Available for Pre-Order: Coming August 2026
On Location in Hawai‘i is the ultimate guide to the Islands’ most unforgettable movie and television filming sites. Organized by Island, this one-of-a-kind guide takes readers straight to the real places where Hollywood met Hawai‘i—from dramatic coastlines to lush valleys—revealing exactly where iconic scenes were brought to life.
Discover the cinematic landscapes behind countless productions, including the towering cliffs of Kaua‘i’s Nāpali Coast, the otherworldly lava fields of Kalapana on Hawai‘i Island, Maui’s striking ‘Īao Needle (Kūka‘emoku), and the powerful history of Moloka‘i’s Kalaupapa National Historical Park.
At the heart of it all is O‘ahu’s legendary Kualoa Ranch—one of the most famous filming locations in the world that provided cinematic landscapes for films such as Jurassic Park, Windtalkers, 50 First Dates, Jurassic World, Godzilla, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Lilo & Stitch, and The Wrecking Crew and TV shows such as Hawaii Five-O, Magnum P.I., Fantasy Island, The Amazing Race, Rescue: HI-Surf, White Lotus, and Chief of War.
Packed with behind-the-scenes stories, fascinating trivia, location details, and striking then-and-now film stills, On Location in Hawai‘i invites readers to step directly into their favorite scenes when they visit iconic places like the Royal Hawaiian, Turtle Bay, and Pearl Harbor.
Independent productions by Native Hawaiian and local filmmakers are also highlighted, along with Indigenous talents like Jason Momoa and Tia Carrere, who have made their mark in Hollywood studio films and TV shows.
Whether you’re a movie buff, a TV fan, or a traveler eager to explore the Islands in a whole new way, this book is your passport to Hawai‘i’s real-life film sets.
Pre-Order Your Copy Today!
Note: If you order other books with your pre-order of “On Location in Hawaii”, all books will be shipped together in August 2026 when “On Location in Hawaii” becomes available. If you would like to receive the other books as soon as possible, please submit a separate order for those books.
This is the fourth movie/TV history book co-authored by Ed Rampell and Luis I. Reyes for Mutual Publishing about productions made in and about Hawaii, including 1995’s Made In Paradise, Hollywood’s Films about Hawaii and the South Seas; 2001’s Pearl Harbor in the Movies; plus three editions of The Hawaii Movie and Television Book, first released in 2013. A veteran publicist for the motion picture and television industry, Reyes is a co-host and guest programmer for the Turner Classic Movies channel and the annual TCM Classic Film Festival at Hollywood. Reyes is also the top chronicler of Latinos in U.S. cinema and TV, and author of books such as 2022’s Viva Hollywood: The Legacy of Latin and Hispanic Artists in American Film.
Rampell was named after the legendary CBS broadcaster Edward R. Murrow and majored in cinema at Manhattan’s Hunter College. Rampell lived and traveled to more than 100 Pacific Islands, including Tahiti, the Marquesas, Samoa, Palau, Guam, Micronesia, Fiji, Vanuatu, Pitcairn Island, etc., and lived for 12 years at Makaha on Oahu. He reported about the Islands for Radio Australia, Radio New Zealand, ABC News’ “20/20,” Pacific Islands Monthly, Honolulu Weekly, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, and many others, and is the only full-time journalist profiled in the 1997 UH Press book Autobiography of Protest in Hawaii. Rampell is the author of 2005’s Progressive Hollywood, A People’s Film History of the United States. His daughter Marina Davis is Samoa’s greatest female singer.





