I am in the process of sorting through everything in my parents' home, and in so doing, I have been looking through all my childhood memorabilia, the majority of which I hadn't seen since my parents packed up my belongings and moved them from the home I grew up in to this house some 45 years ago. My 2024 A to Z Challenge theme is based on the treasures I have found in the boxes and the drawers and closets. Join me on my bittersweet journey back to my childhood.
It was September of 1975 and my friend Rose's 15th birthday, and the plan was for Julie, Dana, Rose and me to celebrate by attending a special showing of "Gone With The Wind" at a movie theater across town.
Since we weren't old enough to drive, my mom agreed to take drive us. She recruited her friend Marilyn to go with her, and we picked up Julie and Dana, who lived in our neighborhood, then off to Rose's house. The Birthday Girl climbed into the car, settled into her seat, and announced, "Today, I am sensuous!" My mom started laughing so hard, I thought she was going to drive into a ditch.
My mom and Marilyn opted to sit elsewhere in the theater while we four girls picked seats nearer the screen. The theater was crowded, and as we found seats and made our way down the row, we spied a couple we knew from school sitting in the back of the theater. They were older than we were and kind of an "it" couple, so we did what any other group of 15 year old girls would do: pulled our mirror-backed keychains out of our purses and spied on them until the show on the screen started.
Once the film began, we forgot about Steve and Carrie in the back of the theater making out and were enthralled with the movie. I had read the book, but seeing the story brought to life on the screen was magical. Happy Birthday, Rose!
Since that night, I have seen "Gone With The Wind" several times on tv, and I even owned a VHS copy of it, but I have no independent recollection of seeing it on the big screen again after Rose's birthday.
Fast forward 48 years to Monday of this week.
I saw an ad for a special showing of "Gone With The Wind" at out local theater (an incredibly crappy theater that had a chance to clean the goo off the floors, fix the seats, and generally spruce the place up during Covid but didn't, so it still has sticky floors and smells like feet) and invited a couple of my co-workers to attend with me. The theater wasn't crowded like the last time I saw the movie; in fact, there weren't more than 15 people in our showing. There was no young couple making out in the back of the theater for us to spy on, the popcorn was disappointing, we were out WAY past our bedtimes to see a four-hour film, the floor was definitely sticky and the place smelled like feet.
But I believe that Scarlett O'Hara still reigns, that watching a movie on your television is no substitute for the big screen, and that Rose is still sensuous!
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| Rose, the sensuous 15 year old |
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| Julie |
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| Me |
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| I couldn't find Dana's school picture, so this pic of the two of us will have to do |
It might be "just" a memory, but you still have photos to accompany your post--an impressive feat! Sounds like you and your sensuous friends had a great time. I remember watching Gone with the Wind on the big screen when I was a freshman in college. I had no idea at the time that it was such a long movie!
ReplyDeleteWhat a terrific memory. Reminds me of my first sans parents trip to the cinema. Mum actually dropped us off at the front and came to pick us u afterwards. It felt so grown up to be sitting in a movie theatre by ourselves. The movie was not a classic, unlike Gone with the Wind. it was Battlestar Galatica.
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Hi Dyanne, what a great story, full of charm and youth... oh to have such fun memories. It would have been quite something had you all been able to get together for a redo.
ReplyDeleteWonderful movie on the big screen.
With smiles, Jenny
I remember going to the movies to see "Gone With the Wind" with my mother and sister. It was long. I'm not a fan.
ReplyDeleteDid like going to the movies though, before covid. Haven't been since.
Wonderful memories. We haven't gone for movies. But most of my memories are about outings with friends.
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