Let's take another break. If I were to recommend one World War II movie that is set in Hawaii, it would be From Here to Eternity. Yup, it may be a bit "dated" but it's an honest view life in Hawaii in the 1940's.
The movie is based on a book of the same name by James Jones. Jones was stationed at Schofield Barracks in 1941, and according to his biographer (George Hendrick) Jones was at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked. Later during the war, Jones was injured in combat on Guadalcanal, and received the Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. He also boxed as a welterweight in Golden Gloves tournaments. And, while in Hawaii he briefly attended the University of Hawaii. (Go 'Bows!)
There's a "hot love scene" in the movie--it's The Kiss between Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr. The spot of that kiss is on the beach, right next to the Blow Hole. To get there, drive into the Blow Hole parking lot and with your back to the mountains walk to your right and look down. That small cove was the place it was filmed. To see a clip of the kiss, go to this YouTube site: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W6AGM-LxGY
Donna Reed plays a prostitute in the film. It's a romanticized view of prostitution. In truth, prostitution was a semi-legal institution in Hawaii. It was a controlled way for sailors to take care of their "natural urges" while (hopefully) keeping local girls safe from sexual assault. One of the best studies of the social impact of the overwhelming number of men on Oahu is in The First Strange Place.
Oh, yes, it's true that lines of sailors snaked through the streets of Chinatown. Yes, it's true that there was a prostitute's strike. Yes, there really was a Jean O'Hara (and she was not a local Japanese girl whose name was Ohara.)
I go into depth about wartime prostitution later on.
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