La-La-Land
Just skimming through the New York Times, and I saw a review for the new movie, “La La Land.”
From the review and the trailer – I really want to see it.
Not that I see a lot of movies anymore. But, when I was a kid, and up through my twenties, I saw just EVERYTHING.
So here, for Thanksgiving, I’d like to say thank you to all my movie-going friends:
My sister Christine, who often had to take me when I was really little, and I know she didn’t want to, but always did, and showed me how to pay attention in the theater.
My sister Claudia. It was with her, when we were in our twenties,that we saw EVERYTHING. Every movie released, I think, between 1969 and 1975. She would drive anywhere to see a movie. I remember going to see “The Sting” with Claudia and my little brother Tommy, and Claudia drove all the way to Canton, and when we got there it was sold out. We were walking back to the car, all disappointed, when the theater manager called out to us and said he would set up a couple of folding chairs in the back if we were willing. We loved our special seats and the manager even gave us free popcorn to make up for the uncomfortable chairs.
My mother, who loved the movies just as much as we did. She saw all the dreamy musicals back in the 30s and 40s, and thought that all of Life should be that romantic. She scoured the sofa cushion for dimes so that we could go to the Saturday afternoon matinee.
My father too – who liked to go to the drive-in and see John Wayne movies.
My brother Tom. Not only did we sit on the folding chairs for “The Sting,” he gave me the best laugh I had ever had at the movies. He was about nine when we went to see “The Sound of Music.” Back in 1965, movies like “Sound of Music” were Events, with a capital E. You dressed up and took the whole family, and afterwards you would eat at Howard Johnson’s. So we got all gussied up and went to the “Sound of Music.” During the garden scene where the Captain and Maria realize they love each other… oh, it was so romantic… and Tommy said (not in his inside voice) “Boy, those hedges are really big!”
And one more memory with my brother Tom – Claudia and I took our young teenage brother to see his first R-rated film. My mother was hesitant at first, but decided it was okay. She jokingly told me not to let him watch the “risque” parts. So during a very steamy scene, I leaned over to Tom and said (not in my inside voice) “Mom says ‘Don’t look!”
My friend Doris. Doris and I were inseparable as kids. We would go to the movies together and often stay in the theater and watch through a second time. Then we would act out the movies in Doris’ backyard: “Tammy and The Bachelor,” “Pollyanna,” “Gidget.” And she often let me play the starring role.
My friend Barbe. Sometimes with Claudia too, we saw more movies in the 70s than probably anyone in the universe. We liked Jane Fonda especially – “Coming Home” and OMG, Donald Sutherland (swoon) and Fonda in “Klute.” And Barbe liked coffee afterwards – you can’t get much better than that.
My friend Chris. Good for foreign films and obscure weird stuff – which you always need once in a while.
My college roommate Lisa. She took a film course our senior year. And if they were going to see something really great, she would run back to the dorm and get me. This was pre-cell-phone, pre-text days… she’d literally run back and all out of breath, she’d gasp, “Come NOW! ‘Jules and Jim’!” And she’d sneak me in.
My friend Tim. He liked horror movies. I have forgiven him.
So it’s Thanksgiving, and I’m saying thanks to Hollywood and thanks to my movie-going companions. We saw a lot of good (and some awful) movies together.
And by the way, I don’t just want to see “La La Land” because of the good review, or because it looks like my mother’s beloved romantic musicals.
I want to see it because my husband has always said that’s where I live.
- Posted in: Humor ♦ Memories ♦ movies
- Tagged: Coming Home, Friendship, Gidget, Jane Fonda, Jules and Jim, Klute, La La Land, Movies, musicals, Pollyanna, Tammy, Thanksgiving, The Sound of Music, The Sting
notquiteold 
We should ALL live in La-La-Land! Its the best!
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LaLa Land … All the best people live there !
I remember going to the Arlington Theatre
in Santa Barbara to see Star Wars … And at the
end people stood up and cheered !
This brought back many happy memories …
What fun we had !
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Ha ha ha. I k.n.o.w. I live in La-La-Land. 😀 -D 😀
Great post, Nancy. Sigh. Movies…
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I have permanently moved there.
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I guess we’ll be bumping into each other then. 😀 😛 🙂
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This is the time to move to La La Land.
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Ha! That’s my next post.
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I’m coming too!
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I never could figure out why Tim liked those horror movies. And I thought by now you would have forgiven me for “Fanny and Alexander” – unless you are still getting nightmares.
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Fanny and Alexander didn’t give me nightmares… just gave me a bad case of heavy foreign movie boredom. Sorry. I like French sex romps.
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Well, it WAS Bergman’s last hurrah.
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Didn’t especially like the earlier hurrahs either… just not my thing.
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I can remember walking to school with you and singing “The Sound of Music” at the top of our lungs. And practicing “Me & My Shadow” to perform on Coronal (sp?) Clown’s Talent Show at Lake Compounce. It’s a shame we never did it.
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WELL! Finally, a musical which harkens back to the days of the greatest. Judging by the reviews, a must-see for us. Doesn’t hurt to have Emma Stone in it. I hope they danced well.
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La La Land is not such a bad place to live. Enjoy your Thanksgiving!
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I saw the premier of La La Land here in London not long ago, it was the best film I’ve seen in such a long time, I definitely recommend!!
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There are worse places than La La Land to live. I love movies and can’t get enough of them. Sometimes it hard to make it out before they leave the theater now…they seem to have such a short run.
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I’m glad that you have finally forgiven me. Now I REALLY have something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!
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It was the nightmares from “The Omen!” But at least I only had them for 10 years or so.
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I loved your last sentence (!)
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Ohhhhh…zing! Glad to see we’re neighbors!
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Here’s to La la land life experiences.
Womenlivinglifeafter50.com
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OMGosh, my mom always (still) tells me that I don’t live in a movie world! But in my mind, I do. Even when I read books, I get transported. When I was small, my parents took my brothers and I to movies every Saturday afternoon. Ahhh…I love movies!
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