early 1950's Waikiki - Clouds, Little Dipper, Orchid Room - General Tiki

I ikitnrev Tiki Socialite D.C. / Virginia Joined: Jul 27, 2002 Posts: 1325	I ikitnrev Posted posted on Sat, Jan 2, 2010 9:37 AM I earlier today came across a great set of photos on flickr (from a user named sugarbarre), that documents part of the nightclub/music/celebrity scene that was taking place in Waikiki during the early 1950's. It documents a nightclub singer named Reta Rey, who back then arranged to have herself and her then 14 year old daughter (the flickr account owner) flown to Hawaii. Rita Rey eventually became part owner of several clubs there. Even though they contain no tikis, and are mostly in black and whitethe photos are wonderful. There are lots of B-celebrity shots - Abbot and Costello, Ed Kenney (before he became famous), Christine Jorgensen (first person to change their sex from male to female), and even an actor rumored to have one of the largest penises - not to mention the pro wrestlers and midget singers. The best way to view these photos is visit each photo stream (each named for a different nightclub), select the first photo, read the quite extensive and captivating notes, and then proceed to the next photo, and on down the line. Reading these captions will definitely enhance your viewing pleasure. It must have been an amazing experience - female, 15, in Hawaii, and meeting all these celebrities. 1st set: The Clouds http://www.flickr.com/photos/sugarbarre100/sets/72157622380503758/ 2nd set: The Little Dipper http://www.flickr.com/photos/sugarbarre100/sets/72157622380459638/ 3rd set: The Orchid Room http://www.flickr.com/photos/sugarbarre100/sets/72157622306183327/ And to finish up, here is a website dedicated to Reta Ray - lots of cool info in here! http://www.tyleralpern.com/retaray.html Enjoy! Vern [ Edited by: ikitnrev 2010-01-02 09:38 ] [ Edited by: ikitnrev 2010-01-02 09:39 ]
B bigbrotiki Tiki Socialite Tiki Island, above the Silverlake Joined: Mar 25, 2002 Posts: 11621	B bigbrotiki Posted posted on Sat, Jan 2, 2010 10:24 AM Wow, Mr. internet sleuth is back, and how! Amazing life, lives and stories, and all those people, where are they now... And that Orchid nightclub interior looks positively bland...but who cares, it looks like they had more fun than in any fully decked out Tiki temple! :)
T tikiyaki Tiki Socialite The Exotic Port of REDONDO BEACH, CA Joined: May 18, 2004 Posts: 2725	T tikiyaki Posted posted on Sat, Jan 2, 2010 11:31 AM People sure got decked out when they went out back then. The outfits and hairstyles....amazing.

I

ikitnrev Posted posted on Sat, Jan 2, 2010 9:37 AM

I earlier today came across a great set of photos on flickr (from a user named sugarbarre), that documents part of the nightclub/music/celebrity scene that was taking place in Waikiki during the early 1950's. It documents a nightclub singer named Reta Rey, who back then arranged to have herself and her then 14 year old daughter (the flickr account owner) flown to Hawaii. Rita Rey eventually became part owner of several clubs there.

Even though they contain no tikis, and are mostly in black and whitethe photos are wonderful. There are lots of B-celebrity shots - Abbot and Costello, Ed Kenney (before he became famous), Christine Jorgensen (first person to change their sex from male to female), and even an actor rumored to have one of the largest penises - not to mention the pro wrestlers and midget singers.

The best way to view these photos is visit each photo stream (each named for a different nightclub), select the first photo, read the quite extensive and captivating notes, and then proceed to the next photo, and on down the line. Reading these captions will definitely enhance your viewing pleasure. It must have been an amazing experience - female, 15, in Hawaii, and meeting all these celebrities.

1st set: The Clouds
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sugarbarre100/sets/72157622380503758/

2nd set: The Little Dipper
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sugarbarre100/sets/72157622380459638/

3rd set: The Orchid Room
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sugarbarre100/sets/72157622306183327/

And to finish up, here is a website dedicated to Reta Ray - lots of cool info in here!
http://www.tyleralpern.com/retaray.html

Enjoy!
Vern

[ Edited by: ikitnrev 2010-01-02 09:38 ]

[ Edited by: ikitnrev 2010-01-02 09:39 ]

B

bigbrotiki Posted posted on Sat, Jan 2, 2010 10:24 AM

Wow, Mr. internet sleuth is back, and how! Amazing life, lives and stories, and all those people, where are they now...

And that Orchid nightclub interior looks positively bland...but who cares, it looks like they had more fun than in any fully decked out Tiki temple! :)

T

tikiyaki Posted posted on Sat, Jan 2, 2010 11:31 AM

People sure got decked out when they went out back then. The outfits and hairstyles....amazing.