12.30,4.30,8.30 Part 2;the Pit,the Circle and the Balcony
Remember watching Kung Fu in the Plaza?
Asiba you seem to have been quite a theatre (Cinema) pimp, who spent quite a bit time in the pit, when I first started going to the cinema that’s the only part of the cinema I went. For one pit admission was $2.50 which was the lowest ticket price.
As far as I was concerned, you saw the same movie as the people in the circle and the balcony.
Let me explain how cinemas were segregated up through out the 60’s and 80’s The pit was the area right in front of the screen then there was a barrier midway which separated and created the “circle”, the balcony speaks for it self.
I can’t tell you what the ticket prices of the circle and balcony was cause I never went there… I was always a cheap Ali Singh from school.
Of course if you had a date you could not take her in the pit, which would be dissing the girl, your friends would laugh at you, and her, and you could forget any baby making activities you might have in mind. Fortunately for me I never had a date back then, or unfortunately.
Some times I would pay for the pit and sneak into the circle when the attendant wasn’t looking. Girls seemed to frown on that too.
I spent most of my time in the Olympic cinema, which was close to the buses, and then I watched kung fu and spaghetti westerns in the Empire and Plaza.
Westerns like “The Good the Bad and the ugly” “Trinity is still my name” and “A Fistful of dollars”
Kung Fu Starring Silver Fox, Wang Yu and Sonny Chiba in “The Drunken Master” “Snake and Crane Arts of Shoalin and “The Big Boss”.
Remember people use to say how the Roxy had in chinks?
When ever any technical malfunction happened in any cinema in Barbados people would shout “Roxy”! ….
The Globe and Vista were considered up market cinemas at that time, that’s where you took a girl when you wanted to impress her..
And here endeth my Boyce Voice Bajan Cinema nostalgia for the day…..
If during the reading of this blog there is any thing I might have written which might have incensed or offended you, GET OVER IT! There are many things I read and hear in the media on a daily basis that I don't like either. SO DEAL WITH IT! You are welcome to leave your comments though. Make sure and come back yuh hear !!!...
October 23rd, 2008 at 10:03 am
yeah man !
I loved the cinema , learnt quite a bit from watching movies
I remember when the PIT was 50 cents yes fifty cents -(not the Rapper)
then it went to 65 cents , 75 cents , $1.00,
I started going to cinema as early as 6 years old -yes six years old and I was always pretty independent minded -own way , as my mother called it. I figured that if I could go to school at 5 there was nothing wrong with going to the ciinema @ 6 , 7 , 8 -9
cinema just like school, benches,, people-classroom.-lesssons learnt !!
I lived pretty close to the Cinema at one time as part of my ””growing up”’ so geting there was not a problem
I have never gone to the Roxy though !
I understand from listening to Mark Williamas on his LOOKING BACK SHOW that there were about four Roxys–Oistins, Barbabees Hill, Eagle Hall and probably one other —not sure. I remember ROXY -eagle Hall when it was on its way out and I heard about the bugs that would bite you but for me these were stories .
October 24th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Roxy?? That was before my time. I know the Globe, Empire and Vista. I was a regular movie goer but I was too scared to go in the pit. All the rough necks were there. LOL I have been in the balcony a few times but I didn’t like it. The house was the best section for me.
October 24th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
the pit was where all the rough necks where?? wha thats where me and asibsa was…I am offended by your statement mr Marc,
you were to scared to go in the pit??
You mean you were not man enough to go in the pit lol
October 24th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
BIG LOL @ Peter above
The Pit was an experience
This is something that I am going to confess now for the first time in my life
I PEEED –yes (Pee) myself in the Vista Pit, if they had a Pit. I was pretty close to the screen so it had to be the Pit but I think they had one big circlle or House.
Man I was six or seven years old so what yuh expect
I went with the PRIMARY school. While watching the movie I felt the urge to pee and did not know where to find the toilets (yes -Toilets- ) so I let it go right there man !
FIRST TIME THIS HAS BEEN REVEALED
October 25th, 2008 at 1:14 am
Ok Asiba, now its behavior like that that kept marc out of the pit, and had it that we could not get a woman in the there either,
There is probaly a physcological explanation for peeing but I am peter and not doctor phil
thanks for giving us your peeing exclusive
October 25th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
cool thing bout back then was the double features. dont know if they still do that anymore but it was nice to go see two kung fu movies at once. bare liks den!