Luau-Ad-InteriorDetail1
A few days ago, I presented you with a pretty decent photo of the Luau, the rather bizarre restaurant with the Polynesian theme. The image showed up, rather unexpectedly (if you ask me), as a way of introducing the advertising section at the back of a 1964 Southside High School yearbook.
It was unexpected because Southside is nowhere near the Luau, and normally these sections focus on local businesses. So I have to wonder if somebody on the yearbook staff had connections with the Luau. Perhaps a member of the Dobbs family (who owned the restaurant) went there? My work here is not done.
But this didn't keep you Luau fans quiet for long. You clamored for an interior view of this establishment, which most people remember was dark and had a lot of bamboo. Well, thanks to the miracle of flash photography, here's a nice, bright shot of a group of students eating there, being served by a kimono-clad waitress.
And yes, there is bamboo, along with all sorts of woven ... things.
And where did I find this image? Well, in that same 1964 Southside High School yearbook, but this time it was actually a full-page ad for the place.
I'm disappointed because it doesn't show more of the interior, so my quest will continue, as I add "Photographs of the Luau" to my "want" list — which is topped with "Photographs of the Tropical Freeze," the ice cream joint at the corner of Poplar and White Station.
Keep your eyes open for any and all images of these two places. They were two of the most popular hang-outs in all of Memphis, but apparently nobody bothered to snap a picture when they went there.
Oh, and here (below) is the entire ad. Perhaps somebody will remember (or even be related to) some of the kids in the photo.
And I'd sure like to know where that weird "flame" was located. Did it light up??
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY SOUTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOL.
