The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-05-13
BY ERNEST N. SMITH.


heard lot about Honolulu and the is
lanes lately, via Toots Paka, the Ha-
waiian dancer, and as had seen half
page theatrical advertisements in
New York papers featuring "Toots"
in anklets, grass skirts and a happy |
smile l was interested in seeing her
because right now she seems to bel
the most conspicuous advertisement
Hawaii has going through the states.
and wondered what kind of a repu.
tation she was giving us. She is ap.
pearing in San Francisco at present,
where of course the real Hawaii is
better known and she casts no false
spells over the citizens here.
Personally l YVES disappointed in the
act SO far as hers went. She's head
liner not for what she does evidently
as what she represents in the minds
of the average citizen east of the
Sierra Nevada mountains. If people
only won't mistake her and her act
as "typifying' the islands. She's not
our best representative.
Necessarily the stage isn't looking
for the ordinary features of life, but
the trouble is We are apt to take the
extraordinary features as a typical
scene. Nobody would go to see
motley crew of Filipinos, but crowds
will swarm to see a group of Filipino
"headhunters" and go away with a
very definite idea of what life was
like in the Philippines.
You can see much racier Toots Pa
kas in Honolulu anytime, or could not
long ago, and when our friends from
the Coast came Ashore with know
ing leer and said II want to see it,
If we boys couldn't stir up a better
show than "Toots" gives we'd feel
ashamed of the Bohemian atmosphere
we tried to throw over the days visit
of the steamer "stopovers."
The music Yves good-no better, no
worse than the good melodies one
always hears in the isIands-and as
my thoughts flew home on the strains
of some of the old favorite songs, I
wished "Toots" were further and in
her place was moving picture film of
surf riding, people in white on the
beach by the Moana on January (for
the benefit of freezing Easterners), a
view of loading cattle on steamers,
plantation scenes, automobiling along
palm-lined boulevards, and scenes on
board the ocean steamers Sailing to
Paradise on an even keeP'-with nc
possibility of striking an iceberg
Watching such scenes and hearing the
| plaintive melodies between times
would leave such a pleasant taste in
the mouth, and longing to share the
blessing Nature seemed to heap on the
happy residents of the nOtso-very-faI
away islands.
See now what the San Francisco
, critics have to say about "Toots" and
her band:
(The Chronicles review of the per
Torrance appeared in the Star OF
Thursday last.-Ed. Starr
The Examiner The Orpheum this
week celebrates the peace agreement
between the warning vaudeville inter
ests with bill that lacks nothing Of
variety. 1t ffers a weird assortment
of acts that are novel.
Most novel of the offerings is the
Hula Hula dance of Toots Paka. One
had always imagined that hula hulS
was something escoteric and tempera
mental. TOots skaters the Illusion
To her the Hula Hula is a twiddlini
If the hands and knees. 1t is al
piquant as a picnic in the rain. Thu
temperature of Irkutsk might At II
but in Papeete it wouldn't have th'
chance of a SNOWFALL. 'S'matter witt
Martin Beck? Why lead our expecta
lions up to a Precipitation, and thel
give us a chilli
Toots was assisted by a trio o
brown enough Hawaiians. They playe,
on the inevitable guitar and sang tn
inevitable Aloha. Then one Of then
the homeliest OF the trio, begge'
plaintively in tear-dsmp tenor 70
some one to take him in her armi
just once again. Never in the ANIMAL
Of the Orpheum's Sunday nights ha
} that tenored theme failed to hurdl
the footlights.
. Orpheum Sunday night audience
seem always to be suffocating for a
earfuI OF sentiment, A sentiments
song acts on their dropping heart
like digitalis. Hurrah for the sob
It's the great alembic, in which tn
heartaches of the week are distille'