What I miss about the 20th century

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Going to movies in the 70's and 80's. There was no Internet, streaming, PVR's, etc. The Movies. It felt like an event and everyone was on the same page. Line ups for the big blockbuster movies. People cheered, etc. I guess that goes back the Vaudeville and theatre because there was no entertainment at home. If it this type of thing actually did happen I would have liked to witness it. :) At minute at 50 seconds in.


Then my wife reminded me that we are retired and go to afternoon movies with 12 other present and reserve our reclining seats. :( So I don't really know if the fun newer movies like Indiana Jones, etc gets that same reaction. I'm pretty kids go nuts at their movies.

I'm really looking forward to Speiberg's new movie and it got me reminiscing about those days. Outside of that, based on reviews I thought to myself he did it again.
 
RF,

I can remember the days when you could get in to the movies if you collected 10 or 15 soda bottle caps. Had to be a Coca-Cola product. The best part was the cartoons before the main reel. Then it was some cowboy movie or something. It was magic.

By the way, I have been meaning to tell you that Bob and Doug McKenzie have been personal heros of mine for a long time. The Great White North, eh? Beauty. A buddy of mine and I would slip into the dialect every time we saw each other. It was hard there for a while to speak normally, and it was pretty weird hearing us speak a version of Canadian with a southern accent. Canada has provided the world with some wonderful things, and the McKenzie brothers are right up there with them.
 
1969 & 1970…

Visa from Imperial Iranian embassy (right page)…

I drove, with friends in three Land Rovers, from London to Ceylon (Nov–Dec 1969).

Ceylon entranced me and I did stayed there for almost a month (see passport stamps on left page).

Our intention was to spend two months travelling 'out' and two months 'back'. Somehow, I lost my way on the return journey and never (literally!) made it 'home' and no longer have any desire to do so: in effect, I'm now into the 57th year of the 58 days (Jan+Feb 1970) allotted for the return journey.

… David

passport
  • Join to view EXIF data.
 
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1960's Movie Memories.

The Liberty Theatre charged 25¢ for movies like "The Time Machine (1960)", "X-The Man with X-Ray Eyes (1963)", "Advance to the Rear (1964)", "Beach Blanket Bingo (1965)", "How to Stuff a Wild Bikini" (1965), "Zebra in the Kitchen" (1965)... if you wanted movies with better seats you went to the Elsinore Theater and paid 35¢.

However, if you wanted to see a movie for free, you needed to visit the Y.M.C.A and go the the second floor. Find the maintenance door that went above the racket ball courts and follow the walkway to the fire escape (not alarmed). Walk across the roof to the door that was propped open (on hot Summer days) for the projectionist of the Liberty Theater. Walk down the stairs to the balcony level and watch your movie.

While the Elsinore Theater is still there, but the Liberty Theater and Y.M.C.A. have been torn down.

1781129575307.png
 
1960's Movie Memories.

The Liberty Theatre charged 25¢ for movies like "The Time Machine (1960)", "X-The Man with X-Ray Eyes (1963)", "Advance to the Rear (1964)", "Beach Blanket Bingo (1965)", "How to Stuff a Wild Bikini" (1965), "Zebra in the Kitchen" (1965)... if you wanted movies with better seats you went to the Elsinore Theater and paid 35¢.

However, if you wanted to see a movie for free, you needed to visit the Y.M.C.A and go the the second floor. Find the maintenance door that went above the racket ball courts and follow the walkway to the fire escape (not alarmed). Walk across the roof to the door that was propped open (on hot Summer days) for the projectionist of the Liberty Theater. Walk down the stairs to the balcony level and watch your movie.

While the Elsinore Theater is still there, but the Liberty Theater and Y.M.C.A. have been torn down.

View attachment 46568
Oh yeah. My dad would give me a dollar to get a haircut at our local place. Me and my buddy went to the barber school and got it done for 25 cents. Left overs went to get into the theatre and popcorn and a drink. We watched the old Godzilla and old B horror movies all day. Hair was a little crooked.
 
YES!

My fondest movie memory is 1977. My Dad told me at dinner on Thursday night he was taking Friday off. He asked me if I wanted to play hooky from school and goto a movie with him! Duh! It wasn't until we were there that I realized he was taking me to see Star Wars at the State Theater in Falls Church Va! The lines wrapped around the theater and around the block, but it didn't matter to anyone because it was Star Wars!

Best movie ever! Best crowds ever! Everyone cheered for the good guys and booooed Darth Vader. Standing ovation at the end. Great memory!

State Theater SDtar Wars.jpeg



... My Dad passed away from covid in April 2020.

I really miss my Dad.
 
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YES!

My fondest movie memory is 1977. My Dad told me at dinner on Thursday night he was taking Friday off. He asked me if I wanted to play hooky from school and goto a movie with him! Duh! It wasn't until we were there that I realized he was taking me to see Star Wars at the State Theater in Falls Church Va! The lines wrapped around the theater and around the block, but it didn't matter to anyone because it was Star Wars!

Best movie ever! Best crowds ever! Everyone cheered for the good guys and booooed Darth Vader. Standing ovation at the end. Great memory!

View attachment 46571


... My Dad passed away from covid in April 2020.

I really miss my Dad.
Sorry to hear about your dad.

I saw the original Star Wars a bit later in 1977. My friends and I rode our bikes to the local drive-in theater and around on the backside of the property, there was a secret place in the chain link fence where you could ride your bikes into the property. We never thought about it being obvious as to how we got in if the theater employees would look and see a bunch of boys sitting on their bikes in a car spot watching the movie and holding the big silver window speaker in our hands.

I just remembered that we also rode our bikes in to watch Corvette Summer. I think that was maybe the year after Star Wars, because it also had Mark Hamill as the star. It was good because it was about cars, but it wasn't Star Wars good.

There were always two movies and in the intermission between the movies they had cartoon advertisements with dancing hotdogs and dancing popcorn bags to get you to go buy something.


Good times for sure. But today, I really enjoy sitting on my sofa next to my wife and watching tv or movies. The last time I went to the theater I realized I had become the grumpy old curmudgeon because I wanted to yell at the people everytime they used their bright a$$ smartphone to text during the movie. I wanted to at least throw popcorn at them...🧓👿:ROFLMAO:
 
Years ago, one of the drive-ins around here would charge by the car load. When we pulled up to the speaker, it looked like a clown car with all these guys piling out. We got our money’s worth.
 
There is an ongoing thread at The Lightroom Queen that inspired me to start this. When we were in Japan in 2020 we went to a Samurai Museum. The guide told us that Lucas created Vader based on a Samurai. He wore all black as well. That made me think about how the Jedi fight with two hands on the light sabre, just like the Samurai with their Katana's.
 
Sorry for going into details. A little later on from that era but Tombstone. IMO was Val Kilmer was born to play Doc Holliday. He steals the show and there was good casting and directing but Michael Biehn also has great moments. Remember at the end when Doc Holliday was dying and Wyatt asked what made Johny Ringo they way is he is. Doc says revenge for being born. A hole in is heart that no amount of killing, etc will fill. Half way through the movie Curly Bill makes a comment to Johnny about the devil and he responds. "I already did it". That was from the scene where they are shooting in ceiling.

Go back to the beginning when Cowboys disrupt the wedding. The filming and directing was really good. Look at his eyes and face. Johny Ringo wants to witness the Apocalypse. The only thing that may give him some joy. Just looking at it again I think this may be the only time he smiled a bit in the whole movie.

 

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