Welcome to the Tiki Central 2.0 Beta. Read the announcement
Tiki Central logo
Celebrating classic and modern Polynesian Pop

Tiki Central / Collecting Tiki

Don the Beachcomber, Marina Del Rey auction material

Pages: 1 2 73 replies

T
tigertail posted on 09/01/2013

you nailed it.

T
tigertail posted on 09/01/2013

Notice how the palm fronds are completely painted in! Photoshop 1930's style, they wanted that lush look.

T
TikiTacky posted on 09/01/2013

Funny, I was just noticing the same thing!

T
tigertail posted on 09/01/2013

What is that second flag? Hawaii State?

BB
Bruddah Bear posted on 09/01/2013

That would be the "U.S. Territory of Hawaii" at that point.

T
tigertail posted on 09/02/2013

I have to say I am really enjoying TikiCentral, you just send out those messages in a bottle...and the tide brings back the answers!

T
tigertail posted on 09/26/2013

I found the missing box of additional photos from the back room at the Marina Del Rey Restaurant. As BigBroTiki surmised, these were taken at a Luau party at Donn Beach's house in Encino. What a window into a lost scene...

Donn Beach, in his Element!

Sunny Lund disrobes Frank Morgan, Keenan Wynn needs a refill!

Gary Cooper chilling with friends (is that Lionel Stander or a movie exec?)

It's a party

Keenan, Sunny and Donn.

Plantains and Yams!

Anybody hungry? (is that Hoagy Carmichael on the left?)

Van Johnson stands tall!

Donn offers, She accepts!

and my all time favorite...Skelton Begs, Cooper Provides! (a yam that is...)

T
tiki1963 posted on 09/27/2013

those are incredible!

(hoagy c. on the right in that one photo)

T
tigertail posted on 10/02/2013

Thanks! originally wanted to keep these photos in their original frames, but they are very simple, cheap and falling apart. Thinking about making individual bamboo frames and arranging them as a single piece.

T
tiki1963 posted on 10/03/2013

yeah, that would look great.

you can find 1/2 inch bamboo molding or just get some 1 inch diameter bamboo, split and hot glue over a simple metal frame to get the effect.

if you still have the old frames, i'd shore them up and hot glue the split bamboo on that.

oceanic arts has pre-split bamboo available.

T
tigertail posted on 10/03/2013

Yes! Individually framed but displayed as a single piece, a 'moment in time' narrative...

T
tigertail posted on 10/11/2013

The Last Batch!
Back from the party to the restaurant...

Donn contemplates the elements of his world,

1939, Donn still has eyes for Sunny!

Down on the mixin' floor, keepin' them fellas churning out the concoctions!

A few words on the miracle of modern off-set printing!

and a close up...

BB Image Missing: https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/b5b1db9852616b0b87ea959c240198fa?d=blank&s=192&fit=fill
Bora Boris posted on 10/11/2013

Great stuff as usual Tigertail,

Is that a Cannibal ashtray?

Image Missing: https://tikicentral.com/resize.php/uploads/3101/525862ec.jpg?w=1280&h=1280&fit=max&sharp=5&s=ddf285da2fd33b1b18bb969e410d86ea

WOW! :o

B Image Missing: https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/e01c7e12080283066ced001977e37f65?d=blank&s=192&fit=fill
bigbrotiki posted on 10/11/2013

No: "Is that a Tiki in your lap or do you just like me?" :)

That's one of his Cannibal carvings. They MUST have been sort of "Lucky Tikis" for Don: He had them in his house in Encino..

Image Missing: https://tikicentral.com/resize.php/uploads/35/52586bfc.jpg?w=1280&h=1280&fit=max&sharp=5&s=c6cf5569de57020a40152bb95aa031a8

in his Hollywood bar...

Image Missing: https://tikicentral.com/resize.php/uploads/35/52586c2c.jpg?w=1280&h=1280&fit=max&sharp=5&s=36c6691a99beb1333e19803ac28eca6b

and in his place in Waikiki:

Image Missing: https://tikicentral.com/resize.php/uploads/35/52586c95.jpg?w=1280&h=1280&fit=max&sharp=5&s=edb02e409fc2bd200e98f1d3c1d4caac

The funny thing is that Don was really Pre-Tiki: He did not use these Tikis or any others as his logo, as mugs, menus, matchbooks, etc

  • BUT his imitators that decidedly drew on his concepts, the Mai Kai and Steve Crane did:

Image Missing: https://tikicentral.com/resize.php/uploads/35/52586fa3.jpg?w=1280&h=1280&fit=max&sharp=5&s=2fb0197ac354afd4e1372587917f880f

Image Missing: https://tikicentral.com/resize.php/uploads/35/52586fb5.jpg?w=1280&h=1280&fit=max&sharp=5&s=ef3344f26b47e078f1908cf1bd5178bd

Here is more clear proof of the shift from the Pre-Tiki South Seas joint generation (Don and various "Beachcomber" joints, Skipper Kent, various "Tropics" joints, and the like) to the "Tiki" generation: Don had those Tikis with him, but did not use them: The time was not ripe for Tiki to become the figurehead of Polynesian pop. Then, in the mid-50s, a new generation of restaurateurs tapped into the iconic properties of the Tiki.

T
tigertail posted on 10/12/2013

BigBro, do you have any close ups of the celebrity chop sticks in their individual tubes? Clearly there was an 'inner circle' of valued guests/friends who appear in these photos and on the chopsticks in a photo from The Book of Tiki, but I can't make out about half of the names...

Image Missing: https://tikicentral.com/resize.php/uploads/77871/52599ced.jpg?w=1280&h=1280&fit=max&sharp=5&s=358ec390a59d3fcd84e7e3a56fc53e36

The maddening thing is I remember BIDDING ON THOSE CHOPSTICKS AT THE AUCTION!!
But they went too high for our wallets at the time, we had already spent all our dough.

B Image Missing: https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/e01c7e12080283066ced001977e37f65?d=blank&s=192&fit=fill
bigbrotiki posted on 10/13/2013

I feel your pain...I missed the whole damn AUCTION, I only heard about it afterwards from Stella at KXLU.

No, no better pics. There are postcards and magazine article photos with them in it, but in even worse resolution:

Image Missing: https://tikicentral.com/resize.php/uploads/35/525a5d3f.jpg?w=1280&h=1280&fit=max&sharp=5&s=aed2f90d42f9f3ea9db00fdf6483beb1

This one won't help you either, I would think:

Image Missing: https://tikicentral.com/resize.php/uploads/35/525a5dbb.jpg?w=1280&h=1280&fit=max&sharp=5&s=177122270835fced7fc1667d7536b1b9

Did they go one by one, or did someone get the whole bunch? Do you remember how many there were?

T
tigertail posted on 10/13/2013

They went as a set, as far as I recall. They exist SOMEWHERE, in a closet or garage. Hanging in Uncle's den...
BTW, here is a photo of a photo of the (original?) Beachcomber gift shop.
notice what the sales girl is handling...

Image Missing: https://tikicentral.com/resize.php/uploads/77871/525ad4ce.jpg?w=1280&h=1280&fit=max&sharp=5&s=76407bfc0821f314f2eb8da82a89e259

close up...

Image Missing: https://tikicentral.com/resize.php/uploads/77871/525ad4ec.jpg?w=1280&h=1280&fit=max&sharp=5&s=8ef6919ec5e47c53c5f0303549e381a2

B Image Missing: https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/e01c7e12080283066ced001977e37f65?d=blank&s=192&fit=fill
bigbrotiki posted on 10/13/2013

Cool! These Tikis were tourist carvings from Tahiti - here is one at the Trader Vic's store in the original Oakland location:

Image Missing: https://tikicentral.com/resize.php/uploads/35/525b0bab.jpg?w=1280&h=1280&fit=max&sharp=5&s=a58b02f91077dc5a617b027066189c43

...and here's the "Everything you ever needed to know about the Tahitian Cannibal Carvings and didn't know how to ask" thread:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=33940&forum=5&start=0

The very first set posted there by Tiki Kate are the best examples I know of. When she died of cancer, she bequeathed them to Martin Cate's Smuggler's Cove, where they stand guard to this day.

F Image Missing: https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/3ce86eb47c957101096b4f65edc38d63?d=blank&s=192&fit=fill
finky099 posted on 10/14/2013

Tigertail, how did I miss this thread until now??? Amazing stuff you've posted. I can't stop looking at/comparing the two pics of Donn's place ay 1727 McCadden. So cool.

T
tigertail posted on 11/01/2013

Ok! I have conjured these chopsticks out of the mist...

Image Missing: https://tikicentral.com/resize.php/uploads/77871/5273ceaa.jpg?w=1280&h=1280&fit=max&sharp=5&s=872cf1480e56bfda1500779e8a344012

I am seriously thinking about recreating this cabinet of celebrity utensils holders!

B Image Missing: https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/e01c7e12080283066ced001977e37f65?d=blank&s=192&fit=fill
bigbrotiki posted on 11/01/2013

Ha, got you on a trail there...nice idea!

WD Image Missing: https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/c24ec17c29b286b193d6f3af0fc57a5b?d=blank&s=192&fit=fill
White Devil posted on 11/01/2013

So now we're even lusting after Ava Gardner's used chopsticks. She'd love it, no doubt.

S Image Missing: https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/0019c44037542f96e77f50c73123eb25?d=blank&s=192&fit=fill

5244a5f5Image Missing: https://tikicentral.com/resize.php/uploads/112/6277fd2fbdbde.jpg?w=1280&h=1280&fit=max&sharp=5&s=a2eddb9c043dcab4b5aad99319c26e74 This is actually Virginia Fields. Sunny never set foot on Donn's Encino property.

Many of these pictures you posted are from Encino. Most of the celebrity pics. Interesting they should be at the restaurant years later since Sunny was no fan of those parties!

M Image Missing: https://tikicentral.com/resize.php/uploads/79079/623024dd26bb0.jpg?sharp=10&fit=crop&w=96&h=96&s=d472138c8f34c8aa9e8efd49ac39ebb5
mikehooker posted on 05/14/2022

Thanks for bumping this thread Swanky. Don't think I've ever explored this one. I can't say how thrilled I am that TC is back and I can fall down these rabbit holes.

And I can't wait to see what all you've unearthed for the doc.

S Image Missing: https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/0019c44037542f96e77f50c73123eb25?d=blank&s=192&fit=fill
Swanky posted on 01/14/2023

Does anyone know who tigertail is? I have waited for TC to return just to try to contact them about some of those photos, and they have not replied to a DM.

I really need copies for the book!

B Image Missing: https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/cdfbab91bb8ef91896a390ce57e0c662?d=blank&s=192&fit=fill

Auction Item: Vintage Wood Countertop from Don the Beachcomber, Marina Del Rey

This beautifully preserved wood countertops hails from the iconic "Don the Beachcomber" establishment in Marina Del Rey. Rich in history and full of stories, it has witnessed countless vibrant evenings and served many a tropical cocktail. Its smooth, polished surface, weathered by time and loving use, stands testament to the golden era of tiki culture. A unique piece of memorabilia, this countertop is not just a functional item but a conversation starter, a tangible piece of the past that would be a crown jewel in any collector's treasure trove.

[ Edited by bocayi on 2023-09-05 00:45:26 ]

[ Edited by bocayi on 2023-09-05 00:47:12 ]

Pages: 1 2 73 replies