Hawaii Calls
| Genre | Hawaiian music |
|---|---|
| Running time | 30 min |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English, Hawaiian |
| Starring | Webley Edwards, Hawaiian Musicians and Singers |
| Created by | Webley Edwards |
| Written by | Webley Edwards |
| Directed by | Webley Edwards |
| Executive producer(s) | Webley Edwards |
| Narrated by | Webley Edwards |
| Recording studio | Moana Hotel, Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort, Ilikai Hotel, Hawaiian Village Hotel, Waikiki, Hawaii |
| Original release | July 3, 1935 – August 16, 1975 |
| No. of episodes | 2083 |
Hawaii Calls was a radio program that ran from 1935 through 1975 that featured live Hawaiian music conducted by Harry Owens for the first two years, the composer of "Sweet Leilani". Ray Andrade was a charter member of the Harry Owens Royal Hawaiian Hotel Orchestra, he also became one of the first vocalists on the “Hawaii Calls” radio show. It was broadcast each week, usually from the courtyard of the Moana Hotel on Waikiki Beach but occasionally from other locations, and hosted by Webley Edwards for almost the entire run. Al Kealoha Perry was musical director for thirty years, 1937–1967.
The first show reached the West Coast of the continental United States through shortwave radio. At its height, it was heard on over 750 stations around the world. However, when it went off the air in 1975, only 10 stations were airing the show. Because of its positive portrayal of Hawaii, the show received a subsidy for many years—first from the government of the Territory of Hawaii, and then from the State of Hawaii. The termination of the subsidy was one of the reasons that the show went off the air.
Hawaii Calls is credited with making many Hawaiian performers household names across the US and around the world. Among the regulars of Hawaii Calls were Alfred Apaka, John Kameaaloha Almeida, Haunani Kahalewai, Nina Keali'iwahamana, Boyce Rodrigues, Lani Custino, and Pua Almeida. Other well known Hawaiian performers such as Martin Denny, Hilo Hattie, Ed Kenny, Benny Kalama, hula dancer Beverly Noa and Arthur Lyman also made appearances. Haleloke Kahauolopua was discovered by Arthur Godfrey while a regular on the show. The show also occasionally featured performers from other parts of the world who sang or played Hawaiian music.
Each show opened with the sounds of the pounding surf and the enthusiastic bounding voice of Webley Edwards proclaiming, "The sound of the waves on the beach at Waikiki."
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