The Things that Entertained Us: Andy Bumatai

In the late 1970’s and 80’s Andy Bumatai was one of the comedians I grew up watching on KGMB. Shows like “All in the Ohana”  and “High School Daze” made us laugh at ourselves because we could either identify with the characters ourselves, or we knew someone just like one of those fictitious characters. Who could ever forget “Honey Girl”, “Junior Boy” or the “cafeteria ladies” Bumatai crafted in these televised shows?

Andy Bumatai began his career in 1977 as a stand up comic and soon after accepted a gig with Booga Booga —Hawaii’s premier comedy trio—replacing Rap Replinger. A few years later, Bumatai went on to do more stand up comedy and then did two TV Specials for KGMB for which he is most well known for: “High School Daze” followed by “All in the Ohana”. With “All in the Ohana”, Bumatai is noted as being ahead of his time for creating and performing all five of the family characters, a forerunner of today’s smash comedies such as Eddie Murphy’s “The Nutty Professor”.

Through the years that followed, Andy Bumatai has continued to entertain both mainland and local audiences with his comedy, from Don Ho’s Showroom, to Brew Moon, to the Glass Kat in San Francisco. Today, Bumatai is back in Waikiki appearing with the Society of Seven four nights a week. For more information go to: Andy Bumatai and the Society of Seven