PGHK #90 Lao Hi Tai (老戏台)

Apr 30, 2007 | Podcast | 39 comments

Guests: Ah Leng (Dragon), Laksa, Atupek, Pek Lu Lu, Bak Kut Teh

We invited guests of various generations to talk about their stories regarding old cinema theatres. Share your experience with us in the comment area or in our forum.

Rex Theatre in Penang

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39 Comments

  1. lehlew

    actually there got also one cinema in sunshine square which had closed down 10 year ago, But it is a moden 2 screens cinema….BTW, pek lulu singing not bad lol…

  2. shuahuan

    so happy to know that miku john wana invite me to join in as a guest in this episod,
    my area still new so no port yet (i just move in to ampang), but i already register for a fix line & steamyx broadband with TM, soon will join in to be a guest…(“…bu…!bu…!bu…!bu…!…”) i also just bought a RM 8 ear phone mic at Law Yat Plaza, once i get my broadband 1GB speed i will be prepare to join in anytime…(“…bu…!bu…!bu…!bu…!…”) yup…i need to use hand & leg to generate power coz i am ShuaHuan …(“…bu…!bu…!bu…!bu…!…”)

    Last time,I live in Lebuh Maccallum 五条路 my grandmother house so i just need to walk about 1 km to 二条路 the 新都 cinema, i watch Stephen Chao Movie 西游记(一)before in that cinema just RM 4.00 with Rats & Lipas running around you…i visit the toilet which ppl said got ghost, but nothings happen so luckly…

  3. Ah Tox

    My old time fav cinema were….Rex.Capitol and Cathay for english movie.As for chinese movie are Federal and Sun for Shaw Brothers movie.Wembley and Majestic for Taiwan love story.Odeon and Paramount for hongkie movie.The class ticket that time were….3rd class at RM0.65 2nd class at RM1.00 1st.class Rm1.40
    and Reserved Class( also call couple class or upstairs) at RM2.00 only..hehehe

  4. jepun lau ee

    wow,sure bring back memories…my favourite are Wembley&Majestic cinema,coz of the love stories,,,and Paramount cinema,for the Hindi movies..can enjoy very much,coz of the cheap tickets..and can watch for long hours…..hihihiiiiiii

  5. kacang putih

    So happy to remember back all the show that i watch in those cinema,happy!!!

  6. Tien Toh...

    you all left out the famous Star Cinema (Sing Kong Hee Tai),the one opposite Patani Road police station,Jalan Dato Keramat..>>!!….
    Now is Body Glove office………………
    My favourite old cinema is Federal…………….!!

  7. Pek Lulu

    The cinema time was Jaws, Sat night fever-John trovalta, the blue Lagoon, others..I like a lot of English movies. For Chinese old movies like Half kati eight tahils, Bruce Lee’s movies and others. Sword movies, fighting with a lot of stupid bleeding that burst out from the stomach. Ha..he..it was so fake.

  8. Ah hua

    Does anyone know what had happened to the cinema called “美 都” in Perak Road/Lane nowadays? If I’m not mistaken, that old cinema has been converted to the church…..not sure though. I used to sneak in to “美 都” cinema by following the adults to catch the free movie while I was young, ha!!!!

  9. Ah Tox

    Well Ah Hua you mean Metro cinema….well the building is still there but no its not church anymore but i think its now as business building .I also have lots of memory of that cinema cos i lived in Jelutong.i always remember when the late midnight show alwys sometime police came to raid the secret society and all have to been inguiry and the show have to stop at mid way….lol cos that time In 70s Peark Rd famosu for many secret society and consider a black are.

  10. Ah Hua

    Hey Ah Tox, thank you so much for your information about “Metro” cinema. I do have a little recollection regarding to the police raid to the cinema in the middle of the movie, very the “potong steam” indeed!!! I think local people have coined the word for this scenario as “散 場”…. if I’m not mistaken-lah, ha!

  11. gulengchi

    you dont know only.. Last time I watch the horror movie from hong kong “Jiang si su su ” /” kiong xi suk suk” at xin kuang cinema with my sisters, i scare until i vomit my dinner inside the cinema… didnt finish the movie, my elder sister so angry because she has to help to clean me inside the toilet… i vomit on the floor, people still continue watching the movie like that ma.. if these days I vomit in the cinema sure they all run away. Last time people chap lu ki si… lu ao… mai ao tiok wa ok liao.

  12. lehlew

    i uesd to remember my mom told me that there are “underground” ticket seller at the entrance to the cinema.THey bought all the ticket and going to resell the ticket. They usally charge 5sen to 20 higher then the normal price..This happen when there is a famous or hot movie..LOL..i wonder now still got people doing this ?

  13. Ah Tox

    Hehehe….they are mostly call…ARM CHEE…..in those day

  14. Taiping Lang

    I chanced upon this webste by accident. I saw this web link from another blog and I am hooked!!

    This is great! I think hokkien language is slowing dying over here in KL.

    I am from Taiping and mandarin is my mother tongue. I love your little stories. It bring back lots of memories. I remember Lido cinema in Taiping because that is where I watch all of Jackie Chan’s Police Story series, up until Police Story 3.

    now no more cinema in Taiping leh. The lido become a makan place liow. Not nice one.

  15. Miku John

    Taiping Lang, I am very glad you found my website. I feel very passionate about this myself. Since I now live in America, I really miss having the opportunity to use Hokkien. Now, I get to do it weekly. 😀
    Thanks so much for your encouragement and support. I hope you’ll help me spread the words out to people you think would like the podcast. 😀 Kam siah!

  16. Hainam Kei Pui

    Hey, ppl.. Last time i join adi but i stopped due to certain reasons. Now i am back.. “ting ting” area. The cinema shows only XXX movie… Anyone aware of this cinema? When i was young my aunt took me to sintor to watch ghost stories, and the ghost stories occured in a cinema too… Dunno you all know this movie, starring veronica yip, like a musical play. The cinema in the movie look exactly like sintor… Anyway the “elephant, my friend” debut is chan chan meri sat ti not ha ha ha mari sat ti….Old cinema i went to federal and rex the most. I remember the two movies i use to watch happy ghost and the comedy that got that “orang asli”…

  17. Hainam Kei Pui

    Hey ppl, sorry i ate the words in the previous comment… The cinema that show XX movie, last time located at 4th floor komtar, near the “ting ting” area

  18. Miku John

    Hainam kei Pui, welcome back. I think the Orang Asli movie you talked about was probably “God Must Be Crazy”. There are a few of that actually. Anyway, I’m glad the show brought back some good old times.

  19. TaipingLang

    I realised I said mandarin is my mother tongue. What has gotten into me. I meant hokkien and I am proud to be a hokkien lang!

    My mandarin is half past 6 one.

  20. myang

    Nothing beats the cinema food then… i still remember the bak kwa and pork floss buns my mum will buy before we enter the cinema. It was Cathay cinema if I recall correctly. Sometimes, it’ll be the good ol’ kachang putih sold by the mamak seller. Nowadays, the cineplex sells expensive popcorn combos and the typical hotdogs.

    Great site btw 🙂

  21. hapgirl

    Long time i never visit this site.. my laptop sound card kaput for about 1 month and i din bother to reinstall the windows so now my computer has no sound one… wanna listen podcast pun cannot… besides i din really understand how itunes and the rest works…
    Nevertheless, i fell in love with this REX cinema and it does seems very old… I must be in primary school at that time… my time cinema is Cathay for English movie and I kinda forgot the chinese cinema beside Cathay in Jl Bukit Bintang… My first date pun terjadi in Cathay cinema but i forgot wat movie i watch… was it “BIG” by Tom Hanks?!!! Anyways, I dun remember only paying RM2 for entrance fee, it has to be a bit more… maybe around RM3 – RM4 for 1st class seat….
    Arggh… “pai seh”… “hokkien lang beh hiu kong hokkien ui”… must be more active in this site to enhance my hokkien skills…

  22. kshern

    what happened to the ghost stories by bak kut teh?

  23. Miku John

    What happened to it? Can you explain a bit more? Since this show is a year old.

  24. kshern

    in the episode it was mentioned that bak kut teh had some really interesting ghost stories to tell but i can’t seem to find them in any of the following podcasts. 🙁

  25. Miku John

    Frankly, I have no idea. I think we find a time for him to be online or something. Oy, too much time for a forgetful person like me.

    Someone help?

  26. ooi ack

    it is a big problem to transform cinema into something else. the tons of cements to dig out took so many lorries so many trips. and the only small atap up there that ran the film tape, is no good for anything. it was a big uneven floor hall with a large stage.

  27. desmond

    did anybody know there are two cinemas at Ayer Itam during 70-80’s – Kok Pin and Chung Nam, why only got Rex cinema photo, how about other old theatre at 70-80’s.

  28. desmond

    did anybody can remeber which year the cinema, like “Kok Pin” “Chung Nam” “Sin Kong” etc stop for business, what movie the aforesaid cinema have been show before??

  29. Miku John

    I welcome all and more photos. The reason why we have Rex is because Ah Leng took that picture. If you have pictures put your link here or send me the photos I’ll post it for you. Thanks.

  30. desmond

    which website can search for all the old theatre’s photo at Penang??

  31. desmond

    which website can search for all the old theatre’s photo at Penang??

  32. desmond

    nobody want to reply me liao, so disapointed

  33. Miku John

    Desmond, not nobody wants to reply you. This is a post that is almost 2 years old. If you want results, join the forum at https://forum.penanghokkien.com
    Just don’t forget to use a Hokkien username, so that I can approve you. That’s how I see if it is SPAM. And SPAM doesn’t know Hokkien.

  34. desmond

    Miku John, do u know how to get all the photo for old cinema at penang in 70’s to 80’s

  35. Miku John

    Desmond,
    No, I have no idea how to get those photos. Hopefully someone will see the message and answer you. But don’t try on old posts here. You may want to join the forum or other Penang forums.

  36. lim theam hin

    i still remember the good old days during early 70 ‘s, rex , federal , capitol used to screen block buster movies from shaw brother hk , starring famed actors like david chaing , ti lung etc and actress like jenny hu , lily ho , they should have preserved these halls , make them modern cineplexes

  37. desmond

    did anybody know how to get the old newspaper in 70-80’s who publised the movie showing, i remember last time when the hong kong movie is going to show, will start “pua meh tiau” at saturday first, then sunday “cha tiau”, then Thursday start full day, 1.00pm, 3pm 7pm & 9pm weekday, now everything online, the cinmeplex also dun have the photo publised outsiude, very “rindu” last time cinema.

  38. desmond

    i still remember, the Majestic and Wembley cinema closed down few years then after reopen, another one is “tiong sun” , in Ayer Itam, “Kok Pin” and “Chung Nam” i really can’t remeber the building how the look, did anybody got the photo during 70’s. Dato Kramat “sin kong hee tai” also never go before already closed down and somemore last time hong kong got a lot of horror movies very good one, now adays horror movies really “sien”, and the “kong tau” movie from Hong Kong also very active in 80’s, now no more, my parents told me in late 70’s got one Thai movie with the lady hair full of snake “seh muo nui: , did anybody know which cinema at penang screen before??

  39. Shan

    My favourite theatre in Federal Kuala Lumpur with 60 feet curved screen, 70mm cinemeccanica ,Victoria X projectors which have screened Mega movie blogbusters like The Ten Commandments, Ben Hur, Earth Quake. First installed DTS System in Malaysia and many more Historical backgrounds in Movie Theatres, Shan.

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