Luau Party, Los Angeles, CA 1958
A nautical lifesaver hangs centered on an abalone and starfish studded fishing net festooning on a pale brick backyard wall like a giant bat. The draped display is an inspired backdrop for an aqua tile trimmed swimming pool decked in battleship grey and furnished with a wooden diving board, redwood bench, trio of mismatched aluminum chairs and a round table shaded by a fringed umbrella.
Islander wannabees are dressed for party success in hearty Hawaiian shirts, sarongs and muumuus. They sit Japanese restaurant style on white-piped canvas cushions around a blanket. Some of the guests sport festive straw hats and leis. At the head of the blanket a smiling, shirtless man is theme inappropriate in light blue twill trousers and a white terry towel around his neck.
Recognizable among the sweet and sour spread are a red Jell-O mold, a ripe pineapple surrounded by coconuts and bananas, cheese cubes pricked with frizzled toothpicks, white bread rolls, and a casserole dish filled with, what looks to me like, some sort of Spam and hash brown concoction topped with sliced pineapple halves. Some maraschino cherries would be nice! Whatever it is the casserole will contrast nicely when served on the mint green paper plates. I wonder what they are washing all of this down with in those bright green paper cups. Exotic cocktails anyone?
This colorful slide is a great style guide start for a backyard luau supper party that you, yes you, can throw this summer. For the full exotica effect add strings of multi colored mood lighting and hang candle-lit Japanese lanterns above the blanket. Pipe in lilting Hawaiian war chants on hidden speakers and, of course, have at least one giant tiki god flanked by tiki torches. Hire at least one professional hula dancer, or if you can an entire troop, for an after dinner dance.
For all of your luau party needs I suggest none other than Oceanic Arts, the worlds largest and oldest (AND GREATEST) Polynesian pop supply house, located in Whittier, California since 1956. To walk through their well-stocked warehouse is an experience you will never forget! Your island imagination will be inspired and your aloha spirit will soar!
Here’s to luau parties, Oceanic Arts and YOU!
The “Fishing Net as a Decorating Theme” reminded me of Robert “Bobby” Schwining’s biker brothers: FLAT BLACK PAINTED WALLS FESTOONED WITH A GENUINE, USED (AND STILL SCENTED WITH THE AROMA OF YESTERDAY’S CATCH!)… FISH NETS.
They had the obligatory multicolored,glass, Japanese floats about 9 inches in diameter tossed in, with a mash-up of the then popular “Black Light” & “Flourescent” art posters behind it all on the walls.
Black lights topped it all off with a mattress ‘bottoming’ the rest.
For a 10 year-old boy that room felt like walking into an “Alice in Wonderland” chapter.
Perhaps the then prophetic “MADE FOR TV WEEKLY MOVIE”, “GO ASK ALICE” was more appropriate for those times (that was about a ‘sweet teen girl’ turning into a drug addicted, wretched mess only to recover with the overdose of her last boy/girlfriend to become a warning siren for the Hippy Generation of the 1960′s (whose idealistic paplum became the hypocritical, ‘if it feels good, DO IT!’, ‘ME FIRST!’, attitudes that upon maturity, became the wicked corporate meltdowns of our times).
Yeah. Fishnets. They looked good in Bobby’s Bedroom and even better on the legs of one of “The Stepford Wives” that some of the neighborhood mother’s became.
I LOVE this whole luau theme-party deal! I remember my parents hosting these shin-digs back in the 60′s when I was a wee-lass. I actually have some pics that look a lot like this; looks kinda like our back yard too. My Uncle Bill had a tiki-inspired patio “lounge” called the Che-Che-Poo-Poo…gotta love an era when people had drinking inspired niches in there landscape, and it was common! Bottoms Up!
Loving this slide! Reminds me of our backyard in 1960, when the folks put in a Blue Haven Pool and my dad festooned the redwood fence with bamboo, mom bought a pink rolling cart in order to push fabulous fat and carb-filled foods from the kitchen to the patio, and we made peach ice cream in a turquoise hand crank ice cream maker. Thanks for another great blast from the past Charles!
That backyard reminds me so much of our neighbor’s in Anaheim where I grew up, but none of the people look familiar. What made me want to comment was your paragraph on Oceanic Arts. What a wonderful place! They not only carry (to buy or rent) Polynesian goodies, they also carry nautical items. Did you know that some of their items were on “Gilligan’s Island”? Also, did you know you can rent a tiki bar or a giant clam from which you may serve a tropical punch concoction? I went their looking for a tiki and they had all sizes for the yard as well as puffer fish lamps! Sponge Bob would be proud! Thanks for sharing! Aloha!
Your descriptive and entertaining narratives of scenes from “this American life” are always
appreciated! As if the people in the photos could only tell their tales and the walls could talk! They bright our day