Post #588820 by bigbrotiki on Wed, May 11, 2011 7:19 PM

Bongo, I'm glad you're doing this column, sharing your knowledge about South Seas movies. I bet you wish you would have more room, for text AND visuals both (nudge nudge, Nick).

I like the info relating to Tiki elements, even down to the TIPSY factor. While many movie set design concepts were employed in Tiki Lounges (fake palms, bamboo huts, dioramas with rain effects), Tikis were just background props in most of these films, so I wanna know what to expect in terms of Tiki content.

I would like to see a little more critical perspective, too. Many of these films are just plain bad (like "I Sailed to Tahiti with an All-Girl Crew") but sometimes that IS why we love them. There's no harm in admitting that. :)

Here is some internet critic's perspective on "Donavan's Reef" for example that I found interesting:

"Some of the actors are too damn old, Wayne particularly. He’s wearing a rug, but from the hairline down he occasionally looks like Lyndon Johnson. This, when he’s playing a love scene with Elizabeth Allen, is not exactly a plus. Dorothy Lamour, pushing fifty and still wearing a sarong, is given a musical number that would fit right in at Talent Night at the Motion Picture Country Home." :lol:

Realizing this, it makes total sense that the production was an aging director's idea of fun with his pals:

"Ford wanted to take his old pals to Hawaii for a bit of fun, and doubtless they all saw each other through younger eyes. The film’s full of character actors from Ford’s earlier films, and Ford kids, and Wayne kids. There’s even a bit part for Ford’s yacht."

But that is cool, and not being "mean". We like those ol' fogies!