Queen for a week

Once upon a time, in a land filled with pirates and yachts, Dolores Perlin was royalty for a week.

Don’t believe her? She has a photo album to prove it.

Back in 1947, while a junior at Newport Harbor High School, Perlin was selected to be Pirate Days Queen.

That meant a week of being in charge. And it was a week Perlin said she will never forget.

Pirate Days was an annual weeklong celebration held around Labor Day in Newport Beach.

“It was a week when the community got together to celebrate with each other,” Perlin said. “It was one big block party before everyone left for the holiday.”

Most important, it was a chance for people to dress up as pirates. Children, parents, store owners, politicians -- everyone donned black patches and hats and wielded plastic swords.

“We tried to keep things as authentic as possible,” Perlin said.

She lived on the Balboa Peninsula, where her father, Joseph Marshall, managed a restaurant called Christian’s Hut. The eatery was a sponsor of the Pirate Week parade on Main Street, in which Perlin was the guest of honor in 1947.

In retrospect, Perlin said she should have known that she’d be named queen that year. Just before the selection, Perlin was riding in the boat owned by actor James Cagney when then-California Gov. Earl Warren said to her, “You must be the queen.”

A few days later, at a ceremony inside Rendezvous Ballroom, Perlin was selected as the queen.

“I couldn’t believe it. I was so excited,” she said. “I was given keys to the city. I could make the rules, do anything I wanted.”

And Perlin took advantage of her position. Stores gave her free food. Her friends followed her around as if she was actually royalty. People referred to her as ‘your majesty.’

She placed people in a makeshift prison on the Balboa Pier. Others were told to walk the plank into the Pacific Ocean.

It was all good-natured ribbing, Perlin said.

“People were good sports,” she said. “Everyone had to come by me, and they played along well.”

Perlin led Pirate Days participants on walks and attended all the city functions. There were games and dances, and many activities were centered onthe Balboa Fun Zone.

There was a serious side. Because of threats made to her during the week, Perlin said she had two friends of the family who were in the FBI shadow her to some events.

Perlin said Pirate Days was in its heyday in the early 1940s, when the event was family-oriented. Rowdy celebrations in the coming years forced the city to shut down the celebration.

Perlin remained involved in Newport Beach, returning to the city after a brief acting stint. Her husband, George Perlin, owned a gas station and a garage in Newport Beach. Her son, Richard Perlin, owns Coast Recovery, a Newport Beach center for those recovering from substance abuse.

* THE GOOD OLD DAYS runs Sundays. Do you know of a person, place or event that deserves a look back? Fax the Pilot at (714) 966-4679; e-mail dailypilot@latimes.com; or send mail to the Daily Pilot, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626.