A buddy at another blog got me a'thinkin' about Elvis and his Hawaii connection. The King always loved the islands, and for that we here will always have a special place for him in our hearts. My favorite Elvis movie is Blue Hawaii (which beat out Paradise Hawaiian Style, about a helicopter pilot being a bachelor on Kauai, by a country mile, as well as Girls, Girls, Girls, which I've never seen). There's so much that this movie gets WRONG about Honolulu, but the vibe is just SO RIGHT, especially for when summer kicks in and it's a non-stop beach-fest from Memorial to Labor Day.
Here he is driving around the Island, circa 1961. Love the girl (hibiscus in hair). Love the sights (Waikiki, Diamond Head Lighthouse, the Kai'wi Coast, Makapu'u). Love the little red sports car (what is that, a Jag?).
And here's a timeless classic that many may not know first played in this movie.
Time passed, and the Skinny Elvis, the great iconic bachelor, eventually bought lots of Caddilacs, set up shop in Vegas, and maybe shot out a few too many TVs with .357s. But he still had one iconic Hawaii performance left in him before he became Fat Elvis. Ladies, gentlemen, Bachelors and Betties, I give you Mr. Elvis Presley at the Honolulu International Center (know to locals as "H.I.C."), 1973.
A bronze statue of the King was dedicated in 2007 at the very site of this immortal concert. And that's Good Sh*t from Hawaii.
No comments:
Post a Comment