Got a whale of a tale to tell ya, lads
A whale of a tale or two
'Bout the flappin' fish and the girls I've loved
On nights like this with the moon above
A whale of a tale and it's all true
I swear by my tattoo.
- Norman Gimbal & Al Hoffman
I knowÖ I know, much has been written, filmed and said about the beach scene in Southern California in the 1960's.
But from someone who was there, for most of it, it is a bunch of crap with a little truth thrown in to appease the gods of surf and sun. I'll try not to repeat that formula in this collection of tales from the sea, sand and city.
Just west of the megalopolis of Los Angeles along the Pacific Ocean lies the movie star riddled city of Santa Monica.
North to south Santa Monica stretches from the lip of Santa Monica Canyon to Venice, California. From the Pacific Ocean on the west to West Los Angeles to the east. It was a city consisting of approximately 10 elementary, 2 middle schools all funneling into one High School. In the late 50's and early 60's the middle schools were called Jr. High schools. At that time the area to the north, known as Malibu, funneled it's junior high and high school students in to the Santa Monica schools as well.
The one high school in town was officially named Santa Monica High School, but known to most of Southern California as Samohi or "Samo" to those who were matriculated there in.
Like most urban cities Santa Monica has many areas and neighborhoods that make up it's whole. Like most cities these are demarked by economic, social ethnic and racial realities.
To the north, north of Wilshire Blvd. live the rich and upper middle class as well as movie stars and other mavens of the entertainment industry.
South of Wilshire Blvd. to Olympic Blvd. Is mostly middle class homeowners and a plethora apartment buildings interspersed with, what we called, "rest Homes,"
South of Olympic to roughly Pico Blvd was a primarily black and Hispanic area of town affectionately known as, Ghost Town.
Below Pico Blvd. Is an area historically started by the Douglas Aircraft Corporation who's factory covered most of the South Eastern section of town. This was also a working middle class neighborhood.
The South Western part of town was called Ocean Park. Bordering on Venice (los Angeles) by the ocean. There once was an amusement pier called the Ocean Park Pier and adjoining Lick Pier to the south. Lick Pier sported the Aragon Ballroom home of The Lawrence Welk Orchestra and TV show, of the same name, from 1951 to 1955.
From the Ocean Park Pier north to the Santa Monica Pier is the area we hung out at and surfed for most of my youth. Particularly at the west end of Bay Street where out in the surf line a sand bar formed at the outfall from most of the city's storm drains. A smart aleck little beach break wave that could give out a great ride or smack you up side the head whatever it felt like doing. Here is where we surfed, socialized, caused trouble, and just hung out.