Family finds its niche in Newport

As the Newport Beach centennial approaches, residents are racking

their brains for memories of the city’s early days.

Corona del Mar resident Joon Aynes, an avid writer, has more

stories than she can fit into a journal.

One such story involves the hallowed Rendezvous Ballroom. In the

late 1920s, Aynes said she remembers being boosted up on someone’s

shoulders so she could see the dancers and flashing lights inside the

hall.

One of the regular performers was her father, Ira Gay, an

orchestra conductor, a talent agent, and a musician who played

saxophone and flute. He gained the respect of many musicians and

celebrities, such as Howard Hughes, whose yacht was docked in Newport

Harbor.

The famous aviator used to call Gay on occasion and say, “I’m

sending over someone to pick you up at 2 a.m.,” Aynes said. “It was

pretty commonplace.”

Where they would go, Aynes isn’t entirely sure. Actors Gower

Champion and Douglas Fairbanks also hobnobbed with Gay when they were

in Newport Beach or when Gay was in Los Angeles.

Aynes said she never met the celebrities. She was focused on

joining her father one day inside the Rendezvous Ballroom.

“I could hardly wait for the wonderful time when I would be one of

the dancers,” Aynes wrote in an e-mail.

Her dream came true. She and her sister, Jeen Aynes, danced there

and in many other Southern California venues. The sisters made a

career out of dancing and modeling, often using their father’s

Hollywood connections. They appeared as extras and as background

dancers in movies.

When they were old enough, the two began attending their father’s

concerts.

“It was fantastic,” Joon Aynes said. “He was so much fun.”

The sisters came from an artistic family -- their mother was a

pianist who often performed at local venues. The family lived in Los

Angeles and built one of the early beach homes on the Balboa

Peninsula.

The sisters spent summer days boating in Newport Harbor, swimming

near the shore and clamming and shell hunting, Joon Aynes said.

When the family was in Orange County during the summer, they often

rode the Red Cars, the electric train line that connected Newport

Beach to other cities.

In 1927, the two sisters rode their bicycles to the East Newport

Train Station. Their grandfather, wearing a business suit and straw

hat, came down the steps and was one of the only men to be dressed in

business attire. The others wore beach gear.

Another of Joon Aynes’ vivid memories involves Anna May Wong, a

Chinese American actress known for her roles in silent movies. Wong

was a friend of the Aynes family in Los Angeles, and the sisters made

their housekeeper take them to see her in the movies at the

dark-green painted movie house near the Balboa Pier.

Joon Aynes, 86, enjoyed her time in Newport Beach so much that she

made it a permanent home more than 50 years ago.

“She’s very active and loves to be around young people,” said

Linda Aynes, Joon Aynes’ daughter-in-law. “Her most wonderful time in

life was the 1930s and 1940s. In her mind, that’s where she still

is.”

* THE GOOD OLD DAYS runs Sundays. Do you know of a person, place

or event that deserves a look back? Let us know. Contact us by fax at

(714) 966-4679; by e-mail at [email protected]; or by mail

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