Tiki Magazine Spring 2011 - Tiki On Screen

Aloha...I wrote the article on Page 69 and would like to get your input. Did you like it?

Aloha,

I did enjoy the article Ron. I very much like Donovan's Reef. I have seen Forbidden Island once, but never the color version. I hope one day TCM pulls it out of the archives... The Trader Vic's-Honolulu would have been the original one on Ward Street...The move to the International Market Place took place in 1968.

Ron,

I enjoyed the article and hope to see more from you on the Tiki-Movie connection. This is, after all, your forte (one of many)! I this going to be a new feature in Tiki Magazine? I hope so.

DC

Hi Ron, it was a very informative article, liked it alot....

Amy

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!

Ron,

Really enjoyed the column and hope, like others here, to see it continue and even expanded...

Second only to The Quiet Man, Donovan's Reef is my favorite John Wayne movie, one I have in my personal DVD library. It was the last time that Wayne and John Ford made a picture together.

Regarding Bigbrotiki's note on Ford's yacht appearing in the film, according to Luis Reyes' book, Made in Paradise - Hollywood's Films of Hawaii and the South Seas, it was the screen debut of Ford's 110-foot Araner: "The Araner, portraying Wayne's trading ship in the picture, was made available by Ford to the Navy during World War II and served as the U.S.S. Araner from January 1942 to July 1944."

The two teenage daughters of Mike Mazurki were on the movie set with him. One of them, Michelle Mazurki, recalls in Herb Fagen's book, Duke, We're Glad We Knew You that "One day we were all standing around doing whatever, and they needed a stand-in for John Wayne. John Ford was there with that patch over his eye and with his hat on, and he's looking around. He's yelling for John Wayne's stand-in. Everyone is looking bewildered and kind of nodding at each other. Somehow they managed to forget to arrange a stand-in for John Wayne. Ford looks around and he decides that because I was the tallest person, I would stand in for Duke. All of the extras were dark-haired natives who were five feet or under. My sister and I were both over six feet tall and we were blonde. John Ford was running up and down the set and took one look at us and goes 'Put hats on those two.'... He points to me and goes, 'You, you'll be John Wayne's stand-in!' So I became the only woman who ever stood in for John Wayne in a movie."

-Tom

Ron,

I absolutely loved your column and hope it's a regular feature in Tiki Magazine. This area of Tiki in the movies hasn't been covered anywhere "in print" before and you are without a doubt the expert in the field!

Hope to see you at Tiki Oasis this year and I need to buy that Forbidden Island movie and any rare/obscure movies with a Les Baxter soundtrack. Do you happen to have Bora Bora?

Keep up the good work!

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

Aloha and thanks for your comments. Nick was very generous as far as text was concerned. Keep in mind that I am not a writer. After doing a more in depth review, I read it back and was a bit bored with it. I thought it would be better to keep the review brief (to entice you to view the movie on your own) and add photos to keep it more interesting. I prefer the combination of the two. JonPaul agreed and I think it came out better than I expected.

Most of these South Seas movies were done as "B" pictures and would not win any awards (except Aloma Of The South Seas which was nominated for an Oscar for Cinematography and won for Special Effects!) There may be awards for other movies but nothing that I am aware of for Acting or Screenplay.

I hope to continue the article and your positive comments may ensure that it does.

Jeff...I only have the 16mm trailer for Bora Bora and am waiting for some cash to get it transferred. Would love to find a copy of the film.

I am always looking for rare South Seas movies so if anyone has a lead on something interesting send me a PM.

During the opening scene of Donovan's Reef a group of kids are paddling an outrigger. It was filmed on Kauai and one of those kids is my uncle. My family has deep roots on Kauai and I still get a kick out of seeing him in the movie.