Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Memory Bank: Waiting in Line to see Star Wars (1977)


 

I will always remember the summer of 1977 and the coming of Star Wars.  It is difficult for me to reckon that it happened 40 years ago.

I was in second grade at the time, and a friend who lived up the block from me in Glen Ridge, N.J. came to school one morning with a Star Wars movie booklet; one that featured imagery of Dewbacks, Banthas, Tusken Raiders, Jawas, C3PO, Chewbacca, Darth Vader and other characters of seemingly impossible and unbelievable imagination. 

I had never seen so many strange creatures assembled between two covers, and I so listened in awe as Stephen, my friend, described the film to me in some detail. I still didn't quite understand why robots were co-existing with monsters and other creatures. 

It seemed...weird.

At this point, I should add, I was still high on King Kong (1976), and could not quite believe that any movie might possibly surpass that particular viewing experience.  

So sue me.  I was seven.

Soon after my introduction via Stephen to Star Wars, my parents took me and my sister to see the film at a movie theater in Paramus N.J., and I couldn’t wait to see what I would make of the movie.


Only -- in actuality -- I could wait. 

In line. 

For close to three hours. 

The line at the theater stretched around the large rectangular building -- around three corners -- and then led out into the huge parking lot. And the line moved at a snail’s pace.

Finally, of course, we got into the auditorium, and it was absolutely packed. Everyone in my family had to squeeze past other patrons to find four seats together. For awhile, it looked like that might not even be a possibility.

And then the movie started, and my life changed.  The movie swept me away into another world; nay another reality. My father remembers to this day, that he felt breathless during the final Death Star attack scene, it was so exciting.

That's how I felt too.

That night -- before I went to bed -- my mother asked me if I had liked the movie. My mind was still reeling, and I said that I did.  But I suppose I was a little reserved in my answer. 

She then absolved me of my guilt: “It’s okay, John if you liked it better than King Kong,” she said, apparently sensing my loyalty and allegiance to the big ape.  

My façade cracked quickly at that point and I was glad and relieved to admit the truth.

I had liked Star Wars a whole lot better than King Kong.  It truly was…amazing, like nothing I had ever imagined.  But at that point, I could not imagine what Star Wars would one day become.

I did not imagine, at age seven, that the film would open up the floodgates for other space movies that I would come to love and cherish, like Alien (1979), The Black Hole (1979), and Moonraker (1979).  

I did not imagine that it would change the shape of television, which would bring us Battlestar Galactica (1978-1981), or Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979-1982).

I did not understand that its success would be the impetus to finally bring back the long-in-hiatus Star Trek franchise.

Nor did I understand that the film would shape science fiction and fantasy cinema for decades to come.

And finally, I could not imagine that one day I would be taking my ten year old son out of school early to catch an afternoon show of a Star Wars sequel (The Force Awakens) or prequel (Rogue One).  Star Wars has, finally, become something that I share with my own family; with my wife and son.

At seven -- way back in 1977 -- I suppose I was just thinking about my favorite character -- Han Solo -- and how cool it would be to play Star Wars (1977) on the playground at school with my friends.

Forty years have passed, and I am now, alas, an old man.  There is white in my beard, and pain in my back from arthritis. But Star Wars continues -- a cinematic fountain of youth.  It is a story, and a kind of storytelling that -- across the generations -- has the power to make each one of us feel young again.

Where were you, and how old were you, when you first saw Star Wars?  Let me know in the comments section!

By the time The Empire Strikes Back arrived in theaters in 1980, I knew to expect a long line. And so did my parents.  Before queuing up for the sequel, they bought me Star Wars and Shogun Warrior comic books to read for the wait.  I also had my Star Wars novelization in hand, and a few action figures in my pockets.  The time in line still seemed eternal, but again, the wait was worth it.  I left the theater wondering how on Earth I was supposed to wait for three years to discover Han Solo’s fate.

Then, by the time of Return of the Jedi, there was no need to stand in line, at least in Montclair, N.J., where I saw the film at the Clairidge Theater.  

That time, I came out of the film deflated, thinking “that’s it?”  And now I must wonder if my disappointment came about at least a little bit because I missed waiting in line.  There was no build-up to the experience, and no plugging-in to the enthusiasm of other Star Wars fans and even general audiences. More likely, the movie was just disappointing, and the experience played almost no role. 

9 comments:

  1. Growing up in northern Rhode Island, I never had the experience of standing in line for a movie because I'd usually have to wait weeks (or months in the case of the original Star Wars) before seeing the film.

    The closest first run theater was at a nearby mall but they weren't running Star Wars. For that film, I would have to ask my parents to drive me a half hour or more to Seekonk, Massachusetts. I waited a very long summer before my brother took me to see Star Wars in Franklin, Massachusetts.

    My friend was fortunate to go to see the first Star Trek film on opening night at a multiplex in Warwick but again I had to wait weeks before seeing it myself!

    I think the first film I saw on opening day was Raiders, which happened to open on the same day I graduated from high school. A bunch of friends all went together after the ceremony, but since it was an afternoon show, the theater was nearly empty!

    Don't feel so bad about King Kong. I actually continue to like that version very much, even though I was massively disappointed at the lack of stop motion animation. However, I thought the creative team did a great job updating the story and I still think that it's much better than Peter Jackson's recent version.

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    1. Hi Pierre,

      Great memories of those days back in 1977, and the movie-going experience of another area (and Rhode Island). It must have been maddening to have to wait for Star Wars all summer!

      Actually, today I'm quite the fan of the 1970s King Kong. No, it's not as good as Star Wars, but I do think it's quite a good film and I agree with you: It's better than Jackson's version.

      I ought to review the Guillermin film here on the blog....

      I really enjoyed reading your comment, Pierre. Thanks for sharing.

      best,
      John

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  2. Robert2:47 PM

    I never had to wait in line to see STAR WARS. We saw it at a drive-in. I did wait in line for EMPIRE, however. It was being shown on all 3 screens of a local theater. The parking lot was jam-packed with people, and the manager had to give the crowd instructions through a megaphone. I was five years old, and it was a thrilling experience. I remember being quite amused by the R2-D2 garbage can in the lobby.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Robert,

      I ought to do a Memory Bank entry on Drive-ins. I'll never forget going to a drive-in double feature of -- wait for it -- The Way We Were and The Legend of Boggy Creek! Weird, huh?

      It sounds like you definitely got the "waiting in line" vibe for Empire. By then, the Star Wars craze was just absolutely unbelievable, I guess. All three screens at the local theater and STILL a line. Amazing.

      I wonder if today we can't discern a culture-shifting "hit" like Star Wars because of the carpet bomb distribution plan. Now, it doesn't seem like any film -- even a great one -- stays in theaters for long, or meets the kind of crowds we remember from the 1970s.

      Excellent comment, Robert, and I appreciate the opportunity to read about your memories from the 1970s.

      best,
      John

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  3. Great memories, John. You captured your moments so splendidly in this post, my friend. Well done. BTW, you have to know I especially appreciated the pictures of that time you embedded in your piece. They were in those places I haunted in the 70s (movie-wise, at least). The top one is the AVCO Center Cinemas in Westwood Village (where I saw ALIEN two years later, in fact) and the bottom is the famed Grauman's Chinese Theatre. And I remember those exact same lines captured outside for STAR WARS. Thanks for this.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Le0pard13,

      I'm glad my Memory Bank entry struck a nostalgic note for you, my friend. I was hoping to find more video and photographic imagery to accompany this post, but I do worry about public domain and fair use issues. I was hoping YouTube would have local news footage of folks standing in line for Star Wars in 1977, but there was surprisingly little available.

      Thank you too, for identifying the theaters for readers. Avco Center Cinema and Grauman's Chinese Theatre. I knew the latter, but not the former. I wish I could have found some photographic imagery from my neck in the woods, in NJ!!

      Great comment, my friend. Thanks for adding to the memories and the discussion.

      best,
      John

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    2. And because of this wonderful recollection, you get direct credit for this TMT, my friend.

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  4. A smidgen too young for Star Wars, but I definitely remember waiting in line for the sequels (and Raiders and E.T.), but all those were in a mall, which just isn't the same experience, though it *was* nice to have a Roy Rogers close by so kids could bug a parent or uncle or older sibling to make a french fry run!

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  5. Anonymous12:14 AM

    John you summed up what STAR WARS(1977)[not yet designated Episode IV:A New Hope] did to you, me and countless other children in the summer of 1977…“the movie started and my life changed”.It was truly worth the wait in line that is why most us went back in line to see it again and again. We had the temporary luxury of enjoying this film and not immediately knowing that we would have to wait three years for the sequel.
    John when after seeing Empire Strikes Back(1980) you left the theater wondering how on Earth you were supposed to wait for three years to discover Han Solo’s fate. Never more honest words were spoken because three years feels like an eternity when you a child. But it was once again worth the wait in line in the May of 1980.
    The short wait in line for Return Of The Jedi(1983) still gave me time with friends to rationalize that George Lucas had three years to live up to both A New Hope that changed our lives and that which surpassed it cinematically Empire Strikes Back. So ultimately, we all felt that it was going to be the most impressive third act of the trilogy. However, I felt “that‘s it?” too. He ultimately was just rehashing A New Hope with Ewoks thrown in for merchandising. My in line experiences for both Raiders of The Lost Ark and E.T. were positive events too.
    I believe standing in line as children or even adults with others looking forward to seeing a film was a very socializing experience filled with youthful camaraderie as seen also at concerts and sporting events. I think that is one of the many reasons that events like ComicCon and science-fiction conventions in general are a popular way to recapture this feeling.

    SGB

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