I’m talking about the old Roxy and Palace Theatre…funny right…they used to call it theatre instead of cinema. These 2 theatres are located along the same East Coast Road on the same side but opposite to the Odeon Katong Theatre. Both theatres are demolished.
If we walked along East Coast Road from Katong Shopping Centre to Still Road, this stretch was known as ‘The Roxy Area’. It was also the traditional ‘Heart of Katong’. From this, what can see how popular is the Roxy Theatre back in the 50s and 60s.
Take a good look at how the ‘landmarks’ changed its look over time… sad to say I’ve not been to any of these 2 theatres for a show but only passed by.
Roxy Theatre
This old theatre was there before World War 2 and much much older than me. Let’s check out some old photos;
Credit : Fairypoint
When I see the above photo, I doubt it’s Roxy Cinema in Singapore as it looked totally different. If it was then it must be very very long ago. Sad to say there isn’t much photos of the old Roxy in Katong. Luckily after searching for sometime, I managed to find another old photo which resembles the above;
Credit : Donor N Lloyd, Australian Was Memorial
The above shows the Roxy Theatre circa 1945. Read more about Roxy Theatre here.
When the Roxy Theatre was demolished, I’m not sure. The land now is occupied by Katong Plaza / Roxy Square and the back portion of the land is Grand Mercure Roxy hotel. Take a look now and you cannot never visualise how the old Roxy Theatre sits in there.
Palace Theatre
This is another old theatre along the East Coast Road which is demolished now. Take a look below see how it looks like in 1960;
Credit : National Archives of Singapore , PICAS
You are still able to see the theatre in 1990 as shown in the photo taken from Ceylon Road ;
Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS
Understand that this theatre in her later years was used more for live performances. Probably in the 90s, the name of the theatre was also changed to Paradise Theatre. Below shows the Paradise Theatre in 1994;
Creadit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS
The theatre was demolished and now a Eastgate building in its place;
These 2 theatres Roxy and Palace were separated by a road called Brooke Road.
A very informative post about Roxy and Palace theatres indeed. When Katong became my favorite haunt in the late 1970s, they were no longer there. But Odean Katong was still around. I am surprised that you could still remember them.
Beside East Gate sits a coffee shop that my friends and I used to call the Lai Lai kopitiam because its below a spa by the same name.
I used to enjoy a beer there while watching the traffic go by. Best place to chill out with chicken wings, satay, beer and zhi char.
Katong Plaza had this little shop on the first floor called Smash Top 40 music mart. The guy sells casettes at $7 each. I hang around that place every friday between 1.30 and 4.30.
If you see a guy in white shirt, black pants school uniform behide the counter, chances are that’s me!
Thanks Victor. In fact my memory of Roxy is very faint but the Palace building was around longer.
Hi Jack,
Welcome here. Guess nowadays not many places still selling cassettes…
I remember seeing a wuxia movie at Odeon Katong called 虎 山 行 starring Qiao Hung (I think). The title is based on a Chinese idiom 明 知 山 有 虎 …… To deliberately choose a dangerous route so as to surprise your enemy.
I just came to know they demolished the former Lai Lai Building next to the Paramount Hotel. From information received, Paramount Hotel and Paramount Shopping Center will also go the way like Lai Lai.
For many readers, many are unaware of the large number of bars inside Paramount Shopping Center.
There’s now an exhibition by local artist Ming Wong called FILEM-FILEM-FILEM (a commission by the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2008: Art and History), inspired by old cinemas in Singapore and Malaysia. The exhibition takes place from 16 – 27 January 2008 at The Arts House (Print Gallery and The Foyer on the first level). Think it might be something of interest here, given the posts on old and abandoned cinemas…
At katong shopping complex there are a number of salons. A lot of school boys go there to cut their hair to make them look like aaron kwok. center parting, thick slope.
Lai lai is gone…. before I could take a photo of that place…
Right jack, i was one of the kids. ha ha , side punk and all kind of crazy cut.
When I was still staying at Tanjung Rhu Rd in the late 1950s, I used to go to Roxy to watch the cheap morning shows. Ticket for the morning shows cost only 50 cents. I remember one of the movie I watched was “The Lone Ranger”.
Hi,
My wifes granduncle’s father was the original owner of roxy theatre. The Tans.They were peranakans. They made money from coconut plantations and had lived in Katong for a while. I have spoke to him a few times and he always mentioned fondly of the times back then.
They being the rich kids and owners sons didnot have to pay entrys and had even a reserved family box in the theatre. he fondly remembers the bakery and the icecream that used to be so popular. He is also from St Patrick and haha had his fair share of chasing girls by bring them to theatres for free! But i think things changed after the war.
They used to live in the peranakan houses opposite Roxy theatre.
Juz adding to this heritage thread!
Hi Clifton,
Thanks for the interesting infos.
HI Laokokong
I lived in Katong from the time I was born till the time i got married and moved out. My father still stays there with my brother and my current office is also in the Odeon-Katong Shopping Complex.
The picture showing the Palace Theatre in the backdrop of old shophouses…one those there belonged to my grandma who passed it as an inheritance to my uncle. My grandma and uncle used to operate a fruit stall at the bus stop.
My dad knows the history of Katong very well.
Peppermint park in PP…was one of those beautifully designed architectures.
Yea, as a kid growing up in Katong, of course KSC, PP were my favorite hangout places. Yes, at KSC, there was the famous TENPIN bowl..And of course, in PP, i played at the playground on the 7th storey. And I remembered Small WORld in PP, and i loved the candy floss there too.
One of the laksa shops is owned by my neighbour..and i always watch from my house how he would cycle with a pot at the back of his bike for the laksa gravy. And the story that my parents used to tell me is that they used earthworms to cook the laksa!!! I dont know how true that is.
Thanks for bringing back old memories. I am interested in finding out more about Odeon Katong’s history.Do you have any more of those pictures?
Karen Gan
Hi Karen,
Thanks for your memorable comments. It sure brings back beautiful memories for some of us here. Ha ha, I wonder why is earthworm is always linked to the Laksa gravy??? Sorry I don’t think I have any more old Odeon Katong photos. Maybe you can try the National Archives site.
Hi Everyone!
Anyone knows the founder of Tay Ban Guan who is today Rumah Bebe?
Thanks for the info!
Cheers!
Vince
Katong Boy/Patrician
History Teacher
Really? I’m not sure, Vincent. Thanks for the info.