The Roxy that screened movies after they had been shown in the cinemas in town like the Capitol, Rex or Pavilion. It was the hub for gatherings of 50s and 60s band boys and girls as the Palace and Odeon Katong cinemas were just across East Coast Road from Roxy. (Many young Singaporeans are not aware that the Roxy Laksa that is so famous today originally had a little stall behind Roxy Cinema, not too far from from its ticket booth. Many patrons would rush to the little stall to have a bowl before popping in for a show.)
There were a few instances where local bands played before a show, usually movies that carried rock n roll themes. Tickets then cost 50 cents for the first five or six rows from the screen, so you crane your neck for two hours to see the movie and the images look like long thin, snakes from whichever seat you are viewing it from.
The next 10 or 12 rows of seats cost $1.00 and the last few rows and the circle seats (upstairs/balcony) cost $2.00. There were times when you could put $1.00 into the usher's hand and get a comfortable $2.00 seat in the corner of the theatre.
Image: Shaw Brothers Website or National Heritage Board.
Original Article: Andy Lim Collection.
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