Hawaii
Thanks for the mammaries
— and memoriesLIFE GOES ON after the clothes come off. Gerrie Weise, who was known as Alexandra the Great 48 when she peeled for entrepreneur Jack Cione at the Dunes, now Gussie L'Amour's, popped into town with her husband of 16 years. She owns a cosmetics line, developed from the shop she opened up in Dallas after her stage career, and this week is on Maui looking for a local franchisee. She and her husband dropped into the Esprit Lounge to see the mono-monikered singer Rhonda last week. And while Rhonda herself is a buxom lass, she must have felt like a boy when Alexandra showed up. And if any of the TV newscasters who had a thing for the stripper are reading, she hasn't put on any weight --in most places ...
SPEAKING of strippers, did you know that Crystal Summer, currently performing in Honolulu, had a stormy childhood? That's because her mom is legendary ecdysiast Tempest Storm. And her dad? Singer Herb Jeffries ... We seem to be on a roll here. Remember Little Egypt? After a time in Las Vegas where she made a bundle in real estate, she danced like an Egyptian right back to Hawaii and now makes the Islands home ...
Horton smokes a cigar
FORMER Honolulu three-dotter Tom Horton, who's editor in chief of Hospitality magazine locally when not at his Stinson Beach Bar & Grill in California, was laughing his Ashton off while puffing a stogie at the Lewers Lounge after a sumptuous feast at Le Bon where I taught him how to pronounce foie gras. It's phonetically "fwa gra" I told him. He'd always said "fo gra." Sonya Mendez was looking and sounding terrific, and Horton couldn't believe she once dated Star-Bulletin humor columnist Charley Memminger. While Charley's had his weighty ups and downs since then -- they were in the 9th grade -- Sonya hasn't gained a pound since those days ...WANT to feel really old? Well, singer Frankie Avalon and his wife Kay just celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. Was "Gidget" that long ago? I recall when Avalon performed here and told the crowd he and his wife had eight kids. As the audience applauded, Frankie held up his hand and deadpanned, "Please, the pleasure was all mine." Want to feel even older? The Avalons are now expecting their eighth grandchild...
PRUDENTIAL real estate agent Jim Mao considered himself a real winner when he attended the Wells Fargo Friends party and got to dine on hors d'oeuvres prepared by the nonpareil Alan Wong at the Theo Davis Euromotors Mercedes Benz showoom. Then he found out he was a real winner. Mao won a free, brand new Mercedes Benz at the party ...
Can't lose
THE local Compadres staff was scouring the TV crowd shots at the Super Bowl, trying the catch a glimpse of bossman Rick Enos, who scored tickets to the game and took son Jeff. Enos figured he was in a no-lose situation, since he's long rooted for the Oakland Raiders, and he got his tickets through his old college roomie, who's the manager for Jon Gruden, the former Raiders head coach now with the World Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers ...
Dave Donnelly has been writing on happenings
in Hawaii for the Star-Bulletin since 1968.
The Week That Was recalls items from Dave's 30 years of columns.Contact Dave by e-mail: ddonnelly@starbulletin.com