Monday 27 April 2009

Abdulla 37

After I had written on Friday about the Good Old Days last week, I had friends and colleagues wanting to know more about those two infamous ladies of entertainment, Rose Chan and Abdullah 37.

Some wanted to know whether or not I really had the photo. They wanted to see Rose Chan in her full glory. I would very much like to but I don't think I should. Not now, anyway. As for Abdullah 37, I have even less information about her. I tried a Google search but always, it came out blank. Nobody of our generation remembers her. She's history, consigned to a small footnote in the darker side of Penang's glorious past.

Nevertheless, I managed to dig out something extra: the brand of cigarettes that she had been named after was actually spelt as Abdulla 37.

I even found a picture of an ashtray bearing this name. Abdulla 37 was only one of several brands made by the cigarette specialist company, Abdulla & Co Ltd, of Bond Street, London.

2 comments:

stephen said...

Another forum relates that she would have a trishaw exclusively for herself and was well known in the seventies.Was a classy lady, I suppose Abdullah cigarettes was her inclination or....
Read about her in a book by an expat some time back.She must have been a looker or....
Time to flush my head in the toilet.

sizzlestick said...

Abdulla 37 cigarette was originally a Turkish tobacco blended with Virginia tobacco. It was rather mild that it was never ever produced filters. My Dad smokeked them in the 60s before he quitted smoking.