If you know me, you know I love movies. Actually, I have a real passion for said mode of entertainment. It began with summer visits to Los Angeles as a youngster. My family would stay with Aunt Eva and Uncle Ed and cousin Jimmy. Of course, we would spend time with Uncle Al. Every family has its “characters” and Uncle Al was ours. He was a “prop man” at Paramount studios. William Robert Faith wrote a book about the life of Bob Hope. In it he mentions that Hope’s production staff and technical crew were Bob Hope’s friends, such as Al Borden, his prop man since 1934.
When Uncle Al came to visit, he wore spats and always kissed the lady’s hands. All our visits to Los Angeles were punctuated with a tour of Paramount studios and always included a peek at whatever movies were in the process of being filmed. I have often thought that I should have just stayed with Eva and Ed. This reminds me of a story about Steven Spielberg that few know. As a young man, he toured Hollywood. When the tour bus stopped at a movie studio, Spielberg took a tour of the studio. In one of the studio buildings he found an empty office and never left!
I, however, returned to Oregon with my family and my love for movies continued to grow. At a childhood birthday party, my father brought home a screen, projector and two movies from the Portland School Administration building. The party room in our basement was full of youngsters waiting to celebrate my 8th birthday. Daddy had brought home a Super Man cartoon, a dog movie called Danny Boy and a horse movie called The Great Mike. The lights dimmed, the double feature began and so did my tears! Yup, I cried through the whole double feature! I did manage to eat cake however, but Daddy vowed “never again.” And, who could blame him – he didn’t know the animals got hurt in the movie – even though they didn’t die, the fact that they got hurt was enough for me!
As a pre-teen I had a deal with my mother that I could stay up late for a movie if I did my homework prior to dinner and went to bed impossibly early. She would in return wake me up for the movie. Picture me in the middle of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” late at night and the phone rings and mom tells me to get in the car we are going to the mortuary. Not that the details matter – but once we were there she left me in the car and I was scared to death! My words to my mother were “if you’re not back here in five minutes, I am coming in!”. I envisioned her confronted by body snatchers. Not my finest moment. But definitely one I will never forget!
In high school, when I was invited to join a social club, I learned that the final step in the initiation was enduring an all night “indoctrination” referred to as Hell Night. At a club members house, all of us inductees were sequestered in an upstairs bedroom. We were then taken downstairs one at a time for the induction ceremony. I was last. A well-stocked bookcase was my salvation. As I waited, I read an entire book by Robert Nathan entitled “A Portrait of Jenny”. It had been made into a movie and became a life-long favorite of mine.
When Covid closed the theaters, I did not suffer in the least…thanks to several movie channels and a big screen tv! The other night I laughed myself silly watching the Long, Long Trailer with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez. This morning I ate a scone and drank my coffee to Sleepless in Seattle. Are movies better than ever? I’ll let you know, but I doubt it. As movies have always been great…and I should know!
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