Thursday, March 18, 2010
Mysteries That Mystery Restaurant Was NOT the Luau
Posted by Vance Lauderdale on Thu, Mar 18, 2010 at 7:51 PM
- The Luau in 1972
We went back and forth on it, fistfights broke out, beer bottles were thrown, and we finally agreed that oh, what the heck, it MIGHT be the Dobb's House Luau, the restaurant on Poplar across from East High School, though I had my doubts, especially since no one could recall actually seeing a decent photo of the Luau interior. Mainly they just remember the giant head outside by the front door.
Well, I'm not trying to start any trouble here, people, but tonight I was scrutinizing my old copies of KEY magazine with a magnifying glass — doesn't everybody do that? — and found a teeny-tiny photo showing the interior of the Luau, and if you compare the two images you'll see that it is NOT the place I had shown you before.
The image is rather grainy, since the original photo was about the size of a postage stamp, but you should be able to see that the tables, chairs, floor design, and other details don't match. Both places seem to have an arched ceiling, but even the slope of that is different.
Tally, Stein, and Ronnie, by the way, were a trio who performed at the Luau in 1972, but I don't have the time or energy to talk (or type) about that right now.
Comments (6)
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That is Ronnie Stoots aka Ronnie Angel. Ronnie sang clubs and lounges and also did graphic design on numerous album covers from Stax days onward. He lives in Cooper -Young now. Call him up and ask him about the location.
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I remember going to see Talley and Steinberg at the Holiday Inn at Poplar and 240, the one where Olive Garden is now. The one they tore down. It was one of the few places some people under 21 could drink. My wife and I thought it was great. Small lounge. I don't remember those decorations.
Pogo, I don't need to ask Ronnie where HIS picture was taken; the magazine identified it as the Luau, and I believe them. It's the OTHER picture that has us (or at least me) stumped.
That cant be the Luau because their waitresses wore grass skirts and a bikini top...at least they did back in the early 1970's. Don't recall if their tops were made from coconut shells because I was out on a date and she was watching my eyes closely.
Also they didnt have a live band playing and they served their drinks with those paper umbrellas in them so the picture is not from Luau.
Vance, I think that first photo you posted is actually from the Dobb's House Luau. I have a postcard from the restaurant that looks just like the photo, including the floor.
You can see the postcard on Tiki Central, a website dedicated to all things Tiki.
http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/vie…
