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Feb. 3, 1918 - Oct. 17, 2007  Joey Bishop, last of the Rat Pack, dead at 89 The first time I personally met Joseph, ( Joey Bishop ) was about 60 years ago, he was starting out as a young comic and was a FREE guest performer at our breakfast for the Infants Home Of Brooklyn. that I was a member of. He was funny then and his track record showed that he went on to greater things in his life. We will miss this Legend. Comedian Joey Bishop, the last surviving member of the super-hip team of entertainers known as the Rat Pack and led Frank Sinatra, has died at age 89, his longtime friend and publicist, Bishop, was born Joseph Abraham Gottlieb on Feb. 3, 1918 in the Bronx, died on Wednesday night of multiple causes at his home in Newport Beach, Calif., south of Los Angeles, With Sinatra's death in 1998, Bishop was the last surviving member of that group, which performed together as a legendary Las Vegas nightclub act and in such films as "Some Came Running," "Ocean's Eleven" and "Sergeant's 3." Fellow comic Don Rickles remembered his glum-faced contemporary's distinct "attitude" and said he was "a great innovator when it came to comedy." Raised in Philadelphia, Bishop started out in vaudeville and performed with a comic trio called the Bishop Brothers, a name he ultimately kept for himself, before serving in the Army during World War II.  Aug. 13, 1930 - April 15, 2007 ;void(0)) by Burt Richards TINY BUBBLES FOR A 76 YEAR OLD Donald Tai Loy Ho was born on August 13th, 1930. Of course he is well know as DON HO. He is the Father of singer Hoku. Don lived in the little Honolulu neighborhood of Kakaako of Hawaiian, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, German parentage but soon moved to Kaneohe. Don’s climb to Five nights a week. The Tiny Bubble man, Don Ho sits center stage behind his Hammond Organ, sings some of his favorite songs and “talk story” with his audience. He teaches the mainlanders how to make an “Aloha” sign. Holding up his right hand with thumb and pinky finger extended, he says, “This means Family in Hawaii,” and jokes, “or at least it did when I was growing up. Nowadays to the kids, it just means hang loose.” What he does is easy to describe: He lounges at the organ, caressing the keys. He sings a song in a sleepy, intimate voice. He gets the audience singing and clapping and pretty soon he gets individual members of the audience on stage to be kissed and hugged and teased. But what the magic is, is harder to figure. Don’s climb to today’s heady heights began in a cocktail lounge in the windward Oahu town of Kaneohe called Honey’s, named after his mother. After returning from the Air Force, Don took over Honey’s in Kaneohe, Hawaii. “When I took it over, the place was empty,” says Ho. It was packed everyday during the war years. My dad said ‘Son, why don’t you go make music.” Ho gathered a couple of friends who knew how to play musical instruments and started a band. “I was terrible,” says Ho. “So, I just played very softly.” Needless to say, business boomed. Playing and learning from the talented musicians he hired for shows, Ho created his own musical image. In 1962, Ho began playing at Duke’s in Waikiki. “That’s when things started happening for us with records, TV shows and everything,” says Ho. These were the days of Don’s greatest development as an entertainer and a star. Backing him were the sensational five Aliis, playing piano, drums, two guitars, xylophone and doubling on half a dozen other instruments. Don presided at the organ, a glass of scotch in his hand, a cigarette burning in the ashtray. (But not anymore. Don has quit drinking and smoking about fifteen years ago) The music was outstanding; the humor was fast and snappy. Tourists came, but so did locals and, after a while, visiting Hollywood stars—any of whom might take to the stage. Raising his glass in salute, Don would urge the audience to “suck’em up,” and they did. Those rowdy, rollicking years brought stardom to Don and made Duke’s Hawaii’s most popular nightclub. Don, the Aliis, Duke Kahanamoku, Kimo McVay, young singers like Robin Wilson, Angel Pablo, Sam Kapu and everybody else on stage had a ball every night. The audience felt it and shared it and kept coming back for more. During his years at Duke’s, Don literally erupted on the national show biz scene, first and most suddenly in a two-week engagement at Hollywood’s ultra-posh Cocoanut Grove in 1966. His opening night was a triumph, breaking all previous attendance records, and he went on to play to turn-away crowds nightly. With such a “debut,” other star turns naturally followed: return engagements at the Grove, feature spots at the Sands in Las Vegas, Harrah’s at Lake Tahoe, the Palmer House in Chicago, the Americana Hotel’s Royal Box in New York, TV guest appearances with Johnny Carson, Joey Bishop and Art Linkletter, and his own hour-long color TV special—not to mention a clutch of best-selling LP record albums for Reprise. From his home based in Hawaii, Don launched out to discover old and new fans all over the country. You can have a complete Dinner Service that includes: Fresh Taro Rolls, Hoku Hale Green Salad, New England Cut Prime Rib and Chicken Filet Don’s favorite dessert choice! Coffee and Tea Service, one standard cocktail or Mai Tai.The location is at The Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel * 2300 Kalakaua Avenue * Honolulu. You can call their TOLL FREE Reservations line at 1 (877) MYDONHO (693 - 6646) (reservations taken daily from 8am to 7pm HST) Performances are Sunday thru Thursday, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM In Hawaiian, the name Hoku means “Star.” Now 20 Hoku is living up to her name Please join us in following her rising career. Aloha again, Hoku sings “PERFECT DAY”, the title song to Reese Witherspoon’s new movie “LEGALLY BLONDE” which was released on Friday, July 13, 2001. Once again, we send out our thanks to all of you who are true fans and friends of Hoku .MAHALO!!! ME KEALOHA PUMEHANA, DON HO. Aloha! BURT RICHARDS | The BANYON NETWORK | Betty Byers | Whitlow Synopsis | INNER-VIEWS WITH CELEBRITIES | ECLECTIC REVIEWS | BOOK REVIEWER'S CORNER | The NEWS | SHORT STORIES CORNER | | Return Home | GREAT LINKS | WHAT'S NEW? | CONTACT US | |
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