From Casey Kasem to Shaggy from Scooby-Doo: Pismo Beach hotel has seen slew of famous guests
Looking at a building I wonder, what stories would it tell?
How has it changed over the years?
Today the Pismo Beach Club is a newly renovated boutique hotel with bright interiors and fully equipped kitchens for guests who want a home-like stay near the beach.
When it opened on May 23, 1925, it was called the Hotel Olsen, named after the couple who bought the lot for about $10,000 the year before.
An orchestra played and punch was served as the 32 rooms with en suite baths — including hot and cold water — when it opened.
Each of the three floors had a shower bath available “for those who prefer them.”
Style then included walnut wood paneling, Tiffany walls in blue and gold and white glass curtain windows.
An associated cafe with 14 booths, some of them private booths for ladies and six tables. On the menu was seafood and chicken dinners.
The Olsens ran the hotel for many years and later the property would have a series of names: Pismo Hotel, The Landmark and now Pismo Beach Club.
Under various owners and after various renovations, the property looked fairly similar from the outside but underwent changes inside as the uses changed over the decades from hotel to apartment living.
In 1982, it was proposed to become senior housing.
Perhaps the most famous guest was the man who created the voice for Shaggy Rogers in the Scooby-Doo cartoons.
But the hotel would also have some other claims to fame, including in 1968 when it housed the actors and crew for a film that would eventually be named “Wild Wheels.”
In 1968, Casey Kasem was a Los Angeles DJ and actor in the movie. Kasem played the role of Knife, leader of the motorcycle gang according to one reviewer.
The plot, according to the IMDB synopsis, was “a group of surfers on dune buggies protect their beach from a gang of invading bikers.”
The movie poster tag line was: “They Wreck Each Other’s Wheels and Steal Each Other’s Girls!!”
Perhaps predictably, all three reviews on the site say it was an incredibly bad movie.
Kasem would later achieve national fame with his radio show “American Top 40” which aired on Sunday playing the week’s most popular songs. I attended many flea markets at the Sunset Drive-In with his show playing in the background.
He signed off the radio show with: “And don’t forget: Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.”
The Telegram-Tribune carried this story July 18, 1968, talking about the movie that at that time had the working name “King of the Road,” but would later be released as “Wild Wheels.”
Unfortunately the photos from that story are not in the archive.
Buggies and ‘cycles: Movie-making at Pismo
Approximately 40 Hollywood moviemakers arrived here Monday to film “King of the Road” for Kendell & Associates, an independent production company.
The plot concerns dune buggies and motorcycles and the gals and guys that ride them.
Shooting is expected to continue through Sunday as cameras focus on the city’s beach and amusement areas, including Mayor Joe Rose’s Playland and Rose Garden Ballroom.
Ken Osborn, with 14 independent pictures to his credit, is directing the film. It features Casey Kasem, former Los Angeles disc jockey and TV host of Channel 5’s “Shebang.”
Other cast members include Bob Dix, son of the late actor, Richard Dix; Don Epperson; Terry Stafford; Bobby Clark; Dovie Beams; Nancy Brock; and Joanne Lamont.
Although relatively unknown, these actors have all appeared in several motion pictures.
Epperson, who sings four country songs in this film, recently completed a movie called “Wife Child.” Stafford sings a few “rock” tunes in the movie and was the vocalist on a recent recording, “Suspicion.”
Cast and crew are housed at the Pismo Hotel here and dined at Topper’s Restaurant Tuesday night. Several cast members were involved in scenes shot until 3 a.m. Wednesday.
They’re enthusiastic about Pismo Beach and claim everyone, especially the police department, has been most cooperative.
The youngsters here are fond of Kasem and like to follow him from hotel to shooting sites. He keeps a supply of long bubble gum sticks in his hip pocket and doesn’t seem to mind sharing with the local kids.
