The Polynesian Floor Show - (Vintage!) thread - General Tiki

S Swanky Tiki Socialite Hapa Haole Hideaway, Knoxville, TN Joined: Apr 03, 2002 Posts: 5398	S Swanky Posted posted on Tue, Sep 13, 2011 10:00 AM DC, Your images show a cross-over already! Yankee Clipper South Pacific Same guy (bassist at SP) in both shows. Sven, You know I can bust some knowledge here.... but, no Mai-Kai? When I have talked to these old-timers from the Mai-Kai, they tell me about how they got here from Samoa, Tahiti, etc. And it is usually family. But yes, they had a "Poi Circle" they traveled. In winter they were in Florida and in summer they were up north. They all said there were many many more places than ever showed up in Tiki Road Trip. Toti, from the Mai-Kai, for example, said he was working in the "South Pacific" in Chicago when he was called down to be made permanent at the Mai-Kai. No record of that place. I've seen scrapbooks with so much info. Toti worked originally at DtB in Hawaii before migrating to the mainland. I have one Mai-Kai performer friend who is also a mug and ephemera collector. Collecting stuff from places he actually worked! Amazing collection no one has seen in our community. These people are still around and worked at so many of the places we want to know about. The Mai-Kai pretty much kept the same performers from about 1962 on. Very little change in the line-up. They scouted out the best in the country and hired them for life. Well before 1956 they all were working all over the country and had strong communities.

DC,

Your images show a cross-over already!

Yankee Clipper

South Pacific

Same guy (bassist at SP) in both shows.

Sven,

You know I can bust some knowledge here.... but, no Mai-Kai?

When I have talked to these old-timers from the Mai-Kai, they tell me about how they got here from Samoa, Tahiti, etc. And it is usually family. But yes, they had a "Poi Circle" they traveled. In winter they were in Florida and in summer they were up north. They all said there were many many more places than ever showed up in Tiki Road Trip. Toti, from the Mai-Kai, for example, said he was working in the "South Pacific" in Chicago when he was called down to be made permanent at the Mai-Kai. No record of that place. I've seen scrapbooks with so much info. Toti worked originally at DtB in Hawaii before migrating to the mainland.

I have one Mai-Kai performer friend who is also a mug and ephemera collector. Collecting stuff from places he actually worked! Amazing collection no one has seen in our community.

These people are still around and worked at so many of the places we want to know about.

The Mai-Kai pretty much kept the same performers from about 1962 on. Very little change in the line-up. They scouted out the best in the country and hired them for life. Well before 1956 they all were working all over the country and had strong communities.

Post #606574 by Swanky on Tue, Sep 13, 2011 10:00 AM