RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Ginny Tiu is at home at the grand piano at the Sheraton Moana Surfrider Hotel, where she marks her 10th anniversary tomorrow night on the Veranda.
Ginny Tiu, in her 10th year
starring at the Moana Surfrider,
has spent a lifetime in song
Ginny Tiu was a child when she had to make a decision that would be difficult for any adult to make: Did she want to film another movie with Elvis or perform for President John F. Kennedy?
Happy anniversary
Ginny Tiu's 10th Anniversary at the Sheraton Moana-Surfrider:Where: Sheraton Moana-Surfrider Hotel, 2365 Kalakaua Ave.
When: 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. tomorrow
Admission: Free (a special commemorative dinner is available at $46.50 per person); validated parking available at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani Hotel, 150 Kaiulani Ave.
Call: 931-8383
"I wanted to do another movie with Elvis (because) being 8 years old, I didn't appreciate the value of playing for President Kennedy. (Shooting) the one I did with Elvis was a short part that only took two weeks max to film, but the role that I was supposed to do (in the next one) was about three-quarters of the movie ... to be with Elvis for three months ... let (my sister) Vicky do the other stuff!
"Looking back now, I'm very, very thankful that I got to do both," Tiu said as she recalled a couple of the highlights in a career that began when she made her national television debut on "The Ed Sullivan Show" at age 5 and continues tomorrow when she celebrates her 10th anniversary as the late-evening headliner at the Sheraton Moana Surfrider Hotel's Banyan Veranda.
Tiu usually plays on the Veranda from 8:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, but for tomorrow only she'll start at 6:30 p.m. and continue playing until 10:30. There's no cover charge for seats under the banyan tree, and those who get hungry can purchase dinner on the Veranda.
Tiu didn't imagine how long the Veranda gig would last when she started, but said she had a feeling after a few months that she "would be there for a while."
"It's just that kind of place," she said. "I enjoy the clientele. People come back every year, and they're always so glad that I'm still here, and then you get a lot of local people, too."
PHOTO COURTESY OF GINNY TIU
Given a choice between starring with Elvis Presley or performing for President John F. Kennedy, an 8-year-old Ginny Tiu chose show biz over politics. She's shown at right in a movie still from "Girls! Girls! Girls!," which also featured her sister Elizabeth Tiu, 5, right, and her brother Al.
As for her life as a child star, Tiu says it all came naturally. She was intrigued by the sound of the piano and starting playing at 3 1/2.
"My dad played the piano but he didn't do it professionally, and I was mesmerized by this beautiful music coming out of this piece of furniture and I wanted to get to the piano.
"He didn't want me to because I was always eating candy (with) sticky fingers and all that, but when he was out one day and my mother heard me picking out tunes that I'd heard him playing -- simple, of course, but I could actually find the notes that I'd heard -- she told him he should listen to me. Then he started teaching me."
Tiu says that although she was never forced to play, there were times when practice seemed more like work than fun.
"I'm glad I didn't get turned off by it, but sometimes I didn't feel like practicing for four hours. Practicing for more than two hours became work. I wanted to go out and play with the other kids ... but I still love it, and I thank God every day that I get to do what I enjoy so much."
Tiu grew up in the Philippines, and a family friend who heard her play sent a recording to another friend at an American radio station, who responded by inviting Tiu to be a guest. So Tiu and her parents left the Philippines for what they expected would be a quick two weeks in America.
RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Ginny Tiu celebrates her 10th anniversary at the Sheraton Moana-Surfrider tomorrow night.
"But Ed Sullivan heard about me and had me in his show, and then boom! Everything happened. Everybody wanted to be my manager, everybody wanted to be my agent, because they didn't have to work. The offers were coming in (on their own). That's why we didn't move back."
Tiu made the rounds of the major network variety shows such as "The Perry Como Show" and "The Tonight Show." The two weeks became a year, and finally her parents made the arrangements to bring her brothers and sisters over as well.
And then, in 1962, Tiu was invited to work with Elvis.
"Colonel Parker approached my parents ... and that's how I got into 'Girls! Girls! Girls!' My other sister Liz was also in it with me, and my brother, Al, was in there at the end. Vicky (who grew up to become Hawaii's first lady after marrying former Gov. Ben Cayetano) made the second movie because I had other commitments that I couldn't get out of. One of them was playing for President Kennedy."
THE '50s and early '60s are remembered as a time when mainstream American pop culture had a "whites only" aura, but Tiu's appeal transcended such notions.
PHOTO COURTESY OF GINNY TIU
Ginny Tiu was a showman at age 5.
Fans could buy a large Ginny Tiu paper doll that came with numerous ensembles, including the Chinese-style "pajama" outfit she wore onstage. There was also a conventional Ginny Tiu doll (it might be described these days as a "celebrity action figure") whose wardrobe included the pajamas and which gave Asian-American girls an alternative to conventional dolls with Caucasian features.
Tiu kept at least one of the paper doll sets and two of the figures. One figure is in pristine boxed condition. The other received a lot of play from one of Tiu's nieces.
Looking back, Tiu says she understands why some child stars have problems dealing "with the real world" when they outgrow their childhood celebrity status. For every kid who makes the transition to adult entertainer, there are many others who discover that "cute" has a relatively short shelf life.
"All of a sudden, they grow up and it's 'What happened? Where's everybody?' Sometimes you lose touch with the real world (because entertainment) is not the real world. I went through the awkward stage -- you're not cute anymore, you're not a kid but you're not really grown up yet -- but we lived through it and kept going, and I'm still (performing)."
Tiu credits her family with helping her stay grounded. Even at the height of her childhood fame, she had the support of her family, friends and religious faith.
"I was told that I have this gift, but it's a gift from God and nothing to get big-headed about. It's a gift, and your responsibility is to develop it to its fullest and then to share it with the rest of the world."
Tiu and her family settled in Southern California, later moving to Chicago because its central location was more convenient as a starting point for tours. As Tiu's career slowed they moved to San Francisco. She moved to Hawaii in 1987 after several visits and has considered Hawaii home ever since.
Offstage, she still enjoys spending time with her family -- parents, sisters, nieces and nephews -- going to church and driving to the Windward side for "soaking up the scenery." At home her two dogs are "the joy of my life."
Tiu continues to add to her resume with tours of Europe, Asia and South America. She's released two albums since she opened at the Moana, "As Time Goes By" and "Piano Music to Dream By." A third CD is in the planning stages.
She's also looking forward to Valentine's Day when she'll present a special evening of romantic music on the Veranda with singer-guitarist John Valentine.
"When I came to Hawaii, I wanted to enjoy settling down and staying in one place. I still do my concerts and travel overseas, but I have cut back a lot. I still do what I enjoy. Sometimes when I have a stressful day, I look forward to playing at the Moana. I love it."
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