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for "gathering." But on the lower level, the Avalon eatre, among the first in the world built for "talkies," features a domed ceiling, more than 1,000 seats, and stunning Art Deco murals by John Gabriel Beckman. e acoustics were said to be so groundbreaking that New York City's famed Radio City Music Hall took note, reportedly dispatching engineers to Catalina to see and hear it for themselves. e Wrigleys even had their own private screening room overlooking the theater where Hollywood director Cecil B. DeMille showed his latest films. e theater continues to present current and classic films and live performances throughout the year. Today, the VIP backstage Casino tour also includes a look at the restored 20,000-square-foot ballroom, the world's largest without supporting pillars, where thousands once danced to the Big Band sounds of the day — Artie Shaw and Benny Goodman among them. e ballroom also hosts major events that include the Catalina Conservancy Ball, Catalina Island Jazz Trax Festival, and New Year's Eve festivities. It's available for weddings, and corporate and private events as well. e Catalina Island Country Club is also open for special events. It includes a lovely terrace, dining room, and a bar decorated with vintage photos of famous Chicago Cubs, movie stars, and memorabilia. Wrigley, a consummate promoter, once owned the baseball team, and for 30 years held spring training on Catalina, which, of course, brought plenty of publicity to the island playground. Over the years, Catalina has been popular with Hollywood celebrities including Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, Charlie Chaplin, John Wayne, and Marilyn Monroe. Before Monroe became a star, the 16-year-old Norma Jeane Baker was married briefly to James Dougherty, a merchant marine who taught ocean safety on the island. Baker divorced him two years later and a photographer soon discovered her, launching her career as an actress. e island has served as a backdrop for hundreds of movies, including Mutiny on the Bounty, starring Clark Gable and Charles Laughton, which won Best Picture at the Academy Awards in 1936. Authors also frequented Catalina's shores: Edgar Rice Burroughs of Tarzan fame, Jack London, William Faulkner, and Zane Grey, the sportsman and novelist whose former home above Avalon Bay is now the Zane Grey Pueblo Hotel. It has been written that Ernest Hemingway got the idea for his novel e Old Man and the Sea while fishing for swordfish with members of the Tuna Club off Catalina's coast. Founded in 1898 by Dr. Charles Frederick Holder, the private club has long promoted ethical angling practices and strict water conservation around the island. e club has also been credited with big game fishing and the first rod-and-reel catches of broadbill swordfish and tuna. According to Catalina's Museum for Art & History — a must stop when visiting the island — Holder himself used a rod and reel to catch a 183-pound leaping tuna which had towed his boat for more than ten miles. is was no "fish story." Holder battled the mighty fish for more than three hours and 45 minutes before finally reeling it in. Famous Tuna Club members included Cecil B. DeMille, crooner Bing Crosby, and actors Charlie Chaplin, Stan Laurel, and Jackie Coogan. Nearby on the marina, the Catalina Island Yacht Club, now headed by Commodore John Wells, celebrated its 100th anniversary in August. Members of the Tuna Club founded the yacht club after their wives lobbied for a place where everyone could socialize, women included. e club's opening day on August 3, 1924, later dominated the pages of e Catalina Insider newspaper. Charles H. Smith reported that "Avalon Bay probably never had so many beautiful pleasure craft floating on its placid waters on a Sunday afternoon, and they were quite literally all dolled up with signal flags and bunting." e formal opening was preceded by an elaborate dinner for more than 130 yacht club members at the former Hotel St. Catherine. James Cagney, Johnny Weissmuller, Daryl F. Zanuck, Walter Huston, Tom Mix, and Ed McMahon were just a few of its notable members. William Rigley Jr. was the club's first honorary member, given a solid gold membership card "in view of the interest he has shown in furthering the interests of yachting," according to CIYC's records. In 1975, the Wrigley heirs deeded 42,000 acres — nearly 90 percent of the island — to the Catalina Island Conservancy which they helped to establish. e family continues to own the Catalina Island Company, which operates hotels, restaurants, event venues, and the six-bedroom Mt. Ada, once the Wrigleys' hilltop island escape, offering stunning views of Avalon Bay. His heirs are committed to carrying on Wrigley's vision "to create a world class resort." 800.626.1496, visitcatalinaisland.com @ranchandcoast RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2024 87 Mt. Ada