Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Hawaii - 50 year of statehood

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Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 08-21-2009, 08:43 PM:

Hawaii is quietly celebrating 50 years of statehood today and not the jubilant way Alaska did last year Because of the possibility of backlash from a tiny minority of native Hawaiian's who are still upset about the overthrow of Queen Liliokalani and her royal government and kingdom in 1893 by a group of white merchants backed up with American military support. I am proud to be an American and proud of my state and can still remember the day when congress approved Hawaiian statehood and the day President Eisenhower signed the bill making Hawaii the 50th state exactly fifty years ago today.

-Claude

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 08-21-2009, 09:25 PM:

Congratulations, Claude. It must be quite an experience living in a state where you can remember when it came into the Union. Any theatres running HAWAII for this occasion? I wonder if Warners now holds the rights since they have lots of UA and MGM titles. Did you ever get a chance to see the roadshow version in 70mm?

Anyway, enjoy the celebrations, Claude.

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 08-21-2009, 09:47 PM:

Thank you Frank. I think Time Warner only controls MGM titles and no United Artist movies. I think all UA titles are still controlled by MGM through Fox Home Video. HAWAII played it's road show engagement at the Kuhio Theatre in Honolulu only in 35mm and that is where I saw the movie Strange as it may seem, the movie did not have it's world premiere in Honolulu. I think the opening was either in Hollywood or New York.. I do not believe the movie was released with a stereo track even in 70mm from what I had learned so the version I saw was in mono. My late father was a carpenter and he worked for a construction firm that was hired to build the sets for the movie out at the Waianae coast at Makaha on the west coast of Oahu. I never saw the sets up close but only from a distant when they were filming. After the movie was finished, the public was invited to see the sets before they were demolished and the area was restored to the way they were before the location was selected for the movie. I did not go and still regret it today. The movie is available on DVD but only in the cut version and in the original mono sound. I still have the longer version on laserdisc and it is in stereo.

-Claude

Posted by Charles Greenlee (Member # 3856) on 08-22-2009, 03:24 AM:

I supposed one could make an easy jab at your age, being able to remember when a state was added to the union, since most people assume at all happened quite a long time ago. But that's incredible that you were able to be around to be a part of such a big peice of history. I, for example, would've killed to have been around to experience an Apollo Saturn V launch first hand. I imagine it'd be quite white knuckled to be in the stands for that. Not to mention having lived to experience the history firt hand, on top of the thrill of the launches themselves. But, I was born in '79, much too late for that.

Posted by Aaron Mehocic (Member # 15) on 08-22-2009, 12:48 PM:

Recently I just saw where the happiest people in the country live in Hawaii. Ohio was at the bottom of the list. Even though I live in Pennsylvania, I get my local news from Ohio. Its all doom and gloom from those people - sad when you think about it. Guess the cliffs of Lake Erie doesn't compare to the beaches of the Pacific. [Razz]

Posted by Robert E. Allen (Member # 1351) on 08-22-2009, 01:08 PM:

Well congratulations to all you Islanders Claude. Oregon is celebrating its 150th this year.

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 08-22-2009, 02:44 PM:

Congratulations to you too, Robert on Oregon's 150th years of statehood. I love Oregon after visiting your state twice. Yes, we are a very happy people here in Hawaii (except for the native Hawaiian protestors [Frown]

, Aaron. Yes, Charles, I consider myself very fortunate to have been born and witnessed a lot of modern American history when they happened. I was only two years and four months old when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. I recall vividly the Korean War, Hawaii Statehood, President Kennedy and his brother's assassination as well as that of Dr. Martin Luther King, the Viet Nam War, Hippies, the Apollo space program and the moon landing and so many events including the terrible day on 9/11 up to the present day.

One thing I consider myself very fortunate to have been around when many of the great movie classics were first released. I was only four months old when GONE WITH THE WIND was premiered in Atlanta in December 1939. FANTASIA and THE WIZZARD OF OZ Came out just about the same time. It was years later when I had the opportunity to enjoy these great classics when I became older. I grew up enjoying all those great musicals from MGM and FOX in glorious three strip Technicolor and wonderful Natural Vision 3-D which in my opinion were much better than today's Real D and Dolby 3-D. It was a great delight to enjoy the wide screen image of CinemaScope when it was introduced in 1963 with THE ROBE and the extremely sharp image and brilliant Technicolor with the first feature in VistaVision, WHITE CHRISTMAS. . How can I ever forget seeing every three strip Cinerama films at the Princess Theatre and later at the Cinerama in Honolulu. After seeing SOUTH PACIFIC in 70mm TODD AO at the Kuhio Theare, I made an effort to see every film that played in Honolulu in 70mm and there were a lot.

Yes, at 70 years, I do indeed consider myself very fortunate to have been around to witness a big chunk of American and motion picture history.

-Claude

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 08-22-2009, 03:19 PM:

I once read that there is a theory that the reason there is more suicide in Ohio (ranks highest in the nation, or at least it did years ago when the survey was done) is because it also has the least amount of sunshine. And even when it is sunny, it is very rare that they have really clear, blue skys -- it's always over cast.

As for happy Hawiians, I have a college buddy of mine who left school, got a job as a teacher in the midwest and after two years happened to take a vacation in Honolulu. He loved it so much that he never came back and has been living there ever since. He says it's expensive, but he didn't care if he had to live like a pauper, he wouldn't give it up for anything. Must be quite a place!

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 08-22-2009, 03:34 PM:

My dad was stationed in Hawaii in the late sixties. I remember it being like the first day of summer (good summer, not these damn Alabama summers) every day. Get out of school and go to the beach, every day! Alas, we left just as puberty was kicking in, dammit [evil]

I remember seeing Hawaii at the Waipahu DI. First movie I ever saw that had naked breasts. Good Times

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 08-22-2009, 03:47 PM:

Frank,

You are right about Ohio and it weather. I have been there many times and do not recall very many sunny days. As for Hawaii, yes in a way it is expensive especially gas prices which is the highest in the country. Currently , it is about $3.24 for a regular gallon of unleaded. Our sales tax is probably the lowest in the country at 4.177%. As far as the cost to see a movie, I do not know what the regular adult ticket price is here but my senior discounted ticket is $6.75 and about $10.00 for 3-D. IMAX at the Dole Cannery is a whopping $12.50

-Claude