Catalina in 1937 vs. 1967


I watched this old movie for one reason. To see what Avalon and Catalina looked like 30 years before I enjoyed it as a teenager and 70 years difference from today.

I personally can't stand Mickey Rooney and never understood why he was popular, so that was the hardest part of watching this flick.

But, to my surprise, the Island had changed very little. Everything in the movie was essentially a blueprint for what I did with my parents and friends as teenagers in Catalina.

The "Great White Steamship" was how we often went there. It has been out of service now for about 30 years. Some lawyer bought the ship as a 'gift' for his wife before discovering that the purchase price at auction was only the start of expenses and he ended up losing it to vandals and back taxes, etc. The ship up until about two years ago could be seen via Google Earth, sunk, in Alacapulco Bay as I recall. They were talking of scrapping it altogether as a shipping hazard because it was still partially out of the water.

The diving for coins was what I used to do every day as the new arrivals of tourists came in on the steamer 7 days a week. That used to buy my burger and malt for lunch.

The flying fish boat.... yep.

The chimes that rang throughout the harbor every day.... same chimes.

The Casino building.... never went to a dance there... but movies all the time.

We even stayed at the St. Catherine Hotel once... it was torn down about 1968. The property currently is a private beach... public can use it by paying the entry fee. The foundation of the old hotel is still there.

And, if you notice that Mickey Rooney tells his girlfriend that he was "staying in a cottage" that turned out to be a two story house..... well ..... we stayed in "cottages" too.... as did many people... but they were more like campground cabins. The cabins we stayed at, Ida Courts, were torn down and the lot empty for years. I don't recall meeting anyone who stayed in a "cottage" that was a two story house. So, I guess the rental homes were there.... but....

Compared to a few years ago when I visited with family..... the place STILL looks similar with the same buildings. In fact, you can see "Rosies Seafood" on the pier in the movie.... the same building is still there. "Rosie" was just retiring at our last visit a few years ago. Not sure if she / her family was in that building on the Pier at the movie filming.

Oh, yes... and I had two memories of "vacation romances" from there. Great fun. Being the stupid teenager that I was, they weren't full fledged romances ..... but a kiss here and there was cool.

The unfortunate part of Catalina..... it was hyped by Hollywood in this and another film in which all the big stars of the 30's were part of a Catalina Party.. can't recall the name. But... that was the boost that Catalina had back then. Today, its pretty much another beach town.... and NOT family oriented as it once was. They even used to hose down the streets every morning in the 1960s.... so when the tourists got up to go have breakfast.... everything was clean. Not so today. Too bad.

All in all, Catalina proved to me one thing: If you want YOUR children to have great memories to carry them through life regardless of financial standing.... ensure that they have family outings and repeat family outings. Then someday... when you're gone as my parents are.... your kids will look back and say, 'wow, i had fun at that place back then.' And they'll remember you and your spouse.... as part of the lifetime memories that we carry along each day.


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Yes, very much as I remember it when I flew over on the seaplane in 1965. About the only thing they didn't show was the glass-bottomed boats, which I do think they had in 1937. But the Casino, the steamship, the kids diving for coins--all the same as in '65. I haven't been there since.

And Mickey Rooney? One of the greatest talents ever on the screen, and the blazing energy of the great Andy Hardy films.

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Thanks for sharing. Must have been great to visit it in the 60s. Sounds like you had a lot of fun.

R.I.P. Rick Ducommun and Tony Longo

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