Since pioneer filmmakers arrived on its shoreline in the early 20th century, the Santa Monica beach has been a popular location for the making of movies and television productions. Its enchanting beauty led studio moguls, producers, and celebrities to build beach houses there, creating what became known as “Hollywood’s Playground.” The sand and shore of the Santa Monica beach became a favored site for the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Marion Davies, William Randolph Hearst, and Cary Grant. It was on this beach that the Academy Awards were conceived, the movie The Wizard of Oz sprang forth, and a young Pres. John F. Kennedy stunned beachgoers with a surprise ocean swim without the protection of Secret Service agents. In 1962, the beach became the center of the universe as the site of President Kennedy’s “Western White House,” where the visitors included Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Marilyn Monroe, and―famously―“anyone who was anyone.” Well-known Hollywood film historian Marc Wanamaker and lifeguard historian Arthur C. Verge have worked together to produce this colorful history of the beach that brought Hollywood to the world. Number of Pages: 128 Publishing House: Arcadia Publishing Imprint: Arcadia Publishing Series: Images of America Release Date: October 30, 2023 Location: California ISBN Number: 9781467160735 Book Format: Paperback BISAC Categories: HISTORY / United States / State & Local / West (AK, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, UT, WY) PHOTOGRAPHY / Subjects & Themes / Regional (see also TRAVEL / Pictorials) SPORTS & RECREATION / Surfing