1917-2004
Beachboy Harry 'Pop' Robello was ambassador of aloha
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer
Harry "Pop" Robello, one of the original Waikiki beachboys who worked and played with the likes of Duke Kahanamoku, Chick Daniels and Splash Lyons, died April 26. He was 86.
Advertiser library photo • March 25, 1966
Robello was born on Aug. 31, 1917, in Honolulu. He attended McKinley High School, but at 14 he ran away from home and wound up on the beach.
The original Waikiki beachboys, such as Harry Robello, shown in this photo from 1966, have been credited with being the "founders" of modern tourism in Hawai'i.
Robello's life was the beach and chumming up with the rich and famous who could afford to take a vacation in Hawai'i in the 1930s and 1940s. His son, Harry "Didi," said his father was one of the original ambassadors of aloha.
"A lot of what they did then is what we do now, but they did it with a lot more grace and style," said Didi Robello, who operates Aloha Beach Services, a concession that Pop Robello started in 1958 at the Moana Hotel.
One of Pop Robello's good friends was silent-movie star Dorothy Mackaill, who lived at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel for 35 years. Robello was one of four beachboys who were named in her will.
Didi Robello said that on at least three occasions, his father was invited by visitors to spend some time with them on the Mainland.
"My dad would tell me that people would come and take them back on the boat. He'd go to a farewell party with just the clothes he was wearing and the next thing you know they were blowing the horn and he says he has to get off, but these people are saying, 'Nah, you're coming with us' and he'd go and spend a few months up there with them. Then they'd ship him back when he was ready to come home," Didi Robello said.
Back in the golden days of Waikiki there were just two hotels — the Moana and Royal Hawaiian — and the only contact many visitors had was with the beachboys, Didi Robello said. He credited them as being the "founders" of modern tourism in Hawai'i.
"The tourist industry is where it's at today because of the good times that these guys have shown everybody," he said. "If these guys didn't show all these people a good time, we could be like Jamaica or something, growing coffee."
Didi Robello, 41, took over the business in 1983 and his father repaired canoes and surfboards in his retirement. Didi Robello said the business continues to thrive and he credits his father for much of that.
"He pretty much taught me how to be nice to everybody," Robello said. "You can't make everybody happy, but try to make most of them as best as you can. And he said to make sure everything is clean. Keep your beach clean, keep your stand clean, keep your boys clean."
In addition to his beachboy activities, Robello worked as a stunt man and extra in several Hollywood movies.
Pop Robello is survived by sons, Harry "Didi" and William "Billy"; daughter, Sybil; and seven grandchildren.
Visitation is from 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Star of the Sea Catholic Church. Mass is at 12:30 p.m. Burial is at Diamond Head Memorial Park at 2:15 p.m.
Reach Curtis Lum at 525-8025 or culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.
