Years ago, when patrons arrived at the Club Jetty restaurant and nightclub in Nawiliwili, they were welcomed by a hand-written sign at the door that read, “No Tank Tops, No Shorts, No Bare Feet, And No Bare Feet Dancing!”
The Club Jetty they’d then enter was started and owned by Manji “Papa” Ouye (1901-1980) and Emma “Mama” Ouye (1907-2007).
And, for more than 40 years, until it was destroyed by Hurricane ‘Iniki in 1992, Club Jetty served delectable Chinese food and featured nightly entertainment performed by musicians, singers and other entertainers from Hawai‘i and the Mainland — and even a few exotic dancers from Honolulu.
Club Jetty evolved from the Ouye’s Hale ‘Aina restaurant, which they opened in 1946 at the bottom of Lala Road.
Then in 1950, they moved Hale ‘Aina into a Nawiliwili Yacht Club building at Papalinahoa, and when the Ouyes later relocated the restaurant onto the Nawiliwili Harbor jetty, they renamed it Club Jetty.
My mother-in-law, Julie Beralas (1928-1992), was a waitress and bartender at Club Jetty, and met many celebrities there during the 1950s.
Among the famous people who dropped by Club Jetty over the years to perform and live it up was Frank Sinatra.
Following a performance at the Kaua‘i County Fair of 1952, “Ol’ Blue Eyes” got himself drunk at Club Jetty and was summarily kicked out.
Hilo-born Bob Shane, a founding member of folk group The Kingston Trio, performed there on New Year’s Eve 1956.
Fifteen-year-old Leimomi Buchanan, Miss Kaua‘i 1961, made a great impression by dancing hula there in 1959.
She also appeared in the movie “Blue Hawai‘i” and was the daughter of Alexander Kahoiwai Buchanan and Ethel Palama Buchanan of Kukui‘ula.
Singer-songwriter Kui Lee, whose musical compositions were popularized by Don Ho, performed at Club Jetty in 1961.
Actors John Wayne and Lee Marvin had a great time at Club Jetty during filming of “Donovan’s Reef” in 1962.
And, when a male patron got too friendly with a not so famous belly dancer named Shalimar in 1974, she settled the matter by cracking him with her microphone.
