movies

Grease – a great musical

I was six when I went to the drive in to watch Saturday Night Fever with my sister, Deedee, and my mom. We were in a green Corvair, we had the heater on, but the engine was off. I can’t remember the details to tell you the truth, but the opening movie was Lipstick. It was sexually graphic and my mom decided it was too much for young children to watch so she tried to start the car but the battery was dead. We sat through Lipstick then watched Saturday Night Fever, which was the R rated version. What a night! Great movie, by the way. I’ve watched Saturday Night Fever many times and I’m never tired of it.

The first movie I ever watched on cable was Carrie. In the 70s, there were only two networks. SelecTV was one, and it soon faded. The other was Home Box Office. They didn’t call it HBO back then, and the across-the-street neighbors had the cable box and brought it over one night to watch Carrie. At the end, there’s a peaceful cemetery scene… but then a hand suddenly reaches up through the grass. It was Carrie trying to grab her mom, I believe. Right at that moment, my across-the-street neighbor grabbed my sister’s shoulder and scared the crap out of my sister. Once again, one of those funny moments in life.

I suppose we liked scary movies. The Exorcist was about a supernatural demonic force. Once again, it’s a funny story in a personal way. We had bunk beds and, after watching the movie, one of my sisters pranked another by shaking the top bed with her feet at night, pretending it was like the movie.

The first two movies I ever watched without any parents at walk in theatres with my sister and some friends: Grease, and The Wiz.

classic of all classics, Star Wars