Welcome to THE GREAT TIDE POOL
~Tales of Pacific Grove, California ~
by local award-winning author, Brad Herzog
THE OSCAR GOES TO…
February 1, 2026
Pacific Grove has had a long film career, dating all the way back to its first role in a 1916 silent film called The Eye of the Night. America’s Last Hometown has since hosted some first-rate film stars, including Shirley Temple (Captain January), Ginger Rogers (Primrose Path), Shelley Winters (The Devil’s Daughter), Donald Sutherland (The Winter of Our Discontent), Clint Eastwood (Play Misty for Me), and Tom Hanks (Turner and Hooch).
But none of the films set in Pacific Grove have been Academy Award winners. Until now. Since it’s Oscar season, I thought I’d offer a rundown of past Best Picture winners – each with a PG twist on the plot:
SUNRISE (1927): The story of a morning at Lovers Point spent watching the sun’s hello over Monterey Bay (PG being one of the only places on the West Coast where you can watch both a sunrise and a sunset over the water).
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930): When night falls in Pacific Grove, you can hear yourself think. And depending on which way the wind is blowing (GONE WITH THE WIND, 1939) you can hear everything from the waves crashing at Asilomar State Beach to “Taps” sounding at Monterey’s Defense Language Institute.
HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (1941): A sports thriller about the Par 4 fourth hole – known as Blind Birdie – at Pacific Grove Golf Links. The hole dips down toward a skinny green. Not quite a valley, but definitely downward.
ON THE WATERFRONT (1954): A lovely journey along the Recreation Trail between the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Lovers Point. Co-stars include pupping harbor seals and playful sea otters.
AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS (1956): A culinary expedition through Pacific Grove that includes drunken noodles at Mai Thai Cuisine, Israeli fried falafel nuggets at International Cuisine, tandoori chicken at Taste of India, moussaka at Petra Restaurant, and snapper Yucatán at Peppers MexiCali Café.
WEST SIDE STORY (1961): A gaggle of oglers gather at Asilomar Beach to watch the sun shout its farewell into the sea.
THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965): A waltz through various venues offering live music in PG, from Pop & Hiss to The Meeting House to Lucy’s on Lighthouse to the Asilomar Conference Grounds’ Summer Music Series.
THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971): A morning croissant at Patisserie Bechler followed by an evening meal of escargot and duck a l’orange at Fandango restaurant.
ROCKY (1976): A tidepooling adventure along Pacific Grove’s famous… rocky coastline.
AMERICAN BEAUTY (1999): A magic carpet ride – in the form of an amble along the pink-purple paradise that blooms in PG’s Perkins Park.
THE ARTIST (2011): A plein air painter captures the essence of the rocky outcropping at Lovers Point, then magically gets to experience the reality of it herself.
THE SHAPE OF WATER (2017): Surfers at Asilomar search for the perfect wave.
So, when you think about it, try coming up with a PG viewpoint that might rank as “best picture.” I contend there are too many to nominate.
