beachcomber
From the Phoebe Beach Archive That's Waltah with the gourd. He’s the guy who “occupied the third umbrella from the left,” on the beach at Waikiki.Desert Sun 1955 Waltah was a beach boy at heart. Mike Skinner tells the tale in his presentation:...
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