In Theaters

It was the size of the donation--$1 million to restore the historic Balboa Theatre--as well as the setting--breakfast at Denny’s--that preservationist Sue Cannon said “threw me for a loop.”

Newport Beach philanthropist Donna Crean invited Cannon, a member of the Balboa Performing Arts Theatre Foundation, to breakfast Saturday at the diner on Bristol Street in Costa Mesa. Cannon accepted, surmising that Crean would offer a “sizable” contribution to the restoration.

“My stomach was turning as I wondered what she was going to give us,” Cannon said. “We ordered coffee, then she took her checkbook out and starts writing. I leaned over the table and saw all those zeros, and I screamed.”

Crean smiled and calmly ordered a Denny’s Grand Slam breakfast from the waitress who had rushed over to see what the yelling was about, Cannon said.

The $1-million check, from Crean and her husband, John, will enable the foundation to complete the Balboa Theatre’s restoration, estimated to cost $2.5 million, Cannon said.

The group had only been able to raise $1.5 million before receiving the Creans’ latest donation, Cannon said. The Creans had previously given $100,000.

The theater on the Balboa Peninsula was constructed in 1927 and closed in 1992, when the cult favorite “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” was the only film being shown. Plans by Newport Beach officials to revitalize the peninsula included the theater’s destruction.

However, foundation members persuaded the city to purchase the building for $480,000 and lease it to them for $1 per year for 25 years. In return, the group agreed to renovate the aging structure and turn it into a cultural arts center, scheduled to open next fall.

Cannon, who is also public relations director for the foundation, said the Creans declined to talk about their contribution and instead issued a statement saying they decided to support the project in part because “of the fond memories we have of our children going to that theater.” John Crean, former CEO and chairman of Fleetwood Industries, made a fortune manufacturing recreational vehicles and motor homes before retiring in 1997. The Creans are known for their generous donations to various charities, including an annual Super Bowl party in their Santa Ana Heights home where upward of $30,000 is raised each year for troubled youths and their families.