Hawaiian musician and Tiki restaurant decorater remembers:

This is part of memoir by musician Ralph Kolsiana taken from the "The Hawaiian Steel Guitar and Its Great Hawaiian Musicians" by Lorene Ruymar. 1996

At the time he wrote this he was 80 years old and recounting his fascinating life in music. I thought this would be good to have as part of the "database" here on TC. Naturally I have no idea about the validity, but perhaps it helps put a name to some of the many often anonymous classic mid-century Tiki carvings and decorations:

. . . "I then joined Max Reid's Tropic Islanders and during that time I created my line of Polynesian artifact and tikis, masks of the South Pacific, battle clubs, drums, and a line of coconut dishes. During this 5-year period I also went into partnership with the Kelbos brothers of the Kelbos Hawaiian Barbeque Spareribs fame. I did most of the Island decorating of their restaurants both in L.A. and in Miami.

Through them I was contacted by a Mr. Stephen Crane, the husband of actress Lana Turner, who later was accused of murdering the man who seduced her daughter, a former well-known gangster Johnny Stampanado. Mr. Crane owned the famous Luau Restaurant and Club located on Rodeo Drive, frequented by the rich and famous. My partner Ted Keep and I ran the gift shop and I carved most of the tikis and artifacts as decorations in the club. I designed all the fabrics for Hawaiian shirts, lavalavas, pareos, holokus, muumuuus, and srongs."

[ Edited by: ManFromT.I.K.I. 2008-05-01 11:28 ]

Interesting info. It is indeed unclear who provided some of the bigger carvings for the Luau. Gabe recalled some primitive art gallery in Beverly Hills whose name had escaped him. The elders at O.A. might remember this guy's name.

This is the picture that accompanies the article. Kolsiana is standing, center at the steel guitar.

The Coral Islanders, 1954

Havn't looked at my book for a while, but it's cool to see Sam Kapuni and the legendary Sol Bright in this pic again.