
Tiki Bars and Their Hollywood Origins (Preview)
Preview: Season 6 Episode 6 | 30sVideo has Closed Captions
Tiki culture isn’t a Polynesian import — it’s a Hollywood creation.
Lost LA host Nathan Masters will explore some of the oldest tiki bars in Southern California. 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 will include Tiki-Ti’s Mike Buhen, tiki historian Sven Kirsten and Strong Water Anaheim’s Ying Chang and Robert Adamson.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Lost LA is a local public television program presented by PBS SoCal

Tiki Bars and Their Hollywood Origins (Preview)
Preview: Season 6 Episode 6 | 30sVideo has Closed Captions
Lost LA host Nathan Masters will explore some of the oldest tiki bars in Southern California. 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 will include Tiki-Ti’s Mike Buhen, tiki historian Sven Kirsten and Strong Water Anaheim’s Ying Chang and Robert Adamson.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipWhat was it that made Tiki such a craze in the 1950s?
-It was a fantasy, a Hollywood fantasy, but there was also this opening to other cultures.
-The idea is that Tiki bars are very much just a Polynesian thing, but they're pulling from everywhere, pulling from South America, from Africa, from all around the world.
-Filipinos don't get enough recognition when it comes to the world of Tiki.
-It's an important part of the Tiki story.
Boy Scouts Discover Polynesian Culture
Clip: S6 Ep6 | 4m 31s | Learn how Polynesian culture was introduced to California through worldwide sea voyages. (4m 31s)
Building a Tiki Bar with Beachcomber Legacy
Clip: S6 Ep6 | 5m 51s | Uncover the legacy of the original beachcomber Eli Hedley through his grandson Bamboo Ben. (5m 51s)
Pacific Islander Artifacts at the Bowers Museum
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S6 Ep6 | 4m 58s | Lost LA host Nathan Masters visits the Bowers Museum's Pacific Islander collection. (4m 58s)
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipSupport for PBS provided by:
Lost LA is a local public television program presented by PBS SoCal