Palisadian’s ‘P.O.P.’ Culture Book

Author/Illustrator Shares Amusement Park Memories

You might call it ‘a nostalgic book back” In ‘There Once Was a Place Called P.O.P.,’ author/illustrator Dave Doherty revives Pacific Palisades-childhood memories of Pacific Ocean Park, a beachside amusement park that loomed over the Venice/Santa Monica border from 1958 to 1967, before languishing for another eight years. ‘It had that ‘Scooby-Doo’ old abandoned amusement park thing,’ says Doherty, pithily summing up its appeal in baby-boomer fashion. ‘I went there when I was three years old. The most memorable time was when it was torn down. That’s when I became obsessed with it. I could see it from my roof. It was always on the horizon. ‘I still remember that elevator ride that scared the hell out of me. The Banana Train Ride at the very end of the pier was an amazing experience,’ continues Doherty, whose family home shared the Riviera Country Club’s view. Doherty, 46, attended Corpus Christi Elementary (class of ’76) and Palisades High School (class of ’80). P.O.P.’s owner from 1959 through 1964, John ‘Jack’ Morehart, also lived in the Palisades with his wife Frannie and their nine children. Doherty has always loved amusement parks, including Disneyland, but there was something about the nautical-themed P.O.P. that set it apart. ‘You entered Neptune’s Kingdom, and the rest of the park played off of that attraction,’ he says. After the park peaked, ‘It sat there for nine years on the beach falling apart. I thought, ‘Someone should clean this up.’ But I’m glad it wasn’t.’ Lingering memories of P.O.P. ultimately influenced Doherty’s career path. A former theme park creative executive, Doherty worked on the Las Vegas Star Trek simulation ride for Landmark Entertainment, and has done visual design research and project management for Universal. ‘It’s the science of fun,’ says Doherty, who moved from the Palisades in 1985 to Atlanta, followed by 13 years in Glendale. Retired, he now resides with his German shepherd Jake and pit bull Rhoda near Palm Springs in the very house used in Tears for Fear’s video for the 1985 hit song, ‘Everyone Wants to Rule the World’ (years before he moved in). ‘I’ve painted my whole life,’ Doherty says, who for one season created backgrounds for the long-running prime-time cartoon ‘King of the Hill.’ ‘It wasn’t till I moved here that I really got into it.’ His debut book, ‘P.O.P.’ features illustrations combining acrylics, pastels and charcoals to create a whimsical, impressionistic, Chagall-meets-Wayne Thiebaud effect. While ‘P.O.P.’ is technically a children’s book, Doherty sees it as a family book. ‘It’s for kids,’ he explains, ‘and for parents who enjoy reading a storybook and say, ‘I actually went there!” He’s met many people in random fashion with a P.O.P. connection’past employees, patrons. ‘Everyone I talked to has the most unbelievable memories of this place,’ says Doherty, who has done his share of P.O.P. research. Ben O’Dorisio was the creative guy behind the L.A. Turf Club, which originally created the park in conjunction with CBS for $10 million. Fred Harpman, an MGM art director whose credits include Woody Allen’s ‘Take the Money and Run,’ conceptualized the amusement park. Doherty found his visual inspiration while on assignment. ‘I have never seen a good collection of photographs of this place,’ he says. ‘The photographs I worked from on this book I found in Warner Bros.’ archives. ‘It was designed by a bunch of people who were film designers. Jay North led the parade in 1962, Fabian performed there, Wink Martindale had a show there. It’s like a jewelry box of another time.’ Visit www.rippop.com for P.O.P. archival photos and Doherty’s illustrations.