ARE YOU A MOVIE PERSON?

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Are you a movie person? I’d classify myself as a movie person, although others might have different criteria. In our family there are movie people…and the others. My dad was a movie person but my mom definitely was not. My son is a movie person but not my daughter. My grandson is a movie person, and I think both the grandgirls have the makings of movie people. For us, the sign of a movie person isn’t just someone who likes movies, but someone who loves to watch the same movies over and over again. Those special few that hit the right buttons, or satisfy a specific need at a specific time.

I remember when I was a kid, long before there were such things as video stores, VCR’s or DVDs. You’d just have to wait for your favorite movies to be on television, and if you missed it, there would be a long wait for the next showing. “The Wizard of Oz” was an annual event not to be missed, nightmares not withstanding. I’m sure I watched every Shirley Temple movie that was ever played on TV when I was a kid, and as an adult I can remember checking the television schedule, grabbing a box of tissue and settling in for a good cry over “An Affair To Remember”. “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir” was the one my daughter loved to watch, and my son had entire scenes from various movies committed to memory after countless viewings. We’d quote a line from “Arthur” and crack up laughing, the entire scene replaying in our heads.

Today it’s easy to forget some of those classic black and white movies…some of which have been (disgracefully!) colorized. “Pat and Mike”, or any movie with Hepburn and Tracy. “Front Page” with Rosalind Russell…or maybe “Auntie Mame”. Anything with Cary Grant…or James Stewart. I remember falling in love with Dr Kildare twice…long before Richard Chamberlain played him on television, Lew Ayres had the role on the big screen, complete with curmudgeonly Lionel Barrymore. Oh, and don’t forget Clark Gable, he of Rhett Butler fame, and Carole Lombard. I never was a fan of Ida Lupino or Loretta Young, but never-the-less, they were important actresses in their day, along with Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. (And who among us can think of Joan Crawford without that “Mommy Dearest” line “NO WIRE HANGERS!”?)

I guess I could go on and on, remembering actors and actresses I haven’t thought about in years, but maybe I’ve sparked a memory or two for you, and perhaps you’ll be tempted to check out some of the ‘classic' movies the next time you’re at your local Blockbuster. I hope they still carry some of the older movies. And if you do rent one and it’s been colorized, see if you can figure out a way to turn off the color and watch it in black and white….those fake colors are sooo distracting.

And as Christmas is rapidly approaching, think about giving a classic movie as a gift. I’m sure my daughter was very surprised when she discovered “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir” in her stocking, and my sister’s got quite a collection of Shirley Temple movies.

This post started out because I was trying to put together a top ten list of my all-time favorite movies. I came up with a list of about fifteen, then narrowed it down to eleven, and now I have to try to figure out which movie to cut from the list…assuming of course that I’m still going to call the list my top ten. Maybe I’ll just change it to my top eleven.