From Uga Booga to Hollywood hula: a deep dive into America’s fascination with Tiki bars, tropical drinks and the South Pacific

This thesis takes the form of a podcast series that explores contemporary issues of race, culture and diversity through the evolution of the Tiki bar, a pop culture phenomenon with roots in post-World War II imaginations and Los Angeles history, exotified and popularized by Hollywood movies. The goal of this thesis is to use the Tiki bar as a case study on the effects of film and media representation on societal norms, cultural stereotypes and race relations. ❧ This project started when I came across photographs of Filipino immigrants in the 1930s at casting calls for movie extras and behind Tiki bars. These men, known as members of the manong (“uncle”) generation, immigrated to America in search of opportunity only to be met with racism and prejudice. I learned many of them provided the invisible labor force for Tiki bars, alongside other people of color, perhaps as stand-ins for brown Pacific Islanders. As a Filipino American born in Los Angeles, I was drawn to their stories and wanted to learn how they became involved in this line of work and what produced the Tiki bar industry. ❧ Over the course of my reporting, this podcast became a journey of discovery, where I learned about various communities and subcultures of Los Angeles including Pacific Islanders, Tiki bar fans and Hollywood’s inextricable relationship to Tiki bar culture. I studied films set in the Pacific to gain an understanding of their effects on popular culture. I included my findings through narration in order to provide an honest, authentic voice in this story. Each podcast episode weaves interviews and clips into sound-rich audio documentaries that explore various issues related to the Tiki bar: racism, cultural appropriation, cultural appreciation and history. The series aims to sonically transport the listener to different time periods and communities using a diverse set of voices and sounds to illuminate varying ideas and perspectives.