Who was "Don the Beachcomer"

What was his real name? Are there any photos of him? Where can I read about this father of the American Tiki Bar...Fad/Scene...

Thanks for any input, yes, I did the search thingy....

You can read about the great Don the Beachcomber (Donn Beach), in the Book of Tiki, or in the last number of Tiki magazine, with a great article on 1 of his waiter by Beachbum Berry.
Or even here : http://starbulletin.com/2001/10/31/features/story1.html where you'll find a link to a recipe book with great stories on him.

What a nice reply, Virani, thank you. To ask a question like this on this site AND misspell it is akin to asking "What is Ticki?" Where do you start, and why would you...

Agreed. Maybe he's a schill?

I can't believe I spelled (Beachcomber) wrong and no one said anything until now.

To ask the question (Who was he) that is a good ?

To mis-spell the word (Beachcomber) honest mistake.....

I like to read about American (Fad ICONS)....and he's one of them....I'm searching the book stores for any good reading about him.

From what I read so far, he was a very interesting man to say the least...I would like to get some photos of him for my bar.

I now have a new Icon to place with my others....Hemmingway, Bogart and "The Rat Pack".

Yes, there are others........but....IMHO...Just look at those listed and what did they accomplish.

Thanks for any input......sorry for the mis-spelling at times.....

[ Edited by: TB Hawks 2006-03-16 02:58 ]

I know, I'm very nice these days...and the question was so amazing, I didn't want to make it turn into a new "pockytiki" style thread so I replyed fast with a politicaly correct answer and nothing mean.
I hope I helped !!

Yes, and thank you....you got me started on a very good read...I will be buying the book tomorrow, I called a local book store and they have it...thanks

After all, I'm just getting started into this whole TIKI business, I have had many Tiki items over the years and they always seem to find their way on to a table for sale...

Tiki Bars have been in and around my family for many, many years...no one ever asked where they came from, how did it get it's name...they were just there in the "Basements""Backyards" some were even in the Garages....

Now it's my turn and I have a lot of questions to ask, I found this site while looking around the net at (Tiki's) and here I am....The Danc'n Fat Man...

[ Edited by: TB Hawks 2006-03-16 03:26 ]

He's my hero. He designed the Zombie drink, my favorite.

Try Googling "donn beach" - there's lots of hits. Good luck!

And from wikipedia.org:

Don the Beachcomber

Donn Beach (born Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt February 22, 1907 – June 7, 1989) is the acknowledged founding father of tiki restaurants, bars, and nightclubs. The many so-called "Polynesian" restaurants and watering holes that enjoyed great popularity are directly descended from what he created. After years of being called Don the Beachcomber because of his original bar/restaurant, Gantt legally changed his name to "Donn Beach".

A former bootlegger, the New Orleans native moved to Hollywood in the 1930s. Gantt opened a bar called "Don's Beachcomber" in 1933 on McFadden Place, and then, across the street, the first Don the Beachcomber restaurant. He mixed potent rum cocktails in his tropically decorated bar. This was such an escape from everyday life, it quickly gained popularity. At "Don the Beachcomber", customers ate what seemed like wonderfully exotic cuisines, but, in actuality, were mostly standard Cantonese dishes served with flair. The first "pu pu platter" was probably served there. His Zombie cocktail (a rum drink) was served at the 1939 New York World's Fair. He also was known for creating "Tahitian Rum Punch".

Tiki restaurants enjoyed a tremendous burst of fad popularity in the 1940s and 50s and there were several Don the Beachcomber restaurants across the country. Victor J. Bergeron opened a competing version called Trader Vic's in the late 1930s in the San Francisco Bay Area and the two men were amicable rivals for many years. Each claimed to have created the Mai Tai, a rum and fruit-juice cocktail still popular today -- "maitai" is the Tahitian word for "good." The Trader claimed to have invented it in 1944, the Beachcomber in 1933. At the peak of Bergeron's success, there were more Trader Vic's around the world than Don the Beachcombers.

Gantt had left home in 1926 and traveled around the world on his own, scouring many of the islands of the Caribbean and the South Pacific. As the originator of Polynesian-style restaurants, he served in the U.S. Army in World War II as an operator of officer rest-and-recreation centers. He was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star while setting up rest camps for combat-weary airman of the 12th and 15th Air Forces in Capri, Nice, Cannes, the French Riviera, Venice, the Lido and Sorrento at the order of his friend, Lieutenant General Jimmy Doolittle.

When World War II ended, Beach settled in Waikiki, where he opened his second Polynesian Village, the first being at his home in Encino, California where he entertained his Hollywood pals. He was the originator of the International Marketplace in Honolulu, and had his office up in the limbs of the enormous banyan tree in the center of the market. He later built an elaborate houseboat, the Marama, a prototype for what he hoped would be floating housing in Hawaii but failed to get the zoning for it. He eventually shipped the houseboat to Moorea, and lived there in retirement for a number of years before a succession of hurricanes destroyed it. He died in Honolulu.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_the_Beachcomber"

... there was also a "don the beachcomber" who lived in newport beach years ago... regularly walked the beaches in the early morning hours with his various australian shepards, collected shells & washed up bric-a-brac down through dana point, hung out at the dorys, paddled old wooden paddleboards through newport harbor, the channel and the mexican coast (as was told) ... owned a beautiful 38' erickson that was moored there, too... dude was real neighborly, but seemed rather melancholy... turns out his wife, of many years, had died suddenly and tragically and he, subsequently, died years later of a broken heart...

i noticed you mentioned briefly something about Hemmingway. Have you ever been to his home in the Keys? I haven't but i really would like to.

Yes, we have been to his Key West home, did the tour and enjoyed the entire property....cats, cats and more cats....they are special to the property there.

Just thinking of all the history that evolved in the house is amazing to just stand there and think about it. We go to the Keys 4-5 time a year....Hotel rooms are cheap for us as I am retired Military (USN) and we stay at the Base Lodge...

A close friend owns 4 Condo's and one is always avail If I need it.

Been to Cuba and seen his place there also....

Thanks for the added info on Mr. Don Beach....I'm searching....for the rest of the story.

On 2006-03-15 21:27, bigbrotiki wrote:
What a nice reply, Virani, thank you. To ask a question like this on this site AND misspell it is akin to asking "What is Ticki?" Where do you start, and why would you...

How could you NOT take this thread seriously with an animated signature like that?

On 2006-03-16 13:19, mrs. pineapple wrote:

How could you NOT take this thread seriously with an animated signature like that?

Yes, indeed, TBH wins the "Most Disturbing Animated Sig" award.

On 2006-03-16 13:14, TB Hawks wrote:
Thanks for the added info on Mr. Don Beach....I'm searching....for the rest of the story.

DONN beach, not don... :wink:

On 2006-03-16 13:37, Tiki-bot wrote:
Yes, indeed, TBH wins the "Most Disturbing Animated Sig" award.

Agreed. Let's tell him what he's won!!
I'll offer my services to him, one time only, to find him a tiki related sig.
So we don't have to look at that jiggling fellow anymore.

Well, per the attached link.....Don Beach is what they wrote...I just copied what they wrote...http://starbulletin.com/2001/10/31/features/story1.html

So, which is it going to be: Donn or Don????

But, when you read further down in the story.....it is Donn Beach.....but when they talk about: The Beachcomber he is referred to as "Don the Beachcomber"

To be Don or knot to b Donn...that is the question!

Or is it correct to say (proper name) Donn Beach.......and when referring to him as the Founder of Tiki should we refer to him as "Don the Beachcomber" with only one (1) n in the name: Don or Donn.....Are there any scholars of English out there....

I am starting to get confused

[ Edited by: TB Hawks 2006-03-16 15:07 ]

....i was don the beachcomber...in fact, i still am.....so there.

Concerning my signature animation......find me some new ones to choose from and I'll pick one......

On 2006-03-16 15:08, TB Hawks wrote:
Concerning my signature animation......find me some new ones to choose from and I'll pick one......

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=free+animated+gifs&btnG=Google+Search

On 2006-03-16 15:39, Tiki-bot wrote:

OMFG - is that Don the Beachcomber? lol

sorry....

OMFG - is that Don the Beachcomber? lol

sorry....

sorry again, but LOOK, it's a whole row of dancing guys!

ok, I'm stopping....

[ Edited by: mrs. pineapple 2006-03-16 15:43 ]

How's this one?

[ Edited by: TB Hawks 2006-03-16 16:11 ]

On 2006-03-16 16:08, TB Hawks wrote:
How's this one?

[ Edited by: TB Hawks 2006-03-16 16:11 ]

welllll, he doesn't jiggle, but I guess it's ok....

no, that's super!

I think the "Higgins" character on Magnum PI was patterned after Don the Beachcomber. Both are from Texas (Don and the actor who plays Higgins), both lived in Hawaii and dressed in Kaki and had fake British accents.

Don the Beachcomber

Higgins

P.S. Both men are holding chickens in these pictures, coincicence I don't think so.

Higgy Baby !!!

What about Magnum, TC, and Rick?

On 2006-03-16 14:58, TB Hawks wrote:
So, which is it going to be: Donn or Don????

"Don the Beachcomber" is the prefered spelling for the restaurant.

"Donn Beach" is the prefered spelling for the man.

Tikibars:

I will have to agree with you.

Donn Beach (the man)

Don the Beachcomber (when referencing the Tiki Bars, etc).

Former locations:

The original Don the Beachcomber restaurants are no longer in existence, but here are some of the former locations of the chain:

• Los Angeles, California (the original location in Hollywood) - 1727 North McCadden Place
• Chicago, Illinois - 101 East Walton Place
• Corona del Mar, California - 3901 E. Coast Highway
• Dallas, Texas - Meadow Road, just off Greenville Avenue, closed in the mid-1980s
• Honolulu, Hawaii - International Marketplace, Waikiki
• Houston, Texas - Woodlake Square
• Las Vegas, Nevada - Sahara Hotel
• Malibu, California - 22878 Pacific Coast Highway (former home of the Tonga Lei). Closed in the 1980s
• Marina del Rey, California - Hotel Marina del Rey, 13534 Bali Way
• Oxnard, California - 2631 Wagon Wheel Road (former home of the Trade Winds). Closed in the late 1970s
• Palm Springs, California - 1101 North Palm Canyon Drive
• St. Paul, Minnesota - St. Paul Hilton
• San Diego, California - 1590 Harbor Island Drive (next to the Sheraton Hotel), only briefly open, around 1970
• Santa Barbara, California - 101 E. Cabrillo Blvd.
• Santa Clara, California - On Stevens Creek Blvd.

Don the Beachcomber Revival

When Disney's California Adventure opened in 2001, it included a small Don the Beachcomber at its Hollywood & Dine food court. It offered Chinese food, but did not serve alcoholic drinks. The restaurant closed within a few years. In 2005, full scale Don the Beachcomber restaurants opened at both the Royal Kona Resort in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii; and the Royal Lahaina Resort in Lahaina, Hawaii.

http://www.answers.com/topic/don-the-beachcomber

In 2005, full scale Don the Beachcomber restaurants opened at both the Royal Kona Resort in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii; and the Royal Lahaina Resort in Lahaina, Hawaii.

Just to be clear...the Royal Lahaina Don The Beachcomber opened sometime in the 1970's as a full-bore Don The Beachcomber restaurant and bar. After many years of operations, it closed and the building sat dormant for many years, being used mainly for storage.

Unlike the the 2005 re-opening of Don's at the Royal Kona Resort...this Don's at the Royal Lahaina was not a re-opening of a restaurant. It was re-opened as a bar and lounge only. And nowhere near a cocktail menu or quality of the original Don's. Mainly just using the name...IMHO.

Hopefully this will change with the rumored renovation and/or rebuild of a totally new Don's at the Royal Lahaina...simlar to what was done in Kona.

On 2006-12-03 10:45, christiki295 wrote:
Former locations:
The original Don the Beachcomber restaurants are no longer in existence,
but here are some of the former locations of the chain:
...
* Las Vegas, Nevada - Sahara Hotel

On 2006-12-03 10:45, christiki295 wrote:
Former locations:

The original Don the Beachcomber restaurants are no longer in existence, but here are some of the former locations of the chain:

* Santa Barbara, California - 101 E. Cabrillo Blvd.  

The Santa Barbara location is now the Santa Barbara Inn,across from East Beach, which btw, is an excellent place to stay.

I'm starting to wonder if Ernest Gantt/Donn Beach ever actually toured the South Pacific before opening Don the Beachcomber. In the 1930 census he's a 21-year-old farmhand living in Henderson County, Texas. Three years later he's got a bar in Hollywood with tropical drinks. What happened in those three years? I find records of him traveling back and forth between L.A. and Hawaii several times between 1936 and 1939, but nothing before. Has anyone seen any specific record of him traveling to the South Pacific before that other than his own quotes? Wouldn't it be funny if all he knew about Polynesia before opening his bar was from National Geographic? He certainly wouldn't be the first person to go to Hollywood and reinvent themselves.

BTW, in an odd twist, I do find a record of his older brother Hugh Gantt going to Hawaii in 1924, and Hugh is living in L.A. by the 1930 census working as a real estate salesman. Did Donn just borrow his brother's stories?

Sounds possible, back in the 30's/40's Hollywood agents worked hard to keep their clients IN the news. Bio fabrication or enhancement was common, so creating this exotic tropical travel resume for Don wouldn't be out of the question.

Don(n) talks about his trip in his uncle's boat in various places. The trip isn't really exciting enough to be legend, so I'm guessing it's true.

Immortalize your name for eternity by contributing to The Tikipedia!

T-shirts based on vintage tiki matchbooks: TikiTees

[ Edited by: TikiTacky 2014-03-06 19:11 ]

As a young man he was part of a crew that delivered a large yacht (his uncle's business) to Australia from Florida. He fell in love with Hawaii and the South Seas on the way and he took his time coming back to the U.S. stopping at many islands in the Pacific and buying many nice items from the islands. He arrived back in California to visit his brother who was, among other things, an extra in the movies. With his South Seas artifacts and the big South Seas movie demand at the time, it didn't take him long to be a specialized prop man and consultant. From there he started a little bar, again using his Pacific artifacts and the rest is history.

This is from his rare bio found in the University of Hawaii library and the Hawaii State Archives. Beside the history, that we all know about him, his WWII experience was also legendary. I wish Clooney did his story instead of Monuments Men because Don's story was even more fascinating. Between his South Seas, Hawaii, Hollywood, WWII Europe and his restaurant/bar business and all his high end connections this movie could be in 3 parts with anyone of the parts, hard for one to believe.

[ Edited by: creativenative 2014-03-06 19:29 ]

If they did a movie about Donn, who would play him?

My first choice would have been Clooney but his just did a Hawaii and WWII film.

On 2014-03-06 18:59, creativenative wrote:
As a young man he was part of a crew that delivered a large yacht (his uncle's business) to Australia from Florida.

Hmmm. Wish I knew which uncle. His father's two brothers, and his mother's three brothers don't appear to have done much outside of Texas. I guess it could be an uncle by marriage - one who married an aunt.

Donn claimed when he was 19 he found himself with $40,000 in his pocket from his dad's oil business and his mom's boarding house (where he worked). He says he sailed around the world twice with that money. He worked as a supercargo on his dad's cousin's 120 ft yacht, where he went to Fiji, PNG, Tahiti, Hawaii, Australia, etc.

Nice post card.

On 2014-03-07 20:02, TikiTacky wrote:
Donn claimed when he was 19 he found himself with $40,000 in his pocket from his dad's oil business and his mom's boarding house (where he worked). He says he sailed around the world twice with that money. He worked as a supercargo on his dad's cousin's 120 ft yacht, where he went to Fiji, PNG, Tahiti, Hawaii, Australia, etc.

Thanks for that info. So the timeline would be:

1928 - Has $40,000 and travels around the world (twice), including tours of South Pacific
1930 - Working as a farmhand in Henderson County, Texas
1934 - Opens a bar in Hollywood, California

Not impossible, but seems suspicious to me.

There's definitely discrepancies in the story. Donn himself told it several different ways (one being the boat was owned by his uncle, another by his grandfather). I don't think there's any doubt he actually traveled to the islands he claims he did, although where that money came from and how much he had is up for debate. He had enough to open a restaurant in Hollywood when he returned, so it wasn't petty cash. Plus, Donn wasn't known as the master story teller that Trader Vic was.

I believe that as Donn told the story so many times over so many years, details were forgotten and re-crafted. But the general story (dad struck it rich in oil, Donn takes a voyage, Donn starts a restaurant) stayed the same.

Donn Beach was a Texan and Texans are prone to telling tall tales. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.

They tell tall tales in Texas!
They love to stretch the truth.
They have an appetite for hype;
They learn it in their youth.

They tell tall tales in Texas!
They lie so easily.
Sometimes it’s hard to tell the tales
From true reality.
-Sharon Warner

Not lies. Exaggeration.

Donn was the master story teller. Phoebe inherited a lot of his records and writings. That got slapped together as the bio we have. A great deal of other documentation is in the hands of a fellow I know who has intended to write a biography of his best friend Donn as well. I wish that were possible. I hope to see the filing cabinets full of photos and documents some day.

If he heard you doubt Donn's veracity, he'd tell you you were full of shit. Donn did more and told better stories about it than anyone he knew, and he hung out with some very famous and imfamous people, himself included!

I have interviewed enough old timers to say their memory of what year such and such happened is generally faulty. I have learned not to argue when they tell me a date and I know for a fact it is wrong. There are key dates in the Mai-Kai history not a single person has been able to reliably tell me. And that is people I know who were there in the 1960s, not dead people who were written about after their death by people who get it 2nd hand.

And my great grandmother was a Cherokee, yet somehow the census didn't get that right...

He also traveled to China in there as well it is said.

Look at the history. The International Market Place is a good example. Donn WAS the trader. Not only that place, but he was in charge of getting imports from around the world at other markets personally. He had the contacts. Look at the freaking riverboat he had built, and how does one get that done without some great degree of international savvy?

In 1937 when Victor Bergeron wanted to turn Hinky Dinks into Trader Vic's the only person around with the items to do it was Donn Beach himself. Vic bought his décor from Donn!

BTW, the Thornton brothers took a trip around the world to the Polynesian Islands and brought back a huge amount of Oceanic Art for the Mai-Kai. And they did that in between seasons at the Mai-Kai. They spent many months traveling around the Caribbean and the Pacific aboard ships. What does the census say they did in 1955 and 1956?

I have heard tales of Donn's exploits that no one I know has ever heard before. We only have scratched the surface of his life. He was perhaps the most interesting man in the world.

I'll try to put all I can into my book.

Swanky, I'm looking forward to reading the book. I bet it'll be an enjoyable read.