TIKI CULTURE

Murder on the Orient Express, 1974 for Mod Movie Monday

Not all detective stories feature a tough guy in an old fedora, lugging around a .45 caliber piece of iron and bedding every hot dame that crosses his path. One of the best and most entertaining characters in the realm of Who-dunnit mysteries is that of Hercule Poirot, the wax-mustached Belgian detective created by Agatha Christie. Without doubt in the top ten of the most famous detectives ever in print, Poirot is absolutely most known for his role in

Murder on the Orient Express.

Originally written in 1934, this masterpiece of murder was transformed into an all-star movie by director Sidney Lumet and screenplay writer Paul Dehn 40 years later. Dig this lineup:

Albert Finney Hercule Poirot
Lauren Bacall Mrs. Hubbard
Martin Balsam Bianchi
Ingrid Bergman Greta
Jacqueline Bisset Countess Andrenyi
Jean-Pierre Cassel Pierre
Sean Connery Colonel Arbuthnot
John Gielgud Beddoes
Wendy Hiller Princess Dragomiroff
Anthony Perkins McQueen
Vanessa Redgrave Mary Debenham
Rachel Roberts Hildegarde
Richard Widmark Ratchett
Michael York Count Andrenyi

Shot in an old, classic-era Hollywood style, the film is a nice diversion from some of the grittier, dirtier movies of the 1970s. It’s also a nice look back at the way life was at a time when people took trains instead of cars or planes to far-off destinations. The story is intriguing and the acting top notch, as you might expect from such a hip roster of stars.

Finney is great as the somewhat strange Poirot, playing the part much older than his actual age. And of course the ending…the resolve…is one of the most famous in history, with dozens of other books and movies borrowing from it or parodying it. (I won’t give it away here).

Don’t forget this was a book first…watch the movie, then read the book.

Food & Booze: I would suggest an aperitif, perhaps a Champagne Cocktail or Negroni to go with this upper-crust flick. Roast chicken, Brussels sprouts and Waldorf Salad should make an entertaining dinner. Then again, a pizza and beer works just as well.

Here’s the original trailer from 1974:

Tiki Chris reporting from the terminal at the Orient Express

Too Hot To Tiki?

Just a short musing…

While the rest of the country is looking forward to cooler fall weather, we here in South Florida are smack dab in the middle of hottest time of year. Our “summer” lasts long after Halloween is over, and “fall” is just a concept in our minds. The end of August means hot, humid days and rainy evenings are promised for at least another month.

Now don’t you cats & kitties get me wrong…I ain’t complaining. I love the heat and the screwy weather. It’s just that when it’s 85° at 9:00 o’clock at night, it’s not so nice to sit out on the lanai and drink booze at the outdoor Tiki bar. Unless of course you can jump in the pool.

-Tiki Chris P.

The African Queen 1951 with Bogie for Mod Movie Monday

This week we take a trip down the river with Humphrey Bogart and Kathrine Hepburn on

The African Queen, 1951.

Noir at heart but filmed in Technicolor, The African Queen easily fits under Noir and Mod Movie Monday categories as it definitely deals with the darker side of humanity. Swing back to North Africa, 1914. News reaches a small German settlement that the Fatherland is at war. British missionaries are suddenly caught in the crossfire, and when Kathrine Hepburn’s character’s brother dies, she leaves the burning wreckage of her church with none other than alcoholic captain Bogie on his beat-up old jalopy of a steamer, The African Queen. Together they trek down a treacherous river full of all sorts of nasty things, including Germans with those funny little spikes sticking up out of their helmets. They catch wind that a German warship is anchored at the mouth of the river, and Hepburn does all she can (in the eyes of God) to sober up Bogie and get him to help her find a way to destroy the ship.

The African Queen

One of Bogie’s finest roles, he is very convincing as a gin-swilling roughneck. That may have something to do with the fact that while they filmed this flick in the jungles of Africa, Humphrey Bogart and director John Huston stuck to a steady diet of baked beans, canned asparagus and Scotch whiskey. There was a method to their madness…they were the only two from the cast and crew that made it through filming without getting dysentery or malaria. This included Hepburn, who drank only water and had dysentery so bad they had to keep a bucket next to the camera.

There is some great trivia on The African Queen at IMDB.

The African Queen dry-docked in Key Largo, FL

Just as the ’58 Plymouth Fury was a character in Christine and the pimped-out Dunham Coach Eldorado was a character in Superfly, so was the little steamer The African Queen (I suppose this turn of the name was to indicate the double meaning, as Hepburn’s character also acted like the Queen of Africa). The boat had already been in actual service for 4o years when they used it for the film, and went on for many years after working hard along the river. Today the boat is still in service…it’s docked in Key Largo, FL just off the Overseas Highway (US 1). It’s on display, looking very close to the way it did in the movie, and is available for charters. It’s really no where near as big as it looks in the movie. Kind of funny that it would end up in Key Largo, with Bogie’s connection to that island with his 1948 movie.

Booze: Gin. British Gin.

Here’s the trailer from 1951…

- Tiki Chris reporting from the jungles behind The Pirate’s Cove Tiki Bar, South Florida

High Plains Drifter, 1973 with Clint Eastwood for Mod Movie Monday

I don’t usually swing with cowboy flicks, but there are a fist full of really kool Spaghetti Westerns that definitely make the cut. One such classic is

High Plains Drifter

from 1973, starring and directed by Clint Eastwood.

Now, I said Spaghetti Western, which isn’t entirely true. This flick was made right here in the good ole U.S. of A, not in the mountains of Italy. But…it certainly has the SW look and feel, except maybe for the lack of dubbing over Italian actors’ Italian dialogue.

This is one of those “man with no name comes into town, shows he’s a great gunslinger and gets hired to kill the bad guys” movies. With a twist. Eastwood’s character is so tough and mean, he’s got the whole town under his thumb in the first 10 minutes. You find out later that the stranger has a secret…as does the town…and thinks veer off slightly into the paranormal.

Yes, I said paranormal. Very subtly. I won’t give it away here.

There’s some heavy-duty violence in this one (still makes me cringe) so keep the kiddies away. The story is weird and keeps you guessing, even when you figure things out. This was Clint’s first time directing a western, and man, did he nail it.

If you’ve never seen this flick, there is one main part that you may have come across over the years: The Stranger paints the entire town red, and renames it Hell. It’s one hell of a tough image.

Food & Booze: There’s a scene in the movie where they’re having a dinner of fried chicken and French wine. Seriously. Add a side of home made mashed taters and some BBQ beans and yer all set, Stranger.

Here’s the original theatrical trailer for the film. Following it is a fan-made trailer, that IMHO is actually better. Check it out.

-Cowboy Chris reporting from the Tiki Saloon.
Don’t forget to visit StarDustMysteries.com!

Dark ’n’ Stormy: Your Weekend Tiki Cocktail, and A Flash of Noir

The Dark 'n' Stormy

This weekend I’m officially announcing the latest tome to my collection of books, A Flash of Noir. To go with it, I needed a noir-style cocktail…and what could be more noir than a classic

Dark and Stormy

Trademarked by Gosling’s in Bermuda, the Dark & Stormy uses Gosling’s Black Seal dark rum and ginger beer. It was invented just after WWI, and was a favorite among American sailors who picked it up in the Caribbean. A strong and simple to make tropical drink, it is certainly at home on any Tiki bar.

•    2 oz Gosling’s Black Seal rum
•    3 oz ginger beer
•    lime wedge

Pour the dark rum over ice in a highball glass or Tiki mug, then add the ginger beer. Stir lightly with a glass rod and add the lime wedge for garnish. Don’t squeeze the whole lime wedge in…taste it first, and add a little at a time until it’s the way you dig it.

Annnd…fade to black, bring up sepia lights to

A Flash of Noir

Just before you mix your Dark and Stormy, get out your Kindle (or iPhone, iPad, Mac, PC) and go to A Flash of Noir at the Kindle store. There you can download my latest book, A Flash of Noir for only 99¢! By the time you finish mixing the drink, the download will be complete and you can begin to read while you sip.

A Flash of Noir - Kindle version

Yes, only 99¢

…for 30+ short, short stories, flash fiction, beatnik poetry and kool photos, all authored by yours truly, Tiki Chris Pinto (or as I’m known on my author page, Christopher Pinto). It’s jam-packed with kool 60-second reads full of gumshoe detectives, sultry dames, ghosts, murderers, and monsters. There’s even a story made entirely of song titles…see if you can find them all!

From the book’s description: “From smokey bars in New York City to the tropical islands of the Florida keys, A Flash of Noir takes you for a spin through the seediest gin joints and darkest alleys. One minute you’re speeding down I-95 in a hot rod, the next you’re tasting cheap whiskey in a basement tap room where the women are heartless and the men are unforgiving. Gangsters, cops, private eyes, strippers, murderers, phantoms…plus a few comedy pieces to keep you from wanting to slit your wrists.”

A Flash of Noir - Print version coming soon. Cover model is Colleen Pinto.

Why only 99¢? Well, I can tell you it’s worth a lot more, entertainment-wise. But I’m hoping that a lot of you will give it a shot for a buck. If you dig it, I hope you’ll download one of my other books, Murder Behind the Closet Door: The Wildwood Paranormal Mystery or Murder on Tiki Island: A Noir Paranormal Mystery in the Florida Keys…and if you dig those, I hope you’ll tell your friends so they get em too. The idea is to become rich and famous. Ain’t that what most of us want?

I just realized…it’s beginning to thunder and lightning here at the Tiki Bar. Perfect for a Dark & Stormy!

– Tiki Chris reporting from the library at Tiki Lounge Talk, the Blounge for swingin’ retro kats and hip chicks.