Hilo Hattie
Encyclopedia
Hilo Hattie was born Clarissa "Clara" Haili in Honolulu, Hawaii. She was a Hawaiian singer, hula dancer
, actress and comedian of 100% Native Hawaiian ancestry.
The Don McDiarmid Sr-Johnny Noble
song When Hilo Hattie Does the Hilo Hop became her signature tune. McDiarmid intended the 1935 song to be danced by the typical beautifully smooth hula dancer. But in 1936, while the band was performing as shipboard entertainment on a cruise to Portland
, Oregon
, the seductive dancer meant to perform it fell ill. Hilo Hattie, who claimed to have never had a hula lesson in her life, ran with it as a comedy piece, and it became a monster success in its time. Clara legally changed her name to Hilo Hattie, when she performed her second signature song, The Cockeyed Mayor of Kaunakakai, in the movie Song of the Islands. From 1939, Hilo Hattie was a favorite among the military.
was conducting the Royal Hawaiian Hotel
orchestra and hired her. Hattie joined the Webley Edwards
-hosted Hawaii Calls broadcasts that went out to 600 radio stations around the world. From that point on, she became a global household name, touring the world and performing in movies and on television, often in Hawaii Five-O. In 1945, she was referred to as "the Polynesian Sophie Tucker
" when she entertained at the Holland Supper Club in Eugene, Oregon
. By 1950, the divorced Clara married bandleader Carlyle Nelson.
She was still touring the mainland in 1956, when she performed four days and nights at the Merced County, California
Spring Fair. Hilo Hattie and her Hawaiian Revue played the Peabody Auditorium in Daytona Beach, Florida
in January 1959. Hilo Hattie began doing two shows a night, six nights a week, at the Hilton Hawaiian Village
Tapa Room in 1960. It was an arrangement that continued for more than a decade. In June 1963, she entertained at the Sportsmen of Stanislaus luau in Modesto, California.
awarded Hilo Hattie the 1978 Na Hoku Hanohano Sidney Grayson Award for lifetime achievement.
Hula
Hula is a dance form accompanied by chant or song . It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Polynesians who originally settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli or mele in a visual dance form....
, actress and comedian of 100% Native Hawaiian ancestry.
Early life and career
Clara loved to dance the hula and sing in the church choir. She began teaching at Waipahu Elementary School in 1923, entertaining her students with what would become her comedy hula routines. In 1930, she married Theodore Inter. By 1936, she had joined Louise Akeo's Royal Hawaiian Girls Glee Club singing at venues around Oahu. The group got $25 per appearance to distribute among the 25 members.The Don McDiarmid Sr-Johnny Noble
Johnny Noble
-Further reading:...
song When Hilo Hattie Does the Hilo Hop became her signature tune. McDiarmid intended the 1935 song to be danced by the typical beautifully smooth hula dancer. But in 1936, while the band was performing as shipboard entertainment on a cruise to Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, the seductive dancer meant to perform it fell ill. Hilo Hattie, who claimed to have never had a hula lesson in her life, ran with it as a comedy piece, and it became a monster success in its time. Clara legally changed her name to Hilo Hattie, when she performed her second signature song, The Cockeyed Mayor of Kaunakakai, in the movie Song of the Islands. From 1939, Hilo Hattie was a favorite among the military.
Fame, film, and television work
By 1940, Harry OwensHarry Owens
Harry Owens was an American composer, bandleader and songwriter.-Biography:Harry Robert Owens was born April 18, 1902, in O'Neill, Nebraska. He learned how to play a cornet in a small band on an Indian reservation in Montana.-Early years:He worked the vaudeville circuit by age 14. Owens studied...
was conducting the Royal Hawaiian Hotel
Royal Hawaiian Hotel
Royal Hawaiian Hotel, also known as the Pink Palace of the Pacific, is a hotel located at 2259 Kalākaua Avenue in Honolulu, Hawaii, on the island of Oahu. One of the first hotels established in Waikiki, the Royal Hawaiian Hotel is considered one of the flagship hotels in Hawaii tourism...
orchestra and hired her. Hattie joined the Webley Edwards
Webley Edwards
Webley Edwards was a World War II news correspondent and Hawaiian radio personality.-Early life and education:...
-hosted Hawaii Calls broadcasts that went out to 600 radio stations around the world. From that point on, she became a global household name, touring the world and performing in movies and on television, often in Hawaii Five-O. In 1945, she was referred to as "the Polynesian Sophie Tucker
Sophie Tucker
Sophie Tucker was a Russian/Ukrainian-born American singer and actress. Known for her stentorian delivery of comical and risqué songs, she was one of the most popular entertainers in America during the first half of the 20th century...
" when she entertained at the Holland Supper Club in Eugene, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
. By 1950, the divorced Clara married bandleader Carlyle Nelson.
She was still touring the mainland in 1956, when she performed four days and nights at the Merced County, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
Spring Fair. Hilo Hattie and her Hawaiian Revue played the Peabody Auditorium in Daytona Beach, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
in January 1959. Hilo Hattie began doing two shows a night, six nights a week, at the Hilton Hawaiian Village
Hilton Hawaiian Village
The Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort and Spa, formerly the Kaiser Hawaiian Village Hotel, has been a popular hotel in the Waikiki area of the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States since 1957. It is the largest hotel of the Hilton chain, with 3,386 rooms and with 7 towers...
Tapa Room in 1960. It was an arrangement that continued for more than a decade. In June 1963, she entertained at the Sportsmen of Stanislaus luau in Modesto, California.
Later life
In 1972, she recalled having once made an attempt at retirement but live performing was too much fun. Hilo Hattie succumbed to cancer on December 12, 1979.Retail Stores
Hilo Hattie is the brand name of a group of stores selling Hawaiian and Hawaiian-themed merchandise. The store cites the name rights as having been obtained in 1979 with the purchase of Margolis Manufacturing and Retail Company (Hilo, Hawaii). As of 2010, there were seven Hilo Hattie stores in the state of Hawaii; at one time the firm operated stores outside of Hawaii as well. The store filed for bankruptcy in 2009, and has subsequently been acquired by its principal creditors, exiting bankruptcy in 2010.Discography
- Hilo Hattie at the Tapa Room (1965) LP album LSP-3442 (RCA Victor)
- Hilo Hattie at the Hawaiian Village LP album HH-100 (Paradise)
- South Seas Sadie / Hasegawa General Store (Decca)
- Hawaii's Favorite Music (2000) CD (Hula)
- Hawaiian Melodies (Columbia)
- My Hawaii (Hui)
Filmography
- Song of the IslandsSong of the IslandsSong of the Islands is a 1942 musical comedy film starring Betty Grable and Victor Mature. It was directed by Walter Lang and released through 20th Century Fox.-Plot:...
(1942) - Tahiti Nights (1944)
- Miss Tatlock's MillionsMiss Tatlock's MillionsMiss Tatlock's Millions is an American screwball comedy directed by Richard Haydn in 1948.- Cast :* John Lund : Tim Burke, impersonator of Schuyler Tatlock* Wanda Hendrix : Nan Tatlock* Barry Fitzgerald : Denno Noonan* Monty Woolley : Miles Tatlock...
(1948) - City Beneath the Sea (1953)
- Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki (1955)
- Kismet (1955)
- Suicide Battalion (1958)
- Blue HawaiiBlue HawaiiBlue Hawaii is a 1961 musical film set in the state of Hawaii and starring Elvis Presley. The screenplay by Hal Kanter was nominated by the Writers Guild of America in 1962 in the category of Best Written American Musical. The movie opened at no...
(1961)
Accolades
The Hawai'i Academy of Recording ArtsHawai'i Academy of Recording Arts
The Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts is a nonprofit organization formed in 1982 to stimulate interest in the local recording industry and the music of Hawaii.-External links:*...
awarded Hilo Hattie the 1978 Na Hoku Hanohano Sidney Grayson Award for lifetime achievement.