Hi!!
Here we go!! My FIRST post actually about MOVIES!! YAY! I am so excited!! As many of you may know, it is quite daunting to stare at a blank page and try to start writing about a HUGE subject matter!! What to say?? Where to begin?? Very scary!! So, I figure I will start with my beginning experiences with movies. My posts will NOT be ordered chronologically, btw!! In fact, some will argue they may not be ordered at all!! What a compliment!! If this ever becomes work, I'll quit!!
I would like to introduce to you, my early movie favorites-- "No Man is an Island" (W/ Jeffrey Hunter) and, "To Hell and Back" (w/ Audie Murphy). They both just happen to be war movies, but the drama and story richness in each left me in awe as a kid. (Maybe I'll add, "No Name on the Bullet" (Audie in a western), just to round this out a little.)
"No Man is an Island" tells a story (I think it's a true story) of a US Sailor who gets separated and stranded on an island (Guam, I think) as it is being occupied by the Japanese. The islanders and a catholic priest hide him, and put their own lives in peril to protect him. Of course, there were bombs exploding (Not the likes of Saving Pvt Ryan), but I don't remember any graphic violence. There was, however, plenty of stressful moments and suspense-- enough to rival any Hitchcock movie (a topic of many upcoming posts, I am sure). The take away for me was learning of racial tolerance versus bigotry. As a child, I learned a ton about the value of human life from this movie.
Don't hold me to this, but I think there are sites that stream this movie for free-- just google, "Watch No Man is an Island movie' and it should be listed.
Which reminds me......
I do NOT research my information. I leave that to those who are far more adept at it than I. If I have remembered something incorrectly, please post corrections. Remember, though, most of my postings are of my opinions, not facts. If I say I like a movie, and, say, you do not, please post "We disagree" or something like it, not, "You are wrong- the movie is bad." See, I can't be wrong saying I like the movie, just as you are not wrong for saying you do not like it. Wrong would be saying the movie starred Jeffrey Hunter, when, in fact is was William Shatner-- some people do confuse them, since they were both captains in the early (maybe even the first episode) Star Trek TV show. Of course, I MAY be wrong!!
Okay, I'll be leaving out "No Name on The Bullet," since this post is longer than I meant for it to be.
The last movie, "To Hell and Back" is definitely the true story of Audie Murphy- the most decorated soldier in US history (at the time of filming the movie, anyway). Ironically, he is portrayed by Audie Murphy. His story is both astounding and entertaining. My favorite scene is when he takes on the entire German army by himself (probably some embellishment). He rushes to a vacated truck-mounted machine gun and starts mowing the Germans down. At the same time, he is calling in for air support. He gives the coordinates, and they tell him the coordinates are wrong-- those are, in fact, Murphy's coordinates. He says, "I know! I know! ...FIRE!!!" The voice on the walkie-talkie (that's like a cell phone for you younger guys) asks, "How close are they??" and, in perfect Audie Murphy style, he says, "Just a second, I'll let you talk to them!!" Classic. I love it.
But my real takeaway for this, and every Audie Murphy movie, was that I didn't have to be big and tall, like John Wayne (topic for yet another post), to be a hero ...and get the girl. Audie was my size, and now I had hope.
I also think you can watch this movie for free online by doing the same thing-- google, "watch to hell and back movie" and pick a site listed.
Thanks for hanging in with me!! I hope you had a walk down memory lane with me- or learned a little bit if you weren't there the first time(s) these movies aired.
I look forward to knowing if you know or saw any of these movies. Write anything you care to!!
See you here next time, my movie friend!!
Warm regards,
Fred T Wyrick
My beginning movie experience is as follows:
ReplyDeleteI remember way back to my childhood when we loaded the car with goodies, put our blankets and pillows in the back end of the station wagon, us kids too!! No seatbelts required back then!! Then we headed off to the drive-in movie theatre, "what is a drive-in, you ask?" It was a fenced in area, black topped (some just had dirt) with poles sticking out in strategic areas with speakers attached for you and your neighbor to the left of you!! In front of you was a huge movie screen ready for the two new movies showing that night!! There was that building that always had those tempting smells coming from it with popcorn, soda, pizza, hotdogs and even burgers & fries at some places!! There are very few drive-ins these days maybe none, such a loss because drive-ins hold so many memories for me both good and bad!! Hey, my dad even had a part-time night job away from the military at the local drive-in theatre when I was a baby!! After you've had too much soda, you could go right over to that building to where the restrooms were, hoping you didn't wait too late because the ladies room always had a line!! I remember watching Disney movies there but cannot remember which ones exactly!! I guess two movies were too much for us kids because we never made it through the second movie which was usually more for the adults anyway.....hmmm, maybe that was the plan!! Show a movie that the kids like first then a boring movie that was meant for the adults so the kids will tire easily causing sleep, how crafty!! If I were to mention a drive-in theatre to my kids they would look at me like I was from another planet, all the while saying, "what?!?" Those were the days!!
Maybe that is a little off subject but this was my first experience with movies!!
Debbie