Top TV Moments: Don Ho

As soon as a series from the Comfort TV era decided to shoot an episode in Hawaii, only one question remained – how could we fit Don Ho into the story?

At least that’s the way it seemed in the 1960s and ‘70s. And yet – the two shows that spent the most time in Hawaii – Hawaii Five-O and Magnum, P.I. – remained completely Ho-less for a combined 20 years and more than 440 episodes. Go figure.

I wonder how well known he is in the culture now. Certainly in Hawaii his name conjures fond memories of songs like “Tiny Bubbles” and his long-running nightclub show at the Beachcomber Hotel at Waikiki. But on the mainland he may be trending downward like Wayne Newton, who was a must-see in Vegas for decades just as Ho was in Hawaii. Thankfully, we’ll always have the following classic TV shows to preserve his legacy.

Hawaiian Eye (1963)

This series debuted in 1959, the same year Hawaii became a state, and also the year that Don Ho began his musical career at a club called Honey’s. While this series was not actually shot in Hawaii, it’s certainly a fitting place for him to make his first television appearance – though not as himself. He played a character called Kamaki in the episode “Maybe Menehunes.”

Valentine’s Day (1965)

If you had asked me a week ago when Don Ho began making TV guest spots as himself, I’d have said I Dream of Jeannie. And I would have been wrong. IMDB tells me he started two years earlier, in the episode “Viva Valentine” from the long-forgotten sitcom Valentine’s Day. The show starred Tony Franciosa as a dashing New York publisher who was constantly being chased by women with romance on their minds. I’ve had more than 15 books published, and I don’t think I’ve ever looked on publishers as a particularly dashing sort.  But that’s neither here nor there.

Batman (1966)

Do Ho is in the select company of Dick Clark, Jerry Lewis, Sammy Davis Jr. and other stars to pop out a high-rise window for a chat with Batman and Robin as they climb up the side of a building. The episode was called “The Bat’s Kow-Tow”and also features one of Julie Newmar’s delightful turns as Catwoman, plus ‘60s vocal duo Chad and Jeremy. 

I Dream of Jeannie (1967)

This is the most substantive of Ho’s guest spots, and also the strangest. In “Jeannie Goes to Honolulu” he performs “Ain’t No Big Thing” from a nightclub stage, and that scene leads into a dream sequence in which Don and his son (not sure which one – he had ten kids) wander the island to his ballad “Days of My Youth.” It’s never clearly explained why Jeannie would be dreaming about this. But as a result Don gets six minutes of uninterrupted screen time – more than Major Healey or Dr. Bellows. 

Malibu U. (1967)

Never saw it? Oh, yes you have. If you’ve ever watched that clip of Leonard Nimoy singing “The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins,” which makes the rounds on Facebook every few months – this is the series where it came from. Malibu U. was a summer music show shot at Malibu Beach, hosted by Ricky Nelson. Besides Don Ho, guests included Marvin Gaye, Dionne Warwick, Stephen Stills, Frankie Valli, Neil Young, Lou Rawls, The Turtles and The Doors. Sadly, all those music clearances mean it will never hit DVD.

The Brady Bunch (1972)

In “Hawaii Bound” Don Ho just happens to be strolling by while Bobby struggles with playing a ukulele. 

He gives the kid a lesson, and he and companion Sam Kapu, Jr. sing “Sweet Someone.” Eventually Bobby recognizes him, as so many 11 year-olds were apparently big Don Ho fans back in 1972.

Bobby: “You’re Don Ho!”

Cindy: “Don Who?”

The song was the highlight here, as the comedy certainly was not. 

Sanford and Son (1976)

In the three-part adventure “The Hawaiian Connection,” Fred and Lamont go to Hawaii for the Associated Junkmen of America convention, and get mixed up with a gang of diamond smugglers. Don Ho appears as they’re being chased through a nightclub, where he performs that Polynesian classic, “Beer Barrel Polka.” Full disclosure – Don may be the least interesting aspect of these shows, which went all-out on the guest casting. The crooks are played by Sheldon Leonard, Greg Morris and Barbara Rhoades; the cops by James Gregory and David Huddleston, and there are also appearances by Hal Williams and Pat Paulsen. My favorite moment is when Morris begins planning the heist with a second decoy suitcase, and the Mission: Impossible theme starts playing.

Charlie’s Angels (1977)

In “Angels in Paradise,” Charlie Townsend is kidnapped in Hawaii, and the Angels travel there to get him back. “I think I know somebody who can help us,” Sabrina Duncan says. “He knows everyone in Hawaii, and he just happens to be a friend of Charlie’s.” 

This appearance by Don Ho is my favorite because they don’t just trot him out to do a song as if it was some contractual obligation. Instead, he’s utilized in a role that makes sense given how audiences knew him by now. Why wouldn’t someone who worked nightclubs for years know the major players among the Islands’ criminal element? It’s a good scene in one of the series’ best episodes.

Fantasy Island (1979)

You know "The Wedding" is a very special episode of Fantasy Island when Mr. Roarke is getting married, and Don Ho is there to sing “The Hawaiian Wedding Song.” This show gave Ricardo Montalban something different to play in the normally inscrutable Roarke. I won’t spoil the ending, but since Roarke isn’t coming home to the wife for the remaining five years of the series, you can probably guess what happens. 

 

Aloha Scooby-Doo! (2005)

I know we’re well outside the era usually covered with this 2005 direct-to-video movie. But Scooby-Doo is a Comfort TV icon, and this was one of Don Ho’s final projects, coming 40 years after his first became one of Hawaii’s favorite sons. That’s him performing the opening song.

 If you're ever in Hawaii, be sure to put a lei around the neck of the bronze statue erected to honor him. It's at Waikiki's International Market Place.