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Santa Catalina Island -

Santa Catalina Island is anchored off the coast of California. It's part of the Channel Islands archipelago, and lies within Los Angeles County. Its proximity to the entertainment capital of the world has made it a favorite celebrity playground for decades.

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William Wrigley Jr. (1861–1932) -

In 1919, chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr. began developing the island, ostensibly as a resort getaway.

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Arriving at Avalon -

Wrigley focused his efforts on Avalon, the island's largest town. He invested millions in infrastructure and leisure amenities, including the Metropole Hotel (pictured, center).

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Tourist destination -

Santa Catalina was soon being advertised as an exclusive island retreat offering a wealth of tourist attractions. This 1920 travel poster shows a black and white illustration of a glass bottom boat on the Pacific Ocean.

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Baseball stars -

As the owner of the Chicago Cubs baseball team, Wrigley further promoted the island paradise by using Santa Catalina for the team's spring training, an event which also attracted a sizeable press corps. He is pictured in 1928 standing with his players on an Avalon baseball field.

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Flight of fancy -

As word spread of Santa Catalina's unique appeal, airlines began services connecting the mainland with this new island destination using seaplanes. Flights complemented the already busy steamship operations based out of Los Angeles.

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Airport inaugurated -

As aviation technology advanced, so too did passenger aircraft. In 1941, a new island airport was inaugurated, opening as Buffalo Springs Airport. It's known locally as "Airport in the Sky" because it lies near the island's highest point at an elevation of 488 m (1,602 ft).

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Quite a catch! -

Santa Catalina's relatively remote location, plus its mild climate and excellent amenities, made it a favorite bolt-hole for celebrities and VIPs. An early overseas visitor was British statesman Winton Churchill, seen here in 1920 landing his catch after a game fishing expedition.

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Oliver Hardy (1892–1957) -

With Hollywood just 80 km (50 mi) away, Santa Catalina invariably became a retreat for film stars and entertainers. Pictured is Oliver Hardy, one half of the legendary Laurel and Hardy comedy double act, photographing his wife on the pier at Avalon in 1927. Interestingly, Stan Laurel had made the silent film 'Half a Man' on the island in 1925, a couple of years before he began working with Hardy.

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Useful film location -

In fact, Santa Catalina had been used by filmmakers as early as 1912 when director D.W. Griffith made 'Man's Genesis,' one of the first movies made on the island. The 1920s and 1930s proved Santa Catalina's golden years as a film location, its wild and windswept geography proving a useful backdrop. Pictured are crew members clad in raincoats setting up a crane shot during the making of 'Rain' (1932), directed by Lewis Milestone and starring Joan Crawford. The island's tropical landscape doubled up as a South Seas location.

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Clark Gable (1901–1960) -

When not working, many film stars chose to chill out on Santa Catalina. Pictured in 1934 is Clark Gable, Joe Schenck, and Douglas Fairbanks pausing between play on the island's golf course. The scenic layout, which meanders through picturesque Avalon Canyon, is still there.

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Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977) -

Charlie Chaplin standing next to a seated Paulette Goddard with fellow stars Norma Shearer and Franklyn Ardell pose for a photograph on their yacht anchored off Avalon in 1934.

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Errol Flynn (1909–1959) -

Clearly enjoying his Santa Catalina vacation is swashbuckling actor Errol Flynn, seen here in 1939 with his parents. One of the actor's most famous films, 1935's 'Captain Blood,' was made on the island.

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Orson Welles (1915–1985) -

Actor, director, and writer Orson Welles and Mexican actress Dolores del Río take to a pony and trap as a means to get around the island. Even in 1940, when this photograph was taken, automobiles were few and far between on Santa Catalina.

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Marilyn Monroe (1926–1962) -

Recognize this star in the making? It's Norma Jeane Baker, later known around the world as Marilyn Monroe, pictured in 1943 on the beach at Avalon. Her first husband, James Dougherty, was stationed on the island's boot camp at the time (during the Second World War, the island was closed to tourists and used for military training facilities). In the background is the familiar pier and the famous Catalina Casino.

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'Chinatown' (1974) -

Few movies are today made on Santa Catalina. The last picture of note that employed the island as a location was 'Chinatown,' directed by Roman Polanski and starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway. Several scenes were filmed on Catalina, including one showing the casino.

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Catalina Casino -

The iconic Catalina Casino opened in May 1929. The Art Deco building is a historic island landmark. It served originally as a movie theater on the main floor and a ballroom and promenade on the upper level. The theater, in fact, was one of the first purpose-built movie auditoriums in America. Curiously, it never actually served as a facility for gambling: it gets its name from the Italian language term casino, meaning a "gathering place."

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The Casino today -

Pictured: the auditorium as it appears today, the Art Deco interior carefully preserved. Movies are still screened regularly, and the Casino hosts the annual Catalina Film Festival.

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Catalina Film Festival -

The Catalina Film Festival takes place every September and draws some of Hollywood's biggest names to the island. Pictured is Sharon Stone accepting the Stanley Kramer Social Artist Award at the opening night of the 2013 event.

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Catalina in the 1960s -

Santa Catalina in the 1960s saw leisure facilities expand exponentially. The island became a celebrated game fishing and watersports destination— Catalina was and still is the starting point for the challenging Catalina Channel Swim, a 32-km (20 mi) test of endurance that ends near Point Vincente Lighthouse on the mainland. Avalon, meanwhile, was still the hangout of choice for Hollywood's elite.

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Natalie Wood (1938–1981) -

A regular visitor to the island throughout the 1960s and 1970s was film star Natalie Wood, seen here with husband Robert Wagner. But over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend in 1981, the actress became synonymous with Santa Catalina for all the wrong reasons.

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The mystery deepens -

On November 28, 1981, Natalie Wood was on board the motorboat Splendour (pictured) with Wagner and Christopher Walken, her co-star in 'Brainstorm.' The pair were taking a production break and had joined Wagner and the vessel's skipper, Dennis Davern, for an island jaunt.

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Drowning -

For reasons still unclear, Natalie Wood decided to disembark Splendour and make for the shore at Two Harbors, also known as "The Isthmus," in a small Valiant-brand inflatable dinghy (pictured). She didn't make it. The authorities recovered her body at 8 am on November 29 about 1.5 km (1 mi) away from the Spendour. Initially ruled as accidental on the death certificate, the document was later amended to indicate the cause was "drowning and other undetermined factors." In 2018 in another twist to this mysterious drama, Robert Wagner was named a "person of interest" by LA homicide detectives. To date, no further action has been taken by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

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Pacific playground -

An aerial view of Avalon in Santa Catalina. The casino is seen in the foreground. The dozens of motorboats seen in the bay are tethered to individual buoys.

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Avalon Pier -

The historic pier at Avalon, the same one seen in the background of the earlier Marilyn Monroe photograph.

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Two Harbors -

Two Harbors, otherwise known as "The Isthmus," is the second center of population on the island, after Avalon. Essentially a resort village, Two Harbors is deliberately low key and for the most part comprised of private accommodation.

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Fashionable destination -

Away from the larger and livelier destinations of Avalon and Two Harbors are places like this, the fashionable Descanso Beach Club, a popular celebrity haunt.

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Wildlife haven -

The Channel Islands archipelago is a haven for wildlife. Santa Catalina itself is a renowned diving spot. Numerous fish species including California sheephead, leopard sharks, white seabass, yellowtail, bat rays, and giant sea bass call the warm shallow waters off the Santa Catalina coast home.

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Catalina Island Conservancy -

The Catalina Island interior is owned and maintained by the Catalina Island Conservancy. A non-profit organization, the conservancy has overseen a number of groundbreaking environmental projects.

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Catalina Island fox -

Of recent note was the initiative to collar and track the endemic Catalina Island fox for survival monitoring. In 2000, the organization started a recovery process, and where there was once just 100 of these animals the species today numbers 1,850 at last count.

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Catalina bison herd -

Trekking the island's interior may well bring you into contact with the Catalina bison herd. These huge beasts were introduced to Catalina when several were brought to the island for the filming of the silent Western movie 'The Vanishing America' (1925). The scenes featuring the bison were actually left on the cutting room floor, but the animals stayed and found a permanent new home.

Sources: (The Guardian) (Reuters) (Los Angeles Times)

See also: Islands you can walk to at low tide

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