Catalina from A to Z: Intriguing Isthmus Movie Colony

Hello, and welcome to the Blogging A to Z Challenge! This year my theme is Catalina from A to Z, featuring posts about the Southern California island of Catalina. With a focus on the island’s romantic side, I’ll be sharing info about where to go, what to see and do, plus a few sneak peeks from my novel in progress, Wife For A Weekend, which is set on the island!

The Isthmus is located on the western end of Catalina Island, where it’s better known as the village of Two Harbors. Although most visitors to the island come to enjoy the city of Avalon, Two Harbors is much more rustic and offers a different vibe altogether. Camping is more common than luxury accommodations on this side of the island, and outdoor enthusiasts will find plenty of water sports to occupy their time, such as snorkeling, scuba diving, kayaking and sailing.

The Isthmus Movie Colony was so named during the era of big Hollywood productions that used Catalina as a filming location during the 1920s and 30s. Movies like The Mutiny on the Bounty and Treasure Island were shot here (with Catalina standing in for Polynesian locations), and according to The Hollywood Reporter dailies were processed in the Casino to avoid having to make boat trips back to the studios in LA.

The Wife for a Weekend connection

In my romance novel, Wife for a Weekend, Hollywood is back on the island to shoot the movie Island Romance, starring Diego Raphael and Vivian Violette. Naturally, everyone assumes the two stars will fall in love on set, just like they do in the movies – but real life isn’t quite like a Hollywood romance, is it? Find out just how Diego and Vivian deal with being thrown together for a long weekend on the Island of Romance by pre-ordering a copy of the book!

Eager to learn more about Catalina?

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