Rowland Ho sees himself as a holder of Hawaii film memorabilia

Rowland Ho isn’t really a collector. He’s not a hoarder, either, he insists with a chuckle.

“If I come across something, I’ll pick it up,” he said. “I’m a tennis player, so I have a few old tennis rackets. I keep an old tube radio that was my mother’s.”

Ho, 68, is a retired federal project manager who worked at Hickam Air Force Base.

The Alewa Heights resident still lives with his wife in the home his parents bought decades ago. His mom and dad were both career employees at the Consolidated Theatres movie chain and began working for the company before World War II.

In those days, moviegoers were given a modest publication produced by Consolidated called the “Show Parade of All Hawaii.” Movie stars of the era such as Eleanor Powell, Gary Cooper and Errol Flynn graced the covers, with advertisements and short articles on company employees filling up a few pages. One shows crooner Bing Crosby strumming an ukulele in front of the Waikiki Theatre to promote his 1937 film “Waikiki Wedding.”

The purpose of the pamphlets, however, was to publicize the schedules for every Consolidated movie house on the island, including film listings for the weeks ahead. All those theaters — the Liberty, Royal, Palama, Kewalo, Kaimuki, Empire, Palace and more — are gone, replaced by modern multiplexes.

“My parents said that back in the ’30s and ’40s, they used to give them to these local kids and would pay them 10 cents to hand them out to people standing in line,” said Ho. “But they would find the whole bundle tossed in the stream instead. They’d take the dime and run. It was a lot of money back then!”

Ho discovered about 50 different “Show Parade” copies in a box nearly 35 years ago and has kept them ever since. He said they’re a reminder of a period that’s slowly being forgotten as time passes.

“I don’t know too much about all of them,” he admitted.

“There are stories in there about people who worked at Consolidated, and then in the middle are all the listings for the old theaters. I don’t even know where some of them were.

“I have no idea where the old Kalihi Theater was. They don’t list any addresses and there are four-digit telephone numbers! Everything is before my time.”

Question: How long have you been collecting?

Answer: Since the early ’80s, maybe 1982 or 1983. My father wasn’t a hoarder, but he used to keep a lot of stuff. When he passed away we started cleaning things up, and I found them in our shed. As time went on I realized they were 70-plus years old. I knew I had to get some sort of protection for them so they wouldn’t deteriorate.

Q: What sparked your interest in the collection?

A: Both of my parents worked at Consolidated. My mom was in payroll at the end, but she started off in the ticket booth and used to work at Liliha Theater. My dad was always a projectionist. He used to work at Cinerama. So it was because of my parents.

Q: Where do you find most of your pieces?

A: I just salvaged this stuff. When I come across something interesting, I kind of just hold onto it. I don’t avidly go out there looking for things.

Q: How do you maintain your collection?

A: They look exactly like they did when I found them. The safe I keep them in is sealed, too, so no air or light gets inside.

These “Show Parade” copies are really old, and I don’t want to just see them go to the dump. Maybe my daughter or her children will want them. I’d want them to have something to look at. They’re history. I’m pretty sure if I offered them to Consolidated, they’d take them in a minute.

Q: Favorite piece?

A: I really like the one with Bing Crosby on the cover. There is no Waikiki (Theatre on Kalakaua Avenue) left, and these actors had to come down in person to promote their movies back then. I was kind of sad when they knocked down that building.

Q: How rare is the collection?

A: I’d be surprised if there are any of these out there other than (with Bishop Museum historian) DeSoto Brown, who I talked to and has one or two of them. And if others do have some, what year? Do they go back to the mid-’30s like these? I’d be surprised.

I’ve talked to collectors at those expos at the Blaisdell and been told they’ve never seen anything like it. So then I asked if they were interested in the collection and they said no.

“Possessed” is an occasional series featuring Hawaii residents and their unique or facinating collections. Tell us about your collection by calling 529-4778 or emailing features@staradvertiser.com.