Only FOUR-AND-A-HALF DAYS

Leave San Francisco aboard ship and in 4-1/2 days you'd be coming around the bend of Diamond Head towards the harbor in Honolulu. I've said before it was a wonderful way to travel and an incredible place for two little girls to play. Running up and down the passageways, by the gift shop, across the wooden decks, out to the fantail to eat lunch. Glorious time. 

(Source: Paradise of the Pacific 1960, No. 11, Vol. 71)  Click on image to see it larger.

Once you arrived on the island that was not your last encounter with the ships. As military families you always had friends coming and going so you often went back down to the Aloha Tower to see ships arrive or set sail. This meant you got to be part of the big party that took place on the docks. A small Hawaiian band would play, there were dancers, and best of all there were streamers. Those onboard would stand at the railing looking down on us and fling long streamers from the ship to the dock. Thousands of different colored tendrils were soon stretching across the expanse. My friend and I loved grabbing as many streamers as we could to make into a huge pile of paper to hide in. There was also always a man with a wide broom sweeping the paper into large piles making our "job" a lot easier. It was all giggles, colors, and noise. Grand times.

Here is someone's home movie of the Lurline as it arrives in Honolulu.

And this, though it has really dreadful music, also shows the fun of sailing on a Matson Liner. Why they chose this music, well who knows what they were thinking, It's an old travel film made back on the Mainland far away from the land of strumming ukuleles. Personally I don't remember any "race horses" when we were onboard, but I might be wrong. I think by the late 50s they'd done away with that. This was just a film to be shown to potential travelers. We weren't given a choice so we never saw any travel films. We were told "You're going to Hawaii." Well actually my father was given a choice. It was Oahu or Kodiak, Alaska. My mother said "NO!" to Alaska. Good thing.

Old HAWAIIAN RECORD LABELS

Yes, I still have all of my Hawaiian 45 records, all in one of those little boxes with the handle on top. I haven't listened to these in years. I'm going to have to find one of those little plastic thingies for the center and take a listen again.

So for your viewing pleasure I give you the 49th State Record labels from the early 60s. But first here's a little history of the company:

The Legacy of the 49th State Hawaii Record label

The time was the mid forties, the place was Honolulu, and the person was George Ching. He was a proprieter of a record store in Hawaii's main city and he had an idea. Because of the many requests he had gotten (largely from servicemen returning home to the mainland) for recordings of Hawaiian music as keepsakes and momentos, he knew that there was not a serious outlet for local talent. Seizing this opportunity, Ching decided to start his own modest recording service to provide such an outlet, and making sure that he dealt in the best of the local talent available he enlisted the help of perhaps the single most important musician of his time, John K. (Kameaaloha) Almeida. John K. would serve as musical director, arranger, and of course, as an important performer for the fledgling enterprise. Searching for a name for the new company, Ching came upon one that looked to the future of the islands. With the end of World War II, there had been much talk of Hawaii becoming part of the United States, ending its days as a U.S. territory. And so, owing to the impending status of Hawaii, the new record label proudly named itself "49th State Hawaii Records". (Of course we know that the change in status took much longer than expected, and Alaska beat Hawaii to the 49th designation - but the "49th State" label remained and has gained in historical significance from that time)

The recording company had modest beginnings, as to be expected, but as it grew and the technology expanded and advanced, so did Hawaii's hometown record label. They amassed quite a catalog throughout the years, featuring many musicians in their formative stages, who went on to great success (Gabby Pahinui and Genoa Keawe to name a couple of obvious examples). From the mid forties into the fifties and beyond, the breadth and scope of the little label that could is remarkable. Moving from the original 78 rpm shellacs to the 45 and LP formats, the label kept a stream of important musical performances available to the public. As late as 1980, 49th State had a numerous catalog of re-released material on 45 rpm records (cleverly beginning with #49 and numbering more than 300 releases issued) and a wealth of music was available on LPs. Into the new milennium, we find the mid and late 40s sounds still available as a new generation of listeners seek out these snippets of Hawaii's musical legacy. Cord International has preserved a number of these titles in all their re-mastered glory on a number of CDs. And so, more than a half century later, the music that was the nucleus of an idea of George Ching for his little "49th State Hawaii" record label resonates once again. Mahalo, George, and John K., and all the performers that we enjoy once again! (SOURCE: Jaymar41)

And here are a few other labels, including an Alfred Apaka from the Henry J. Kaiser Hawaiian Village label. For those people who have memories of old tv shows from the 50s and 60s, the show Hawaiian Eye was set at the Hawaiian Village hotel which eventually became the Hilton Hawaiian.

The song above was actually written by a family friend and my hula teacher, Maddy Lam. Maddy was inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame in 2000. You can read more about Madeline Kaululehuaohaili Lam here. The last time I saw Maddy she was playing piano at the Halekulani. She was a beautiful woman and a kind soul.

Click on image to see it larger.

Sit back, imagine the warm breezes blowing through the palm trees as you sit at the Halekulani watching the sunset. Everything else just drifts away. The beautiful voice of Alfred Apaka.

UPDATE: A reader sent me the following information about some records he recently found. If anyone has any information, or is interested in purchasing them, contact him at the email address given below.

Here’s a list of the specific 78 rpm records:

“Papalina Lahilahi,” backed with “Alekoki,” John K. Almeida, record number: 49th State Hawaii Record Co. 54

“Hanohano Hanalei,” backed with “Nani Kaala,” John K. Almeida, 49th State Hawaii Record Co. 68

“Kekumu-Okalani,” John K. Ameida, backed with “Manuela Boy,” 

‘Hilo Hattie’ Clara Inter, 49th State Hawaii Record Co 158

“Ama Ama,” backed with “Marcelle Vahini,” George “Tautu” Archer, Bell Records

The records have certainly been played, but they appear to be in pretty good shape.

Bottom line:  a friend was cleaning house after her husband died, and these records were in the “stack.”  I thought they were kind of interesting, especially for the record label.  If they have some value, it would be good to know that.

Yes,  if you could post this as a comment, I’d be most appreciative.  I’m not sure what address to give you that would not be “private.”  My only alias is k6zh@arrl.net. 

ALOHA 'OE!

50 years ago today Hawaii became a state. I was lucky enough to be there for the event. At the time I wasn't aware of the real history of the islands and how statehood was not something welcomed by many of the Hawaiians themselves. How the US Government, the missionaries, and the wealthy white landowners had taken control away from Queen Liliʻuokalani and the native people. It was all part of American expansion. It's not a pretty history for such a beautiful place. But if this history had not occurred I probably would have never lived there. I wouldn't give up my years there for anything. Hawaii was a magical place for a child.

Click on image to see coin larger.

I still remember when I moved back to the Mainland in the middle of the winter I arrived to my new school tan with no warm clothes to wear. For years I'd worn nothing heavier than a sweater if it got cool, which meant mid-70s. I was treated as an oddity by the other children because as far as they were concerned I had dropped out of the sky from a foreign place. Sometimes I still think people in this country forget that Hawaii is the 50th state, not a foreign country. I even heard so called television journalists berating the President when he took a vacation to the islands in the middle of last years election, saying he shouldn't be leaving the country to visit someplace so exotic. I just shook my head at their stupidity.

So here's to Hawaii and all of her people. Raise a toast to the Queen and wonder what the Islands would have been like if there were still a monarchy.

(Source: Paradise of the Pacific 1960, No. 11, Vol. 71) Click on image to see it larger. 

AND WHAT DID YOU DO at the beach?

These illustrations are from the 1946 Scott, Foresman and Company Before We Read. And yes, this is the same Dick and Jane family, but in a little workbook. The whole gang is here except for Puff. Puff didn't get to go to the beach. Obviously Dick and Jane's folks weren't fools. Who would take a cat to the beach? I'm sure there is someone out there who has one leash trained that does very nicely on the beach, thank you very much. I had a cat that was leash trained. I don't care how odd it looked. It worked for me...except for when we took walks for him to go to the bathroom and all he did was dig a golf course. Then I'll admit, it looked really really stupid.

This book is virtually nothing but pictures. The only words appear at the end and they are...drum roll please..."Dick" and "Jane" repeated several times. Someday I'll scan those. Until then I thought we needed something a little summertime, a little bit of Dick and Jane at the beach. Can you say "See Jane play. See Jane play with Spot. Run Spot run." I'm sure you can. 

Click on any image to see it larger.

THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT are just the construction crew

If you don't live in Northern California or have never visited here then there's a good possibility you've never heard of the Winchester Mystery House. If you're ever passing through San Jose make a point of stopping. You won't be disappointed if you like odd places or Victorian architecture run amok.

I'll let Wikipedia give you a brief biography:

The Winchester Mystery House is a well-known California mansion that was under construction continuously for 38 years, and is reported to be haunted. It once was the personal residence of Sarah Winchester, the widow of gun magnate William Wirt Winchester, but is now a tourist attraction. Under Winchester's day-to-day guidance, its "from-the-ground-up" construction proceeded around-the-clock, without interruption, from 1884 until her death on September 5, 1922, at which time work immediately ceased. The cost for such constant building has been estimated at about US $5.5 million (if paid in 1922, this would be equivalent to almost $70 million in 2008 dollars). (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

The story long told is that following the death of her husband and daughter the distraught Sarah Winchester was told by a medium that there was a curse on the Winchester family because of all the people who had been killed by the guns made by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company (maker of the famous Winchester rifle).

Although this is disputed, popular belief holds that the Boston Medium told Winchester that she had to leave her home in New Haven and travel West, where she must "build a home for yourself and for the spirits who have fallen from this terrible weapon, too. You must never stop building the house. If you continue building, you will live forever. But if you stop, then you will die too." (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

This is the oddest house I've ever been in. Okay, "odd" really doesn't cover it. Staircases to nowhere. Doors that open onto solid walls. And a bathroom door for the servants that was glass because she didn't trust them. That has always stuck in my mind from the tour oh so long ago. She must have been a real delight to work for.

This little packet of photos dates back to the 1940s. The photos measure 3" x 2". I bought a similar pack in the 1960s.

Click on any image to see it larger.

To read more about the Winchester Mystery House visit their website.