A Documentary 
by
S. Leo Chiang and Mercedes Coats

USA, 2006, 56:46, video

Sales & Publicity Contacts
Mercedes Coats, Producer/Director	 S. Leo Chiang, Producer/Director
Walking Iris Films	 Walking Iris Films
210 Upper Terrace, #4	 2263 15th Street
San Francisco, CA 94117, USA	 San Francisco, CA 94114, USA
Tel/Fax +1 (415) 564-4502	 USA Mobile +1 (323) 899-5556
USA Mobile +1 (415) 425-4125		

Sales Update
All rights available
Pending USA Broadcast TV license option 
to CPB
Publicity Photos
Please contact producers or to view/download photos: 
www.sweetheartaloha.com

TO YOU SWEETHEART, ALOHA  
Synopses

Short Synopsis (41 words):

After losing his wife and daughter, Bill Tapia, the colorful 94-year-old Hawai‘i-born ‘ukulele master, finds his muse in 26-year-old manager Alyssa. Through their unconventional friendship, Bill arrives unexpectedly at the pinnacle of his career, forging ahead after outliving everyone he loves.

Longer Synopsis (147 words):

Can life begin again at age 94?  

To You Sweetheart, Aloha is a one-hour documentary which follows the 94th year in the life of the colorful Hawai‘i-born ‘ukulele master Bill Tapia, exploring not only the charismatic musician and his unique stamp on the creation of Hawai‘ian jazz, but also the consummate showman and the endearing storyteller who seeks the fountain of youth.

At the core of this captivating narrative is a complex and often turbulent tale of a man clinging to his youthful spirit and longing for days gone by.  Mourning the recent death of his wife and only daughter, Bill Tapia, the colorful 94-year-old ‘ukulele master from Hawai‘i, finds his muse in his 26-year-old manager Alyssa Archambault.  While navigating this unconventional friendship, Bill arrives unexpectedly at the pinnacle of his musical career and learns to forge a life for himself after having outlived everyone he loves.

TO YOU SWEETHEART, ALOHA
Characters/Storyline

BILL TAPIA
Born on New Year’s Day, 1908, Bill “Tappy” Tapia is a diminutive man of Portuguese decent with a thick Hawai‘ian Pidgin accent, a radiant smile, and a flamboyant wardrobe. At the tender age of 10, Bill was already a professional musician, playing a spirited interpretation of “Stars and Stripes Forever” for WWI troops in Hawai‘i. In his long career as a jazz guitarist and ‘ukulele player he has performed with such musical luminaries as Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong, Elvis Presley and the Hawai‘ian legends, King Bennie Nawahi, Sol Ho‘opi’i and Andy Iona. Bill is also often credited as the first musician to play jazz on the ‘ukulele. At 94, Bill radiates charisma on stage and off. Out of his mouth comes one witty, and often naughty, remark after another, charming everyone around. His skillful playing and the contagious joy in his singing are mesmerizing. Bill is also stubborn, self-absorbed, and overly demanding of those around him, but his passion for music and lust for life make people immediately fall in love with him.

ALYSSA ARCHAMBAULT
Alyssa Kauanakinilani Archambault, a beautiful, soft-spoken, California-born Hapa-Hawai‘ian woman, found Bill while doing extensive research on her Hawai‘ian family history (her great-great grandfather was Sam Nainoa, a popular Hawai‘ian musician on the mainland and in the islands, and her great-great-uncle Joseph Kekuku invented the ubiquitous Hawai‘ian steel guitar). Alyssa’s roots in this culture and music are distant but incredibly strong. When the 25-year-old Alyssa met the 93-year-old Bill (who now lives in California) in 2001, they hit it off immediately. For Alyssa, Bill provides a window into her family’s musical past and cultural heritage with which she has so long been fascinated. Alyssa, an aspiring concert producer, has been instrumental in getting the semi-retired Bill back into performing, arranging for him to record his first CD ever, and introducing him to a new generation of audiences. Taking on the manager/caretaker role, she accompanies Bill as he travels to various parts of California and Hawai‘i to perform. 

TOGETHER…
For Bill, Alyssa fills the huge void left behind after the recent death of the two most important women in his life – his wife of 64 years, Barbie, and only daughter, Cleo.  They have become inseparable, calling each other “best friends”. The relationship, while genuine from both sides, is uneven. Alyssa cares for Bill a great deal, but she views their friendship as a mentor-mentee connection based on her profound respect for his achievement and experiences. To Bill, however, Alyssa is his muse, his confidant, his fountain of youth--his wife and daughter rolled into one. As his resurgent musical career thrives, Bill seems to have become completely dependent on Alyssa, and soon his reliance on her and the scrutiny of people around them disrupt their relationship and cause Bill to confront his age, mortality and place in history.

TO YOU SWEETHEART, ALOHA
Director’s Statement

At the heart of To You Sweetheart, Aloha is a story about the genuine, quirky bonds that people make in order to endure life’s journey. 

As the guest of honor at a concert and film screening given by the Los Angeles Conservancy, we were introduced to Bill in mid-2002.  It was one of the first performances he had done after several years of retirement.  From the moment he stepped onstage, his personality and charm electrified everyone in the audience. Immediately, the idea of capturing this man’s experience on film was all consuming. After discussions with Bill and Alyssa, his manager, he agreed to let us film him. With only a layman’s knowledge of Hawai‘ian music and early jazz, we embarked on researching and drawing out all the amazing details of Bill’s experiences – as a professional musician for most of the 20th century and more importantly, as an elderly man living out his remaining years with dramatic flair.

To You Sweetheart, Aloha brings to the screen a story from two areas underrepresented in the media today—the elderly and Hawai‘ian musical history. Through Bill’s story, To You Sweetheart, Aloha reveals issues concerning the elderly such as the increasing loss of independence and the growing loneliness that arises from losing loved ones. Bill is an uncommonly youthful 94-year-old man, but he nevertheless struggles with the universal obstacles of aging and loss. To You Sweetheart, Aloha speaks to the elderly community by providing characters that both older and younger generations can identify with and, therefore, encourages a deeper understanding for all on issues of aging. In addition, Bill’s musical journey through much of 20th-century Hawai‘i and California provides a rare glimpse into the history of Hawai‘ian music, an influential strand of American roots music that is often dismissed as novelty. To You Sweetheart, Aloha serves the Hawai‘ian and Californian communities by helping to give proper credit to Bill’s accomplishments as a rediscovered ‘ukulele jazz pioneer.

When we began to make the film, we found ourselves fascinated by Bill’s storytelling and instant charisma, wanting to know more about this “undiscovered jewel” of ‘ukulele jazz.  However, as we spent the many days and months with him, we discovered a new and more important reason for making the film.  Here was an openhearted, hilarious, goofy and often very vulnerable Bill – the man behind the music, behind the personality, and behind the legend… 

We have been allowed incredible access to follow Bill’s life and the ups and downs of his friendship with Alyssa over the past two years, including a 6 month-long break up.  What results is a humorous and touching study of a man in search of something to fill the emptiness that old age brings.  Ultimately, the film is an intricate, dramatic, cross-generational relationship set against the beautiful backdrop of California and Hawai‘i, in the nostalgic world of old-time jazz and traditional Hawai‘ian music.

After meeting in graduate film school at USC School of Cinema-Television in 1995, we have often collaborated through our company Walking Iris Films. 

Mercedes Coats and S. Leo Chiang

TO YOU SWEETHEART, ALOHA
Producer/Director’s Bio

MERCEDES COATS (Director/Producer/Sound Recordist) has directed and produced the award-winning documentaries Little Stars, about the unpredictable and challenging world of child actors, and Seoul II Soul, about a Korean/African-American family in post-riot Los Angeles (National PBS premiere presented by NAATA, Feb 2002). Mastermind, a children’s television pilot, earned her the prestigious Alfred P. Sloan Film Award and a production grant from Entertainment Weekly magazine.  She was also the recipient of the Women in Film/Paramount Pictures Crystal Award in 1998.  

Recently, Mercedes was Director of Creative Affairs at Lin Oliver Productions, a company focused on creating quality family entertainment.  She worked on the company’s production of Trumpet of the Swan, an animated feature film based on the classic E.B. White novel for Sony/Columbia TriStar.  She was the key production consultant to Lin Oliver (Producer) on Finding Buck McHenry, a movie for Showtime starring Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee.  In addition to her work in family films, Mercedes has produced and directed several non-fiction educational documentaries for clients such as The Rossier School of Education at USC and Big Sisters of Los Angeles.  She has also produced several industrials and promotional videos for clients such as Edmark (div of IBM) and California Science Center. Mercedes has recently completed the documentary, To You Sweetheart, Aloha, about 94-year-old Hawai‘ian ‘ukulele legend, Bill Tapia.

Born in Australia, raised in Spain, England and the US, Mercedes holds a BA in Theatre from Occidental College in Los Angeles, and an MFA in Film Production from the University of Southern California.

Filmography:		
Current	To You Sweetheart, Aloha (DIRECTOR/PRODUCER)
2001		Trumpet of the Swan (EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE PRODUCER)
			Sony Pictures/Columbia Tri-Star
2001		EdConnect Launch (CO-PRODUCER)
			Edmark Corp, a div of IBM
2001		Finding Buck McHenry (PRODUCTION CONSULTANT)
			Showtime Inc.
2000		Eugenia (DIRECTOR)
			Big Sisters of Los Angeles
1999		Enhancing the Field Trip, Exemplary Teaching Series (DIRECTOR/CO-PRODUCER)
	USC Rossier School of Education
1998		Think Science! (DIRECTOR/CO-PRODUCER)
			California Science Center
1998		Mastermind (DIRECTOR/CO-PRODUCER)
			Mastermind Productions
1997		Little Stars (DIRECTOR)

1996		Seoul II Soul (PRODUCER)
			My Tall Father Productions
1995		Food For Thought (DIRECTOR)
TO YOU SWEETHEART, ALOHA
Producer/Director’s Bio

S. LEO CHIANG (Director/Producer/Cinematographer) is an award-winning filmmaker of both documentary and narrative films. His previous short films, Match Point and Reunited, were screened at festivals across the country. In 1998, Directors Guild of America commissioned Leo to direct and edit Directing: How to Get There, for which he documented early careers of several well-known filmmakers including Robert Wise, Norman Jewison, and Steven Spielberg. Leo received the 1999 Shenkin Fellowship from Yale School of Art to make Safe Journey, a narrative short mentored by director Robert Zemeckis. He went on to produce and direct One + One, a documentary about mixed HIV-status couples that won the CINE Golden Eagle Award (2002) and the Cable Positive Award (2001 Silver Lake Film Festival). Leo has worked on many non-fiction programs for commercial cable television as a director and/or producer. Most recently, he spent a year and a half working on such productions in Asia. Leo returned to the US in 2006 to complete To You Sweetheart, Aloha for its US public television broadcast.

Leo is also an experienced editor and cinematographer of non-fiction projects. He edited True-Hearted Vixens, an ITVS-funded project about a women’s tackle football league. True-Hearted Vixens was shown as a part of the 2001 P.O.V. series on PBS. He also edited Freestyle, a feature-length documentary that chronicles the history of freestyle hip-hop. It won awards at the LA Independent Film Festival, Woodstock Film Festival, and Urbanworld Film Festival. Leo’s work as a cinematographer has been broadcast nationally on HBO, Discovery, Travel Channel, Learning Channel, AMC, and others.  

Leo holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and received his MFA in film production from University of Southern California.

Filmography:		
2006		To You Sweetheart, Aloha (DIRECTOR/PRODUCER)
2006		China Fast Forward (DIRECTOR)
Discovery Channel – Asia
2005	ABC Bakery (DIRECTOR)
TVBS-G Taiwan
2003	Gil & David – Switched (DIRECTOR)
ABC Family Channel/Evolution Film & Tape
2003	Boy Meets Boy (DIRECTOR)
Bravo/Evolution Film & Tape
2003	A Few Drops in Cambodia (DIRECTOR/CINEMATOGRAPHER)
Annenberg Center for Communications
2001	Ruth’s Story – Medical Diaries (PRODUCER)
Discovery Health Channel/GRB Productions
2001		One + One (PRODUCER/DIRECTOR)
2000		Safe Journey (WRITER/DIRECTOR)
1998	Directing:  How to Get There (DIRECTOR/EDITOR)
Directors Guild Of America
1996		Reunited (WRITER/PRODUCER/DIRECTOR)			
1995		Match Point (PRODUCER/DIRECTOR)

TO YOU SWEETHEART, ALOHA
Key Crew Credits & Bios

DEBORAH LUM (Editor) is an award-winning editor of non-fiction films and videos.  Her credits as an editor or editorial consultant include Refugee (d. Spencer Nakasako); First Person Plural (Sundance Film Festival, National PBS Broadcast on P.O.V.); Kelly Loves Tony (Nominee for Best Feature Documentary by IDA, National PBS Broadcast on P.O.V.); AKA Don Bonus (Winner-National Emmy, Golden Gate Award for Best Bay Area Documentary at SF Int’l Film Festival, Berlin Film Festival, National PBS Broadcast on P.O.V.); and Jim Dine, Self Portrait on the Walls (Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Short).

JOAN HUANG (Executive Producer) founded Cherry Sky Films LLC in 2001, and co-produced Justin Lin’s BETTER LUCK TOMORROW, which debuted at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for an IFP Independent Spirit Award. Working with MTV Films, she helped produce the film’s website, as well as strategize and execute the grass roots and internet marketing/ outreach campaign for BLT’s 2003 theatrical release. Joan returned to Sundance in 2004 with Academy Award winning filmmaker Jessica Yu's feature documentary IN THE REALMS OF THE UNREAL, an exploration into the life and work of Henry Darger. Most recently, Joan was the Casting Director and Associate Producer for ETHAN MAO, an independent feature by writer/director Quentin Lee. Currently, Joan is producing the second year of a themed short films series by independent filmmakers; the first year skyPod series featuring iPods are making the rounds on the festival circuit. http://www.cherryskyfilms.com

COREY TONG (Project Consultant) is an independent producer and creative consultant on feature films, int'l acquisitions and festival programming. He is also chief creative exec for Hawai‘i-based Makai Motion Pictures. The former Director of Special Projects for IFFCON's Asia-Pacific Partnership and former director of the San Francisco Int'l Asian American Film Festival, Corey is a producer of the new Fijian feature 'The Land Has Eyes' and is in development on two new features from the Asia-Pacific region. He grew up in Hilo.

EMUNAH YUKA EDINBURGH (Associate Producer) received her BA in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity from Stanford University. She has worked with several community organizations on creating media and arts programs – most recently working with the award-winning documentary filmmaker, Spencer Nakasako.

VANESSA KANESHIRO (Associate Producer) received her MA in Journalism at University of California at Berkeley. Her documentary experience includes work at MTV/News & Documentary, KCTS/Seattle PBS Station, KPLU/Seattle NPR Radio, and r s l interactive. 

BYRON K. YASUI (Advisor) has been on the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa Music faculty since 1972, and was recently the chair the music graduate studies program.  He has been a commissioner on the Honolulu Mayor's Commission on Culture and the Arts since 1993.  In addition to being an award-winning composer of classical art music of international repute, he remains active as a freelance multi-instrumentalist, often with the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra.  He is also a co-organizer of The Art of Solo ‘Ukulele, the name of a 2000 Hawai‘i public TV special which led to a compact disc released in April 2002.

ALAN BAKER (Advisor) was Executive Producer of Cultural Programming for KCET (PBS) prior to being Vice President of Syndication Programming for both Paramount Television and Fox Television. He has led major press and public relations campaigns, including managing promotion and press for the 1984 Olympic Arts Festival in Los Angeles.  He received his bachelor’s degree from University of Hawai‘i at Manoa.  Alan currently serves as Vice Dean at the USC School of Cinema-Television. 

TO YOU SWEETHEART, ALOHA
Credits Transcript

Funding Pod – Head

(Audio) This program is made possible in part by:
The Fleishhacker Foundation
The Atherton Family Foundation
and
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting

End Presenter Tags

CAAM Animated Logo
PIC Animated Logo

End Credit Roll (REVISED 7.6.06)

Director/Producers
S. Leo Chiang & Mercedes Coats

Editor
Debbie Lum

Cinematographer
S. Leo Chiang

Sound Recordist
Mercedes Coats

Executive Producer
Joan Huang / Cherry Sky Films

Associate Producers
Emunah Yuka Edinburgh
Vanessa Kaneshiro

Project Consultant
Corey Tong

Additional Camera
Bryan Donnell
Sergio Goes
David Greenspan
Chindy Lee
Sarah Levy
Ken Libby

Additional Sound Recordists
Chad Grochowski
Josh Newman

Graphic Designer
Erin Shigaki

Graphics Animator
Brian Rulapaugh

Online Editor
Joe Hoffman

Sound Designer
Kenneth Klimak

Broadcast Sound Mix
Philip Perkins C.A.S.

Production Assistance
Gerard Dawson 
Joan Malloch

Music Clearance
The Rights Workshop

Still Photography
Aaron L. Archambault 
Alyssa Archambault 
Richard Field Levine
Bill Tapia 
Special Collections Dept., University of Iowa Libraries

Advisors
Byron Yasui
Alan Baker

Project Fiscal Sponsor
Bay Area Video Coalition

Our deep gratitude to... 
Bill Tapia 
Alyssa Archambault

Special Thanks to...

The Broughton Family
The Archambault Family
The Chiang Family
The Coats Family
Hiro Shimozato 
Jonathan Reid
Clay Westervelt
Ako & Tom Shimozato 
Jim & Liz Beloff
Niisa Carter
Emi Macuaga
Nerissa Mendoza
Evy Mayer
William R. Sturgeon
Svea & Uwe Schreiner
Anne-Marie Shimozato
Geoffry R. Rezek
Robbert VanRenesse 
***
Michael Spengler / MoonRoomRecords
Thelma Kam / Royal Hawai'ian Hotel
'Ukulele Hall of Fame Museum

Thanks to...

Andy & Pam Andrews
Marlene Booth
Tim Bostock 
Geraud Brisson
Benny Chong
Jim Duron 
The Essential Resophonics
Tom Freund
Pattie & John Gerrie
Peter Hurm, Esq.
Mariko & Cathy Ishikawa
Stacey & Gregg Klein
Lisa Leeman
Margo King Lenson 
"Uncle" Ahi & Bula Logan
Gerry & Christa Long
Makana 
Anne Misawa
Denny "King Kukulele" Moynahan
Leslie Nunes
Kekoa Ornellas
Troy Ozama
Barry & Susan Pearlman
Lyle Ritz
Johnny Symons
Kim Turrisi & Bridget Smith
***
Audio Resource Honolulu
Bishop Museum Archives 
Don Ho Enterprises
Folk Music Center of Claremont
FolkScene 
Katherine  T. Kawaguchi / Hawai'i Dept. of Education
Hawai'i Moving Company
The Hawai'i Theater
John Berger / Hawai'i Star-Bulletin 
Manu Boyd / Ka Wai Ola Newspaper
KCRW Radio
Michael Schuster & J.W. Junker / KHPR Radio
Michael Perry & Larry Price / KSSK Radio
Mike Buck & Juliet Rae Delanoza / KVHV Radio
Lymana 'Ukuleles
Mountain Apple Records
Ed McNulty / PBS Hawai'i 
The Oasis 'Ukulele Club
Sacred Grounds Café
The Santa Cruz 'Ukulele Club
Sheraton Waikiki
Southern California 'Ukulele Festival
Stevens Steakhouse
Talbert Medical Group
'Ukulele Guild of Hawai'i
'Ukulele Occasional
Waikiki Beach Marriott Hotel
Walter's Restaurant

All music performed by Bill Tapia (except where noted) 
courtesy of Bill Tapia and MoonRoom Records

To You Sweetheart, Aloha
Written by Harry Owens
Courtesy of Royal Music Publishers / Tim Owens

You Are My Sunshine
Written by Jimmie Davis
Courtesy of Peer Music (APRS)

Manuela Boy
Written by John Noble Avery
Courtesy of EMI Miller & EMI April Music

Hilo March
Written by Joseph Kapaeau Ae'a
Courtesy of Bill Tapia & Byron Yasui

Lovely Hula Hands
Written by Alex Anderson
Courtesy of Lychelle Music Co & EMI

Hilo March from March Medley
Written by Joseph Kapaeau Ae'a
Performed by Byron Yasui
Courtesy of Byron Yasui & J.W. Junker

Tiny Bubbles
Written by Leon Pober
Performed by Don Ho
Courtesy of Granite Music

My Little Grass Shack in Kealakekua Hawai'i
Written by Johnny Cogswell, Thomas Harrison, 
& Johnny Noble
Courtesy of EMI April Music

Stars and Stripes Forever
Written by John Phillip Souza
Traditional

Sweet Leilani
Written by Harry Owens
Courtesy of Royal Music Publishers / Tim Owens

Happy Birthday
Written by Mildred & Patty Hill
Courtesy of Warner Chapel Music

Happy Hawai'ian Blues
Written by Hawai'ian Songbirds
Performed by Happy Hawai'ian Songbirds
Courtesy of Shanachie Records

My Name is Jorge
Written by James Smith
Performed by The Gourds
Courtesy of Slosinger Redberry Publishing

All of Me
Written by Gerald Marks and Seymour Simon
Courtesy of Music Sales/Marlong Music Corp & 
Bourne Music Co.

Crazy
Written by Willie Nelson
Courtesy of Sony/ATV

(c) 2004 Walking Iris Films
www.SweetheartAloha.com

Funding Pod – Tail

(Audio) This program is made possible in part by:
The Fleishhacker Foundation
The Atherton Family Foundation
And
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting