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Mokihana Kiaaina

Born: September 25, 1931
Died: September 15, 1994
in Hawaii, USA

Merllyn Mokihana Kiaaina was a Hawaiian chanteuse actress. She sold fish at her mother's Chinatown fish stall, before, in the early '60s, a Hollywood director Mervyn LeRoy signed her to a role in the Frank Sinatra-Spencer Tracy movie, "The Devil at Four O'Clock", that opened doors for her. It was her portrayal of Bloody Mary in the Broadway musical "South Pacific" that became her signature. For years, she was the only Polynesian trouper (she was part Hawaiian) to play that role. Her flair for comedy and her powerful voice, coupled with her size, enabled her to take on Bloody Mary in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical in which she delivered two show-stopping tunes, "Bali Hai" and "Happy Talk". She starred in "South Pacific" productions from Las Vegas to Atlantic City and cities in between, parlaying that fame to the role of Madam Fong in "Flower Drum Song." A career in TV and films followed, including roles on such shows as "Highway to Heaven", "Island Sons", "Aloha Paradise", "Castaways on Gilligan's Island" and "The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.". In Hollywood circles, she was known as a gourmet chef who prepared special meals for the film colony.

Movies for Mokihana Kiaaina...

Title: Aloha Paradise

Character: Evelyn Pahinui

Released: February 25, 1981

Type: TV

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Aloha Paradise is an American comedy series that aired on ABC on Wednesday night from February 25, 1981 to April 22, 1981. Aloha Paradise follows Sydney Chase, general manager of the Kona village resort in Hawaii where people meet and fall in love under the swaying palm trees and omnipresent sun. There's an assortment of assistants to direct traffic and play cupid— Sydney's bumbling file clerk Curtis, her perky social director Fran, he-guy lifeguard Richard and economy-sized bartender Evelyn. Aloha Paradise was executive produced by Douglas S. Cramer and Aaron Spelling, the same team that produced The Love Boat which the series bore a resemblance to.

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