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10+ Favorite Movies Growing Up
You see lists like this all the time. So why not? It’s not a list of cinematic masterpieces or anything, just my favorites from before I hit adulthood…in no particular order:
Brian’s Song –I was a big Chicago Bears fan growing up…even wrote them at age 5 for an autograph of Dick Butkus (still have it). It used to be on TV all the time–such a sad story. When I grew up, it inspired me to get Gale Sayers’ autobiography ‘I Am Third.’
Star Wars (hon. mention to Hardware Wars) –I remember the HUGE HUGE HUGE line to get in, that my grandfather went along, too. I’m not sure something like that could ever happen again. I note Hardware Wars which was a cheap parody because I remember my friend, Eric–his mom was a librarian and she brought home Hardware Wars on film–with a real projector(!) and I remember watching it over and over like 5 or 6 times at his place.
Raiders of the Lost Ark –Went with my parents, sister, and Mark Gwaltney. Again, an experience I don’t think could easily be repeated. The line went all the way through Northpark Mall and they delayed the film for more than fifteen minutes…turned on the lights, counted seats, and admitted that many more people in. Every seat was full and I remember a bunch of cheering when the movie was over…no one had seen melted Republi—Nazis before.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan –The best Star Trek movie of them all, touching on classic themes of revenge and brotherhood. I went to see this with Steve Hord and got grounded two weeks for that. I was supposed to mow the grass. My mom didn’t accept my logic that the grass would still be there the next day, but STII:TWoK would only have ONE opening day. Well worth the two weeks punishment (I mean, I liked reading and playing games solitaire anyways…)
The Muppet Movie –One of the sweetest movies of all time. It’s still a great musical and I freely admit to having three songs from it on my MP3-player.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers –One of the first movies to ever scare me. I didn’t understand the sociological underpinnings of it, just that everyone was turning into a pod-person…and the turning of Leonard Nimoy (Spock!) into an alien and Donald Sutherland’s shriek at the very end…it’s still a good movie now 40+ years later.
The Thing –If I’m mentioning body snatching, then Kurt Russell’s got to come next (he’ll appear later, too). I remember seeing this the first time and the creepy feeling afterwards wondering whether one of the survivors ‘the thing’? Are they both human? I eventually got around to reading the 1930s novella which inspired the story–great story, only the available technology changed.
Planet of the Apes –Apes who can talk!! Sentimentally, I remember this because my mom and dad took me to see it at the drive-in theater that was across from the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds. I’ve seen it repeatedly since, but it is here because of that long-ago memory more than anything else.
The Blues Brothers –Oh, how many times I’ve seen this. Driving to the East Coast with my friend Erik (‘k’ not ‘c’) in 1988, I think we were able to do a verbatim re-telling of the script we’d seen the movie so much. In the long-run, it is responsible for opening up a different musical genre to me–without it, I never give a listen to guys like John Hooker or Muddy Waters.
Animal House (once I hit age 14 or so) –The nudity/sex stuff is what gets you at 14. It got much funnier after going off to college. We never put a horse in the dean’s office, but there MAY have been a motorcycle and blow-up doll incident with an R.A.’s room….
Airplane! –puns, quick, rapid-fire humor making fun of everything and anything. I’m sure there are still small jokes here and there that I’m missing. It is hard to not smile when thinking about Mrs. Cleaver/Barbara Billingsley speaking jive or that I’ve picked a bad week to give up _____________.
Patton – I loved history movies. I get now that it wasn’t the most accurate. I get that a lot of the battle stuff was sanitized. Still loved it and it helped fuel my interest in history. I also know now that since Omar Bradley was the advisor and didn’t care for Patton, that this isn’t exactly unvarnished history….
A Bridge Too Far –Just like ‘Patton’. Writing this, I’m struck by the fact I liked both of these movies, but I never found ‘The Longest Day’ interesting. Another interesting film on the fighting at Arnhem was “Theirs is the Glory“–filmed immediately after the war.
Escape from New York –I went with Peter Trenkenschuh to see this for his 14th birthday at the Duck Creek Cinema in Bettendorf. His mom came along–it was R rated. My first R-rated movie. Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken…still one of my favorite movies. John Carpenter in the early 80s…turned everything to gold.
The Outlaw Josey Wales –This is the first Eastwood western I watched from start to finish. I didn’t totally understand it at the time, some of the historical context of raiders and post-Civil War animosity. What stuck with me was his old Indian sidekick and the young guy who sings ‘She Wore a Yellow Ribbon’.
Blazing Saddles –Like ‘Airplane!’ though the jokes don’t come quite as fast, but the social commentary ratchets up. You couldn’t make this movie today–everyone would throw a hissy-fit…far too sensitive. The honest truth? I fell in love with it because they’ve got a scene with guys around a campfire farting. C’mon…you think stuff on interracial sex innuendo or Howard Johnson jokes will get the attention of a 10-yr old??
The Exorcist –I love it now as a scary movie and scarier novel. It’s here because my friend Matt came over. We got left alone. ‘The Exorcist’ was on HBO (which was new back then). We were specifically told not to watch it–and then my parents went down the street to his parents’ house. A couple of 11/12 yr old boys get told not to do something…and then get left alone with access to what they aren’t supposed to do?? Hahahaha–yeah, we watched it and almost crapped our pants. One of us (I don’t remember which) called down there and…that was the end of the parental-units’ social night.
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