Monday, March 17, 2014

I Spy (TV Series) - Robert Culp (1965) - Queen's Road Central, Sheung Wan

Some nice glimpses - from the The Loser episode - of Queens Road Central as the duo are followed up by some dudes in a car. This particular stretch contained the popular Central Theatre (中央戲院) which we can see on the left hand side in the top screen grab and then the guys turn up the alleyway at the side.


Here is a modern comparison courtesy of Streetview. In case you are wondering the address of this place is 270 - 276 Queen's Road Central.


The cinema has since been demolished and replaced by a building called Central Mansion. Many former buildings endure in name if not physically in HK - it might be a willful act of remembrance on the developer's part, but I suspect it is more of an act of convenience and expediency. Anyway, the upshot is a bunch of new buildings in HK with names that remember what use to be on the site. I digress...


The bottom two shots show us that inside the lobby of the theatre was the "Central Soda Fountain" or 中央冰室 (Jung Ying Bing Sat). A "bing sat" is really a type of HK style (retro) cafe that was popular before corporate America invaded :-) They've become a bit iconic, to the point where even aforementioned corporate America is getting in on the act.

Anyway, here is a picture to show what that part of the world looks like now. Behold, Central Mansion and the pace that was formerly occupied by Central Theatre and Soda Fountain (the alley is still there :-) )


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