It's a portable movie box!! It was common in the 196os when TV was not affordable to the common folks. It's only available in the city area. The movie box is mounted on a tricycle which would be parked where crowds gathered. Audience paid 5 cents for a few minutes of black and white silent movie or cartoon (Tom and Jerry). The more you pay, the longer you could watch. Can you imagine the number of people standing on each side of the box, watching movies? hehe.....
In the old days, after their dinners and baths, people would come out of their homes to seek some entertainment. Besides chit-chatting with friends and neighbours over a cuppa, they could....
watch a movie......
Listen to music (OMG! This is still in good working condition!)
watch a puppet show on the side walk.....The best (and free) entertainment was to get the kids to sleep early and have your own little entertainment. It caused the population to boom. Having 7 to 12 children then was common. Then PM Lee Kuan Yuan had to come up with the 'Stop At Two' campaign. Today.... the Singapore government is worried about the decreasing population.
(Photos taken at Children Little Museum)
of course they're worry...
ReplyDeletethe more children, the more they earn..
no worries, when local factiry fail to produce, there's always foreign talent!!
well, that's a very tiring way to watch movie!!
ReplyDeleteback ache ah!!!
then eye become one big one small!
thb,
ReplyDeleteWe really do need more local babies. Our population is decreasing every year and soon there will not be enough babies to replace each elderly folk.
Look around us, there is one foreign immigrant to 2 local Singaporeans.
We will soon lose our identity and rights.
leonard,
ReplyDeleteyalor! If it is a one hour movie but for only 5 to 10 minutes... ok lah!
More children more children....
ReplyDelete生子容以，教子难！+ the expenses of having kids, from birth to education to...etc
Their so-called baby bonus scheme, dunno enough to cover simi also.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletenapaboaniya,
ReplyDeleteCome to think of it... last time our parents have so many kids... We were poor and there were always problems - money, housing, food, school expenses....etc.
With whatever little they had, our parents brought us up to be good citizens.
We didn't turn out too bad despite the hardship, right?
Nowadays with families becoming more affluent and not willing to have more kids, they gave their kids whatever they want.... thus bringing up spoilt brats!
I didn't need a lot of money to bring up my son. Now at age 16, he's earning his own money. I should have more children! So easy for me, I followed my parents' way.
^-^
Wah... that way of watching movie looks veli hamsap liddat LOL! Peep peep liddat... I'd hv thot there's a Mini ECL inside there doing striptease show hahaaa...
ReplyDeleteI'd never seen a movie box before. I never cease to be amazed at people's entrepreneurial skills - past and present! Happy WW
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting set of pictures. We still play our records and my daughter goofs around with puppets. TV we don't bother with!
ReplyDeleteGreat post.
Hola ECL, came by in a rocket today! I've never seen this portable movie box before. Guess those ppl didn't mind paying 5 cents for any form of entertainment back then! ;)
ReplyDeleteahaha...if the local population dont increase, it'll be coming from neighbourng countries!
ReplyDeleteyeah.. was waiting for leonard to take pics for me...
ReplyDeleteI've never seen a TV box before, even in a photo! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteecl,
ReplyDeleteTom and Jerry exists so long ago liao ah? waiseh!
oh i came back to see what was the conclusion of yr post..i thot u were peeking into toilets hahahahaha.
ReplyDeleteI feel old looking at this memorabilia photos. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's a good thing you could only watch those movies for a few minutes ~ man, my back would be killing me!!!
ReplyDeleteIn our family, we still listen to records all the time at my parents' house. They don't have a TV and my dad has a HUGE record collection (like, almost 10,000!!).
Dude, this stuff is so cool!!
ReplyDeleteMy angel,
ReplyDeletehamsup hor.
*peep peep*
hehehe....
You want to watch me do strip-tease!?
You'll puke! kakaka...
mariuca,
ReplyDeleteWheee.... ! You came on a rocket! :)
5 cents could eat a bowl of noodles then, it was considered a luxury to watch movies.
lynnwei,
ReplyDeleteIn fact, many of our citizens are imported from all over the world! :)
Kok,
ReplyDeleteYes... my hubby watched the Tom and Jerry cartoon. It was in black and white and no sound. I wasn't born yet. hehe....
bengbeng,
ReplyDeleteaiyoh.... What's there to see in toilets!?
judy,
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean you feel old!? You are old ledi! hehehe....
valleygirl,
ReplyDeleteYes, the movies are usually several minutes long.
Wow! 10,000 records! I would love to see your Dad's collection!
I had a record player until a few years ago when it broke. I hope to get another. I have dozens of records from when I was a kid. Several were my mothers. My mother took piano lessens, and became a piano teacher. One of the records is a recording of her playing when she was about 16 years old. So I need to buy another record player.
ReplyDeletewow... why are your RSS only coming out on my reader days after wan?!! Suddenly I get a slew of posts from you.. Anyway, that gramophone player reminded me of the old we had in our family a long long time ago... and I think I do remember that mobile movie thingie at my grandma's house!! Wow!!
ReplyDelete