Rap Reiplinger's Rap's Hawaii: Hawaiian Comedy from 30 Years Ago and We're Still Laughing

Little can be found on the internet detailing the life of Rap Reiplinger, save for one wikipedia article, a newspaper article, and some minor posts on blogs.

Whenever you drop the name "Rap" in Hawaii, what comes to mind is not the music genre that has become so popular in America, but the many characters we've come to love as children. If the image of the Mahalo Airlines stewardist, Da old man, the hula dancing tita, the surfer, Willie Maunawilli and Auntie Marialani came to your mind, then you too have shared in the delight of the Rap phenomenon.

For those familiar with his work, we are all saddened by his tragic passing. And for those who have not yet "seen" him, you will be impressed by his ability to make his characters come to life. His acting ability is only matched by his comedic genius. His comedy heavily relies on local culture, observing every day interactions between the people living in Hawaii: Native Hawaiians, the Haoles, the Plantation children, the Tourist, men and women working, living, and surviving in Hawaii.

His skit "room service" delights both local and tourist, poking fun at the inability to understand each other. One just wants a cheeseburger deluxe, fries, and a thick chocolate malt and the other one just doesn't understand why Mr. Fogtree doesn't want the pickled pigs feet--it's ono you know.

My first Rap experience was listening to my dad's old record "poi dog with crabs". I remember pointing to the album cover and asking "Dad, what's that", and my father would just laugh and reply "that's Rap". And we'd spend hours listening to that record over and over again. I remember how mad my dad was when I broke his record player. My friends were over one day and I asked them "do you know who Rap is" and then I tried to put the record on for them.

I never forgot how guilty I felt for ruining my dad's record player. So when I found out that there was a DVD for Rap's Hawaii, I bought it for my dad for his birthday. We sat there and watched everything at least twice.

What's to expect:

1. Da Old Man
2. Chanting
3. Eulogy
4. Fate Yanagi
5. Merdie Murdock Used Cars
6. Taste Test
7. Candidate Willie Maunawili
8. Auntie Marialani Cooking Show
9. Comedy Robot
10. Japanese Roll Call
11. Room Service
12. Puka Shell Tour Guide
13. Credits

I'm not going to provide a description of any of these skits because I want you to watch them yourselves.

Watching this DVD will provide you with an insight on local culture--what makes us laugh, what makes us annoyed, and what makes us mad. 30 years since it's first broadcast, the people of Hawaii are still laughing. And so can you!