BABY BOOMER BABBLE
A trip to the movies
Back in my
younger years, a trip to the theater was a real treat. It was not all that
easy, since my small home-town did not have a movie theater. The nearest was
about eight miles away, which made you dependent on someone taking you, usually
a parent. In fact, the movies was where I took my first ever date. Having your
dad drive you is not a real romantic affair, but I think I did put my arm
around her in the balcony. That was a big deal, and IÕm pretty sure I figured I
was in love.
The first
movie I remember going to was ÒRodanÓ, a Japanese flick about an overgrown,
flying half- lizard, half-bird. It
aired in 1956, so I would have been eight. The line to get into the movie was
wrapped around the block. It was quite an outing. Popcorn, a pop, and some
Chuckles. I think two of my best buddies were with me. No girls. We didnÕt want
to deal with the screaming.
Then there
was ÒOld YellerÓ, I believe out in 1957. A yellow lab, a boy, and saying
goodbye. It was gut-wrenching. The
boys dog had to be put down due to rabies. This was probably the first time any
of us had to deal with losing something or someone you love due to dying. There
were no dry eyes among us, I do remember that.
I remember
more movies from the sixties, I suppose because I was older. But I could also
drive by 1964, making it easier to get to the theater. We also found a reason
to go: Girls. ÒPsycho,Ó by Alfred Hitchcock, was one of the scariest movies I
have every seen. It was made in 1960. ÒTo Kill a Mocking Bird,Ó in 1962, was
really the first time I ever thought much about black and white. The world in
the small southern Illinois town I grew up in was white. The movie was an eye
opener. ÒDr. Strangelove,Ó in 1964, was the craziest movie I have ever seem up
to that point. It was an odd mixture of comedy and dangerous satire which
played right into the times.
Being able
to drive in 1964 brought into play the drive-in movie. Now the drive-in theater
was never a place to worry much about what was showing, cause you didnÕt hope
to see it. It was party and make-out time. My first drive-in movie was ÒDr.
Strangelove,Ó an odd mixture of comedy and dangerous satire, which played right
into the times. As fate would have it, I saw way more of the movie than was
hoping.
The ÒSound
of Music,Ó in 1965, was probably my first musical. It was an ok story, put I
never fell in love with musicals. The singing always seems out of place for me.
No one runs around singing their daily interactions in everyday life. I donÕt
get it. ÒCool Hand Luke,Ó in 1967, was a whole other story. The tough guy is
Paul Newman, a rebel who is having trouble with authority. Now that story-line
seemed appealing. And ÒThe Graduate,Ó another 1967 film. How could a young guy not dream about
an older woman seducing him?
Of special
interest was the film, ÒIn the Heat of the Night,Ó in 1967. Part of the film
was shot in my home-town. It was quite a deal. The scene where Rod Steiger goes
into a small cafŽ to have a piece of pie was filmed in a cafŽ just on the edge
of Freeburg, Illinois. It took them three days to film about 2 minutes of movie
time. The majority of the film was shot in Sparta, Illinois, doubling for
Sparta, Mississippi. The film probably would have been a bit touchy further
south.
From
1967-69, some great rebellion movies were made, again playing into the times.
ÒBonnie and Clyde,Ó ÒButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,Ó and ÒEasy Rider,Ó
were all great anti-establishment movies. I think I have watched each about 25
times over the years. Helps build up my nerve to write this column.
1968
brought us another classic, Ò2001: A Space Odyssey.Ó Stanley Kubrick created a
film that has been called one of the greatest films ever, and deemed
Òculturally, historically, and aesthetically significantÓ by the Library of
Congress. It envisioned space travel and the coming of age of the computer.
What if computers took on human attributes? Today, scientists are wondering
that very thing. Some claim computers my eventually cause us to rethink what it
means to be human.
One last
film that made a lasting impression on me was ÒDeliveranceÓ, made in 1972.
ÒDeliveranceÓ really had no enduring social qualities, and really didnÕt make
any significant contributions to the times, but it was one hell of thriller.
Having done a lot of canoeing over the years in Missouri and Arkansas, IÕm not
too sure that it wasnÕt a documentary.