American Heritage has a great article on the Tiki fad.
How sex, rum, World War II, and the brand-new state of Hawaii ignited a fad that has never quite ended.
In December 1931 a somewhat adrift 24-year-old washed up in Southern California, looking for something to do. A native of New Orleans, he was named Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt. Curious by nature and something of a protobeatnik by choice, he had spent the previous months vagabonding on the cheap through some of the globe’s more humid locales: Jamaica, Australia, Papua New Guinea, the Marquesas Islands, and Tahiti. By the time he got to Los Angeles, his money had run out.
Gantt made do in the Depression economy through his wits and odd jobs—working in restaurants in Chinatown, parking cars at commercial lots, and doing a bit of freelance bootlegging in the months before Prohibition ended. Sociable and charming, he befriended such Hollywood personalities as David Niven and Marlene Dietrich and through them found occasional work as a technical adviser on films set in the South Pacific. Directors evidently were impressed not only by his knowledge of the region but also by his collection of South Pacific artifacts, which could be borrowed for set props…..
Why did I post this? I’m putting the finishing touches on an exhibit showcasing the history of casino restaurants, and I’ve used a few great tiki menus. For an encore, I’m going to visit the Aku Aku statue in Sunset Park (it used to be in front of the eponymous restaurant at the Stardust) and post some pictures. But that is a project for another day.
