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| My earliest memory of going to a movie was being carried out of the theatre over my Dad''s shoulder because I was scared. I also remember that I still kept looking at the screen as he was carrying me up the aisle. Over time this early childhood memory began to include the "fact" that I was watching Harold Lloyd hanging from a big clock in "Safety Last." Probably not true, because "Safety Last" was released in 1923 and I wasn't born until 1924. Of course it's possible that a few years later, say around 1927, it could have been re-released. So I stand by my story that the earliest memorable movie moment for me was seeing Harold Lloyd (doing his own stunts, no trick photography) in this scene from "Safety Last." |
In 1931 "Frankenstein" was released. My memorable moment was when the monster was tilted up on the operating table and we got our first look at him. Scary? You'd better believe it. Of course since then this movie has has so many sequels, re-makes, parodies, etc. (thank you, Mel Brooks) that it is hard to take the movie seriously. But remember, this was 1931 and we took it very seriously. We were scared to death.
1939 was a banner year for the movie industry, including such films as "The Wizard of Oz". My most memorable moment came when Dorothy carried Toto out of the wrecked house. The movie had been in a sort of muted tones of sepia until Dorothy opened the door and stepped into a spectacularly technicolored world. ("Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore...") No big deal? It was in 1939, when very few films were in color and to have the screen suddenly filled with color was something to remember.
In 1944 a relatively low-budget film, "Phantom Lady" was released. It has since become a classic example of what later became known as "film noir". It's a great "who done it", with an unexpected ending. My most memorable moment comes midway through the story when the leading lady (Ella Raines) goes to a theatre in an attempt to lure the truth out of a possible witness, the drummer in the pit orchestra. Eliza Cook, Jr. (who made a career out of playing scared, wimpy gunsels) does a spectacular drum solo as he chews gum and and lusts after the beautiful Ella Raines.
I hadn't read Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians" when the 1945 film version was released as "Then There Were None" . It had a fantastic cast of well-known actors such as Walter Huston, Barry Fitzgerald, Roland Young and Thomas Mitchell in the familiar formula: ten people being killed off one at a time. I still remember being totally surprised at the ending. If you've never read the book (I still haven't), check it out; you may be as surprised as I was.
One of my favorite actors from the 1940s was Ray Milland. He won a well-deserved Academy Award in 1945's "The Lost Weekend". The harrowing story of an alcoholic going through the torments of delerium tremens as he battles his addiction was realistic and gritty. Well ahead of its time. The memorable moment for me was at the peak of of his DTs. What we see on the screen is what he "sees" in those frightening minutes. The visual is heightened by the extremely creative musical score by Miklos Roza. Enough to make anyone swear off drinking.
"The Robe" (1953) was the first movie released in Cinamascope. We're so used to wide screen now that it may be difficult to understand what all the excitement was about. But believe me,the sheer size of that movie screen was most memorable. (Thank you, television, for making the movie industry get more creative.)
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Spencer Tracy (the ultimate "movie actor" because you never saw him acting) starred in "Bad Day At Black Rock" (1955). He arrive by train to the whistle stop town of "Black Rock" to deliver a medal of honor to the family of a Japanese American soldier who was killed in action. The town is run by a bunch of bad guys (Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan) who do all they can to run Tracy out of town. Tracy has the use of only one arm (war injury) so he isn't about to pick a fight with any of them. He gets shoved around and threatened through much of the film. In this scene with Ernest Borgnine at the town's only place to eat, Tracy has finally had enough. When he stands up and sends Borgnine crashing through the screen door with one punch, the whole audience let out a collective grunt of empathy and relief. You'll never experience that kind of moment on TV.
"North by Northwest" (1959) is one of Cary Grant's best films directed by Alfred Hitchcock. This shot has become one of the icons for the movie but my most memorable moment comes at the very end of the film. Eva Marie Saint is hanging by one hand from the Mt. Rushmore monument as Cary Grant reaches down to save her. In a close up we see his hand grasp her arm, then the close up zooms out and we see Cary Grant lifting Eva Marie Saint into the upper bunk of a Pulllman sleeping car. THE END. Great transition.
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| David Lean's "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962) is a visual feast in wide screen, filled with many great moments. My favorite comes when Lawrence has drunk from a well out in the middle of a vast desert and has been told he's in trouble because it is not his well. We see a speck on the distant horizon; the camera stays focused on that speck as it becomes bigger and bigger until we can see that it is an Arab Sheik on a camel, riding directly toward Lawrence. What a fantastic entrance for Omar Sharif. |
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| Our family drove from Iowa City to Cedar Rapids in 1962 to see "The Music Man". It had opened the day before in Mason City (Meredith Willson's home town) so this was practically it's world premiere. We loved every moment of it and have watched it many times on our DVD. My stage production was one of my most successful shows, so this movie is even more memorable. The moment from the movie that I most remember could only have happened where it happened. We were in a theatre filled to capacity by Iowans and they claimed this movie as their own. When the end credits started, they looked exactly like a curtain call, with minor characters marching down the street, finally leading to the two stars. The moment those credits started everyone in the theatre gave the movie a standing ovation that lasted throughout the credits. It's the only time I have seen a motion picture get a standing ovation. It had to be that Iowa audience. |
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| "How The West Was Won" (1962), with four directors and a long list of major stars (John Wayne, James Stewart, Henry Fonda, Gregory Peck, Debbie Reynolds, Robert Preston, Richard Widmark to name a few) was filmed in Cinerama (which is bigger than Cinemascope) and is best seen in that format to get the full visual impact of the many spectacular moments. Two memorable ones are the river raft falling apart in the rushing rapids and logs shooting wildly down a winding water trough. You're right in the middle of it. (Our DVD, which tries its best to capture the curved screen look of Cinerama, can't really pull it off.) Despite the almost overwhelming visual elements, my most memorable moment from the movie comes at the very beginning, as the opening credits start and you hear a full orchestra playing Alfred Newman's magnificent score. To me that music is the quinessential western movie music. I have owned several versions of it in various formats (including a harmonica solo version) but the original is still the best. Unfortunately, with my hearing loss, I can no longer fully appreciate it. I hope symphony orchestras are part of our next life. |
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Oops. These two shots got mixed up. The one below should be first, followed by the one on the right. (Use your visual imagination here.) Of course you recognize these as moments from "2001, A Space Odyssey" (1968). It's my most memorable moment from that movie, when the prehistoric ape throws a spinning bone into the air and it turns into a space capsule. What a great example of visual story telling.
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| We drove to Portland to see "Star Wars" (1977) on the big screen. Worth the drive. My most memorable moment came right after the beginning, when those words seemed to disappear into the vastness of space. Suddenly, from behind us came this huge space station and our first view of it was the underside, as it floated over us. Unforgettable. |
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| My latest memorable moment comes from "Gravity" (2013) which, as I'm sure you all know now, must absolutely be seen in 3D and Imax. I've already sung its praises in an email, but you really need to experience the moment one of Sandra Bullock's tears floats out toward you. Enough said. | | |
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