The return of American GIs from the Pacific theatre after World War II helped launch a Polynesian craze. Thor Heyerdahl’s Kon-Tiki expedition, James Michener’s Tales of the South Pacific, and Hawaiian statehood all fueled the phenomenon. This “tiki” culture — so named after the large, wooden sculptures found throughout Polynesia — included candy-colored rum cocktails, Hawaiian shirts, space-age pop music, and a nonstop party scene inhabited by self-styled nonconformists and swingers. After all but disappearing in the 1970s, the spirit of tiki has recently been revived by a new generation of Polynesian popsters — and shows absolutely no signs of flaming out.
Screened at The Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, California, in 2014
“Spirited, colorful” — The Miami Herald
“A fascinating story of pop culture” — The Atomic Grog
Network PBS
Air Date September 18, 2013
Producers Gaspar González | Brett O’Bourke
Director Brett O’Bourke
Writer Gaspar González
Cinematographer Richard Patterson
Art Director Kevin Kidney
Narrator Drew Birch
Editor Jorge Rubiera
Assistant Editor Noelis Márquez-Reyes
Colorist Ryan Enn Hughes
Post Sound Joel C. Hernandez
Running Time 55:26
A WLRN / Common Machine Production