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The TV show, "Hawaiian Eye", was the first exposure for many of us to
Tiki culture (Wikipedia
link) . The carved figure is a Tiki.
Read more here about this 1959-1963 private eye show starring Robert Conrad, Anthony Eisley, Connie Stevens and Poncie Ponce. |
William Froug (IMDb), brother
of the retail magnate (Froug's in Tulsa), was a very successful producer
in Hollyweird. He produced such memorable shows as "Adventures in Paradise"
as well as a number of episodes of the original "Twilight Zone".
Regarding honeymoon cruise and note about Kahanamoku statue: In 1953, while in transit from a North Atlantic cutter assignment to the cutter Iroquois, based in Honolulu, I stopped for a few days on the west coast. Former KOTV director Herb Lightman, who was working in LA at his own company, invited me to join him for dinner out in the San Fernando Valley at Tex Ritter's house. Ritter and his wife Dorothy, a former starlet in western movies, had two children who were playing on the floor as we sat talking. One of the boys had CP and the other helped him as they played. That kid's name was John, and he's had a hell of a career for himself. During dinner, Dorothy Ritter said that since I was going to Hawaii, I should look up an old friend of theirs, Duke Kahanamoku, whom they had met through his work in motion pictures. I silently doubted that I'd do it, but I said I would certainly check up on Duke when I got there. After I'd settled in on the Iroquois, we docked near the Aloha Tower, in Honolulu, and I saw a charter fishing boat nearby. On deck was a guy who could only be Duke Kahanamoku. I called out, introducing myself, adding that the Ritters had said I should say 'Hello' should I run across him. The result was that he invited me to dinner with him and his wife at their home and treated me, a swabbie from Oklahoma, as though I were an old friend. I'm glad he got the statue.
Our cruise ship also docked near the Aloha Tower. Thanks for the great story, Jim.
I was first directed to Tulsa TV by my good friend Cody Hoover, a native of Tulsa now living on Maui. I was surprised to see pix of my other great friends, Gecko & Ailie, in our old stomping grounds on Oahu, La Mariana Sailing Club. We just recently lost Augie Colon and Martin Denny, undisputed king of Exotica. Martin was a lovely man, and I had the pleasure of meeting him several times and visiting him in his home with Gecko & Ailie. Gecko made a custom tiki bar for Martin, and my other half, Michael, did a custom montage of Martin's album covers for the bar top, which was then sealed under a thick resin coat on top of monkeypod. Martin loved it...and Gecko loved Martin. We'll all miss him and I count myself extremely lucky to have met him. We were all glad he lived to see Tiki and Exotica make a comeback. He performed right to the end of his life and would come alive in front of the crowds. And, you can bet there were ALWAYS standing ovations for the king. Anyway, cool site! Enjoyed seeing it. Check me out at TikiQueenArts.com and let me know if you enjoyed my stuff. Thanks, Holly Lewis a.k.a. Tiki Queen
Anyone remember the Kon-Tiki on Admiral near Yale? A big tiki head statue with lit-up eyes stood in front of a thatched tiki hut/bar. This would have been in the early 60s during the general exotica craze. Does that sound familiar to anyone?
I still have some strange mugs and glasses that look tiki to me that I bought about 1969 or 1970 from the first Pier One Import, back when it was a really cool place full of all kinds of off-beat junk. It still handles some unique merchandise but it is much more of a mainstream store. One odd little building that may have had a tiki theme is just west of Sheridan on the north side of 11th (actually west of Yale and Admiral...webmaster). It is round with a simu-thatch roof. It is repainted now but at one time it had a definite grass hut look. It has been a used car lot for years, maybe always, but maybe someone knows the origin.
As an answer to Lowell Burch's question ...I believe it to be the original location (there was only one)...of KON-TIKI-KONEY... a coney joint drive in with a definite Polynesian decor... flaming torches at the entrance, and all...sorry, no hula dancing car hops, you had to go to the little "grass shack" yourself and place your order....as I recall, the coneys weren't bad (as though you could make a bad coney) but unfortunately, the place didn't last too long as a coney joint...the building has lasted considerably longer than any of the subsequent businesses at the location have survived...
Webmaster, you are still in Kansas. There was indeed a tiki lounge complete with thatched roof and that statue you mentioned. It was on Admiral between Pittsburgh and Yale on the south side of the street.
I remember the Tiki on Admiral. As an child Eastsider from the 60's-70's, it was one of the landmarks I remember when we went up Admiral to go Downtown.
As I remember, the Kon-Tiki on Admiral had some pretty good coney dogs. Now, not in the class of the Coney Island downtown or even Jim's Never On Sunday, but pretty good nevertheless.
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| Must have had one too many Mai Tais at the Tiki Nook Club...I can't remember
much about it today, except the band was usually "Front Page News" in 1983.
"Mai Tai" does mean "out of this world" in Tahitian. |
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| The Tiki Nook was located at the Trade Winds West at 1120 E. Skelly Drive.
The Trade Winds was also the site of KAKC's broadcast
studio during its Top 50/Big 30 heyday (60s-70s).
Trade Winds West originally hosted Club Traders Cove (see photo below). Trade Winds Central boasted the Showboat.
Pertaining to the Trade Winds West, one summer when I was a kid, my old lady took my brothers and me there to swim. While she had the lobby door open for us to go in, out came Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys. I didn't realize who he was at the time, but my brother recognized him immediately. Enraged by this opportunistic behavior, she let go of the door, which caught old Carl in the gut. One of the Beach Boys right behind him witnessed this incident, and, filled with remorse, held the door for her. *Tim is the individual who hassles me about Jade East. |
(from GB 291) Janna Bailey of Silverdale, WA said: "I love your website
and I wanted to send you a picture of me and my
brother at Trade Winds West in Tulsa 1970. I remember KAKC being there and
I thought that Donny Osmond was really
inside singing, not realizing they were playing records."
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The Trade Winds' restaurant/club was known as the Club Trade Winds before it became the Tiki Nook, As you can see, the Tiki was an integral part of the concept from the start. |
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,
2/20/2009:
(from Guestbook 107 and email) Kevin Reiswig
said:
(Left: Lorrie at Trader Vic's in Chicago.)
(from GB 119) 
The Kon-Tiki Koni
head appeared to be made of heavily lacquered
papier-mâchè and was a garish orange-ish color. I remember
it being at least 7' tall. Tom Lester told me that colored light bulbs served
as the eyes, one red, one green, flashing alternately. A speaker in the mouth
blared South Seas music, occasionally prompting someone from Rose Hill Cemetery
across the street to ask for the volume to be reduced. Smoke from the meat
smoker issued festively from the nose.
Here's another manifestation of Tulsa Tiki:
