The Genius Of Poncie Ponce

Poncie Ponce is primarily famous for his role as the taxi driver in "Hawaiian Eye". This series, also starred Robert Conrad, and was first aired in the late '50s and early '60s. The cover of "Poncie Ponce Sings" shows him on set, with the taxi. Here is some information about "Hawaiian Eye" from Warner Bros. Television.

• Poncie Ponce
• Tom Lopaka
• Robert Conrad
• Tracy Stele('59-'62)
• Anthony Eisley
• Cricket Blake
• Connie Stevens
• Kazuo Kim
• Greg MacKenzie('60-'63)
• Grant Williams
• Quon('60-'63)
• Mel Prestidge
• Moke('60-'63)
• Doug Mossman
• Philip Barton('62-'63)
• Troy Donahue

Hawaiian Eye has been called "77 Sunset Strip played in Hawaii". There certainly were similarities. Both shows were produced by the same studio (Warner Brothers), both featured two handsome, free-swinging young detectives as alternate leads, both had simple melodramatic plots set against glamorous backgrounds, and both made use of nutty sidekicks for comic relief. Base of opperations for Tom Lopaka and Tracy Stele was a swank, poolside office at the Hawaiian Village Hotel. Their sidekicks were a pert, somewhat addled young singer-photographer named Cricket, and a colorful cabbie named Kim. Kim, the operator of a one-man taxi service, was especially helpful as he has seemingly dozens of relatives scattered around the islands ready to help if one of his employers needed some local assistance. Kim's trademarks were his 'pupule' (crazy) straw hat, dumb jokes, and ukulele. A new detective named Greg MacKenzie arrived in December 1960, while Philip Barton joined the cast of characters in 1962 as the hotel's social director. Quon was the contact on the Honolulu police force. Fellow gumshoe Stu Bailey of 77 Sunset Strip made an occasional visit from the mainland, possibly to get a closer look at some of the beautiful girls who peopled every Hawaiian Eye plot. But then, he had beautiful girls in his series, too.

HAWAIIAN EYE EPISODE GUIDE (134 one-hour episodes)

Season One

1. Malihini Holiday
2. Waikiki Widow
3. Second Day of Infamy
4. All Expenses Paid
5. Dangerous Eden
6. Cloud Over Koala
7. Beach Boy
8. Three Tickets to Lani
9. The Quick Return
10. Secret of the Seventh Door
11. Shipment From Kihei
12. A Dime a Dozen
13. The Koa Man
14. Stamped For Danger
15. The Kamehameha Cloak
16. The Kikiki Kid
17. Then There Were None
18. Sword of the Samurai
19. Hong Kong Passage
20. Cut of Ice
21. Fatal Cruise
22. Danger on Credit
23. Bequest of Arthur Goodwin
24. Birthday Boy
25. Second Fiddle
26. Kim Quixote
27. The Lady's Not For Traveling
28. Murder, Anyone?
29. Typhoon
30. Shadow of the Blade
31. Dead Ringer
32. Little Blalah
33. Assignment: Manila

Season Two

1. I Wed Three Wives
2. Princess From Manhattan
3. With This Ring
4. Sea Fire
5. Jade Song
6. The Blue Goddess
7. White Pigeon Ticket
8. Vanessa Vanishes
9. The Kahuna Curtain
10. Girl on a String
11. Kakua Woman
12. The Contenders
13. Swan Song For a Hero
14. The Money Blossom
15. Services Rendered
16. Baker's Half-Dozen
17. Made in Japan
18. A Touch of Velvet
19. Talk and You're Dead
20. Robinson Koyoto
21. The Manabi Figurine
22. Caves of Pele
23. Man in a Rage
24. The Stanhope Brand
25. The Trouble With Murder
26. The Man From Manila
27. Her Father's House
28. The Humuhumunukunukuapuaa Kid
29. Don't Kiss Me Goodbye
30. Dragon Road
31. It Ain't Cricket
32. The Comics
33. Father, Dear Father
34. The Manchu Formula
35. The Pretty People
36. The Big Dealer
37. Maid in America
38. A Taste For Money

Season Three

1. Satan City
2. The Kapuna of Cocoanut Bay
3. The Moon of Mindanau
4. The Doctor's Lady
5. Thomas Jefferson Chu
6. Pill in the Box
7. Kill A Grey Fox
8. Point Zero
9. The Queen From Kern County
10. The Final Score
11. Two For The Money
12. Tusitala
13. The Classic Cab
14. Concert in Hawaii
15. The Missile Rogues
16. Little Miss Rich Witch
17. Big Fever
18. Year of Grace
19. My Love but Lightly
20. Cricket's Millionaire
21. Four-Cornered Triangle
22. Total Eclipse
23. Blackmail in Satin
24. A Scent of Whales
25. A Likely Story
26. Meeting on Molokai
27. Payoff
28. An Echo of Honor
29. Nightmare in Paradise
30. Aloha, Cricket
31. The Last Samurai
32. Rx Cricket
33. Location Shooting
34. Across the River Lethe
35. Scene of the Crime
36. Among the Living
37. "V" For Victim
38. Koko Kate
39. Lalama Lady

Season Four

1. Day in the Sun
2. Somewhere There's Music
3. There'll Be Some Changes Made
4. The Broken Thread
5. Lament for a Saturday Warrior
6. The After Hours Heart
7. The Sign-Off
8. A Night With Nora Stewart
9. To See, Perchance to Dream
10. Pursuit of a Lady
11. Shannon Malloy
12. Go Steady With Danger
13. Kupikio Kid
14. Maybe Menehunes
15. Pretty Pigeon
16. Two Too Many
17. Boar Hunt
18. Go For Baroque
19. The Long Way Home
20. Two Million Too Much
21. Blow Low, Blow Blue
22. Gift of Love
23. The Sisters
24. Passport

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