Tiki Bars and Their Hollywood Origins | Lost LA | Season 6, Episode 6 | PBS SoCal

Lost LA host Nathan Masters explores some of the oldest tiki bars in Southern California. In this episode, discover the Hollywood origins of Don the Beachcomber and learn how postwar American pop culture appropriated the rich traditions of the South Pacific.
Featured interviews include the son and grandson of Tiki Ti founder Ray Buhen (Mike Buhen and Mike Jr.), tiki historian Sven Kirsten and Strong Water Anaheim’s Ying Chang and Robert Adamson.
Lost LA's Season 6 Episode 6, "Tiki Bars and Their Hollywood Origins," premieres on KZbin February 6, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. PT. Click above to set a reminder.
Want to learn more? Watch more Lost LA at bit.ly/3sNXHYb
00:00:00:00-00:01:25:10 - Introduction
00:01:25:10-00:08:41:20 - How Don The Beachcomber Inspired Bars like Tiki Ti
00:08:41:14-00:10:39:00 - One of the Original Tiki Bars: The Tonga Hut
00:10:39:00-00:15:57:11 - Sven Kirsten's Great Tiki Collection
00:15:57:11-00:21:03:05 - Artifacts at Bowers Museum
00:21:03:10- 00:25:17:21- The Immersive Experience of Strong Water Anaheim
00:25:18:03-00:25:57:14 - Conclusion
00:25:57:14-00:26:38:09 - Credits
~~~~~~
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#LostLA #history #tiki #LA #LosAngeles #SoCal #SouthernCalifornia #mixology #cocktail #cocktails

[@hetoako]

Never knew Filipinos were part of the Tiki culture 🍹🏖😍 what an eye-opener! Makes me proud to be Filipino 🇵🇭 🥰 Thank you, PBS ! 💖

[@johnolmos8670]

Don the Beachcomber had so much respect for them because he worked alongside them in hotels. He told them “ as soon as I open a place you are the first guys I’m gonna hire!”. The rest is history

[@hetoako]

@johnolmos8670 beautiful! 🩷 indeed, behind every migrant's success is a kind-hearted human being 🩷 much respect to Don the beachcomber. As we say in the Philippines, "Mabuhay!" 🇵🇭 💕🙌🏻

[@murraywagnon1841]

I spent the summer on a sailboat at Marina Del Rey next to Don the Beachcomber. This was before cell phones, so if anyone wanted to reach us they would call the restaurant and a busboy would come over to our boat to get us.

[@RobertWalterweldon]

My parents went there alot I recall growing up

[@cherylcarter2386]

My grandfather Vinton Vernon lived with Don and was his best friend. We inherited all the Rum bottles and tiki decor along with photos of parties where the pool was filled with Gardenias and stars. There was a grass hut built in an Oak tree and gals wore grass shirts

[@artguti1551]

We would love to see some pictures of those old vintage Tiki Decorations!

[@imalrockme]

@@artguti1551 Yes, post a slide!

[@traxiii]

Damon's Steak House in Glendale, CA is a Tiki Bar Restaurant, not far from Hollywood, first established in 1937, which had to move in the '70's to make room for the Glendale Galleria but still resides in their second location on Brand Blvd. Great steaks and Mai Tai's with all the Tiki decor!

[@davidstar5522]

I love that Damon's is still around, but the food and drinks are awful. I would never recommend this for drinks and food, only for the kitsch factor. It is worth a visit to the bar for one drink.

[@indiesindie1984]

I love Damon's! The decor, food 😋 and drink menu are off the hook! 🗿🪘🍸 🍹 It's my neighborhood 😎 Tiki bar!

[@chuckpeterson3262]

Damon's definitely should have had a mention!!

[@XXXGRAPENUTSXXX]

@@indiesindie1984we should meat up for a drinkypoo .. we’ll meet up and meat up

[@thehapagirl92]

I hate steak but my mom loves it. Growing up here in SoCal my parents took me to that restaurant once. It was nice

[@thewurm9177]

Thanks for this wonderful program PBS!

[@seattlebeard]

I've never liked alcohol, but I love to see these places thriving. I can remember Tiki themed businesses back in the early 60s. For a kid they looked magical.

[@juewonkhwarg]

As a regular at the Ti, Tonga Hut and Strongwater, I cannot emphasize how amazing they are with creative and delicious 0% ABV options!!!

[@EtruskenRaider]

This is so cool. The story of the four Filipino bartenders is one of those fascinating stories you get scratching at history. I’d love to see a movie about those guys and the Chinese-American cooks at Trader Vic’s in Oakland who invented crab Rangoon and other staples.

[@bexeffects]

This is the best thing ever! Tiki Ti is a slice of happiness!

[@masudaharris6435]

Although I didn't appreciate the fact at the time, I was working for a time at a tiki bar in Honolulu. It was a chore keeping the place clean because the Polynesian decor was a real dust magnet.

[@imalrockme]

A fire hazard, for sure!

[@leegarcia-mc1jw]

I had the pleasure of being servied a Rays Mistake by Ray himself

[@gringogreen4719]

A note on the WW II experience, not every island was fought on like Tarawa, there were islands that were basically supply bases, medical facilities and some were R&R (Rest & Relaxation). So there's a good chance that American GIs saw the good, the bad, and ugly if they were in the South Pacific. It's also worth noting that many locals actually had positive experiences with the Allied (not just Americans) as the Japanese had racist attitudes towards other Asians and Islanders so this could also be a bright spot for American service men in that theater of war. Tiki culture is about as real as a plastic flamingo. It's meant to be kitsch and fun rather than real. The Rum connection (which is mainly grown in the Caribbean islands, not the South Pacific) is actually a Prohibition leftover where rum runners had so much leftover stock that the price became dirt cheap. Pair that with fruit juices, sugar and bitters and a Tiki bar was a pretty cost effective night out.🗿👍✨

[@thunderousapplause]

I think I was nine years old when my parents brought my brother and I to Southern California and we went -somewhere- to a tiki bar. I remember the menu and all the amazing looking drinks and the drink with the smoke that came out of the top, drinks in coconuts, and I couldn't wait to be an adult so I could have those drinks.

[@michaelfincham2749]

This was so great. Dons in Marina del ray Ca. Was a annual thing for our whole family. My aunts and uncles and family would do Christmas at their homes, but we would all would meet up that afternoon at Dons for Christmas brunch. Brings back so many memories.

[@waltarrrrr]

Great job! I feel so fortunate to have had many drinks made by the late great Ray Buhen at Tiki Ti. "Toro toro toro!"

[@JorgeDiaz-ly5qp]

Growing up, was a HUGE fan of the Mai-Kai in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. From its Wednesday night classic car drive-in to its nuclear mai tai's, it was one of the great locations in SoFla. The good news it that there will be a grand re-opening this summer - SOOO looking forward to it!

[@scofab]

In Brookfield, WI we had The Leilani. Gone now but what a fantastic place it was. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

[@HotTubMKE]

Good thing we still have Foundation in Riverwest!

[@powermonger9090]

Great video, was hoping to see Beachbum Berry sitting with Sven discussing Don, the power duo of modern Tiki.

[@freedom4dollars]

Nice little doc, and definitely educational. I had no idea about the Filipino connection. It would be nice to see a similar documentary about Exotica music, the aural equivalent of Tiki bar culture (though one that's even more questionable and controversial).

[@echodelta9]

There's a musical side of this, but I didn't hear a lick of it in the whole show. It usually starts with drums and a bird going "ooo-ooo-ooo-aaa-aaa-aaa" and Martin Denny or Esquivel space age bachelor pad music.

[@dustyoldhat]

yeah, the music was a huge deal. and the intersection with surf culture and hot rod culture too.

[@mimsmango]

Martin Denny 💖

[@hanskloss1331]

Don Ho ! and reading "ooo-ooo-ooo-aaa-aaa-aaa" I can't stop laughing it reminds me of "AHH kah kah-kah" thanks for the laugh 😊

[@toastnjam7384]

Quiet Village - Martin Denny

[@marcoaavila99]

I need a drink now

[@PBSSoCal]

Cheers!

[@teddydem]

Maybe if I had been drinking, the doc would have been more interesting.

[@johnlowe37]

Tiki culture isn't just about the decor; it's about the desire to lead the life of an idealized beachcomber, far away from the responsibilities of our industrialized society. A subsistence existence in a place where the fish are easily caught, tropical fruit is plentiful, and the sun is always shining. In some ways, the "Margaritaville" culture inspired by the late Jimmy Buffet is a modern expression of the same yearning to "get away from it all".

[@indiesindie1984]

Indeed 🤟 🏄‍♀️ 🗿🛖🌊

[@swatidoesthings]

Well said

[@dustyoldhat]

Tommy Bahama shirts, flip flops, Hemingway novels read in a hammock attached to palm trees, and an early death from cirrhosis, is every man’s right.

[@kendallevans4079]

@@dustyoldhat That's the commercialization end of the Tiki life. Tommy B shirts (made in Malaysia!) are the biggest example of a terrified culture that is dying for affirmation. Not to mention a total rip-off at $100 a pop.

[@dustyoldhat]

@@kendallevans4079 most Tommy Bahama is made in China

[@whomanbeing]

Lost LA should devote an episode to Huell Howser.

[@1972vulture]

Huell used to frequent Tiki Ti when that was KCET next door

[@LL-bl8hd]

Those tiki apartments are amazing! Never knew about that! 🌴🍍

[@brianreddick1474]

There are even a few tiki apartment complexes in Houston, TX, where I live, from this era.

[@flyguy437]

Tiki life, bars, decore, and music (yes!) is its own culture. It is magnificent!

[@tubulardude44]

I’m a Tiki fan and this video is fantastic! I’d like to add that next to Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room used to be The Tahitian Terrace dinner show! I miss it so much! 🥹🌺🌴🗿

[@kendallevans4079]

Great dinner and show! Went a few times. Was always frightened when the girls went into the audience for Tiki dance "volunteers"!

[@bigbird2451]

Around the turn of the century my housemates and I decided to turn the living room of our new house near Santa Cruz into a tiki bar. There was a lot of bamboo of course. A custom bar well stocked. And we scoured all of the local thrift stores for all of the funkiest sets of cocktail glasses. At parties guests would go behind the bar and make a round of some new drink off the top of their heads. Most rounds were very worthwhile. A few not so much.

[@gary-rr7jp]

You just blew my mind for a second. I was like, you couldn't have been around during the turn of the century. (1900) Though as a kid I knew many old folks that were.

[@WAL_DC-6B]

I remember as a young teenager my dad taking me to Don the Beachcomber in Chicago in the early 1970s. It was where you went downstairs off the sidewalk. I remember the drink menu (despite not being able to drink) similar to what is seen here and there being a large tropical, fish tank as part of the atmosphere. Terrific video on "Tiki Bars" and thanks for sharing!

[@dj-jn7qs]

What an awesome show. I started watching to entertain my curiosity. What I learned has changed everything I presumed about this subject. My backyard Tiki bar now has a real history. Thank you!

[@samwrought5650]

Some old Irish Pubs and taverns are still around in the East Coast, I think it’s awesome that California was were tiki bars started.

[@albyjam]

Fascinating. Speaking of things that are no longer here, how about an episode on the Olympic village of 1932 in the Baldwin Hills? And what happened to all those temporary cottages for the athletes. One is sitting in Olvera Street. Many ended up in the hills of Laguna Beach as beach cottages.

[@albyjam]

Many of these cottages were apparently sent to a hillside Laguna Beach…

[@robynmasters335]

I've had a zombie at Tiki Ti. The place is a tiny hole in the wall but I remember it being packed solid and a blast. I lived in L.A. for nearly 40 years and I remember my mom taking me to Trader Vics to eat, way back in the 1970s. I know there was still one in Hollywood when I left 5 years ago. This is a really cool documentary on the history.

[@sammavacaist]

Thank you for this. I was getting nostalgic for my 80s childhood summers near Lake George, NY recently. 😊 I always loved the Tiki Lounge and the kitsch!

[@user-xt3gh6du9r]

I’m groov’n & digging this show

[@porkkchop]

My grandparents and I used to go to the Tahiti Hut in Long Beach when I was a little kid in the 60's. LOVED THAT PLACE!

[@tedpowers4728]

Awesome a great intro into tiki and covering a lot in a short time!

[@michaelburke5907]

The Palm Room on 1st Ave. in Seattle was a great example and was a hot spot well into the 1980's. Great place for sticky fruit drinks and great music, lots of great looking women. What a blast!

[@gluonjck63]

Very nicely done! Really enjoyed this after all my travels.

[@818familiacarlife]

Tiki bar on sunset blvd , near Hollywood blvd, was a great place for a drink in the 90s. There was never drama - yes it was small - just enough room in the long hall like place. Memories ………………Glad I was there.

[@williamsobat8339]

Fun. Thank you.

[@bradkoerner1]

Great piece! Thanks!

[@alexanderadams6392]

The Golden Tiki in Las Vegas, NV is a fun spot 🌺

[@TheJaypow]

We have no tiki bars where I live. They are so much fun. I’ve been to the Tonga room in San Fran. Trader Vic’s in Chicago and La before they closed. I can’t imagine anyone not enjoying it. Lately u hear about “appropriation” and it’s used in a negative way. That seems so silly to me.. we are celebrating it not mocking it.

[@juniorjames7076]

I'm GenX so I mostly experienced this through the eyes of my parents and older relatives and tv shows like Hawaii 5.0 and the episodes of The Brady Bunch, Gilligans Island and Happy Days where the casts were sent to tropical locales. It appeared to me that by the late 70s "Tiki Culture" merged with "Margaritaville" Jimmy Buffet/Key West culture for my Baby Boomer parents (kids of the WW2 generation).

[@michaeledwards2338]

I miss The Bahooka in San Gabriel

[@Starfish2145]

Yes! Hey there as a kid in the 1960s/early 70s

[@harperwelch5147]

We had Trader Vic’s in Seattle and Portland. Great bar, great appetizers, very much missed. It opened here in Seattle in 1949 and was influenced by soldiers returning from the War in the Pacific.

[@leslielutz6140]

This is fantastic !!

[@robyoung9968]

Really fun that look back at this culture. Tiki bars weren’t just a craze, they were an iconic part of design and crafted Polynesian cocktails and entertainment.

[@rockahbilly76]

Maika'i loa!!! Mahalo.

[@ob1quixote]

Pouring out a Mai Tai for Dave and Anna who ran the Honolulu in Alexandria, Virginia. 🍹 Can't believe it's 20 years gone now.

[@kplante7881]

Thanks for sharing another great episode…!

[@jonhelmer8591]

There is still a Tiki bar with all its original fixtures in Santiago de Cuba, although I haven't been inside for a few years.

[@btoonbtoon]

Thank You so much for making this!! Really well done!!

[@denabergman6543]

Crazy cool tiki bars were the rage. Luau parties were hip.

[@johnodo764]

What if I open a Pirate Bar, do I need to reach out to Captain Jack before I open my doors?

[@kendallevans4079]

Gaspar's in Tampa!

[@keithbrian7129]

You’re doing Ralph Story proud - I remember his old show Ralph Story’s Los Angeles

[@TXN85]

Love this! Absolutely fascinating!

[@TheCornBanana]

Love it- thanks for the story

[@dpkennedy]

Saw this doing research and HAD to send it to you~😂

[@meSA_Verde04]

I enjoyed this video. Great compilation of the original Epcot. Thanks!

[@scottdibartolo6205]

What is the slogan under Don the Beachcomer's main entrance at the start of the video?... I can see that part of it says: " Host to Diplomat, (something something) & Pirate(?)

[@andreavargas8547]

I love it!!!

[@paulrom446]

I've read about the inimitable 'Kahiki' Restaurant in Columbus Ohio Unfortunately it was torn down in 2000 to make way for a Walgreens Looks like it was quite the place!

[@circle11111]

Awesome video ❤

[@jimmyzbike]

Interesting. I have wondered where it all came from and why

[@maurawhelan3530]

Still waiting for the Mai-Kai in Ft Lauderdale to reopen! Hopefully this year…great subject. Ty

[@Seattle41791]

My senior prom was at the Westin Hotel in Seattle. I took my date to Trader Vic's for dinner.

[@caivsivlivs]

bro couldn't even put on an aloha shirt for the entire tiki episode smhj

[@Malvito]

Terrific little doc. Growing up in Kansas City, we didn't have a lot of Tiki Culture; my earliest memories involve a restaurant called the Kona Kai, a place which included a lot of running water and bamboo structures. I notice, towards the end, movie footage of what looks like a luau is used; based on the curvature of the picture, it would appear to be a Cinerama travelogue; does anyone have any idea which movie it might be? Granted, the credits ran fairly quickly, but, while there is an acknowledgement of Cinerama, no specific titles are mentioned.

[@RighteousReverendDynamite]

I think Bruce Brown premiered "The Endless Summer" in , of all places, Wichita, KS in January 1964 ....in the dead of winter... in the snow.... and sold out the theatre....for several days in a row. Then he rented a theatre in NYC and it sold out for 48 weeks. Everyone wanted to go surfin' after that.

[@stevierayripple]

How on Earth could they leave out "Kelbo's" on Pico Blvd. I loved that place !

[@aliceputt3133]

I wish Kelbo’s on Pico was still there. Disney’s Tiki Room is like being inside a cartoon and not out of step with current times.

[@graffic13]

Phx. AZ. still has a tiki bar downtown I believe.

[@gringogreen4719]

Several actually. Hula's is a Mid Century style Tiki bar. I know that Under Tow was redone during the Pandemic, I went to it before the lock down. There is a Tiki Dive Bar on Grand Ave.

[@Shadchanfreude]

Bikini Lounge

[@gringogreen4719]

@@Shadchanfreude Correct. Thank you.🗿

[@user-fr4kh6gd2g]

How could you do this and not include Kelbo's? Pico, Fairfax, Brentwood, Ventura Blvd., Manchester. The one on Fairfax was the home away from home for all of the actors writers, producers directors at CVS television city for 30 years.

[@TimCBuilders]

Huh?

[@mr2981]

Because the people who make these episodes often don't know anything about the subject they are supposed to be covering.

[@pastense]

Wow, would’ve never known that that guy was half pinoy. Let alone tiki bars being started by a pinoy!

[@cocoaorange1]

He took after his mom. Maybe his dad was biracial as well.

[@pastense]

@@cocoaorange1 his dad actually prollie had a lot of Spanish blood. My grandpa looked exactly like that. Couldn’t tell he was Filipino when you saw him!

[@amandacurtis8374]

I've had and sold the Don the Beach Comber items what a fun idea!!!

[@nautifella]

I was in the Navy stationed in San Diego in the early 80s. I was assigned to a punitive work gang one day and we had to clean out the old WWII bomb shelters. We found a hidden room and turned it into a private _Tiki Speakeasy._ Used it for a year and half before we all rotated to a sea commands. It's probably still there.

[@puppet003]

The Beachcomber Hotel on Kalakaua Ave in Waikiki was Don Ho's last stay, and final gig back in the early 80's....I used to walk in that club and wonder who this guy was, not knowing and naive self wondered...his staff of the most beautiful girls were always around him....i.later realized many years later, and thought what a treasure he was to these islands.....I remember you......🤙🏾

[@Buffaloc]

The Tiki Tai on lower Sunset Blvd was frequented by Marlon Brando. The owner and bartender was a Filipino from Trader Joes named Ray.

[@pearlanderson1913]

🐞You didn’t mention “The Coconut Grove”. 🐞

[@thomastrout9997]

Kelbo's. Across the street from Television City on Fairfax. Often referred to as the CBS Staff Bar. and located conveniently close to the Farmer's Daughter Motel. Those were the days.

[@RighteousReverendDynamite]

Beachbum Barry's researched Don's original recipe for the Zombie. Distinguished Spirits KZbin videos does a good job presenting it. the recipe is in the subheading in the video. It consists of of Demerera Rum, Gold Cuban rum, dark Jamaican rum, Falernum, Grapefruit juice, Cinnamon syrup, absinthe dash, lime juice, grenadine, mint sprig on crushed ice. Have not had time the dough to try it myself. Looks good on paper! "Hic"!

[@davidmclean5895]

Royal Hawaiian, Laguna Beach, CA. Established 1947, reopened just recently.

[@mgarcia366]

Nice

[@RighteousReverendDynamite]

I had read an article about Filipino bartenders who had worked maybe at Don the Beachcomber then later at Trader Vic's franchises in the Midwest who were teenagers in the late 1930s living in Los Angeles who had to go back to the family back in the Philippines and unfortunately were there during the Japanese sneak invasion (Dec 8, 1941... same day Dec 7 but they were over the International Date Line so most people forget the other infamy of that day). They were able to join and hide with guerilla fighters and Alamo Scouts up in the Hills and survived and attacked the Japanese until Liberation, just barely. It was harrowing to say the least. If not for the bravery of these fighters, the landings by MacArthur would have been harder. (And the raid on POW camp Carbantuan would note have been as successful, if even attempted). A lot of young Americans have no idea the costs they paid.

[@wendytube007]

Interestingly, myself, I never really thought of tiki as appropriating. I always sort of thought when I looked at it that I was looking at someone’s collection , something like an American tourist that went to these places in the 50s and this is what they collected. It is escapism in my opinion, and I hope people enjoy themselves while having a mai tai amongst the great grandparents tchotchke’s.

[@sakumisan]

"and viewers like you" was missing :( Great nod to Huell!

[@richardstiers9010]

Seems too me that Trader Vic's took this platform to it's ultimate level.

[@pigoff123]

I would want the original with lemon juice and pineapple.

[@michaelmartin4552]

Sadly, that is true about the Tonga Hut. When I lived in North Hollywood in the early 1990s, I went there once. I had grown up hearing about these, and thought I would check one out for myself. And it was a sad experience, with bad overpriced drinks. Wish I was still in the area now, so I could see it now.

[@kittymervine6115]

I was able to go to the Tiki Bar in Florida, not the Disney one. The dancing show was a huge part of the entertainment. It was a restaurant that wasn't good food but the drinks.

[@marthasimons7940]

In Florida, the Seminole Tribe lived in Chickees which some people call Tiki huts. Seminoles build chickees for people all South Florida.

[@CBD7069..]

Team Tonga Hut!!

[@diwilliams2960]

This shows the history of the Tiki Room at Disneyland 21:00

[@maralisil]

There was a restaurant in Lake George with a Tiki theme, not sure whether it still exists!

[@PaulMcCannWebBuilder]

The Tiki Resort - claims to be one of the 'last two themed full service resorts with Polynesian dinner show still operational in the continental United States', the other being in Disney.

[@indiesindie1984]

Thank you for sharing such an awesome documentary! ✌️❤️😎 🤟 🏄‍♀️ 🙏🌊 🛖🗿 PBS Rocks!

[@franksnyder1357]

One Bourbon, one Scotch, one beer.

[@ai_is_a_great_place]

I wna drive around and drink Tiki drinks while being paid 😢

[@petergarin6278]

You overlooked fact that Trader Vic’s existed since 1934

[@Gryphonisle]

What, no Oceanic Arts in Whittier (late, lamented).

[@theheckwithit]

They're fun and a great escape from the outside world for a little bit if you like libations. Love how some places are keeping the old school roots while moving away from appropriation and embracing more accurate Polynesian cuisine and culture.

[@AbusedbyScientologist]

Frank Buyers had tiki gardens in Indian shores. florida after ww2 My father was a masonry contractor who poured all the sidewalks fish ponds tikigods sun temple. Tiki gardens was torn down to put up a public oarking lot The stupid things is its still called Tiki garderns