PASSINGS: Ponciano Ponce, David ‘Kidd’ Kraddick
Ponciano Ponce
Actor appeared in TV drama ‘Hawaiian Eye’
Ponciano “Poncie” Ponce, 80, a Hawaiian-born actor who had a burst of fame in the early 1960s while appearing in the tropical TV detective drama “Hawaiian Eye,” died July 19 at his Los Angeles home, his family announced. No cause was given.
Ponce played Kazuo Kim, the ukulele-strumming cabbie who ran a one-man taxi business, in “Hawaiian Eye,” which ran on ABC from 1959, the year Hawaii gained statehood, to 1963. Sometimes described as “ ’77 Sunset Strip’ played in Hawaii,” the show featured Robert Conrad, Anthony Eisley and Connie Stevens solving crimes with Waikiki Beach as the backdrop.
Ponce’s film credits include the 1968 Elvis Presley movie “Speedway.”
Born Ponciano Tabac Ponce on April 10, 1933, on Maui, he grew up on the Big Island. Besides his TV and movie work, he also performed as a singer and nightclub entertainer.
David ‘Kidd’ Kraddick
Texas-based radio and TV show host
David “Kidd” Kraddick, the high-octane Texas-based radio and TV host of the “Kidd Kraddick in the Morning” show heard on dozens of U.S. radio stations, died Saturday at a charity golf event in the New Orleans suburb of Gretna. He was 53.
Times staff and wire reports
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