DeLIMA: BROKEN BODY WITH A LEGACY

Frank DeLima, the prolific, productive Portuguese comedian, is retiring with his Dec. 15 holiday show at the Blue Note Hawaii at the Outrigger Waikiki Hotel.

The brunch gig will be a culmination of his 50 years of stand-up, recordings and clever parodies that have kept audiences applauding and laughing.

At 75, his body aches indicate it’s time to retire.  His weak legs have affected his mobility, so he utilizes canes. Clearly, retirement is his future.

But whoa, DeLima’s distinguished career entails uncommon elements, like the real Imelda Marcos watching him do a parody of her fabled shoes, a pidginized “Scrooge” theatrical holiday show with memorable ad-libs, a “Filipino Christmas” that’s a highlight of the annual yuletide season, and a remarkable 45-year run advocating a drug-free stance in his speaking gigs before students in all public and private schools.

Indeed, DeLima vastly differs from his comedic colleagues Andy Bumatai and Augie Tulba:

• He is a stand-up, but he also sings and has logged chart hits.
• He dons costumes in some of his stage antics, for visual impact; in earlier times, the show garb was remarkable and extensive. Expensive, too.
• He has a team of handlers and supporters, who are behind-the-scenes treasures. Unseen, but forever functioning.

• But DeLima’s legacy likely will be his just-finished aforementioned tour of public and private schools, sharing a positive message via his youth-aimed Student Enrichment Program.  It’s a remarkable, singular achievement, of dedication and a masterful public service. His final school visit was on Dec. 5, at Waimanalo elementary and middle school. Thus, an era has ended.

“The body is broken,” DeLima said in a recent interview, about his weary frame and perpetual pain. “Had hip surgery. Cannot walk far. Legs weak. That’s why I’m retiring and moving into a senior home,” he confessed. “A two-bedroom, with walk-in shower; no shelving, but will have everything on rollers, like shelving. And big-screen TV, with a rocking chair.”

He declines to say where, but it won’t be in Hawaii, where cost of living is high. He’ll relocate near family (a sister). But he’s got to shop for the key necessities, “like a new bed.”

Sounds like a bountiful Christmas wish, but the timetable for his move will be after the New Year.

DeLima’s worked long and hard for this life-changing dream. “I’ll wake up when I want to wake up,” he said of his new regimen. “I’m looking for the fourth stage of my life.”

DeLima has strategically phased and defined his life.

Phase `1

“The first stage was my life in Pauoa Valley where I understood how much Hawaii was a melting pot of ethnicities,” he said. “Pakohana Street housed eight different ethnic groups: Japanese, Okinawan, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Hawaiian, Filipino and haole.” He had a keen ear and sharp memory, and learned racial dialects and key phrases from his small-kid-time…with many flashbacks appearing in his jokes and shows

He attended kindergarten at Pauoa Elementary  and Catholic schools through eighth grade, then attended Damian  High School, graduating in 1967.

Phase 2

Seminary studies — phase two, involving four years at St. Stephens Seminary — included commutes to Chaminade University and a BA in sociology in 1971.

In the fall of 1971, DeLima launched three years of graduate studies at St. Patrick’s Theologate University, at  Menlo Park, Calif. After earning his Masters of Divinity in 1974, he was assigned to Holy Trinity Church in Kuliouou.  By then, he was wrestling with the pursuit of a career in entertainment, so he left seminary work but opted for dual careers, advising students in the mornings and  creating laughter at nights and weekends. Thus, a comic was born.

Phase 3

The third phase combined multi-pronged accomplishments, which included some religious work which ultimately embraced his entertainment career. In 1975, he took a break from the seminary and began performing for Canadian visitors when his brother-in-law, George Correa, owner of All Inclusive Tours, hired DeLima as a comic..  A year later, DeLima earned his first-ever gig doing an afternoon show at Club 400.

The big break, however, was in 1979, when Millie Fujinaga, then manager of the Waikiki Sand Villa Hotel who evolved into his Mother Superior, tapped DeLima to headline a comedy show at The Noodle Shop on the hotel premises. Eventually, one gig after another followed in various venues:  Queen Kapiolani Hotel’s Peacock Room, from 1989 to 1992, the  Polynesian Palace at the Cinerama Reef Towers, from 1992 to 1999, and the Captain’s Table Lounge at the Holiday Inn Waikiki, from 1999 to 2001. He also returned to the Polynesian Palace for several seasons following the devastation of 911, which impacted everyone, including the visitor industry here.

The Polynesian Palace — by then an Outrigger brand –was a popular venue, since it was home for Don Ho after his stint at Duke Kahanamoku’s in the International Market Place, and in one booking by Frances Kirk, then entertainment director at Outrigger Hotels, DeLima co-starred at the Palace with Glenn Medeiros, then known as the crooner of “Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love for You,” and now president of Saint Louis School. Besides the Catholic bond, the pair are lifelong friends.

There were bookings, too, at the Hula Hut and the Pagoda Restaurant, the latter mostly for special events like Mother’s Day and Christmas.

Ironically, DeLima has also claimed a dubious honor, becoming famous for shuttering showrooms, since all of the aforementioned clubs were shut down after his appearances.

But throughout his show biz platform, DeLima had launched an enviable public service endeavor, creating a Student Enrichment Program that lasted 45 years, where he  visited ever public school (elementary and middle school, and some high schools ) and private schools throughout the state, advocating a commitment to avoid drugs and maintain a path of honesty and grace. For him, it was a labor of love — a gig with no paycheck. “I volunteered my time, and it was worth every second of every day,” he said. The thrill was in “looking in the students’ eyes as they wait for my messages and my fun stories and songs.”

Amazingly, DeLima visited 350 campuses every two years. He said, “If a student stayed with the schools in Hawaii from kindergarten to eighth grade, he would see me five times.” Such was the rotation of his scheduling.“I will miss the visits to the schools the most,” he said of the end of the program.

DeLima has had a number of teams of movers-and-shakers to make stuff happen during his career; a longish short list:

• Joanne Swearingin was the Department of Education official who opened the doors for DeLima’s school visitations back in 1985. He had this notion of sharing a positive message with students, and the program was a hit, combining chats with laughs.
• The late director Jim Hutchison cast DeLima as the localized “Scrooge,” at Diamond Head Theatre, for a Christmas run from 1990 to 1996. Wisa D’Orso was his acting assistant, helping DeLima learn his lines– but he was attuned to ad-libbing. being a stand-up comic – so he constantly confuse his fellow actors with impromptu lines not in the script.
• Millie Fujinaga has tirelessly tended to DeLima’s career for 40-plus years, and continues to be a savvy advisor on post-retirement business decisions. Back in her Noodle Shop days, she would provide breakfast meals on Friday nights for such entertainers as the Society of Seven, Loyal Garner and the Brothers Cazimero –a pau hana treat.

• Na Kolohe (literally, “the rascals”) has been a gold standard back-up duo, featuring Bobby Nishida on bass and David Kauahikaua on keyboards. The twosome have become the primary band support for DeLima, doing back-up vocals as well. They know how to fill in the gap, if DeLima is delayed in costume changing, and they simply know the tempo and the temperature each show. Kauahikaua also has monitored DeLima’s musical recording needs. Earlier musicians included Steven Hall, Kimo Kekuewa, Chuck Tilton, Dean Lum, and Dean Shimabukuro.

• Remember the phone number that everyone knew, 422-2222? It was the inspiration of TheCab owner, Howard Higa. A TV spot with DeLima as three tutu, uttering  the phone numbers, was a TV regular and even shown in the movie theaters.

• Costume designer Kathe James created many outfits for DeLima, including the fabled light-up Christmas tree, his sumotori costume and the esteemed Imelda Marcos‘ dress with toaster-like sleeves.
• DeLima’s two hit songs, the parody “Lucille” and the ballad “Waimea Lullaby,” were written by prolific composer Patrick Downes, who also helped write script segments of the entertainer’s shows. Other writers involved include Tremaine Tamayose, David Talisman, and DeLima himself.

• “Patrick Downes really helped me to understand parodies,” said DeLima of his signature parodies that celebrated community issues and “moments.” “Working with him, show after show, I was able to write parodies on my own towards the end of the third phase. Now I have the knowledge. During Covid, I wrote parodies, one after another. “Corona Corona“ (“Corrina Corrina”), “Mask Maker“ (“Matchmaker, Matchmaker”), “One Is Da Loneliest Numbah“ (the Mayor declared that only one person per household could go out for whatever,” said DeLima),  “Strand by You” (“Stand by Me”) for the first responders, “You’ll Be Back” (anticipating schools reopening), “Vaccination” (“Loco Motion”), a PSA for Covid vaccination. DeLima also is preparing a special parody (to the tune of “Mr. Sandman”) for his retiring physician, Dr. Stephen Arnold, of Straub Hospital.
• A cluster of unsung heroes — DeLima’s paid staff of university students– has been sharing driving chores to all of his appointments, from show dates to schools engagements during the heyday of his student tours. These lads even toured with him on Neighbor Island tours (schools and clubs) and accompanied him, in rare trips, to Mainland vacations. DeLima can drive, but these chauffeurs enable him to get some shut-eye, memorize scripts and simple rest on the road. You may have seen LUCEEL on the highways, DeLima’s signature license plate.

• Mark DeLima, Frank’s brother, oversees Pocholinga Productions, the dba of the comic; he handles the finances. He also has insight over the student enrichment program from his online perch in Ohio.

Phase 4

The last segment is DeLima’s retirement, clearly a work in progress, where he will move in to a handicapped, accessible facility. Simultaneously, he’ll try to sell his soon-to-be-vacated apartment here. “I’m looking to a slower pace of life,” he said. “My body no can handle already. I’ve had the four P’s – neuropathy, atrophy, and therapy, plus three times a night, I have to go pee.“

“But who knows, I might end up doing small shows,” he said of uncertain possibilities. “I’ll never be fully retired.”

Indeed, Phase 4 already has a commitment to do a hana hou with  Augie, Andy and Paul Ogata on Jan. 5 at the Hawaii Theatre. So he’ll have to re-energize and get his broken body rebooted for uncharted hurrahs…

And that’ s Show Biz…