Heard of drive-in movies? What about walk-in movies? yg remembers the days before television became a household item, when mass entertainment came in the form of night-time outdoor screenings using film projectors. I’m not sure when these roving, outdoor cinemas ceased operation, but I remember that while in primary school in the 80s, such film projectors were still in use to screen movies in the classroom. In fact, we had an AVA (Audio and Visual Aid) Monitor to help the teacher set up the projector – a most desirable post because nothing spells appeal to small boys more than the lure of touching and operating sophisticated machinery. But I never saw such film projectors once I went to secondary school, though.
before the advent of black and white television, entertainment for the masses was not something that was readily available on a regular basis during those early kampong days. the screening of old movies and documentaries by the ministry of culture, which was awaited eagerly by the children especially, was carried out a few times a year. in spite of the inevitable breakdowns and sometimes, lengthy intervals, nobody really complained. sometimes, we would watch ‘silent movie’ when the sound system failed. in the dark, we would have to wait for sometime while the projector man changed the spool.
Read yg’s memories of such outdoor entertainment in Film Show in the Open.
Add A Comment