My kid called the other morning from Arkansas. Like many of his fellow citizens, he's spending more time than usual at home in front of his desk. Thus, like many of us, he's spending more time than usual reminiscing about the good old days – not just the ones so recently displaced by government restrictions and recommendations, but farther back, when he and his sisters were still at home. He was remembering life in what for them, at least, were the halcyon years.
A question that appears frequently on the Facebook pages of people with too much time on their hands is, "What movie really scared you as a child?" Most of the posted answers don't move me, as I was grown up by the time those scary movies came out. But I'll never forget the scene in Disney's Pinocchio in which the raft, bearing our heroes, drifts into the open maw of the whale. It haunted my dreams all through childhood. The year was most likely 1940. I've long suspected one of the reasons my father took me was that the film had a moral: In order to be a real boy, you must be brave, truthful, and selfless.
Our kids grew up in Hanover before coeducation at the college, which meant that going to the local theater, The Nugget, meant sharing the space with testosterone-poisoned undergraduates, whose high spirits flowered about ten years later as Animal House. The sloping theater floor under the seats was concrete, which produced the almost constant sound of contraband beer bottles rolling down toward the front and bumping into seat supports, like the balls in a pinball machine. We never worried much about our kids going, though; the ribaldry was fairly innocent, and, just maybe, our kids were a professor's kids.
When The Producers came through, the undergraduate audience was most interested in Zero Mostel's secretary: Lee Meredith playing Ulla in a clingy yellow dress. When Zero shouted, "Ulla, go to work!" she cued up lively music on a hi-fi and gyrated wildly beside Zero's desk. Thenceforth, whenever she appeared on screen, a hundred lusty voices roared, "Ulla, go to work!"
My kid, this week, was apparently taking a warm bath in memories of those good old days. "Do you remember some of the movies we went to?" he asked. No, I didn't. He reminded me that we went to see Doctor No, with Sean Connery and Ursula Andress (her I remembered!). Then there was The Wizard of Oz, from which I took away, "Now, I'm going to get you, my pretty! You and your little dog, too!" I use it on Kiki now and then. The Song of the South, is a memory which I find troublesome (apparently, Disney does, too; it's been locked away in their vault ever since).
Apparently; my son was more of a cinemaphile than I thought. Now that the statute of limitations is long past, he mentioned that he'd walked downtown (2.5 miles) to catch the noir The Other Side of Midnight. We went together to watch a Buster Keaton collection. To this day, I occasionally google on YouTube his stunt (he did most of his own) where he stands in front of a house whose entire facade falls flat on the street, missing him because he's standing in a window opening.
Taking Mother to the movies was always a total experience. She took them totally seriously. We went to see The Godfather one evening. I knew it was a mistake. She woke up in the night screaming about the horse head in the bed. Anthony Quinn was Mexico-born; but to her he was Zorba the Greek. When in the film he started to teach the boss a line dance, I could feel her twitching in her seat. She never saw Jimmy Stewart on the screen without murmuring, "Wait for me, Jimmy!" At home, when he came on the TV each Christmas as George Bailey, she didn't murmur; she shouted. But he didn't wait.
We went to the drive-in theater in Fairlee on a cool night, and when the windshield fogged up with our breath, she wiped it with a towel she'd brought. Trouble was, the towel was impregnated with popcorn oil, and the windshield was no longer transparent – a real problem at the end of the show. But her most memorable act of active viewing occurred during Jaws. She hated to pay theater popcorn prices, so she usually made up a huge plastic bag of it that she smuggled in under her coat. At one point in the film Richard Dreyfuss' character is scuba-diving in the dark, inspecting a small fishing boat that's been holed, presumably by the shark. As he approaches the hole from beneath, the fisherman's body suddenly spurts from the hole. It's scary as hell. We all jumped. Mother spasmodically crushed the big bag of popcorn, and it went off just like Vesuvius. You could even see the shadow of the eruption on the screen.
It's been a while now since those days. I'm tickled that my son reminded me of them. I haven't been to a movie now in years. I do keep a few DVDs around to watch on the computer now and then. Gettysburg and Casablanca are favorites. But Ingrid Bergman didn't wait for me, either.
UPCOMING EVENT - Thursday, October 5, 2023 - Trail Mixer with Willem Lange - More Information
WINDOWS TO THE WILD WITH WILLEM LANGE is generously supported by the Alice J. Reen Charitable Trust and the Bailey Charitable Foundation
Willem Lange’s wardrobe is generously donated by The Kittery Trading Post
A trip along Vermont's Long Trail.
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Thanks to our podcast partner: The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communication at Franklin Pierce University
Join host Willem Lange on a tour of a Cambridge oasis -- the Mount Auburn Cemetery.
Willem and a group of people from throughout New England took a trip through Ireland.
What do you do with a section of 170-year-old abandoned railroad track?
Melissa Elam has hiked all of NH's 4,000-foot mountains with her cat, Floki.
A North Conway family shares what they learned about the effects of climate change.
Gabriel Andrus will ski from the northern border of NH to its southern border this winter.
There are gems in the hills. Host Willem Lange learns there's a lot to rock hunting.
Arlette Laan is the first woman to hike all eleven of the National Scenic Trails.
Kayaker Betsy Wish set out years ago to meet the people who catch our lobsters.
The Manchester Cedar Swamp Preserve is considered an ecological gem.
Host Willem Lange is at sea on the American Eagle schooner.
David Krueger is a Language Specialist / Interpreter, you may have seen him.
Competitive rower Erik Frid takes a break from competition to row 300 miles.
Susie Spikol is a naturalist at the Harris Center for Conservation Education.
Mt. Eustis Ski Hill opened in 1939 and was a community gathering place until it closed.
New Hampshire resident Susan Dromey Heeter is competitive.
Redline guide Ken Hodges hikes with Debby "Bear Repellent" Roberts.
Willem hikes with partners and participants of Summits in Solidarity.
The Lifesaving Station at Wood Island was used for sea rescue prior to the Coast Guard.
The Lifesaving Station at Wood Island was used for sea rescue prior to the Coast Guard.
Conway photographer Joe Klementovich uses a paddleboard to explore 130 miles of the Saco.
Students attend school aboard a schooner.
Join us for an all new season of Windows to the Wild with Willem Lange! Wednesdays at 7:30
Host Willem Lange is with friends on the Tucker Mountain trail in Vermont.
Host Willem Lange is off to Cape Cod w/ Kiki for a hike with bestselling author Tom Ryan.
Outdoor Afro volunteer leader Mardi Fuller will take viewers on a winter hike.
Jason Berard is the Stewardship Director at the Upper Valley Land Trust.
Some of New Hampshire's "hidden treasures".
In 1971, Laura Waterman and her husband Guy decided to leave behind a corporate life.
In 1971, Laura Waterman and her husband Guy decided to leave behind a corporate life.
The skill it takes to climb NH's breath-taking cliff faces.
Outdoor educator Scott Ellis is passionate about connecting people with the outdoors.
Outdoor educator Scott Ellis is passionate about connecting people with the outdoors.
Host Willem Lange visits one of NH's spectacular public properties.
Host Willem Lange visits one of NH's spectacular public properties.
Rachael decided not to let their dream die.
Rachael decided not to let their dream die.
When Marianne Borowski retired, she had a dream to create an adventure trail.
When Marianne Borowski retired, she had a dream to create an adventure trail.
Host Willem Lange explores the history, culture and natural beauty of Scotland.
Host Willem Lange explores the history, culture and natural beauty of Scotland.
Host Willem Lange spends the day at Pinkham Notch where he learns about staying safe.
She shows how to have a deep connection with our dogs and nature.
Forest Therapy Guide Nadine Mazzola and their dogs.
Mount Washington is a New England icon that dares people to challenge it.
Mount Washington is a New England icon that dares people to challenge it.
Vermont teacher Scott Ellis believes that real learning happens outdoors.
Vermont teacher Scott Ellis believes that real learning happens outdoors.