Wrigley descendants and John Davidson make for an entertaining evening
With a nearly full moon illuminating Avalon Bay on a spectacular fall evening, entertainer John Davidson serenaded a crowd that included three great-granddaughters of William Wrigley Jr. as Moonlight over Bellissimo raised money to continue the restoration of the historic Chimes Tower.
The distinctive chimes have greeted Catalina residents and visitors since 1925, when William Wrigley Jr. and his wife Ada Elizabeth Wrigley purchased the Westminster chimes from Chicago’s J.C. Deagan Company.
Soon thereafter, the Wrigleys had the distinctive Spanish-style tower built as their permanent home. Only half of the 440 chimes ever produced by the Deagan Company are still in operation today.
“We are making a lot of progress,” said Wrigley descendant Alison Wrigley Rusack, as she opened the evening’s fundraiser. Also, she provided attendees a brief report on the continuing efforts to restore the Chimes towers and fulfill Ada’s dream of having the chimes greet visitors into perpetuity.
“We are now in the very expensive phase,” said Rusack, “strengthening the walls of the tower and restoring them. “I won’t get into all the details but trust me, we are working hard.”
Rusack even noted the unexpected complications of removing a “very large hive of bees” from the tower before the restoration work could begin.
She thanked board members Gina Long and Katherine Stevens for their work organizing the event, Kristan Metcalf for her media work and Billy Delbert for arranging for John Davidson as the evening’s entertainment.
“My wife Anni Marshall and I truly love this community,” said Delbert. He noted that Davidson’s return to Catalina is always ironic in that he credits the entertainer for his marriage to Marshall, Avalon’s mayor.
Delbert, who has an entertainment background, said he met Marshall when he worked for Davidson when they came to Catalina in the 1970s to host Davidson’s Singer’s Summer Camp.
Delbert said he and Davidson remained good friends even after he married Marshall and moved to Avalon.
Davidson was then one of the top singers in the country, packing top venues and later leveraging his popularity to host TV shows such as “Hollywood Squares,” “That’s Incredible” and guest hosting for Johnny Carson on “The Tonight Show.”
“Please welcome my good friend John Davidson,” said Delbert, as Davidson took the stage, accompanied only by his acoustic guitar.
“This island has meant so much to me down through my life,” said Davidson, who stood on an elevated stage overlooking Avalon Bay. “I started coming here when I lived in Hollywood,” said a wistful Davidson, who seamlessly wove a treasure trove of show business stories, popular songs and humor into a unique entertainment experience for the crowd.
Pointing out into the moonlit night, Davidson recalled having his own yacht anchored in the bay, and also recalling the time he “teased a poor buffalo” and ended up in the Avalon hospital for three days.
Davidson said he first fell in love with Catalina Island more than 40 years ago when he hosted a “Singer’s Summer Camp” in Toyon Bay during the summers of 1978 and 1979. Davidson brought top singers such as Kenny Rogers, Lionel Ritchie and Florence Henderson to the island to act as coaches for the hundreds of singers who attended the camps.
Last year, he returned to the island with more than 40 of the singers who first attended the camps and later enjoyed very rewarding show business careers.
“Can you believe it,” said Davidson, “I am 77 years old. I am older than I have ever been in my life,” he said. He told the audience about coming out to California “as a preacher’s kid” and remembers meeting Richard Pryor and George Carlin during his first gig. “They were smoking something I had never seen before. I came from a VERY conservative background,” he said.
“It was sickening how clean cut I was,” he joked.
“The older I get, however, the more confused I am,” he added, saying that the more he learns, the most questions he has about life. “I’m still trying to figure out what I want for the last part of my life. Maybe I’ll live in Avalon (see related story above).” Davidson sang for more than an hour, including a mix of original songs like “I’m in My 70’s” and popular favorites like “Green, Green Grass of Home” and “Country Roads.”
In fact, Davidson confided with the audience that he often returns to a small, three-acre parcel in the Northeast near where he grew up, just to wander around. “Maybe I’m trying to find that little Johnny Davidson… to see if I could even talk to him…and if he would he even like what’s become of me.”
Following the performance, Davidson and Geoff Rusack did a back-and-forth routine through the rest of the evening as they mastered a Japanese style auction to raise funds for the tower.
In fact, Rusack informed the crowd that during the period when Davidson was hosting “The Tonight Show,” he was a page at NBC, the network that aired the show. “I ushered in people to see you,” said Rusack.
“Thanks,” said Davidson.
Davidson even agreed to cook scrambled eggs for one bidder that made it a condition to bid $10,000 to add new lighting to Chimes Tower. Rusack said they needed this amount to restore the lighting that once adorned the “tippy top” of the Chimes Tower. Davidson said he would cook eggs for the bidder.
The Moonlight over Bellissimo Committee had no immediate estimate of the amount raised but participants lingered long after the event to savor the richness of the evening. “Look at the moon, look at the bay, we’re rich to have this,” Davidson exclaimed.
In addition to Alison Wrigley Rusack, two other great-granddaughters of William Wrigley Jr. attended the event, including Blanny Avalon Hagenah and Misdee Wrigley Miller.
Hagenah, in fact, hosted the event at one of her island homes that overlooks the Casino and Avalon Bay. “It was a beautiful evening and a successful fundraiser. John Davidson was most entertaining, a terrific guy,” said Hagenah.
Contributions to the Tower Restoration are still being accepted. If you would like to help restore the Chimes Tower, you can send a tax-deductible contribution to The Catalina Chimes Tower Foundation, P.O. Box 677, Avalon, CA 90704.
For more information, please visit www.catalinachimes.org.
