Nostalgia !
An old man’s reflections of life in the fifties
In British Guiana.
The grizzled old man, in his ragged clothes, sat on a fibre glass bench by a pond in the National Park facing the Seawall. It was a Sunday afternoon and the cool north east trade wind brushed his wrinkled cheeks caressingly as he looked at the people strolling to and fro along the esplanade and his mind flickered back to the fifties his favourite decade and he remembered those days with pleasure.
He then reflected on his boyhood days,
“Yes” he told himself “Those were the golden days.”A tear trickled down his rough grizzled, cheeks at the memory and then he laughed out loud as his mind reflected on his schooldays and an incident with one of his school mates “Dummy” Osborne.
It was literature session and the subject was Samson. He remembered the teacher, Miss Bartram asking Osborne who was Samson’s wife. One of the fellows next to him whispered “The jawbone of the Ass” and Osborne blurted out. “The Jawbone of an Ass, Miss!” The whole class erupted in great laughter at the outburst even serious Miss Bartram had to smile. In effect, Osborne stood on the back bench for the rest of the session wondering what had happened.
He remembered growing up in Waterloo Street in the fifties. He lived next door to the Astor Cinema which was great fun as a boy. Every morning he was awakened by the sweet sound of the Kiskadee birds whistling joyfully, perched on the electrical wires and often wondered how come they never got shocked. The Blue Sakis and Swallows were visible everywhere flying around all day long and about along with “God Birds” (hummingbirds) feeding on the flowers in the front yard flower garden. Almost every yard had a flower garden in front and fruit trees in the rear then. Georgetown was called “The Garden City “of the Caribbean for its numerous front yard gardens and tree lined streets.
He recalled that on both sides of the street were fancy Dutch/ Colonial houses, mostly painted in white and Tenement yards with its rows of tenements houses. Most of the tenement yards boasted Stand pipes where the tenants drew their water. There was also a cake shop, (Bob’s) where he could buy cakes and sweet drinks, mostly local Mauby and pine drinks also Flutie and ice blocks. A Chinese restaurant was below him on the ground floor and the aroma from the restaurant’s kitchen often made him feel hungry. He loved Chinese fried rice and mixed Chow Mein or Low Mein, his favourites .There was also a Garage, (Mitchell’s), next to Bob’s cake shop. Two”dry goods” stores (de Costa) where you can buy fresh tennis rolls, butter flaps, pan or plait bread. And also other cakes. He also sold mauby and buns, peanut butter. He smiled at the times he would ask the shop keeper to slice the tennis rolls with the pea nut butter knife. The shopkeeper would smile knowingly but often obliged .Tai Yong grocery was located at the corner of Waterloo and Murray streets he remembered, There was also the famous “Judge Yard”, home of the Chief Justice, with its Genip and Star apple fruit trees diagonally opposite. He recalled the Town Council trucks would come and spray the dusty streets. Some of the snacks he enjoyed were Cracker Jack popcorn, bubble gum with photos of film stars in them which he would swap (exchange) if he had doubles with our friends
The old man remembered in the area was Mount Eagle Parlour at the corner of North Road and Wellington Streets which sold great mauby. There was also a lemonade shop ran by a Portuguese man nearby that sold the lemonade in marble bottles. You had to consume the lemonade on site due to “bottle shortage “and the bottle mouth was often rough due to “overuse”. Opposite the lemonade shop in Wellington Street was Beharry Drug Store where you can get a “Bilious Wash” if you felt ill. Doc will often tell you to consume it at home for obvious reasons or try not to “cough” if you opt to drink it on the site. ”.
He smiled at the recollection.
He recalled his boyhood days, the Masonic Lodge at the corner of Wellington and Church Streets opposite the Globe cinema on the North where we boys were forbidden to trespass on the threat of being “Sacrifice” by the members. Another threat was not to swim in the St.George’s trench because there was a “Fair-maid” who would” pull you down”.
The main “swimming hole” was the condemned Waterworks site at the corner of Camp and Church streets opposite the Ursaline Convent. The Police car PA540 would make period raids. But the boys took turns as lookouts to check.
There was also a huge sewage pipe that ran across the trench near Wellington Street that the boys would make bets to see who would not ‘fall in”. He recalled fishing for Sherriga crabs in the trench or set car tyres to catch them along with patwa fish which the boys would do a “fish fry” if they had a good catch. When caught, which was rare, they would be taken to the police station and lectured on the virtue of education, our parents would be contacted and we would go home to a good cut-ass to reinforce the point.
Another boyhood pastime he recalled was “raiding” the fruit trees in season that he enjoyed with his friends. Favoured fruits when in season were the mangoes: Green mango, ripe mango, Buxton Spice, Fu-fu mango, and Long mango. Guavas (White Lady), Banana, Papaw, Jamoon, Fat Pork, Genip, Papaw, Somotu, Sapadilla, The boys would then bag the fruits and tried to sell it off at either at theStabroek Market (Water Street) or Bourda Market ( Regent and Orange Walk.) for a “freck”for “Matinee bills”. Another pastime was jumping onto the back of the dray carts which could be potentially dangerous if one fell, but it was “Fun”. The driver would chase us off sometimes flicking his whip.
The old man dipped into his coat pocket and dug out a half filled bottle of rum, unscrewed the cork and took a long swig. He felt great as the hot liquid burned its way down his throat. His old eyes blurred as he let out a long sigh and recapped the bottle and replaced it into the pocket. He leaned back on the bench and began his journey to another time and he felt great at the memory
He saw himself at twelve years old. He was in the gallery of his home reading a Batman comic book. He was an avid reader of comics though his parents instilled in him the value of a good education and to concentrate on his studies but during the August holiday season he was allowed to read them
Some of the comics he recalled were a variety.of both British and American comics of all genres that flooded the country during the fifties
. The Kiddies comics were mostly Walter Disney’s productions such as Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, Dumbo, Tweety and Sylvester, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Casper the Ghost, Bugs Bunny,etc and sometimes he would draw the characters. He had a flair for drawing,
Apart from the kiddies comics were the Westerns- Roy Rogers followed by Gene Autry, Red Ryder, the Lone Ranger, Tomahawk, Straight Arrow and Hopalong Cassidy. The cheaper black and white ones were also westerns. -- Kit Carson, Buck Jones, Allan “Rocky” Lane ,Wild Bill Elliot ,Lash La Rue, Tom Mix, Monty Hale, Bob Steele ,The Cisco Kid and, Tim Holt also the series Rip Kirby of which he had the whole series and Black Shirt Detective selling at a shilling apiece and he had lots of fun colouring them.
There were also the “Super heroes” comics including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Human Torch, Sub- Mariner, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Flash, Captain Marvel, The Marvel Family, Flash Gordon, Captain America and Buck Rogers, The Mighty Atom, Blue Beetle, The Green Hornet, Mandrake The Magician, Terry and The Pirates, Plastic Man, Torak, Son of Stone.
Then came the forbidden horror EC horror comics-, Tales from the Tomb, Vault Of Horror, Tales From the Crypt, Vault Of Terror which the children were forbidden to read for its lurid contents and “Poor English” If caught with one ,the children would receive a “tanning” of their lives, so they avoided them like the Plague. However you sneak a read for a penny at the book stands in the market.
The old man smiled at the memory and shifted in his seat.
Some of the “Jungle” comics he remembered were Jungle Jim, Tarzan, Sheena of the Jungle and The Phantom.
The “War” comics he recalled were Sgt. Rock, G.I Combat, Our fighting Forces, All American Men of War, The Unknown Soldier, Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos ,Fighting Army, Blackhawk and Fighting’ Marine . Sometimes he would go to the Carnegie Public Free Library (Church and Main Streets) and borrow books such as the “Hardy Boys” and “Biggles” series. He never lost the joy and pleasure of reading. As he grew older he was encouraged by both parents and teachers to read the Illustrated Classics featuring all the Classics stories in comic form.
He remembered the music scene of the fifties. The most popular
Calypsonians in the Fifties were The Mighty Sparrow, ( Jean and Dinah), Lord Kitchener,( Cricket, Lovely Cricket ) Lord Melody,( Mama Look A Booboo ) ,King Cobra (Oh My Darling Carmelita ) Small Island Pride, Lord Canary, ( Injection ) King Fighter, (Oh My Dear ) Lord Coffee, and Panther. The Calypsonians usually performed at vaudeville shows and would get the
And the cakes he mustn’t forget the cakes he was a great cake lover and his mind faded back to Bob’s cake shop in Waterloo Street next to Mitchell’s Garage:
The cakes that He enjoyed as a youth were quite a variety like White eye, Coconut biscuits, Pone, Sweet biscuit, Coconut buns, Sugar buns, Black cake, Salara, Square cake, Pine tarts, Conkey, Sweet bread, Chinee cake and “Bull Stones” These cakes would be “wash down” with “Sweet” drinks namely with Pine drink or Mauby. On hot days there were Flutie, Custard Blocks, and Shave Ice. to be had.
The two “big” holidays for him as a child were Easter and Christmas.
Christmas was his favourite holiday and he would forward to it with the Ice Apples, Grapes, Almond Nuts, Walnuts and presents. Most homes, even the poorest, would have a Christmas tree with cotton wool on the branches trepresent “snow” The tree would be ringed with blinking “Fairy lights and “Angel’s hair”. Presents would then be placed beneath the tree. He would be looking forward to a caps gun or pop gun; the girls were given Dolls to play with.
On Christmas Eve there would be a lot of baking and preparation for Christmas day’s family lunch and the sharing of presents. The food served were Garlic pork, pepperpot, black eye cook up rice, Baked or Roast Chicken, Black cake and there would also be the traditional drinks--- sorrel , ginger beer and mauby. In addition, there were the street tramps with the steel bands tramping through the streets of the city. “Mother Sally” stick dancing along with the Masquerade Band.
The popular steel bands were Quo Vadis, Marabuntas Texakana and Invaders with the Santapee. Masquerade Bands where energetic dancers would “flounced” in the street to the upbeat music of the flutes and samba drums and the mad bull-cow rushing the onlookers who would toss coins on the ground the dancer would do a flounce and stoop to pick up the coins then moved on down the street. with their Christmas costumed Tramp sand he would join his favourite steel band, join the following crowd behind the band and tramp through the streets of the city.
All this made Christmas memorable and tears came to his eyes at the memory. He brushed them off with his coat sleeve and took another swig at the bottle.
The big bands he remembered at the time were Tom Charles Syncopators, Al Seales’ Washboard and Nello’s New Luckies.
The old man took a swig from the bottle as his mind switch to the cinemas of his youth.
He recollect that the first movie he ever saw ever saw was “Cyrano de Bergerac” with Jose’ Ferrar at the Astor cinema next door in 1950 when the family came back to Georgetown from Pickersgill on the Pomeroon River, He was amazed and fascinated at the sight and he became a cinema fan from then on .
He read somewhere that the first cinema in BG was the Gaiety Cinema that was built in the 1920’s which stood by the Brickdam Roman Catholic Presbytery in Georgetown, and showed Charlie Chaplin-type silent movies. After the Gaiety burnt down around 1926, other cinemas followed, such as the Metro on Middle Street in Georgetown, which became the Empire; the London on Camp Street, which became the Plaza; and the Astor on Church and Waterloo Streets, which opened around 1940.
The Cinemas provided temporary relief from the stresses of everyday living in both Town and
Country and were divided up into three sections namely Pit, House, and Balcony. Each show was given advanced billing through posters, flyers, and billboards stuck everywhere around town and country, on fences, lamp posts, walls, shops, outside the cinema and inside the lobby. Pamphlets depicting upcoming shows were also thrown from passing cars that advertised the events from loudspeakers strapped to the roofs of the cars. These pamphlets which often had a purple or
reddish tinge became treasured items for school children who would risk life and limb by rushing to the advertising cars or trucks to grab them. Pamphlets were often traded to enhance one's collection or win favours.
The seating section of the cinema were distinctly divided. Closest to the screen with rows of hard wooden benches was the lowly Pit, where the effort of looking upwards at the screen for several hours gave one a permanent stiff neck!
There was a gentle slope of the Pit toward the next section, House, which was separated from the Pit by a low partition wall, a barrier that came in handy on many an occasion when the Pit was disturbed like a nest of ants.
The back of Pit, which sometimes ran under the overhang of House, was a favourite section for those patrons who had more than movies on their minds. House usually had individual but connected wooden seats in rows, seats that flipped up or down. Right above House were the elitist sections of the Box, with soft, private seats and behind Box was Balcony, a favourite place for couples dating who wanted to smooch a bit in the dark.
These divisions in the cinema roughly represented the different strata existing in a colonial society at that time.
He remembered that prior to the main features a short was shown of the Queen sitting side saddle on a horse saluting the troops as the “God save the Queen” Anthem played in the background then there was a cartoon and coming attractions..
The Astor Cinema opened in 1940 with William Holden and Barbara Stanwyck in "Golden Boy". It is located on the corner of Church Street and Waterloo Street and is one of Georgetown's major cinemas. The building is a wood construction. Vaudeville shows were presented with some of the world's top performers making their early appearances at the Astor. They included the Mighty Sparrow, Madame O'Lindy, Lord Kitchener, Small Island Pride, Lord Melody and a host of other Calypsonians who were popular at the time.
It was getting dark so the old man got up and made his way out of the Park and wound his way through the narrow streets of Georgetown to his home at the “Palms” in Brickdam..
The End
