"Jom tenguk wayang"

I always remember going to the 'wayang' (movie) with my family in the 50's. That was the golden age of Malay movies I'm sure. Every other month there would be one in the local cinemas. Our entertainment then were the radio, the cinema, the City Park where we would watch the 'kerengga-waisted' ladies doing the ronggeng with the eager young men who handed them tickets before they dance. That will be another story....


The cinemas in those days were huge compared to the present ones although less comfortable. Normally the seating was divided into 3 price ranges - the cheapest with the wooden seats right in front would be 65 cents. Once I got to sit there, I had to practically lie down to watch Julie Andrews in 'the Sound of Music' running from one end of the screen to the other! Then further back the $1.00 section.Then the cushy-cushy seats in a raised section were the most expensive ones - about $1.50 depending on which cinema you go to. The decor inside was the minum - there was no carpeting or lavish lighting.

When buying tickets, it was like the survival of the fittest! If a film was popular, you could see the men clambering one on top of the other at the caged ticket counters and also there was 'black-market' selling where the ticket price would double or treble. We were lucky at the Lido cinema because Bapak had put in an advertisement slide for his tailoring shop, so we got complimentary tickets most of the time.

We loved the movies, sometimes it was funny. They could make you cry buckets of tears (Batu Belah Batu Bertangkup, Lela Manja) or scare you to death with the 'hantu' and 'pontianak' series or laugh crazy with the Bujang Lapok series. Also we loved the Hindustan movies - Mother India, Sangam, Bobby. Sometimes we would go to see the epic Hollywood movies like The Ten Commandments, Ben Hur. Ah those glorious days ...

The once popular Lido cinema, now turned into a department store, at Kee Ann Road. Most of the MFP Jalan Ampang movies shown here. Not so expensive cinema - you could see the highest priced seating area terraced with cushioned seats at the rear.

The Cathay cinema (now a furniture store I think) at one end of Jalan Mushi Abdullah near the bridge. Here were shown the Cathay-Keris Production movies like Tun Teja, Hang Jebat, Satay, Tunang Pak Dukun, all the Pontianak series, to name a few. This was a more expensive cinema, the highest priced seating were on the second storey balcony.

The once famous Federal along Lorong Bunga Raya, now also a furniture store. Here they screened mainly English and Chinese movies. Occasionally an Indonesian movie.

Situated next to the Federal was the Rex cinema, now sadly demolished to make way for a parking area. I remember the epic movie 'The Ten Commandments' here - I went wtih my Convent school group when I was in Standard Four, twice! The area between Fedral and Rex was the City Park I mentioned earlier - a place for entertainment and fun.

Then last but not least was the Capitol. Here they screened mainly Hindustani, Tamil and Indonesian movies. Sometimes they had stage shows like the Review from Japan something like the Moulin Rouge of Paris or Radio City of New York with the can-can dance and barely-clothed ladies.... Also once the Indonesian stars came to stage a concert. I remember Titiek Puspa, Beng Selamat were there. The building has been vacant for a long time, now in the possession of the Melaka Government. I hope it can be renovated into something useful for our culture e.g. Balai Budaya or something like Istana Budaya in K.L. The place is quite strategic. Oh it's situated along the old Wolferston Road (now Jalan Bendahara). Further down the road there was the Savoy (now demolished occupied by 9-storey apartment building) showing mainly Chinese movies, sometimes the odd Indonesian movie (one with Emilia Contessa and Broery Marantika starring - forgot its title!).

Ah... those were the days, my friend ....