Countdown to 2000: Culture

Greg Risling

Just because alcohol was prohibited in the 1920s, it didn’t stop those

living in the Newport-Mesa area from having a good time.

Whether it was working up a sweat at the Rendezvous Ballroom or plotting

to overthrow the old guard in the back room of the Green Dragon Cafe,

Newport-Mesa residents were partying -- well, like it was 1999.

Automobiles were en vogue, although horse-drawn carriages were still the

norm. Women who bucked authority and conventional morals were given a new

name -- flappers. Sultry jazz was cool and the Big Band era just needed a

kick-start.

While the Balboa Pavilion was the social hub of Newport for 20 years or

so, competition came in 1928. Harry “Pop” Tudor and partner Ray

Burlingame weren’t shy about their motives. They built the Rendezvous

Ballroom across the peninsula for a regal $200,000.

The spacious dance hall quickly became the town’s hot spot with big-name

bands gracing its stage. Over the next several years, the owners of both

attractions were involved in a heated race to lure residents to their

halls. In doing so, they helped attract more businesses to the area and

made Balboa a happening spot to hang out.

When residents weren’t sweating to the oldies, some of them were

contriving new ideas at the Green Dragon Cafe. The restaurant was more

than a place where you could sneak a drink of bootleg liquor in the back.

No, the cafe was a place where average men turned into political upstarts

and where the latest gossip was burning some ears.

Yet, drinking alcohol -- illegal in the 1920s -- was evident in

Newport-Mesa. There were the gun-toting rum runners sneaking in the

latest shipment during the dead of night. Some of the shipments would be

taken away in black sedans to Los Angeles.

And when drinking wasn’t enough for some residents, they indulged in

another vice -- gambling. You could find a gaming establishment in the

back of most businesses. Gambling wasn’t legal, but that didn’t stop the

wagering. Business owners would close shop when they received tips the

sheriff would be traveling through town.

Times were considered good in Newport-Mesa during the 1920s because

residents played as much as they worked.

Sources:

“Newport Beach: The First Century, 1888-1988,” ed. by James P. Felton,

1988.