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Searching for Don the Beachcomber

Searching for Don the Beachcomber

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Donn’s History

Item’s from Donn’s history

Donn's History 

Donn’s Handwritten Autobiography

April 24, 2021April 25, 2021 donnbeach 0 Comments

Among the Phoebe Beach Archive are the notes and writings of her late husband Arnold Bitner, who wrote a biography

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Donn's History Encino Home Ephemera Locations 

Donn’s Book and Record Shelf and Stuff

April 23, 2021August 13, 2022 donnbeach 6 Comments

I was scouring the background of images to see what was on the shelves of Donn’s home. This is just

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Cocktails Donn's History Locations McCadden Place 

The Bar at McCadden Place

April 11, 2021April 11, 2021 donnbeach 0 Comments McCadden Pl., McCadden Place

A rare image inside 1727 N. McCadden Place circa 1937. The front bar where more traditional drinks were made rather

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Donn's History 

Digitizing The Phoebe Beach Archive

March 28, 2021March 28, 2021 donnbeach 1 Comment

In case you didn’t catch it in the announcements, I am in receipt of “The Phoebe Beach Archive”. This represents

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Donn's History Waikiki Restaurant 

Donn With Cousins Waikiki

March 28, 2021March 27, 2021 donnbeach 0 Comments

I assume the two little ones are cousins. At his Waikiki show.

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Donn's History People Waikiki Restaurant 

Mystery Man at Don the Beachcomber Waikiki

March 27, 2021April 1, 2021 donnbeach 0 Comments

I am assuming this is in Waikiki. This is from a negative so there is no notation or hints of

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Celebrities Donn's History Encino Home People 

Toni and Alma Who at Donn’s House

March 25, 2021March 27, 2021 donnbeach 6 Comments benjamin britton, dave rose, herbert marchall, jon hall, june haver, paul hesse, robert stack, ronald coleman, waltah clarke, william powell

I have a number of images of “Toni” at Donn’s Encino house parties circa 1946. On none of them does

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Chicago Donn's History Ephemera Locations Tokens 

Chicago Charity Tokens

March 24, 2021March 24, 2021 donnbeach 1 Comment

I had long heard that at the Chicago Don the Beachcomber the coat check didn’t take tips, but instead they

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Colonel's Plantation Steakhouse Donn's History People Waikiki Restaurant 

Help ID Unknown Donn People

March 19, 2021March 19, 2021 donnbeach 0 Comments

These images are from negatives in the Phoebe Beach Archive and thus have no notes for clues. I’d assume they

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Donn's History Locations McCadden Place 

1930s McCadden Place Mystery Men

March 17, 2021December 23, 2021 donnbeach 2 Comments

No notes on this to tell me who is in this picture. Maybe they are famous enough one of you

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New Donn of Tiki Trailer

August 10, 2022August 10, 2022 donnbeach 0

I’ll be in Anaheim on September 17th for a fundraiser for the documentary. Details HERE.

A Letter to Bob Van Dorpe – Aug 1974
Ephemera 

A Letter to Bob Van Dorpe – Aug 1974

June 24, 2022June 24, 2022 donnbeach 0

About Us

Writing Tiki history books is a labor of love. Every trip to dig through a photo album or scrap book can cost thousands of dollars. Buying images on eBay, etc. is money spent for something that may never be used, but you have to get it or it's lost. I'm doing it when and how I can.

The history is slipping away. Friends and associates of Donn Beach are still out there. Those who lived it are passing from this earth and taking the incredible stories with them. Their photo albums are tossed. The time is now.

Links

  • The Donn of Tiki Documentary
  • The Grogalizer Tiki Drinks App
  • Mai-Kai History
  • Donn Beach Wiki

Books

Donn Beach

Donn Beach

The legend continues…

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