Savage Renewal: Paradise of the Pacific Magazine

Yesterday afternoon, I found the July and August, 1956 and June, 1957 issues of Paradise of the Pacific Magazine buried in a dusty pile of travel periodicals at a local antique mall. I was initially attracted to these magazines for their great graphic design sensibility, gorgeous island photography, and advertisments from classic tiki establishments known and loved here on T.C.. As I read them more closely, I was surprised to discover the depth of respect and knowledge of Hawaiian traditions on display within the pages of each issue. Clearly, this was more than just some throwaway rag for tourists.

I did a bit of googling, and it turns out that Paradise in the Pacific is one of the longest-running periodicals in the U.S. and according to the website of Honolulu Magazine, it was chartered by royal decree:

"In 1888, when Hawai'i was still a monarchy, King Kalakaua commissioned a magazine under royal charter to be Hawai'i's ambassador to the world. That magazine was Paradise of the Pacific. For nearly a century, Paradise of the Pacific promoted local business and tourism by assuring citizens of the United States that the Islands were civilized. In 1966, Paradise of the Pacific became Honolulu Magazine and shifted focus dramatically. No longer would it be Hawai'i's ambassador to the outside world. Instead, it became a magazine by and for the people of the Islands."

Here's the cover of the July, 1956 issue. The artwork is by George Logue:

This page shows ads for Trader Vic's and Don the Beachcomber, among others:

The "People In Paradise" section of the magazine has Hollywood stars like Dick Powell, Robert Mitchum, Spencer Tracy, and Joan Collins getting lei'd at the airport:

The beautiful map in this advertisement graces the back cover of every issue:

Cover of the June, 1957 issue:

Article on the history of King Kamehameha Day. Note the tikis in the top lithograph:

Article on the "new" International Marketplace development:

History of the Ukulele:

Cover of the August, 1957 issue:

A recipe for Pupus (as the article helpfully explains, "pronounced, 'poo-poos'"):

You can view more scans from Paradise of the Pacific, along with pages from a 1966 hotel guide called Here's Hawaii, in my Vintage Hawaiiana gallery.

Enjoy!

Great find! Who knew there was such a magazine? I'll be on the lookout for those myself.

On 2006-05-01 02:31, pappythesailor wrote:
Great find! Who knew there was such a magazine? I'll be on the lookout for those myself.

I had never heard of it either. I wonder what their circulation was here on the mainland back in the 50s and 60s?

bummer, I can't see any of the pictures.
I'll have to check, I think I have an issue or two of this magazine.

On 2006-05-01 07:41, exotica59 wrote:
bummer, I can't see any of the pictures.

Hmm, There's a chance that you may share the same ISP as some dirty, rotten spammer that I have blocked. If you PM me with the name of your provider, or the IP address of your system, I can check on it.

If anyone is having problems, please let me know.

Weblog: Eye of the Goof

[ Edited by: MrBaliHai 2006-05-01 09:54 ]

That is the same magazine that I have. The one I just dug out is a 1959 Holiday Edition and it states that it is the 70th annual!
I love the pictures so glad I can see them from my home computer.
I'll try to get some pictures added in from this edition.

On 2006-05-01 15:16, exotica59 wrote:
I'll try to get some pictures added in from this edition.

Looking forward to seeing them! Glad to hear that the viewing problems cleared up.

Any way to repost those pictures?

Saw this today

On 2015-04-08 19:44, hang10tiki wrote:
Any way to repost those pictures?

Saw this today

hang10tiki, it's interesting to note that neither Don's or Trader Vic's blurb include an address or locational reference, as though everyone already knows the locations well enough. But, I could be reading too much into it.

Good point

Also:
No TV or DTB Waikiki under locating tiki

Or am I missing something?

A guy who looks out for stuff for me had about 20 issues of the magazine for sale about two weeks ago. I flipped through them all and the only partially interesting article I found was about making Tapa. I passed on the stack of them. They were 2 for $5. If anyone wants them, let me know and I'll see if he still has them.

I have one issue that had a good Leetag article in it:

1965 Paradise of the Pacific magazine

Leeteg ad when you open it:

Buzzy Out!