My ultimate devotion to the realm of cinema began when I was a child. My stepfather (hereafter referred to as Dad) , Walter, was an avid film fan, but his favorites consisted of westerns with John Wayne, Clint Eastwood and... *GASP* Randolph Scott. I grew up watching "The Searchers", "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", "High Noon" and my favorite film at the time, "Big Jake" (which was on cable last night).
Whenever a great film was going to be on TV, it was an exciting event. A large Pizza was ordered, snacks were bought (chips, cheese & crackers) and the soda flowed like fine wine. (You have to understand, this was a simpler time... in the days before cable TV and most of the fast food crap that we take for granted today). The only other such grandiose event was the Super Bowl and that only came around once a year.
My Mom & Dad would relax on the couch, while my 2 sisters and I would elbow each other for floor space in front of our family unit's only TV. I can't even remember the screen size, but it was probably not even a 19" screen. At least it was color. I miss that tv, an ancient relic now that had rabbit-ears sticking out of the top and a UHF dial! We would have to tune to UHF Channel 50 every night at 7:53 no matter what, so Dad could watch Helly Young tells us what the NJ Lotto Pick 3 number was for that evening. Dad played his Lotto religiously every day of the week. I still remember the number - 601 - straight & box.
We would watch the movie, enraptured by the stories, the characters and the gunfights. My sisters would promptly forget them, I'm sure, but I never did.
EARLY THEATER MEMORIES:
Being such a film fan, Dad would take us out to dinner at a diner and a movie frequently. My earliest movie-going memory is of the wonderful Steven Spielberg film, Jaws (1975). I vaguely remember the shark eating that guy and the camera shot of his leg drifting down in the water. Spooky shit for a kid to see! But I loved it, regardless. We didn't get to the beach much anyway!
My next movie memory is of one of my all time favorite movies, Star Wars (1977). I remember being thrilled at the Creature Cantina scene and the Millenium Falcon blasting out of Docking Bay #94 in Mos Eisley. This film definitely changed my life... for the better. So, my whole cinematic loving future was shaped by two of Hollywood most enormous legends, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. But it didn't end there for me... in fact, as the Carpenters said, it had "Only Just Begun".
The next films I truly remember seeing in theaters were (in no specific order):
Superman: I primarily remember when he first changes into Superman to save Lois from falling out of the helicopter and an african-american dude sees him and goes "Man, that's a bad outfit!"
Grease : One of my favorites for it's pure fun cheesiness. And who doesn't dig JT?
Halloween: I mainly remember the scene where Michael escapes from the mental hospital and jumps on the hood of a car, breaking the window with his hand.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers: The ending when Donald Sutherland points and screeches is a great scary moment. I also vaguely remember Kevin McCarthy running by, doing a cameo and homage to the original film.
Thank God It's Friday: I owe this "classic" to my sister Lisa's obsession with then disco-diva-supreme Donna Summer. But I remember "The Leatherman" dancing around on cars through the parking lot, ultimately falling through a soft-top convertible.
Dawn of the Dead: This one left me with nightmares for years! I remember "Miguelito" chewing his wife's neck and arm before the cops blow him away. Mostly, I remember feeling bad for Roger as he's dying and promising to try and not come back as a zombie.
Phantasm: I freely admit that Angus Scrimm's chilling portrayal of "The Tall Man" caused me to lose sleep that night and I remember having to pee so bad, but being to afraid to go myself and not wanting to bother anyone by waking them up. So, what did I do? No way was I going to put my foot on the floor only to have the Tall Man grab my ankle and yank me under the bed into his dimension. So I did what any other kid would do, I wet the bed!
Alien: I remember Harry Dean Stanton's death scene, Yaphet Koto sweating his ass off and Ripley in her panties!
The Black Hole: Mostly, I remember the robots - VinCENT, Old Bob and Maximillian.
The Jerk: I remember Steve Martin getting his rythm and the duet he sings with Bernadette Peters.
C.H.O.M.P.S.: I remember only the robotic dog, nothing else about this film (I never saw it again).
Just You and Me, Kid: A fun flick with George Burns as an aging magician and Brooke Shields.
Love at First Bite: George Hamilton as Dracula? Funniest scene is when he drinks the blood of a wino and flies around as a bat, drunk. He ends up in a poverty stricken african-american household and they try to kill him for food. "A black chicken!"
Meatballs: All I remember about this one is when they suspend the main counselor's bed from ropes! And the song "We are the C.I.T.s so pity us. The kids are brats; the food is hideous. We're gonna smoke and drink and fool around. We are the North Star C.I.T.s!" and the chant... "It just doesn't matter!"
Moonraker: I love the nemesis Jaws and he hooks up with an ugly, pig-tailed girl!
I could go on and on and on (and ON), but you get the idea!
Truly,
D
Next Time on Mythical Microcosms: THE film that changed my life!
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