Poncie Ponce
Encyclopedia
Poncie Ponce is an American actor, musician and stand-up comedian. Born in Maui
, Hawaii
, he moved to Los Angeles
, where from 1959–1963, he played the role of cab driver Kazuo Kim in the Warner Bros.
detective series, Hawaiian Eye
on the American Broadcasting Company
television network.
In 1961, Ponce was at the forefront of a growing national interest in martial arts when he opened a karate studio in North Hollywood.
in Honokaa, Hawaii, and pursued a career as a welder at Hawaii Vocational School. However, he was called to serve his country for two years in the United States Army
. Deployed to Germany
in 1953, Ponce honed his artistic talents in Munich's
clubs. The entertainment bug bit him, and upon return to civilian life, Ponce made the rounds of Hawaii's local talent contests and television and radio stations. Encouraged by Hawaii tourist audiences, Ponce decided to try his luck in Los Angeles
.
Santa Monica
night club. Warner Bros. honchos William T. Orr
and Hugh Benson happened to catch his act at Ben Blue's and thought he might be a good fit for their new production Hawaiian Eye. There was one stipulation to the contract, that he change his name to Poncie Ponce.
Ponce came to national attention in 1959 as the wise-cracking cab driver Kazuo Kim on the Warner Bros detective series Hawaiian Eye
, which ran for four years on ABC
. Kazuo Kim was known for his trademark straw hat and ubiquitous ukulele, as a sometimes informant for the detectives, or as he idly plucked the uke while leaning against his cab waiting for a fare. The show's intro showed Kazuo Kim floating in the ocean on an inner tube, wearing the hat and plucking his uke.
According to Don Ho
, in the days when Don was still just a local entertainer in Waikiki
, Ponce and the Hawaiian Eye cast and crew used to come to his show every night. The Hawaiian Eye patronage became a big draw for Don and the small club, as customers would line up just to be able to be with the television celebrities.
team in the 1968 Speedway
.
Hawaiian Eye provided opportunities for Ponce, that continued after the show ended, to perform and make personal appearances around the globe. In 1963, Ponce joined the promotional staff of television station HSV 7 in Melbourne
, Australia
. Beginning December 29, 1964, Ponce began a four-week engagement at the Checkers Club in Sydney
, Australia. In February 1965, Ponce played the Getsusekai club in Tokyo
. June 9–16, 1965, Ponce was appearing on radio and television in Buenos Aires
. Ponce, who lives in California, sometimes entertains at events in Las Vegas
.
Long after the show ended, Ponce was booked at nostalgia events.
. In 1961, Warner Bros. released Ponce's single Ten Cent Perfume / No Huhu. Billboard
magazine gave the single a three-star rating for "Moderate sales potential". The magazine explained its three-star rating as, "...these frequently will be of interest for disk jockey programming." An interesting three-star rating in the same issue was given to the Chad Mitchell Trio's
single release Lizzie Borden. In 1962, Warner Bros released the album Poncie Ponce Sings. Billboard gave the album a four-star "Strong Sales Potential" rating, saying, "He does his best work on novelties," and giving the album the same ranking as new albums from artists Damita Jo, Dinah Washington
and Lee Dorsey
.
luncheon honoring his friend and former co-star Connie Stevens
, where the two old friends sang the Hawaiian Wedding Song
. In 2006, Ponce, who was home on Maui for a high school reunion, gave locals a thrill by performing an impromptu jam with stand-up comic Augie T.
Ponce is now a retired grandfather and spends time with his wife of over five decades, sometimes entertaining diners at Bob's Okazu-ya in Gardena, California
.
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, he moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, where from 1959–1963, he played the role of cab driver Kazuo Kim in the Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
detective series, Hawaiian Eye
Hawaiian Eye
Hawaiian Eye is an American television series that ran from October 1959 to September 1963 on the American Broadcasting Company television network.-Premise:...
on the American Broadcasting Company
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television network.
In 1961, Ponce was at the forefront of a growing national interest in martial arts when he opened a karate studio in North Hollywood.
Early life
Ponciano Hernandez was born in Maui, Hawaii on April 10, 1933. He attended Honokaa High SchoolHonokaa High & Intermediate School
Honokaa High & Intermediate School is a public, co-educational high school and middle school of the Hawaii State Department of Education. It serves grades seven through twelve and was established in 1889.-General information:...
in Honokaa, Hawaii, and pursued a career as a welder at Hawaii Vocational School. However, he was called to serve his country for two years in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. Deployed to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1953, Ponce honed his artistic talents in Munich's
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
clubs. The entertainment bug bit him, and upon return to civilian life, Ponce made the rounds of Hawaii's local talent contests and television and radio stations. Encouraged by Hawaii tourist audiences, Ponce decided to try his luck in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
Discovery and stardom
Los Angeles automobile dealer Bob Yeakel broadcast an 18-hour weekly amateur talent show called Rocket to Stardom from his Wilshire Boulevard showroom. The broadcast was split over two local stations, KHJ-TV Channel 9 and KTTV-TV Channel 11. Ponce made a series of appearances on the local show in the late 1950s and was soon working at Ben Blue'sBen Blue
Ben Blue , born Benjamin Bernstein, was a Canadian-American actor and comedian.Born to a Jewish family in Montreal, Quebec, at the age of nine, Blue emigrated to Baltimore in the United States where he won a contest for the best impersonation of Charlie Chaplin...
Santa Monica
Santa Mônica
Santa Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...
night club. Warner Bros. honchos William T. Orr
William T. Orr
William T. Orr was an American television producer associated with a series of western and detective programs of the 1950s-1970s....
and Hugh Benson happened to catch his act at Ben Blue's and thought he might be a good fit for their new production Hawaiian Eye. There was one stipulation to the contract, that he change his name to Poncie Ponce.
Ponce came to national attention in 1959 as the wise-cracking cab driver Kazuo Kim on the Warner Bros detective series Hawaiian Eye
Hawaiian Eye
Hawaiian Eye is an American television series that ran from October 1959 to September 1963 on the American Broadcasting Company television network.-Premise:...
, which ran for four years on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. Kazuo Kim was known for his trademark straw hat and ubiquitous ukulele, as a sometimes informant for the detectives, or as he idly plucked the uke while leaning against his cab waiting for a fare. The show's intro showed Kazuo Kim floating in the ocean on an inner tube, wearing the hat and plucking his uke.
According to Don Ho
Don Ho
Donald Tai Loy "Don" Ho was a Hawaiian and traditional pop musician, singer and entertainer.-Life and career:Ho, of Chinese, Hawaiian, Portuguese, Dutch, and German descent, was born in the small Honolulu neighborhood of Kakaako, but he grew up in Kāneohe on the windward side of the island of Oahu...
, in the days when Don was still just a local entertainer in Waikiki
Waikiki
Waikiki is a neighborhood of Honolulu, in the City and County of Honolulu, on the south shore of the island of Oahu, in Hawaii. Waikiki Beach is the shoreline fronting Waikīkī....
, Ponce and the Hawaiian Eye cast and crew used to come to his show every night. The Hawaiian Eye patronage became a big draw for Don and the small club, as customers would line up just to be able to be with the television celebrities.
Films and club dates
The show lead to parts in a handful of films, most notably as part of a stock car racing pit crew on Elvis Presley'sElvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
team in the 1968 Speedway
Speedway (film)
Speedway is a 1968 action film musical film starring Elvis Presley as a racecar driver and Nancy Sinatra as his love interest.Scenes were shot at the Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina...
.
Hawaiian Eye provided opportunities for Ponce, that continued after the show ended, to perform and make personal appearances around the globe. In 1963, Ponce joined the promotional staff of television station HSV 7 in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Beginning December 29, 1964, Ponce began a four-week engagement at the Checkers Club in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia. In February 1965, Ponce played the Getsusekai club in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. June 9–16, 1965, Ponce was appearing on radio and television in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
. Ponce, who lives in California, sometimes entertains at events in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
.
Long after the show ended, Ponce was booked at nostalgia events.
Recordings
The television show also opened opportunities for Ponce to record for Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
. In 1961, Warner Bros. released Ponce's single Ten Cent Perfume / No Huhu. Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine gave the single a three-star rating for "Moderate sales potential". The magazine explained its three-star rating as, "...these frequently will be of interest for disk jockey programming." An interesting three-star rating in the same issue was given to the Chad Mitchell Trio's
Chad Mitchell Trio
The Chad Mitchell Trio were a North American vocal group who became known during the 1960s. They performed folk songs, some of which were traditionally passed down and some of their own compositions. Unlike many fellow folk music groups, none of the trio played instruments...
single release Lizzie Borden. In 1962, Warner Bros released the album Poncie Ponce Sings. Billboard gave the album a four-star "Strong Sales Potential" rating, saying, "He does his best work on novelties," and giving the album the same ranking as new albums from artists Damita Jo, Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington, born Ruth Lee Jones , was an American blues, R&B and jazz singer. She has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the '50s", and called "The Queen of the Blues"...
and Lee Dorsey
Lee Dorsey
Lee Dorsey was an African American pop/R&B singer during the 1960s. Much of his work was produced by Allen Toussaint with instrumental backing provided by the Meters.-Career:...
.
Later years
In 2000, Ponce underwent heart surgery. That same year, he made an appearance at a Pacific Pioneer BroadcastersPacific Pioneer Broadcasters
Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters was founded in 1966 by veteran announcer Art Gilmore and 178 other original members, with Edgar Bergen as the founding chairman of the board...
luncheon honoring his friend and former co-star Connie Stevens
Connie Stevens
Connie Stevens is an American actress and singer, best known for her roles in the television series Hawaiian Eye and other TV and film work.-Early life:...
, where the two old friends sang the Hawaiian Wedding Song
Hawaiian Wedding Song
"Hawaiian Wedding Song" is a 1926 love song written by Charles King for his operetta, Prince of Hawaii. It was originally entitled "Ke Kali Nei Au" - Hawaiian for "Waiting Here for You"...
. In 2006, Ponce, who was home on Maui for a high school reunion, gave locals a thrill by performing an impromptu jam with stand-up comic Augie T.
Augie T.
Augie T. is a Filipino comedian based in Hawaii. Starting his career in the 1990s, he has come to be a somewhat-known "comedian" since the early 2000s. He was influenced by Rap Reiplinger. Aside from being a comedian, Augie T...
Ponce is now a retired grandfather and spends time with his wife of over five decades, sometimes entertaining diners at Bob's Okazu-ya in Gardena, California
Gardena, California
Gardena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 58,829 at the 2010 census, up from 57,746 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Gardena is located at ....
.
Discography
- Hawaiian Eye (soundtrack) (1960) Warner Bros. 1355, (2006) re-released, Collectibles 7779
- Ten Cent Perfume / No Huhu (1961) Warner Bros. single 5244
- Poncie Ponce Sings (1962) Warner Bros. W5-1453
Filmography
- Portrait of a Mobster (1961)
- SpeedwaySpeedway (film)Speedway is a 1968 action film musical film starring Elvis Presley as a racecar driver and Nancy Sinatra as his love interest.Scenes were shot at the Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina...
(1968) - The World's Greatest LoverThe World's Greatest LoverThe World's Greatest Lover is a 1977 comedy film starring Gene Wilder and Carol Kane.-Plot:Set in the silent film era, Rainbow Studios figure they are losing revenue to a rival studio because they don't have Rudolph Valentino...
(1977) - G.I. Joe: The MovieG.I. Joe: The MovieG.I. Joe: The Movie is a 1987 animated film spun off from the animated series G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, based on the original Hasbro toyline. It was produced by Sunbow Productions and Marvel Productions and was animated in Japan by Toei Animation.Created at the height of the G.I. Joe craze in...
(1987)
Television appearances
- 77 Sunset Strip77 Sunset Strip77 Sunset Strip is an hour-length American television private detective series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Roger Smith, and Edd Byrnes....
(1959–1960) - The Gallant MenThe Gallant MenThe Gallant Men is a 1962-1963 ABC television series which depicted an infantry company of American soldiers fighting their way through Italy in World War II.-Description:...
(1963) - Hawaiian EyeHawaiian EyeHawaiian Eye is an American television series that ran from October 1959 to September 1963 on the American Broadcasting Company television network.-Premise:...
(1959–1963) - The Red Skelton HourThe Red Skelton ShowThe Red Skelton Show is an American variety show that was a television staple for two decades, from 1951 to 1971. It was second to Gunsmoke and third to The Ed Sullivan Show in the ratings during that time. Skelton, who had previously been a radio star, had appeared in several motion pictures as...
(1953–1963) - The Woody Woodbury Show (1968)
- Family FeudFamily FeudFamily Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Two families compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people...
(1983) - Michael Nesmith in Television Parts (1985)
- Doctor Duck's Super Secret All-Purpose Sauce (1986)