No, no…not the 1950 White Heat with James Cagney. This 1934 movie was the FIRST movie to use Kauai as a location. The owner of a plantation doesn’t approve of his staff marrying or living with the native women, until he accepts a “gift of love” from a local girl. (ah….the old forbidden fruit). He goes to San Francisco and marries a society lady and brings her back to the plantation. San Francisco society becomes bored with plantation life. Sparks fly. It was basically a racist sexist “romp in the park”.

The island princess (Debra Paget) falls in love with a French tourist (Louis Jourdan). The locals are NOT happy about it. The local volcano erupts and the big Kahuna decides that only the sacrifice of the Debra Paget character, Kalua, will appease the Gods. The Gods WERE appeased and the movie went on to gross $1,650,000!

It’s post WWII. The US Marines are on Kauai waiting to be discharged. Sadie (Rita Hayworth) was a bad girl. Jose Ferrer plays a missionary. The Marines, a bad girl and a missionary….Somerset Maugham really outdid himself on this one. “Filmed on the lush tropical island of Kauai in the South Pacific”…you know your island is cool when it gets equal billing with Rita Hayworth in the trailer! Available in 3-D!!

It’s WWII. Tony Curtis is a Marine that goes to a “Pacific Island” to rescue a French planter and his beautiful daughter, played by Mary Murphy. Do I really have to go on? The budget was $450,000 and the movie grossed $1.4 million.

Robert Wagner, Broderick Crawford, Buddy Ebsen. A wealthy, bigoted Southern man enters the service shortly after Pearl Harbor and learns some lessons about racism and survival from an aging sharecropper. Who could pass up a movie with this story? Apparently a lot of people did as the movie only grossed $2 million. The New York Times critic said “it lands with a pretty dull thud”. Ouch! Kauai, on the other hand, should have been Oscar nominated for her role as the Philippines.

A Roger Corman CLASSIC! OK, so it is NOT an Academy Award winning film, but the poster looks way cool. Originally titled, “Naked Paradise”…..at a time when “Naked” anything was taboo. Had a budget of $90,000!

This one did win an Academy Award. Rossano Brazzi, Mitzi Gaynor, John Kerrand Ray Walstonin the leading roles in this adaptation of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, based on James A. Michener's Tales of the South Pacific. She is STILL “gonna’ wash that man right outa’ my hair”.

This Charles B. Griffith movie is a classic. Griffith worked with Roger Corman as a writer on Thunder Over Hawaii. Lots of plot for a 66 minute movie. I actually met the star of this movie, Jon Hall’s widow last year. Small world.

The pride of Hoboken, NJ, Frank Sinatra directed and starred in this movie, along with Clint Walker, Tatsuya Mihashi. American and Japanese soldiers, stranded on a tiny Pacific island during World War II, must make a temporary truce and cooperate to survive. Told through the eyes of the American and Japanese.

ELVIS! Elvis wants to set up a charter helicopter service in Kauai. He woos Suzanna Leigh and sings. Need I say more? OK, I will. Here is the tag line from the movie: “All ELVIS breaks loose in the swinging, swaying, luauing south seas!” 91 minutes of riveting dialogue like “You scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours.” The good news; the movie grossed $2,500,000. The bad news; the movie cost $2,000,000.

James Michener…..again. Julie Andrews, Max von Sydow, Richard Harris, Gene Hackman, Carol O’Connor star in this movie. The original edit of this movie was over 3 hours long!! Big hit. The box office was over $15,000,000….at a time when $15,000,000 was a lot of money!

Dustin Hoffman, Robin Williams, Julia Roberts, Bob Hoskins, Maggie Smith, Phil Collins (WAIT….I thought he was a musician) star in this Steven Speilberg directed tale of Captain Hook and Peter Pan. $300 million gross.

Steven Speilberg MUST have a home in Kauai. He shoots in Kauai a lot. This Michael Crichton book and screenplay featured Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, BD Wong. Big movie. $356 million USA gross. 3 Academy Awards!

James Cameron written and directed. Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver. Big movie. $760 million USA gross. 3 Academy awards and a NICE one sheet.

George Clooney…..what else do I have to say? Lots of great Kauai local establishments in the movie. Even the Mango Brothers perform in this movie. $177 million USA gross.

When you own a franchise like Jurassic Park, you milk it. This movie did a further $700,000,000 in billing……….and the movie company did not have to pay Steven Speilberg, Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Glodblum or Richard Attenborough (he was dead). They did have to pay BD Wong again. It did win a Golden Schmoes Award for “Most Overrated Movie of the Year”. You saw the part about $700,000,000 in billing, right?