<Begin Segment 8>
MN: Let's see, now. You talked a little bit about going to Little Tokyo and Yamato Hall. You also talked about how your father took you into Little Tokyo, you went to the Nishi Hongwanji temple. What did you do there?
AS: We would go see programs, dances, performances. We'd sit way up in the bleachers.
MN: What kind of performances are these? Japanese odori?
AS: Oh, Japanese (dances).
MN: When you were in Little Tokyo, did your parents take you to, like, China meshi?
AS: (Yes), to Sanko Low.
MN: Were there other, was there a lot of Chinese restaurants in Little Tokyo at the time?
AS: I don't recall. I just remember the Far East, (going) upstairs. (...) After funerals, they'd have lunches.
MN: You also mentioned like on Friday nights, your father took you to the movies.
AS: Yes.
MN: Where did you go and see these movies?
AS: Downtown Broadway, RKO Orpheum, I remember that very well. It's on the corner.
MN: Is this when you said they used to have intermission?
AS: (No, it was in) Boyle Heights, Meralta Theater on East First Street. And at intermission time they'd have like drawings. We'd just look forward to matching our numbers on these little tickets. And they had all different kinds of things.
MN: So you're going to like the Meralta and the RKO Orpheum, what kind of movies did you watch?
AS: I can't recall. Oh, maybe... oh, cartoons. I remember "Ferdinand the Bull," that's an oldie. And of all things, I remember Blood and Sand, Tyrone Powers, isn't that funny? That is an oldie.
MN: Now, today, you still have this cherished stuffed panda bear. Can you share with us how you got this?
AS: One night we were coming home (after a movie) and we stopped at a drugstore 'cause my dad smoked cigars. I think that's why we went in there. And I saw this panda bear and I wanted it. And like I said, I was very spoiled and he let me get it right away, and that was what I had when we went into camp.
MN: Now, when you go to these movies, afterwards, did your father take you out to like an American restaurant?
AS: I just recall even my sister taking me to Clifton's restaurant on Broadway. And she'd take me to a department store, I mean, a dime store called Kress, S.H. Kress. And we would sit on the counter. I remember things like that. That was a treat (going) downtown. (We had roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy).
MN: Because Clifton's was very famous at that time. All the politicians I think went there.
AS: Right.
MN: And Kress, K-R-E-S-S...
AS: Correct.
MN: We don't have that anymore.
AS: Oh, it's like Woolworth's. Do we have a Woolworth's yet?
MN: What about Japanese movies? Where did your father take you to see Japanese movies?
AS: I think that was on East First Street. We liked movies, so we did go to quite a few.
MN: So what kind of Japanese movies did you watch?
AS: Samurai movies.
MN: How often did you see Japanese movies?
AS: Oh, I have no idea as far as timeframe. It was always a treat. He did look after the family in that sense, took us out a lot.
<End Segment 8> - Copyright © 2012 Densho. All Rights Reserved.