Entertainer Don Ho, who brought more people into Waikiki’s International Market Place than anyone else and put the place on the map during his years at Duke Kahanamoku’s, will be honored there today on what would have been his 87th birthday.
His full-length bronze statue will be unveiled at 1:30 p.m. at the Banyan Court near the front of the property, followed by musical tributes by some of Hawaii’s finest. Don died April 14, 2007.
Duke’s was owned by flamboyant promoter Kimo McVay. I spent many late-nighters in the club and occasionally wound up in Don’s back room with him and some off his special guests after his last show.
Don and I played high school football against each other in 1948, when he led his powerful Kamehameha team over my Roosevelt squad, 21-0, in our last game, to win the prep championship at Honolulu Stadium, aka the Termite Palace. He hung a photo of himself in his football helmet in the back room at Duke’s with a newspaper story about making the interscholastic all-star team.
Assistant manager Lon Bentley told me that prior to Don and his group first working in a rear corner at Duke’s, Don came to the club barefoot one night. Bentley said McVay had told him that no one without shoes was allowed in, so he had to block Don’s entry. Lon said Don laughed and left with his friends.
Ironically, he soon became the biggest star Duke’s ever had.
On March 1, 1963, Lon married Duke’s gorgeous hula dancer, Manu Kanemura, in the club. They have been married 54 years. Lon said entertainers Ed Kenney and Buddy Fo, both performing at Duke’s at the time, served as bartenders at their wedding.
Lon later became a Hollywood makeup man for such stars as Tom Selleck, Linda Evans, Robert Wagner, John Wayne, Anthony Hopkins, Steve McQueen and Helen Hayes. He and Manu had birthdays on July 6 and 19, respectively, and received greetings from Selleck, Evans and Wagner.
Lon also did makeup for the Rolling Stones for two shows, and for Elvis, the rock musician Gene Simmons of band Kiss for one film each. At the wrap party for Elvis’ “Stay Away, Joe,” the singer performed “Blue Hawaii” for Manu as she danced hula, according to Lon.
He also did makeup for Glen Campbell when he came to Hawaii for a concert at the Ilikai. Sadly, Glen died Tuesday at age 81 …
Retired TV anchor and radio broadcaster Linda Coble was extremely close to Don Ho. In her early Hawaii years, her job was taking pictures in Waikiki in the late 1960s and early ’70s, mainly of R&R couples. She said she would wind up in “Uncle Don’s” harem section every night while waiting for the photos to develop.
He occasionally would have her sing a fairly risque song with him. “The grandmas would scream and laugh,” she said.
Linda’s husband was TV anchor Kirk Matthews, who died July 18, 2016. “When I retired from two years of anchoring TV in Oregon, I brought the love of my life, fellow newscaster Kirk, back to Hawaii with me in 1983,” Linda said. “I took him to Uncle Don, who said, ‘Pau show, come backstage.’ There he made Kirk sit on his lap and said, ‘If you ever hurt this girl, I gonna kill you. And if I don’t, they will,’ referring to his rugged-looking friends in the room, arms folded and staring.
“It didn’t faze my honey, who hugged Don with reassurance,” Linda recalls. “Throughout the years, Kirk would take the stage with Don and sing ‘I’ve Got News for You.’ Uncle Don was generous, loving and a well-deserved icon and representative of the aloha spirit” …
The statue dedication gets under way at 1:30 p.m. with the blessing by kahu Kordell Kekoa and remarks by various dignitaries. Also present will be statue sculptor Kim Duffett; Don’s musical director from the Aliis, Joe Mundo; and Dwight Ho, Don’s son.
The festivities include hula and song by Kimo Kahoano and Don’s widow, Haumea Ho. A Don Ho Tribute Kanikapila with Melveen Leed, Nina Kealiiwahamana, Marlene Sai and Kimo will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Queen’s Court near the Kuhio Avenue entrance, with Henry Kapono and Friends performing in another tribute show from 7 to 8 p.m.
The Beamer musical ohana and friends turned out in force to honor one of the family’s great singer-musicians, Edwin “Mahi” Beamer, 88, on July 28 at St. Andrew’s Cathedral. Mahi had respiratory problems for some time and became ill playing piano at his brother Milton “Sonny” Beamer’s services at Oahu Cemetery Chapel on July 12. (Sonny died July 5 at the age of 91.)
Mahi died two days later on July 14. The Beamer Brothers, Keola and Kapono, who rarely perform together anymore, sang at Mahi’s services.
Also singing were Kealiiwahamana and Robert Cazimero. Abigail Kawananakoa attended and was greeted by Mahi’s sister, Helen “Sunbeam” Beamer, on arrival.
Taking part in the ceremony were the Rev. Moki Hino, kahu Hailama Farden, Gaye Beamer, Kaupena Wong, Kapala and Eleu Novikoff, Aaron Sala, Marlene Sai, the Kamehameha Glee Club, Manono Beamer and Marmionett Kaaihue.
There was much kanikapila before the service by people who came to sing and play music.
Owen Ho and Kaulu Hopkins decorated the church beautifully …
Ben Wood, who sold newspapers on Honolulu streets during World War II, writes of people, places and things. Contact him via email at bwood@staradvertiser.com.
