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Many of my friends are forelorn in their fond memories of the Civic, and tho it was demolished the year before I hit these shores for them I hope to produce a documentary of this now nearly forgotten venue. After reading Gentleman Ed Francis' new book on 50th State Big Time Wrestling with it's many behind the scenes mentions of the Civic began my new obsession towards finding out all I can about what went on there.
After a depressing start in finding subject matter of any kind in regards to the Civic beyond the handful of photos everybody's seen I'm building up steam after today's cache' of B&W shots I scored showing local and mainland bands playing on stage in 1958. I'm also on the trail of former promoter Al Karasick's grandson, who may prove another valuable resource. I'm just now finding out he was a wrestler himself, having developed the reverse head lock! He was also a WW2 war hero, as told in Ed's great book.
There's so much history in the mere 40 years the Civc existed but all those that were involved are gone or are aged and memories are becoming increasingly hard to come by. Most that are left are those that filled the seats at the many eventsthat ended in '74 and I need to tap into that reservoir before it dries up. I've started compiling names and numbers of people that want to contribute to the documentary and eventually will be recording as much of their input as possible, mayby even having roundtable discussions to bring out more tidbits that otherwise could be forgotten. It'll probably end up as a video-doc, as that can be accomplished without major expense and I've got most of the equipment needed, and seeing and hearing someone tell their tales backed with pix and info is much more interesting than a book.
It's shocking and disheartening how little there is about the Civic to be found, it was THE place for Oahu back in the day, yet such a severe paucity of ephemera and documented history is sad, that needs to be corrected.
We've had a few mentions of the old Civic here on HT, and I'd like to hear what our little gang of baby boomers and those who were earlier have to say about those days.
When did you first go, what did you see?
What was the front facade like, and where did you like to sit, what were your favorite events and moments?
What else besides wreastling, roller derby, concerts were held there? Do you recall Hawaiian music entertainers on stage?
Who remembers the workers, like the enigmatic 'Velasco' who maintained the place for decades?
Any help will be appreciated!
After a depressing start in finding subject matter of any kind in regards to the Civic beyond the handful of photos everybody's seen I'm building up steam after today's cache' of B&W shots I scored showing local and mainland bands playing on stage in 1958. I'm also on the trail of former promoter Al Karasick's grandson, who may prove another valuable resource. I'm just now finding out he was a wrestler himself, having developed the reverse head lock! He was also a WW2 war hero, as told in Ed's great book.
There's so much history in the mere 40 years the Civc existed but all those that were involved are gone or are aged and memories are becoming increasingly hard to come by. Most that are left are those that filled the seats at the many eventsthat ended in '74 and I need to tap into that reservoir before it dries up. I've started compiling names and numbers of people that want to contribute to the documentary and eventually will be recording as much of their input as possible, mayby even having roundtable discussions to bring out more tidbits that otherwise could be forgotten. It'll probably end up as a video-doc, as that can be accomplished without major expense and I've got most of the equipment needed, and seeing and hearing someone tell their tales backed with pix and info is much more interesting than a book.
It's shocking and disheartening how little there is about the Civic to be found, it was THE place for Oahu back in the day, yet such a severe paucity of ephemera and documented history is sad, that needs to be corrected.
We've had a few mentions of the old Civic here on HT, and I'd like to hear what our little gang of baby boomers and those who were earlier have to say about those days.
When did you first go, what did you see?
What was the front facade like, and where did you like to sit, what were your favorite events and moments?
What else besides wreastling, roller derby, concerts were held there? Do you recall Hawaiian music entertainers on stage?
Who remembers the workers, like the enigmatic 'Velasco' who maintained the place for decades?
Any help will be appreciated!
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