Nothing beats the good old cinema
Sim Bak Heng
REMEMBER Rex, Lido and Cathay in Johor Baru?
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| SNACKS GALORE: Lots of tidbits were sold from pushcarts outside the old Lido cinema located in Jalan Wong Ah Fook. |
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| OLD CHARM: The former Cathay cinema, situated in Jalan Bukit Meldrum, has been demolished to make way for the new Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex. |
These were cinemas which were booming in the 1960s till 1980s, until videotapes and movie piracy took its toll forcing the closure of these once popular entertainment outlets.
Rex and Lido, located next to each other in Jalan Wong Ah Fook, and Cathay, in Jalan Bukit Meldrum which is now part of the new Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex, were demolished in the late 1990s.
There were three other cinemas namely the Plaza at Holiday Plaza, Nira at Komtar and New Capital at Merlin Tower.
Except for New Capital, which is still in business and shows only Tamil movies, the others closed down in the late 1990s as well.
I came to Johor Baru in 1993 and being a die-hard movie fan, I had the chance to watch some movies at those cinemas before the curtains came down.
Although I have to admit that cinema entertainment is more comfortable these days, although it lacks the ambiance of the older cinemas.
Cinemas were fun in those days with tidbits sold at pushcarts usually parked at the cinema entrances.
To know what were the favourite snacks, just check the cinema floor after each show. More often than not, it would be strewn with kuaci shells, sour plum seeds, pineapple cores, watermelon rinds, cracker bags, empty cans and plastic bags.
As cinema floors were convenient dumping grounds, cockroaches and rats were as busy as the audience when the auditorium lights were dimmed.
It’s different at cineplexes these days. Only popcorn and carbonated drinks are sold. Some also offer wedge potatoes, nuggets and chicken wings.
The choices are certainly less, compared with the wide variety available at the pushcarts before.
With the variety of food, and odours, permeating the air of cinemas of those days, no wonder cinema operators did not need extra air freshener.
Conventional cinemas in the past were huge halls, some with balconies usually for reserve-class.
There were several classes of seats to cater to the budgets of patrons, the cheapest being the front-stalls, followed by the first- and reserve-class.
As there were many classes, abuses were rampant when the lights were dimmed as patrons would switch from lower fare seats to the higher class seats. Such abuse is not possible these days as there is only one class of seats in cineplexes.
Cinema seats before were not comfortable. They were made of wood and the highest point the seat could provide support for was till the upper back area. It is different at cineplexes now with their plush, wide seats.
Cinema entertainment has also had dynamic advancement as vast changes were seen over the years especially with the advent of digital sound.
Sadly, one thing that has not changed over the years is the littering. Movie-goers still leave litter in the cinema halls hoping that the cleaners would take care of it.
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