US Troops From Vietnam Play Motown On Jukebox

It has been a while since Allan Thompson wrote his tales of intrigue and suspense. Below is another, more thrilling than ever, as he takes us on his own trip down memory lane to investigate the juke-box joints in *decadent Singapore. We're back in the 60's now as we join him hunting down military establishments with his ang-moh kakis.

It is an exciting trip and what you're about to read is true. Thanks again Allan. 

Dear Andy,  

I seem to recall that juke boxes were not permitted in bars of other public places in Singapore during the 1960's.  I was told at the time that this was because of protection rackets over the supply of the machines and records.  (This was part of the plot of the Jayne Mansfield film, The Girl Can't Help It).  

Maybe you have *more information on this?  However, military establishments were allowed to have juke boxes, and I know they were installed in the NAAFI, the Chalet Club, and the Malcolm Club at RAF Changi.  

The Chalet Club also had a Scopitone film juke box which cost 50 cents for each play, which was more expensive than the normal record juke box.  There was also a delay between songs because the films apparently had to rewind after each number.  

The favourite selections on the Chalet Club machine were Robot by The Tornados, who were filmed in woodland wearing cheaply made helmets and dancing with girls while miming to the record;  Francoise Hardy on a swingboat, miming to one of her songs while her skirt blew up every time the swingboat swung;  and I've Got The World On A String which featured voluptuous bikini-clad American girls dancing on a beach while the lucky cameraman took some interesting and provocative overhead cleavage shots! 

Because of the juke box ban, many Singapore bars played music on record-players, tape recorders or the radio.  I remember one occasion when some friends and I went into a bar near Raffles Place and were met with the sound of loud Motown music on the record-player while six tall black American sailors in their white uniforms danced in a line in the middle of the room in the style of the Four Tops (image below).  

It was an unforgettable sight.  In those days many American servicemen used to visit Singapore while on leave from Vietnam, that terrible, pointless war which devastated that beautiful country and maimed and killed so many innocent people.   

If only the United States had let 'Uncle' Ho Chi Min run the country for the benefit of the Vietnamese people instead of flexing their muscles and causing so much destruction.  I think it says a lot for the dignity of the Vietnamese that they are so forgiving of those who oppressed them for so many years.  There ends my sermon for today!

Good wishes, 

Allan. 

NB:

(1) On 8th June, 1959, the newly elected PAP government launched a campaign against yellow culture (Chinese: huangse wenhua = decadent behaviour). Although there were attempts to eradicate it earlier, the campaign was a sustained and extensive enterprise, easing only in the 1980's. 

Spear-headed by the Culture Ministry, the authorities launched a nationwide clamp-down on Western culture seen as promoting anti-social life. So pornographic publications and films, strip shows, jukebox dens, pin-table saloons, rock music as well as long hair on men were banned. It promoted instead healthy cultural activities that focused on forging a common Malayan culture. 

From: HistorySG, an online resource guide.

                  'I've Got The World On A String' - A Scopitone Film Juke-Box

(2) Scopitone was a 1960's type of jukebox featuring a 16 mm film component. Scopitone films were a forerunner of modern music videos. The first Scopitones were made in France. 

*written tongue-in-cheek.

Images and Videos from Google and You Tube.

Kick-start words:
Vietnam War, Rest and Recreation, US soldiers, army

Gramophone Man David Row - Collection (Pt II)

AMi Continental 2 Jukebox (1962)

As my friend Billy and I approach the entrance of David Row's cute and neat cottage (a converted terrace house) at Teachers' Estate, we notice on the left wall of the living room, shelvings up to the ceiling. They are filled with variations in model, size and colour of vintage gramophones and what looked like old but larger sized 78rpm records.

On the floor, to complement his array on the shelves, stands a large Victoria Cabinet Gramophone. As we sit on the lounge chairs on the right wing of the living room and sip our tea, David, who has retired since 1988 explains that when he started his collection that year he had about 20 gramophones; today he has more than 100.

 "And that's not all," he remarks with glee, "I have more than 2,000 records that includes a wax cylinder recording of Stanley Kirby's Tipperary (1914), and a copy of Meet Me Tonight In Dreamland."

It is a larger and thicker than usual Pathe record that can only be played from the centre outwards on the rare Pathe gramophone. And as David explains, he demonstrates, "Only two people in Singapore have this machine, which has the stylus moving from the inner grooves of the record to the outer grooves. Watch!"

The collection of 78rpm records also includes, Momo Latiff's, Bunga Sakura and Zainal Alam's Rose Rose I Love You. There's also Bonnie Lou's, Seven Lonely Days, Danny Thomas', Aint We Got Fun, Guy Mitchell's, My Truly, Truly Fair, Gene Kelly's Singing In The Rain and Dean Martin's That's Amore. And these titles are a mere fraction of what's in his cabinet.

A Record Collection

As we view his gramophone collection in greater detail, David explains that while others buy originals and pay a fortune, he usually gets his from Sungei Road and antique dealers and restores them in his workshop behind the house. Taking us to the kitchen, David shows us a large colourful jukebox standing beside the refrigerator.

Victoria Cabinet Gramophone.

"And this..." he says proudly, "is a fully restored AMi Continental 2 Jukebox made in 1962. I bought it from a friend for about $2,000 in 1989." And as I hummed Elvis Presley's Mean Woman Blues in my head, remembering the juke box in the coffee house fight scene in Loving You, David's Continental roars, "I got a woman mean as she can be..." The jukebox is playing the 45 RCA single. At nearly half a century old, it is still rockin' and rollin' without a flaw.

"Your wife cannot be that mean," I remark, "allowing you to put your collection around the house." David agrees and chips in, "Because everything works in this place." Then he leads us to his workroom next to the jukebox.

From the ceiling to the floor, his little workshop has nearly four walls of tools, gadgets and spare parts. It was mind-boggling to see the amount of tiny screws, nuts and bolts that he has, all contained and organised in boxes and shelved so neatly in his room. You must visit this place to believe how this man's mind works.

I thanked David as my friend and I made our way to the front porch. I realised that I should spend more time with an interesting hobby like his...

"You know... I help at the hospice too..." volunteered David, "and that's another way of using your hands."

"Would you like to discuss it?" I asked.

"Another time, Andy. Not today."

Image from Google.

Singapore Connection: Phonographs, Records, Music From David Row Teachers Est (Part I)

The image attracts and there are some phonograph enthusiasts in Singapore who collect these players, which can still produce music recorded near the beginning of the 20th Century.

David Row from Teachers' Estate near Upper Thomson Road, Singapore has a collection that will astound you. From his Edison phonograph since the beginning of the last century to his beautiful AMI Continental 2 Jukebox playing 60s music 45 rpm singles, Row has them all. When blogger visited him a few weeks ago, the former listened intently to music played on various phonograph machines owned by Row.

He is also a collector of LPs, EPs and 78s. He has shelves full of vinyls that he has kept for more than 50 years. Name the song or record and he would probably have a copy.

Row has given talks at Community Clubs and other venues. He has appeared a few times in the daily papers where he explained the importance of passing time positively. "Hobbies," he said, "are important, especially at our age."

More about this remarkable gentleman in future postings.

Original article: Andy Lim Collection.

78 RPM - Gene Autry 'Buttons & Bows' Country

Sung by Bob Hope to Jane Russell in the 1948 film, Paleface, Buttons, and Bows won the Oscar that year for best song. It was written by composer Jay Livingston and lyricist Ray Evans, a prolific team who have written a great many hit songs including, To Each His Own, Golden Earrings, Mona Lisa, Silver Bells, Que Sera Sera, Dear Heart, and Tammy. 

I saw this movie as a child at the Queen's Cinema, Singapore. It was a real treat for a boy! And told my mum that she had a paleface too - I was only 9 years old - when she wasn't happy that I spent 50 Cents watching the movie from the cinema, which was a five-minute walk from my home. For a whole week, the topic was fresh in her mind.

As the world goes into the second decade of the 21st Century, I forward into the late 40s and managed to get a copy of Gene Autry's, Buttons And Bows on 78rpm, MR3814 Regal Zonophone.

There are people who do not appreciate such records and dump them into the waste bin outside the house. If you see some of these beautiful pieces, pick them up. They are worth treasures. You will never know how much they cost. And if you have a player, wow, that's another big deal.

On the flip side is A Boy From Texas - A Girl From Tennessee sung by our yodeling cowboy. 

Do you have stories and records you might want to share on this blog? Just write to me under the Comment page below.

Gene Autry sings 'Buttons and Bows' featured in a movie called, 'Paleface' (1948)

Record Information: http://www.jaycmunns.com/Tracks_7-8.html

Original article: Andy Lim Collection.

YouTube Video.