[ SUNDAY TRAVEL ]

ASSOCIATED PRESS Patrick Adams of the Stamford (Conn.) Museum and Nature Center strums a ukulele that visitors may play. The museum's exhibit, "Ukulele Fever: The Craze That Swept America," includes ukuleles signed by Elvis Presley and Tiny Tim.

Museum showcases
ukulele as icon

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By John Christoffersen
Associated Press

STAMFORD, Conn. >> The four-string instrument is tiny but tells a big story of America in the 20th century and even evokes fantasies of paradise.

The ukulele, long overshadowed by the guitar and keyboards in popular music, is getting its due. The Stamford Museum and Nature Center bills "Ukulele Fever: The Craze That Swept America" as the first exhibit on the history and social significance of the ukulele.

"It's the people's instrument," said Jim Beloff, who wrote a book on the ukulele and helped organize the show. "It's a wonderful instrument to be reconsidered now."

The exhibit, which runs through May 26, includes more than 100 ukuleles, some dating back nearly a century. The collection includes rare instruments, highly ornamented models, a ukulele owned by singer Tiny Tim, instruments made out of coconut shells and even beach ukuleles that reflected the groovy 1960s.

The museum offers a workshop on how to learn to play the ukulele in 61 seconds. A film from the 1920s shows how the instrument was made, and a hands-on exhibit teaches children about Hawaii.

The ukulele, which resembles a small guitar, originated in Portugal. It became a sensation in Hawaii when Portuguese immigrants arrived to work in the sugar cane fields.

Hawaiian officials promoted it at an international exposition in San Francisco in 1915.

"Then the thing all of a sudden becomes a craze," said Sharon Blume, the Stamford museum's executive director.

Production of the instrument skyrocketed. Vaudeville and Hollywood embraced the ukulele, which became a major prop in many movies, including the films of Laurel and Hardy and later Marilyn Monroe, Lucille Ball and Bob Hope.

A second wave of popularity erupted after servicemen were sent to Hawaii during World War II. Air travel after the war opened the enchanted islands to the masses. The instrument's sweet, soft strumming sound evoked images of carefree living and happiness.

"Hawaii is, for many people, paradise on Earth," Beloff noted.

Arthur Godfrey offered ukulele lessons on his popular television show in the 1950s, further enhancing the instrument's status.

"It became a great popular item, a must-have object," said Rosa Portell, the museum's curator.

Demand was natural: The instrument not only inspired images of enchanted islands that were new to most Americans, but also was affordable and easy to play and transport.

American companies recognized the appeal, using the ukulele to promote everything from travel to personal hygiene. The ukulele also underscored the growing importance in the '50s of plastic, which allowed for the mass production of millions of instruments.

Organizers of the exhibit expect 30,000 to 40,000 visitors from around the country.

"I hope it revives the visibility of the instrument," Beloff said. "The ukulele sort of resides in this never-never land."