Tiki History, Part 1

About 18 months ago I visited the Huli Huli Powell, a Tiki-themed bar and restaurant in Powell, Ohio, about 10 miles north of Columbus. I was enthralled as soon as I entered the place, I suspect because as a kid growing up in the 1960s, I must have been exposed to Tiki culture, which was then in its heyday.

I say “Tiki culture.” The term implies a connection to a real-world culture, which is decidedly not the case. One can call it a crude caricature of Polynesian culture, but I don’t quite see it that way. I see it as a crude caricature mashup of two cultures: Polynesia, yes, but also the Caribbean.

The liquor most associated with Tiki is rum, which originated in the Caribbean, as does the pineapple, the fruit most associated with Tiki, which is indigenous to the South American regions along the fringe of the Caribbean. (Only in the 19th century did large-scale cultivation of the pineapple begin in Hawaii.)

Essentially Tiki creates a fantasy world that I doubt many regard as a reflection of an authentic culture. But where did Tiki originate? Most historians regard it as the invention of Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt (1907-1989), who hailed from the decidedly non-exotic state of Texas but in his youth led a vagabond existence that carried him to Jamaica, Australia, Papua New Guinea, the Marquesas Islands, and Tahiti.

Eventually he wound up in Los Angeles, where in 1933 he took a newly vacated tailor shop near Hollywood Boulevard and converted it into a small bar capable of seating about a dozen customers. In search of cheap but distinctive décor, he chose his “South Pacific gewgaws,” as one cocktail historian puts it, that were souvenirs of his Pacific travels. To these he added old nets and parts of wrecked boats gathered from the local waterfront. As the mainstay of his cocktail menu he chose rum, because it was the cheapest spirit then available.

He named his modest bar “Don the Beachcomber,” and because of its proximity to Hollywood film studios it was soon frequented by movie stars, most notably Charlie Chaplin. The bar thrived, and within four years Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt moved his operation to a larger Hollywood location. He also legally changed his name to Donn Beach.

A few years later the United States entered World War II. Donn Beach, like 16 million other Americans, entered the military and, somewhat improbably, rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Air Forces (the pre-cursor of the Air Force). He flew a number of combat missions, was gravely wounded, and received the Bronze Star for valor. In the meantime his ex-wife and business partner managed Don the Beachcomber shrewdly and well.

After the war, Don the Beachcomber benefitted mightily from the several million veterans who had served in the South Pacific and returned with stories of its exotic climes. One such veteran, James Michener, wrote a novel loosely based on his experiences. Entitled ”Tales of the South Pacific,” it won the Pulitzer Prize, and was soon adapted by Rogers and Hammerstein into the musical “South Pacific,” a smash hit on Broadway that in 1958 became a smash hit film.

Its portrayal of an exotic South Pacific island dragooned into service as a modest naval logistical base, and especially the nearby magical, mysterious, island of Bali Hai unintentionally but indelibly splashed Tiki culture on the silver screen, where it enchanted millions of movie-goers. Tiki culture now entered mainstream America.