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Searching for Don the Beachcomber

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Ethel Merman and Bob Six at DtB Waikiki 1952

October 15, 2021October 15, 2021 donnbeach 0 Comments bob six, ethel merman

If the date is correct, this is before they were married. Box Six was the CEO of Continental Airlines and

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Celebrities Chicago Donn's History Locations People 

Rudy Vallee’s “The Drene Show” 1946 Featuring Donn

July 18, 2021July 18, 2021 donnbeach 0 Comments radio show, rudy vallee, the drene show

Part of the archive was this script for Rudy Vallee‘s “The Drene Show” which was a 30 minute radio program

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Celebrities Donn's History People 

Notes From Home in WWII for Donn

April 30, 2021April 30, 2021 donnbeach 5 Comments

When Donn was off at war, his friends sent him words of encouragement via signed publicity shots. I can read

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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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Celebrities Donn's History People 

Elyse Knox, Edgar Bergen and Mrs. Gardiner

March 11, 2021March 11, 2021 donnbeach 0 Comments edgar bergen, elyse knox, mark harmon, reginald gardiner

Edgar Bergen, Donn, Elyse Knox and Mrs. Reginald Gardiner. They were all regulars at Donn’s Encino parties in 1946. Elyse

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Celebrities Donn's History People 

Steve Crane at Donn’s Home 1946

March 4, 2021March 4, 2021 donnbeach 0 Comments lila leeds, linda christian, steve crane

In this 1946 Life magazine article you see Steve Crane arriving with Lila Leeds. She had just been in The

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Celebrities Donn's History People 

Alice Faye at Donn’s 1946

March 1, 2021March 2, 2021 donnbeach 0 Comments alice faye, frank morgan, hoagy carmichael, phil harris, reggie gardiner, reginald gardiner

Actress/Singer Alice Faye with her husband, actor/bandleader Phil Harris started a radio show together a couple of years after this

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Celebrities Donn's History People 

Jean Wallace and Franchot Tone Visit Encino

February 28, 2021March 28, 2021 donnbeach 3 Comments barbara payton, franchot tone

UPDATE March 28, 2021: Thanks to commenter JC, it turns out the notes on the back of these images is

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Celebrities Donn's History People 

Phil Harris Visits Donn’s Encino Home 1946

February 24, 2021February 24, 2021 donnbeach 0 Comments phil harris, the aristocats, the jungle book

Phil really went all out on the wardrobe! He and his wife Alice Faye were regulars and I have lots

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Celebrities Donn's History People Waikiki Restaurant 

Waltah Clarke at the Beachcomber

February 14, 2021February 21, 2021 donnbeach 0 Comments waltah clarke

That’s Waltah with the gourd. He’s the guy who “occupied the third umbrella from the left,” on the beach at

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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.

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