Awards season is bringing back memories. I watched movies mostly on television when I was a boy. Our TV was black and white, and the picture quality varied with the weather.
The first movie I saw on a big screen was “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner.” My parents loaded us into the car and took us to the drive-in. I don’t recall us going to another movie as a family, but two little sisters came along which made it difficult to schedule outings.
Why they chose that film, I don’t know. It featured three legendary stars, but as a kid, I didn’t have the context to appreciate their fame. Hepburn and Tracy seemed like someone’s grandparents. The younger actors, including the incomparable Sidney Poitier, were more relatable.
The movie started with a plane landing at an airport. Understanding that the movie played at the drive-in every night, I asked my mom if the night before they showed what happened before the plane arrived. She explained that no, they showed the same story every night so lots of people could see it. My assumption seems daft now, but I can see the logic behind it. I’ve always had an analytical mind.
The first movie I saw in a cinema was “Destroy All Monsters.” When the trailer played on TV, I as a budding sci-fi fan, was smitten. My parents were mortified. They refused to take me to see “that junk.” Luckily, my town had a movie theater about ten blocks away. I had never walked that far by myself (I was nine), so I planned my route and even thought through how cars negotiated intersections so I could cross the street safely (analytical mind). I grabbed some coins from my dresser (I think the ticket cost $1.75) and treated myself to a Saturday matinee. I don’t think Mom ever forgave me, but the movie was awesome.
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