Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Memory - At The Movies

Over breakfast this morning, Don and I, with our friend Marie, got to talking about memories of the first movie we had ever seen. Marie was 11 when she went to see her first movie back in 1976. It was Towering Inferno. Ironically, the next day, the old theatre it was shown in burned down. I kid you not.

Don remembered seeing a western with his step-father before he married his mother. Don didn't recall the film's title but based on the description he gave, it might have been "Apache Drums" filmed back in 1951.

My story was a little different. I remember being 7 years old and going to the drive-in with mom and dad. I fell asleep in the backseat of our car, so don't remember the movie at all. But, I do remember waking up to the sound of loud and dramatically blaring music and looking over the seat. There - between the heads of my mother and father was . . .

THE CREATURE


I was so terrified that, considering my long-term reaction, you would have thought I had been scarred for life.  I remember having nightmares for EVER about the Creature.  I tried watching the movie when I was 14 and scared myself so badly, I stopped.  It wasn't until I was 21 that I was able to sit through the entire film.  You can bet that there was much covering of eyes and peeking and cowering.  But . . . I got through it.

Over time, I watched the film several more times and Julie Adams, our damsel in distress, became a favorite of mine and I liked finding her in old B movies and episodic television.  In fact, if you think way back, Julie Adams was originally known as Betsy Adams and she was Andy Griffith's first sweetheart on The Andy Griffith Show.

I own a copy of the film now and have a small library of other "B" westerns and sci-fi films.  It's fun to take them out from time to time and watch them with a big bowl of popcorn.  As I wrote this little reminiscence of my first movie, well actually - a preview - I also ran across this interesting blog post on The Creature From the Black Lagoon.  Clearly, others are fans and have done some serious research on the many faces of the Creature.  Click HERE for a fun post to learn more.


13 comments:

matlowe said...

I remember my first movie if not the title. I was between 6-10 and a friend of my mom's invited me to come with them to see "So Dear to My Heart," I think. From then on we went often to the movies -- often being every two weeks or so -- and they were mostly westerns.

Now I hardly ever see a movie. Who wants to go and share stuff with thousands of people who aren't your best friends. Not me. I do watch some on the DVD, but not many. Just not a movie person. Weird it may be, but that is me.

Annie Jeffries said...

I am very much the same, Mary. I may actually go to a theatre once a year now. Much too expensive and as you say, surrounded by stranger, many of whom are inconsiderate movie goers.

We ditched our premium channels on cable. There just wasn't enough there to tempt us and we saved ourselves about $60 a month. In a year, that adds up.

Sometime, when the spirit moves me, I might pick up something at Red Box for just a dollar but overall, TV and expanded cable offers a lot that we enjoy watching. I figure if I want to see a movie badly enough, I will see it eventually.

Ginny Hartzler said...

I remember this movie! It didn't take much to shock or scare us back in those gentler times. Now sadly it takes more and more gore, and I don't mean Al. Also, sadly, I am so old that I can't remember my first movie at the theater. It may have been "Gone With The Wind", or "The Fly", perhaps Susan Hayward's "I Want To Live". Your story is so sweet and sadly funny!!!

Annie Jeffries said...

Hi Ginny,

Yes, indeed, they were gentler times. So much gore and gotcha shock today. I love the eerie music and slow build of the old movies. I recently watched the Gene Barry War of the Worlds. Love it. Beats Tom Cruise by a mile.

Ash said...

Oh dear!

sandy said...

I've never seen that movie! Looks like that could scare a 7 year old.

I think my first movie was Ten Commandments with Charleton Heston - although I'm not totally sure. I have to go see when that movie came out.

My aunt took us.

sandy said...

Just googled it - 1956. That makes sense - I was born in 1950, and I probably hadn't seen a movie before that. My parents were never ones to take us to a movie theater.

Diane AZ said...

I've never seen The Creature, but I'm sure it would have been scary for me too! My first movie was The Incredible Journey (1963). A group of neighborhood kids and parents went to celebrate someone's birthday.

Jeanie said...

Annie, this is such a good time! I love this post -- and I love those silly B-movies back when those were GOOD special effects! They still enchant! My first -- My mom says it was Snow White, but the first I remember, or at least holds a strong memory, is Pollyanna, the Hayley Mills Disney version. I have fragments of others in my head -- but it was SO long ago!

Hope you are well -- happy to see new words -- I've been checking! Many lovelies this day to you!

Marja said...

Lol except for start trek I don't like any science fiction or any scary creatures in movies.
Love the clog on your header. It looks as if it has a little tulip on top

Felisol said...

What a ghastly creature, the green horror man. I definitely would not have liked wakening up to meet that face. how brilliantly you cured your traumas yourself.
I think maybe that is what our Serina is doing after being shocked as a 4 year old in a cartoon movie about birds. She now loves animation movies and knows every detail about them by heart.
We used to watch Fantasia over and over again. We actually still do, but on DVD now. It has become a mother and daughter thing.

Barbara said...

My first was the musical South Pacific. Never allowed to go as children.

Lea said...

This is a fascinating post... Just thinking about my first movie at the theater, which was at Christmas because I can remember the lights and Santa and Rudolph atop the theater or tall building as we drove to it. But I don't know for sure the movie, I think it was Mary Poppins which would have meant I was 8 and that seems late in life for me to go to the movies, given that my father went every Saturday as a kid. I'll have to ask my parents. I do remember seeing a B alien landing tv movie that scares the bejeebers out of me to this day! Don't know if I have the courage Annie to do what you did!