LOOKING BACK

Young Chang

The Port Theatre was once the destination for celebrities who

jet-setted around the world for screenings and other film-industry

events. Built in the late 1940s, it was the larger of Newport Beach’s

three main movie venues, including the Balboa and Lido locations.

An old hotel set up on the bluff in Corona del Mar housed the stars.

“And the Port was a place of entertainment for the Hollywood

celebrities of that era to go,” said Scott Burnham, owner of the theater.

Now closed for more than two years, the 930-seat house is today

considered a historical landmark.

At its glitziest and busiest, the theater on East Coast Highway was

equipped with what was then state-of-the-art audio and visual equipment.

Locals gathered to watch big names like John Wayne and Katharine Hepburn

come to life on the big screen.

Theater operators presented live Vaudeville acts before the movies

began, and magicians entertained children and adults alike.

Tickets cost about a dollar, said Don Webb, public works director for

the city.

Designed partly by the late James Edwards senior, the theater’s

architectural style was also noteworthy in those days.

“They were built to be a single theater and you ended up usually

having a balcony and your seats were a little farther apart than they

have them today,” Webb said.

Throughout the years, the Port was known for showing independent,

eclectic films. There were short festivals that locals looked forward to

and a flock of regulars who petitioned and strongly objected when the

theater finally closed.

“It served as a central gathering area for the community when Newport

Beach was considered to be a small, beach community,” Burnham said.

* Do you know of a person, place or event that deserves a historical

Look Back? Let us know. Contact Young Chang by fax at (949) 646-4170;

e-mail at [email protected]; or mail her at c/o Daily Pilot, 330 W.

Bay St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627.