Vintage Hawaiian Vibes, Circa 1924

By Greg Olwell

Let’s look at some vintage film shot in Hawaii for Aloha Friday.

Throughout the ’20s, the mainland US was enthralled with the culture and music of the Hawaiian Islands and this nine-minute film, made by the Ford Motor Company Motion Pictures in 1924, is filled with scenes of Hawaii from a pivotal moment in its history.

Tourism to the islands exploded during this time as cruises to Hawaii became more accessible to mainlanders with disposable income from the Roaring Twenties. It’s a change that transformed the Islands from agricultural economy to tourist-based.

These tourists often returned with ukuleles and other symbols of Hawaiian culture, further spreading the instrument’s popularity during this First Wave of ukulele love.

Though low on ukulele content, this film is so high on vibe that we had to share it.

To learn more about Hawaiian music history, check out Hawaiian Music & Musicians: An Encyclopedic History, by George S. Kanahele and John Berger.