In the Beginning…

There’s a big part of me that is the movies. There’s also a big part of me that keeps track of everything – Christmas gifts given, guests for holiday meals, animals’ birth/adoption dates, dvds and video cassettes, and of course, movies attended. Yes, before the Excel spreadsheet came along, I wrote on each of my movie ticket stubs the date, and if needed, the movie I attended. I rarely wrote who I went with, since those are ingrained memories. Once in a blue moon, I couldn’t recall whom I went with, and every now and again in the early years, I discarded a ticket stub, so there is no record. But 98% of the time, there was a little colored piece of thick paper to serve as a reminder of a (usually) wonderful experience in a darkened theater. When I was very young, I hadn’t begun to keep track with ticket stubs, but I do know with whom I went and where I went, just not always the ‘when’ I went. This first potion of the list only includes film release dates, and five out of these first six are at the Drive-In (as only sensible parents would do)! 

Let’s take a look at what I saw that inspired my love of the movies when I was young: 

1964 The Incredible Mister Limpet (Orange Drive-In) 

1965 The Sound of Music (Tustin Theater) 

1967 The Gnome Mobile (Orange Drive-In) 

1967 The Jungle Book (Orange Drive-In) 

I loved this movie so much that I got my first metal lunchbox with this all over! 

1968 Blackbeard’s Ghost (Orange Drive-In) Being the second of a double-feature, I fell asleep about 20 minutes in. 

1969 The Love Bug (Orange Drive-In) 

One of the above was in a pairing, as I DO remember Blackbeard’s Ghost was the second of a double-feature. 

 

Following these, there are diary entries or ticket stubs to keep record: 

1971 Bedknobs and Broomsticks (Cinedome, Orange) 

I saw this with my mom, since my older sister was at youth retreat. “Mom & me dates” were plentiful beginning with this movie. 

1973 Mary Poppins (re-release) (South Coast Plaza) 

1973 Disney’s Robin Hood (Cinedome, Orange) 

Again, another “Mom & me date.” Robin Hood is my favorite Disney classic animated feature. 

1974 The Little Prince (Cineramadome, Hollywood) 

This was for a 7th grade English class field trip. We had just read the book. 

1974 That’s Entertainment (Foxx Mann, Costa Mesa) 

The film that ‘changed my movie life.’ Mom and I took my grandma and her sister to see this, since it featured many early film stars. We sat in the mezzanine front row, and I became ‘star-struck,’ as one would say. This was followed by the double-LP soundtrack. I can still sing all these songs by heart, and yes, I still have the LP set! 

1974 Herbie Rides Again (location unknown)

Another “Mom & me date”, although I don’t recall the occasion. 

1976 That’s Entertainment Part II (Foxx Mann, Costa Mesa) 

Following these were movies with just a few with one or both of my parents,  friends, dates, and eventually my own family. 

Nowadays, it’s fun to recall when, with whom, or on what occasion I saw a movie - - and sometimes not.

The fact is, movies make me happy. That’s enough.

A Genius Legacy

It’s been 12 years since I last authored my Dusty Corner blog, using 2012 as a year to write about my relationship with the movies. Last year, I posted “Friday’s Famous Faces” (to which many of you responded) strictly to Facebook. This year, I decided to revisit my blog page and put my ‘disciplinary skills’ to work and write lists. These lists will be based again on entertainment; some will be factual, but most will be subjective and based solely on my opinions and perceptions. I’ll aim for just two a month. This year I had two cable channels (H&I and Syfy) present New Year’s Day Twilight Zone marathons. Even though I was given the gift of a complete Blu-ray set years ago, I still get hooked watching on television! So, with that being said, this first list was completed quite some time ago and made an easy first post. I won’t pontificate on why I like each of these, but I will recommend you checking them out. Of course, my favorites are not always the ‘popular’ episodes, but who am I to like what everyone else does? ;-) 

My Twilight Zone (original series) Top 20 

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order) 

Sixteen Millimeter Shrine (s1) 

The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street (s1) 

The Prime Mover (s2) 

Dead Man’s Shoes (s3) 

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (s5) 

11 - 20 

20. Living Doll (s5) 

19. Miniature (s4) 

18. The Trade-Ins (s3) 

17. A Stop at Willoughby (s1) 

16. A Kind of Stopwatch (s5) 

15. The Hunt (s3) 

14. The Parallel (s4) 

13. A Most Unusual Camera (s2) 

12. A Penny for Your Thoughts (s2) 

11. Elegy (s1) 

1 – 10 

10. Nick of Time (s2) 

 9. The New Exhibit (s4) 

 8. The Little People (s3) 

 7. The Masks (s5) 

 6. The Silence (s2) 

 5. The Obsolete Man (s2) 

 4. Deaths-head Revisited (s3) 

 3. After Hours (s3) 

 2. Five Characters in Search of an Exit (s3) 

 1. The Howling Man (s2)