Back in my childhood, movies were a big deal. Specifically, cowboy movies! John Wayne movies were never missed, but there were other stars admired by my parents, and when a new show arrived at the drive-in, we went.
I don't remember my dad ever darkening the door of the indoor theater, but at the drive-in, owned by his best friend, Dad could sit in the comfort (and privacy) of his own vehicle and we kids could fall asleep in our jammies. I can remember waiting for it to get dark enough for the show to start, and then watching cartoons, waiting for the previews to finish, and finally getting to the real thing. Did I ever make it through the whole movie? I have a dim memory of Gone With the Wind and the burning of Atlanta meshing with a dream, so I'm sure I slept through many an ending until I was older. (And let me assure you, it was a re-release of GWTW, not the original showing!)
So what has prompted these memories of old movies and the drive-in? A month or so ago, I happened upon a movie from those days being shown on AMC: The Big Country. Oh, I remember loving that show, and I could even remember watching it on the big screen of the drive-in. It starred Gregory Peck, Burl Ives (who won an Oscar for his role), Charlton Heston and Jean Simmons. What a cast! I'd tuned in too late to record it and we were leaving for the day shortly, so I wasn't able to watch much. I kept thinking about how much I wanted to see it again, so finally I ordered the DVD from Amazon.
Dan and I had a movie night soon after it arrived and it was every bit as excellent as I remembered. It's a long movie, almost two hours and forty-five minutes, but it doesn't seem long because the viewer is so drawn into the story and the characters. Ahh, they just don't make movies like they used to. ♥
So true -- they don't make movies like they used to. Mike and I have seen a few that I simply find forgettable -- and I do -- I forget them -- plot, actors, the whole works. Good for you for following through on a movie you wanted to see.
ReplyDeleteWe went to the drive-in, too. It was a good memory. Mike points out, though, that the farther north one goes, the more problematic the drive-in movie became due to the late hour of the sun's setting. And I think the drive-in in Orofino closed during the winter.
You're right--the drive-in was closed during the winter. Too cold for car sitting. And fortunately we didn't have daylight savings time back then or the movies would never have started! Or I guess they would have been called the "Late, Late Movie" like they used to have on TV. And in a segue, those TV late lates kept me amused while babysitting. :-)
DeleteYes! Saturday Night at the Movies at 9:00 and then a late, late movie. It was great baby-sitting entertainment and sometimes Mother and I sat up to watch them. Those were the days . . . (Sigh) (LOL)
DeleteMom and I also sometimes sat up to watch one. Funny, they were "old" movies, but in actuality, they were from the late thirties and forties (usually) and thus only twenty-five or so years old--newer than many I think of as "recent" now. Ha!
DeleteYup, good memories for certain. :-)