Jennie Woodd, old-time musician, dead at 90
By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer
Jennie Napua Hanaiali'i Woodd, one of the original Royal Hawaiian Girls at the famed Pink Palace, the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki, and a Hollywood fixture in Hawaiian-themed movies of the 1940s and '50s, died Sunday in Kahului, Maui. She was 90.
To Honolulans, Woodd was the beloved grandmother and longtime mentor of award-winning singer-composer Amy Hanaiali'i Gilliom. Gilliom recorded one of Woodd's compositions, "Hale'iwa Hula," and turned it into a signature tune, characterized by a powerful old-style falsetto and a trademark "auntie" sound from yesteryear, making Gilliom a winner of multiple Na Hoku Hanohano awards. The tune also reached a national audience in 2001 when it was performed by Gilliom in a cameo role with entertainer-brother Eric Gilliom in the comedy film "Tomcats."
To a generation of old-time Hollywood movie and nightclub fans, Woodd was a veteran performer and choreographer, primarily known for a long list of feature films about Hawai'i in postwar and pre-statehood days, for which she staged hula production numbers at a time when the world was just beginning to discover the exotic call of a Pacific paradise.
Woodd performed with the Ray Kinney group at the Hawaiian Room of New York's Lexington Hotel, as well as with "Sweet Leilani" composer Harry Owens, and she had wide exposure with Mainland fans.
Woodd initially put the oomph and gallop into "The Cockeyed Mayor of Kaunakakai," a comedic hula and one of her trademark dances, well before it was adapted and adopted by Hilo Hattie, another Owens regular.
Gilliom, who listed Woodd as one of the pivotal influences in her quest for stardom and ranking in the Hawaiian music hierarchy, has said that she would like to write a book about her versatile kupuna.
Woodd's time on Moloka'i — she was raised in Waialua Valley on the Friendly Island — inspired Gilliom to buy property on Moloka'i, reconnecting with her 'ohana roots. Gilliom ventured to Moloka'i yesterday to search for specific wood that would be made into an urn for Grandma.
Woodd was born April 3, 1912, in Waikele on O'ahu and spent time in the Hale'iwa area, which inspired the song about the North Shore locale.
A kumu hula for 70 years, she led scores of halau in California in her heyday.
In recent years, Woodd appeared with Gilliom in Hawaiian shows in Honolulu, including performances at the downtown Hawai'i Theatre.
In addition to the singing Gillioms, Woodd is survived by her son, Lloyd Gilliom; daughter, Winona Lapilio; eight other grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her son, George Harris.
Maui funeral services will be held Jan. 18 at Ballard Mortuary, with visitation from 5 to 8 p.m.; services at 6 p.m. Also, services will be held Jan. 25 at O'ahu Cemetery Chapel, with the same visitation and service times.
