Countdown to 2000: Lifestyles

Noaki Schwartz

Although it was taking place an ocean away, the shadow of World War II

darkened the lives of residents during the 1940s. Having tightened their

belts during the previous decade, community members were already hardened

to the realities of living without luxuries.

If anything, life in the 1940s was economical. The Bayshore Cafe charged

$1 for breakfast. A plumber called to fix a toilet would charge 20 cents

for a part and $1 for labor.

Newport Beach had already begun its metamorphosis from sleepy summertime

seaside resort to a bustling harbor city. The city rebuilt Newport Pier

and Balboa Pier was dotted with canneries.

This area continued to attract the Hollywood crowd, including Humphrey

Bogart, James Cagney and Errol Flynn. The Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa

became the hot spot to watch the big bands and dance.

Pulling together during the war also brought out the best in people.

There were often community events where groups of residents would sell

orange poppies, the symbol of the war, to raise money for the effort.

Housewives -- some of whom had watched their husbands leave for the war

-- traded recipes that used available food in the most creative ways

possible.

A suggestion for a Christmas centerpiece to make the holidays as festive

as possible was to surround four candles with evergreen boughs, decorated

with two long strings of cranberries and popcorn.

Sources:

Costa Mesa Globe Herald”Newport Beach: The First Century, 1888-1988,”

James Felton, Ed., 1988.

“A Slice of Orange: The History of Costa Mesa,” Edrick J. Miller, 1970.