Newport septuagenarian’s many hats

An accomplished writer, photographer, dancer, actress and model,

Newport Beach’s Nancy Robison has worn many hats throughout her

lifetime.

She has had 70 published books. Several of her photographs were

published in a Newport Beach photography book. She spent two years

working as a dancer at the Biltmore Bowl with Dorothy Dorben and the

Adorables, and also has a long list of television shows and movies

she’s worked on.

Along with her many careers, Robison, 71, has raised four children

and has been married to the same man, Robert Robison, for 51 years.

They have lived in Newport Beach for 13 years.

The Daily Pilot’s Lindsay Sandham recently caught up with Nancy

Robison to hear about the many successes in her career.

I understand you have some television experience.

I was one of the first girls to do a commercial in Los Angeles.

When television first started in the late ‘40s, 1949, I did a

commercial for Franilla Ice Cream, which they don’t have now. They

didn’t pay in money in those days; they paid in product. They gave me

a year’s supply of ice cream, but we did not have a freezer. The ice

cream factory was in the Valley and we lived in Los Angeles, so there

was no way we were going to get ice cream from there to our house. I

ended up getting nothing but experience. That was fun. I did about

five of those commercials, but they didn’t tape them like they do

today, they were live.

And you’ve written 70 books. Which was your first and when was it

published?

My first book was called “Where is Zip?”

Was that for children?

Yes. It only had 60 words. It was a mystery with 60 words. It was

published around 1980, something like that.

So you always knew you wanted to be a writer, but you did many

things before that.

When I was doing the commercials, television was so new that I

wrote up the experience of being an actress on television and I sold

the story. I thought, “Oh, this is great; I love writing.”

But I also wanted to be an actress, so I couldn’t make up my mind.

I finally got to combine the two. I thought when my children grew up,

I would stay home and write stories.

You have written five how-to guides. Where did you get the ideas

for those?

Oh, that’s a good story. “Dear Son, About Your Wedding” is still

in print; it’s been in print for 17 years. Our son, Eric, was getting

married and he didn’t know how to plan the wedding.

He said, “Oh, the bride and her mother will do everything; I don’t

have to do anything.”

I said, “I beg your pardon, you do.”

He said, “Like what?”

So I wrote down a whole list of things that he should do,

including buy new underwear, clean your whiskers out of the sink

after you’re married, and he didn’t know he had to buy flowers for

the bride and plan the honeymoon and all that. So it turned out to be

this little booklet.

And he said, “Gee, mom, you should get this published.”

That was followed by “Dear Daughter, About Your Wedding,” and

“Dear Son, About Your Baby,” and “Dear Daughter, About Your Baby.”

And then I just did this one, “Dear Hubby, About Your Retirement.”

So are you still working a lot, writing?

I’ve been writing for the Los Angeles Times -- they have a Reading

by 9 program. I’ve been writing for them for at least four years.

When did you get involved with photography?

When we moved to Balboa Island, they had a contest to submit

pictures of the Ensenada race, and I won it. I won the contest. I won

$500. With the $500, I bought a professional lens. I just started

taking pictures of all of Newport Beach. And then I started making

photo cards for the Sandpiper store on Balboa Island. I’m still doing

that.

And you won a contest and got some photos published in this

photography book of Newport Beach. How many did they use?

About 30. I just love doing it. It’s so much fun.