Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Ahead of tonight’s Newport Beach Film Festival screening, I spoke with director Ed Olen about his new documentary, "Sin City: Newport Beach," a vivid dive into the city's untamed past. In our interview, I joke with Olen that he only difference between then and now is that instead of a money directly exchanging hands for lewd and lascivious behavior, it transitioned into a black card and a posh home.
Based on the book, "Bawdy Balboa," by Judge Robert Gardner, the film uncovers the scandalous history of Newport Beach, CA in the 1920s and ’30s, when the now-upscale coastal enclave was a gritty hotspot for illegal booze, backroom gambling and raucous nightlife. Through the lens of rowdy dance halls, a thriving brothel, a powerful madame and two larger-than-life Dukes, Olen reveals how this bawdy beach town evolved into the world-class luxury destination it is today.
To purchase tickets for "Sin City: Newport Beach at the Newport Beach Film Festival Visit: newportbeachff2025.eventive.org/films/68b8a337c8a780424d5396ff
"Sin City: Newport Beach" Screens at:
Showings – select to order tickets:
Tue, Oct 21st, 8:00 PM @ Lido Theater
#sincity #newportbeach #newportbeachfilmfest #nbff #documentary #interview #fanboynation
Ahead of tonight’s Newport Beach Film Festival screening, I spoke with director Ed Olen about his new documentary, "Sin City: Newport Beach," a vivid dive into the city's untamed past. In our interview, I joke with Olen that he only difference between then and now is that instead of a money directly exchanging hands for lewd and lascivious behavior, it transitioned into a black card and a posh home.
Based on the book, "Bawdy Balboa," by Judge Robert Gardner, the film uncovers the scandalous history of Newport Beach, CA in the 1920s and ’30s, when the now-upscale coastal enclave was a gritty hotspot for illegal booze, backroom gambling and raucous nightlife. Through the lens of rowdy dance halls, a thriving brothel, a powerful madame and two larger-than-life Dukes, Olen reveals how this bawdy beach town evolved into the world-class luxury destination it is today.
To purchase tickets for "Sin City: Newport Beach at the Newport Beach Film Festival Visit: newportbeachff2025.eventive.org/films/68b8a337c8a780424d5396ff
"Sin City: Newport Beach" Screens at:
Showings – select to order tickets:
Tue, Oct 21st, 8:00 PM @ Lido Theater
#sincity #newportbeach #newportbeachfilmfest #nbff #documentary #interview #fanboynation
