LETTER TO LESLIE WILCOX, PBS HAWAII

Original Halekulani Hotel

An Open Letter to Leslie Wilcox, PBS Hawaii and whoever wrote,

researched and directed the recent musical special taped at the Halekulani Hotel.

Contrary to the reviews, which were full of oohs, aahs and platitudes as often is the case in Hawaii, more so by the day as Old Timers pass on and others like yourself try to maintain some semblance of professionalism when it comes to the one commodity in our islands that is sweeter than malasadas, cooler than the trade winds (the ones that can weave their way through the cement jungle sections of town), more fun than mahjong, betting on high school football or even a trip to Vegas itself. What could that possibly be?

It is Nostalgia. We who lived it rather than heard about it second or thirdhand or “learned” it on Wikipedia or manifest some of the other symptoms of the semi-informed when it comes to the subject of what happened, where, when, how and who was involved. It is a measure of the weakness of the University of Hawaii’s journalism and communications curriculum and methods that becomes obvious when their graduates assume responsibility for accurately and fairly reporting on what is happening today let alone venture into the slipstream of our kama’aina lives, those of us who lived the events, smelled the lei, were friends with legends many have only heard of nowadays and doing the stuff that is now purveyed in “media” as The Old Days.

When I was born seventy-three years ago my parents lived in a cottage a Kuhio and Seaside Avenues in Waikiki. I read recently in the sad remnants of what used to be our daily newspapers that, “The most dangerous spot in Hawaii,” is now located at that very intersection.

Growing up I did not see picture postcards of Diamond Head, the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Kapiolani Park, the Ala Wai and so on. No all that was my playground. I grew up with my dad constantly reminding me, “When you were born we didn’t need to lock the doors at night.”

Back then the two only hotels on the beach across Kalakaua Avenue were the Moana (1901) and Royal (1927). A long hike to the ewa end of the beach took you to the Halekulani and the Niumalu. I was in and out of these hotels and those that followed. The ice cold pineapple juice in the public fountain in the lobby of the Royal. The coming and going of the Waikiki Biltmore built with a missing elevator shaft. Signing off the air every morning I met Henry J. Kaiser while he was building the Hawaiian Village Hotel in 1957. I witnessed the changes, for the most part all for the worst: the honking for tourist dollars in gaudy ways that remind me of Tijuana or Kowloon, the street hustles and the other intrusions on the Aloha Spirit that must be dealt with to even park and get inside any of these formerly grand hostelries. But how would anyone your age, or younger, know, Leslie?

As you are aware I worked with and was friends with your father, Paul Wilcox, back at KPOA in 1958 when Tom Moffatt and I first joined that station. Not only was Paul a fine broadcaster but in his autumn years he became a great teller of tales of the way it used to be here. As it really was. So too did Don Blanding, Armine von Tempski, Franklin Marshall Davis, Ed Sheehan, Bob Krauss, Dave Donnelly and the others who have passed on. They have not passed on much of a torch to those who succeeded them.

I related scores of stories about those days now called nostalgic on radio, TV and my writings including four books. The second one is called “Back Door Waikiki.” Within are word pictures and photographs from the 1940s through the 1980s of my old neighborhood. If there is one thing I know it is the truth about what happened. And, of course, I know what didn’t.

In life there are actions and omissions. All have consequences, many of which these days are preserved on a gazillion memory chips and the devices to which they connect. I did not watch your Halekulani special. From the names mentioned it was obvious that no one had done sufficient research into the history of the Halekulani Hotel, specifically those who contributed to its musical heritage, which was from what could tell the purpose of the program along with paying tribute to Emma Veary. And running commercials for the not-very-much-owned-by-Hawaiians Hawaiian Airlines.

Ms. Veary is a nice person whom I’ve known for decades along with members of her families. But I cannot find anywhere online or otherwise the production credits for your program saluting her. I did read one blog entry by you, Leslie, that apparently confused the identity of which of the two Cazimero brothers participated in your program. Surely you know the difference between Roland and Robert. The first of which, Bozo, is a good guy who’s never let success go to his head; not the case with his toploftical brother. The preceding sentence is not the type to be found in print locally of since the media and some entertainers have been doing their circle-jerk for years madly patting one another on the back.

I see from the lineup (assuming you had no further misinformation) that there were some fine performers with long-established records of excellence featured on your program. Nina Keali’iwahamana and I started doing teenage radio show on KIKI-AM in 1952. There is no one finer. Will there ever be? Jimmy Borges was and always will be a sweetheart and a hell of a hip vocalist. Your “Hawaiian music historian” (and my Aina Haina ex-paper boy) Harry Soria like yourself has a name to maintain along with the tradition of his grandfather and father who I knew, worked with and wrote about.

From what I’ve heard (from friends not the fuzzy-wuzzy “reviews”) there were some musicians with less of a key than the House of the same name. I see that beautiful Beverly Noa performed. I remember Bev from her 1952 Miss Hawaii days and her husband, Freddie Noa, The Flyin’ Hawaiian. We worked together at the Roller Derby in the old Civic. (How many people reading this remember either Fred or the Civic?)

I recall small kid time when the Halekulani was on our family’s Sunday Dinner A-List along with the Sky Room, Canlis, Alexander Young Hotel, Lau Yee Chai, Tropics, Trader Vic's, Ciro’s, South Seas, Wagon Wheel and a few others. I spent hours laboring over the jigsaw puzzle in the Halekulani’s original lobby back when the main building was on the beach with cottages flanking the driveway. One thing that remains monumentally sumptuous there are the hotel's ono Sunday brunches.

Nalani Olds

Then an akamai friend emailed that this program of yours did not include or make mention of Aunty Lei Collins (noted singer, dancer, composer of Hawaiian songs and Halekulani program director), Mamo Howell (who at the age of three danced at the Royal with Aunty Lou Beamer) and most grievously absent: Nalani Olds. Among her many other achievements Nalani was one of the original Halekulani Girls. While still attending Punahou, Nalani sang there once and was hired on the spot.

“Of course you know Nalani.” But apparently not. If you are unaware of Nalani and her many accomplishments since high school consider this segment from Punahou’s 1955 class notes from two years ago when Nalani was named a "Living Treasure of Hawaii": “The recognition marked a lifetime of entertaining, honoring a woman who expresses her enduring love for Hawaii by sharing its culture the best way she knows how, with humility and grace.”

I’ve known no more modest person than Nalani, who I first met when we were in third grade. This woman never mentions that she founded the Prince Lot Hula Festival in 1979. Or that at eighteen she travelled to New York City for a few months and performed at the famous Luau 400 restaurant in the theater district. She appeared in places such as the Biltmore Hotel along with Haunani Kahalewai and at the Kahala Hilton years ago.

Nalani never tosses about her deep knowledge and expertise of Hawaiian culture that has kept her busy, including spending years traveling throughout the state, the US and abroad lecturing and performing.

Your promise when you were hired to run our Hawaii public television channel stated, “[Wilcox is] committed to ‘breaking the glass’ of the TV monitor to engage with people in all of our communities, including online.” Well, it’s four years. When I click on Channel 11 (or whatever it is on DirecTv) the only progress of note is the upgrading of nationally produced programming.

If the best you can come up with is commercial-oozing, saccharine-dripping shows such as that from the Halekulani then it gives my pause to consider if the public funding upon which you rely is being used to the best effect to inform and entertain the public. I always encourage bosses to read their own company’s Mission Statement often. Do you?

By the way, the Leahey boys are the one lively exception to PBS Hawaii's otherwise slumber-inducing local programming.

Being in the communications business professionally for fifty-eight years I am familiar with the limitations induced by advertising agencies, sponsors, promotional partners, boards of directors, corporate mandates and so on, all of which suck the air out of what we called The Creative Ones. Compared with many mainland publicly financed television that I watched and worked with on the mainland what you are transmitting now only furthers Honolulu’s image as a bush league “media market.”

That is not said without some background. I hosted and produced my first local TV show for KHVH-TV in 1957. One of my programs, “Pictures of Paradise” on KGMB-TV, was Hawaii’s first “magazine” format television show, winning many awards when it debuted in 1979. The program morphed into something called “The Hawaiian Moving Company” hosted by two announcers, Kamasami Kong and later Mike Perry, one of whom I hired and the other I didn’t fire when I programmed KKUA Radio in the 1970s.

It is unfair to mention mainland and global experience when discussing local media product and talent. Some of your best employees, particularly Steven Komori and Paula Rapoza, are longtime friends and professional colleagues. I know that they were not responsible for what was and was not on the Halekulani show.

That effort was as if one were covering Hawaii sports rather than music and had chosen a host with a huge profile but as uniformed in the deep history of local sports as say Robert Kekaula to host a program that failed to included Pump Searle, Herman Wedemeyer, Wally Yonamine, Red Rocha, Bobo Olson and so many others worthy of at least a mention.

First, since I cannot seem to locate the information online I would like to know who was responsible for the research and writing of your Emma Veary tribute? And second, rather than humbly apologize to Nalani I suggest PBS Hawaii devote serious resources to producing a program about Nalani Olds and her lifetime, which has always been blessed with the true spirit of Aloha—something that regretfully does not come across on the TV channel for which you are responsible.

Kūlia i kō ikaika,

Ron Jacobs

Kaneohe, Hawaii

July 14, 2011