(Picture credit to Ipoh Discovery Channel)
Long before the advent of cineplexes, home theatres and the whole lot of latest audio visual gizmos which came about, it was the good old cinema theatres to catch a movie or a night out.
If you are not fussy, for as low as 65 cents you can catch a movie of your choice.
Be it a Hollywood movie, Hong Kong movies, Hindi/Tamil and also Malay movies, they had it all.
As for Ipoh City, it was not surprising for Ipoh to have so many theatres because it is also known as the “town that tin built” and was a hub of activity due to its tin mines, surrounding rubber estates and related industries like quarries, timber so forth.
Ipoh was also known to have among the largest number of rich people buying Mercedes Benz, thus the huge Mercedes logo on a limestone hill at the entrance of the town along Jalan Gopeng.
Nevertheless, coming back to the cinemas, one could catch James Bond movies where the likes of Sean Connery and Roger Moore were the lead stars.
Hollywood was churning out war movies showcasing World War 2 battles with Germans and also the Western movies with famed actors like John Wayne, Clint Eastwood and Charlton Heston for viewers.
For a comfortable view of the big screen upgrade, moviegoers can pay RM1.50 to RM2 for a seat on the first floor of the theatre.
Normally, there was a food parlour for guests to buy their snacks and drinks before entering the show.
As time evolved and theatres unable to compete with the new cineplexes and advent of home theatre, video, handphone technology, many of these theatres had to either be turned into other business premises or just closed down.
The Lido was a Chinese restaurant for a while, The nearby Cathay building is now operating as a shopping centre with lots of Digi outlets.
Then there was the Ruby theater which has become a furniture shop. Further down the road was the Grand cinema which also has lots of funfair like activities. It was also converted into a night spot with live bands.
The Odeon was also a popular venue in the heart of the city. It too converted into a night spot known as Rainbow City and later a food court.
Other cinemas were the Rex, Capitol, Sun (old town) and the Majestic to name a few. Over in the Buntong area was the Glory theater.
