A Look Back -- Jerry Person

Jerry Person

Last week we looked at how the Downtown residents and businesses

ofHuntington Beach prepared for the grand opening of the new pavilion

next to the pier on May 28, 1938.

Opening day for the three-day bash was fast approaching and work

insidethe new pavilion continued with the hanging of the drapes and

bringing inchairs.

The sound system, costing several thousand dollars, was completed

andtested.

Huntington Beach resident Cliff L. King made a $900 a year bid for the

lease of the lunch counter concession. Eileen Stricklin Knee of

Huntington Beach told me that she and her friend Hildrith worked at the

hamburger concession in its early years.

The 50 by 100-foot cafe had a knotty pine border and natural stained

wood walls with huge windows so diners could enjoy the ocean view.

George Mitchell applied for the job of janitor and watchman at the

pavilion. Both Mitchell and King’s applications were referred to the

beach and pier committee.

The city approved city ordinance 411, which bonded both the new

manager and the cashier. Lee Mann was picked for the new manager of the

pavilion.

The city spruced up and enlarged the Municipal Trailer Park south of

the pavilion so it could accommodate 7,400.

Motion picture actress Anita Stewart was engaged to cut the ribbon to

officially open the doors. Chamber of Commerce secretary Bill Gallienne

sent out 250 special invitations to local cities and civic organizations.

A special invite was sent to California Gov. Frank Merriam by Mayor

Marcus M. McCallen. He didn’t come.

The Huntington Beach Sea Scouts were engaged to appear during the

opening ceremonies.

All was ready and everyone held their breath.

A crowd of several thousand showed up on Saturday, May 28 to witness

the opening ceremony and dance to the music of Ben Pollock and his

Orchestra. It was 3 p.m. and Mayor McCallen stood before the front doors

and accepted the keys to the pavilion from Public Works Administration

engineer E.T. Smith.

Next it was the Sea Scouts turn and with the direction of their

SkipperWalter E. Dabney, they raised both the California flag and Old

Glory on the pavilion’s two flag poles. Master of Ceremony John Africa

introduced the officials and their guests. Chamber of Commerce President

Dr. Lawrence Whittaker stepped up and gave a brief history of the

building and when he finished, Mayor McCallen presented the Pavilion

Chairman Lee Chamness with a wrist watch.

It was now time for actress Anita Stewart to come up and cut the

ribbon to admit the public and did they fill the new pavilion.

Boxie Huston arranged to have Alex Hernandez and his Spanish quintet

provide both music and dancing for the three-day event.

That night, from 8:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., orchestra leader Ben Pollock and

hisOrchestra played to a packed house of local dancers.

Pollock’s 15-piece group played both Latin and modern swing music.

More then 1,000 people paid $1.50 per couple to dance the night away

tothe hottest blowtorch rhythms. His vocalist that evening was Peegee

Gale.

The next night (Sunday, May 29) the “Swing King of the Fiddle,” Joe

Venuti and his band played to another packed house. Patrons paid $1.10 to

attend.

Huntington Beach resident Roy Graser remembers dancing to many of

America’s famous big bands there.

Manager Lee Mann also was a band leader and brought his band, the

Sunny Californians to the event and they played on Sunday and Monday

matineesfor 25 cents.

Pollock returned for the Monday night performance.

The name “Pavilion” remained until June 1941 when it became the

namemost remember, Pav-a-lon.

Some say it was to rival Avalon in the distance and another story by

resident Bethel Ethridge says it was that the sign painter couldn’t spell

pavilion, either way its still Huntington Beach history.

* JERRY PERSON is a local historian and longtime Huntington Beach

resident. If you have ideas for future columns, write him at P.O. Box

7182, Huntington Beach, CA 92615.