Post #578805 by senioraqua on Fri, Mar 4, 2011 6:21 AM

I purchased some of the Lanai mugs awhile back on eBay and have been interested as to why this bar was so short lived under this name and changed to Hawaii Kai. I found articles that shed some light on the time line.

March 24th '61 - Monte Prosser (restaurateur and Broadway producer) and Joe Kipness (Broadway producer and business man) are opening the Lanai together.

March 28th '61 - Work is still being done on the bar and it looks like Joe Kipness has the main stake in Lanai.

Dec. 6th '61 - Monte left NYC for Vegas.

Jan. 17 '62 - Joe is now full owner of Lanai and changed the
name to Hawaii Kai.

Here are a couple articles on Monte Prosser during the era of the Lanai. Sounds like Monte had bad luck with gambling on horses and the success of Broadway shows. I read somewhere that the mob even took The Copa from him. Guess he thought his luck would be better rolling the dice in Vegas.

[ Edited by: senioraqua 2011-03-04 06:40 ]

[ Edited by: senioraqua 2011-03-04 06:41 ]