I'll never forget this 'Ovaltine' signboard.
Notice the 'Lam Tian Hotel' in the middle next to the 555 cigarette box advert ? Next to LamTian is the Majestic Theatre.
This shows the junction of Cross St & New Bridge Rd where Chinatown Point, People's Park Centre & Hotel 81 & The YuHua Emporium now stand at 4 corners of the junction....
ThanL you postnew for this old gem... the ovaltine later gave way to Lam Soon Cooking Oil, with the floursecent tubes...a man striking an anvil,,it was quite a sight at night...later it gave way to Citizen's watch...'cheng seng piew"...the 555 becambe abdullah & craven 69...I sure missed those huge illuminated billboard.... the only one bigger was the National one at Capitol Car park & the other on top of Cathay Building..Toray Rayon... & the one at the end of Mac Donald House....the car..ahhh was it MG or Triupmh or the RCA sign opposite..
Nam TIan with the dance hostess, I wasn't allowed up....too young, Majestic I saw countess movies there, from Tarzan To Lin Dai's classic, Kwan San's movies ( Rosamund Kwan's Dad)...especially "xin xin, yuet lan, tai yan" Parts I & II...
from the street opposite we have the bak kwa shop, two stationery shops cum chinese books rental ( you rent the books to read), one confectionery shop ( where they bring plates of small cakes , you pay for what you eat), a shop that sells toys, codiments etc., a record shop, & TAI SAN Medical Hall...
looking at the picture, I can still hear, in the echoes of memories of cliff Richard's songs, Elvis Presley, Jim Reeves, "Guantanamera"..The Beatles songs sung in English & in Cantonese, "Han Fai De La" ( Cant' buy me Love)...
The row where Hotel 81 was part of the Mosque Street Rental Flats, I think built after the war? by whom?...it was a one room only, with common kitchen & bath rooms/toliets in the centre...( my relative used to live there).. during Moon Cake Festival it was a sight to behold..when Tai Tung, Tai Thong...but up their colorful billboard of "lady on the moon' with the flashing bulbs.. on the same row we have Nam Thong...one of the best tea house...in the middle of that row, there was an exclusive club for then towkays of Chinatown...more like "Shanghai Bund"...& there was an off the wall carpenter..too in that road & all the garan guni's shop at the end, where the Indian/Muslim Mosque is...
This was your SINGAPORE, with the colour, sight & sounds..