The Big Silver

The big screen always has fascinated me. On it, a world of magic can be created that will sweep you away. When I was very small, an imp of a child, I actually thought that there were people behind the movie screen. A child's mind is filled with impossible visions and scenarios. So, it made sense to me, in my six year old mind, that the people kissing onscreen where smooching in the vast light just beyond me. Or, that the fight going on was a real-life rumble. Chairs were flying, bottles being broken over heads. They sure made a lot of noise back there!!!........ Naturally, very soon afterwords, I came to the full realization. There weren't people behind that forty foot screen living an alternative life. Rather, it was glorious images coming from a projector behind me, shooting through the dark, birthing a new world for me. The magic of movies. Alone in the dark...... Movies and me have been a team ever since I can remember. My Dad and I were movie buddies. As a kid, we would be there, side by side, in the darkened cinema. Sometimes, my Mom or brother or sister would join us, but, most of the times, it was Dad and me. Now, we loved all kinds of movies, be they comedy, action, or drama. It is a sign of how my parents raised me that Dad took me to serious films, with adult themes. He loved me, as any good parent does, and realized that my education in the world was more than I was getting at school. He respected and fostered my budding intelligence and growing interest in the world and human behavior. Of course, I never saw any strong sexual themed movies. But, once in a while, a woman's bare breast and ass cheek would make a welcome appearance on the screen. I'm sure Dad felt a little uncomfortable at these times. Not much, however. I think he saw in my eyes that I approved of the female nudity. A small smile of satisfaction would spread on his face. It wasn't until years later that I realized that he was proud of my early interest in the female anatomy. He was the block that I had been chipped off of.......... The earliest movie I can recall seeing was in 1971, when I was 6. It was ''Patton'', starring the legendary actor George C. Scott. We saw the flick at the equally legendary Des Plaines Theater. There was a charm about this theater. Oh, it was no great shakes as a nice place to see a movie. It had old seats that must have been around since the 20's. A floor that your feet stuck to. A sound system not much better than my own stereo system that I bought at Venture. And, if you put your popcorn or drink down on the ground and didn't watch it carefully, in a matter of minutes you would see your items moving slowly down the aisle, being carried quite admirably by the theater ''pets'' that haunted the palace. But, in a strange way, The Des Plaines Theater perfectly captured that particular mood of the moment. These were the days when movie theaters averaged just a couple in the area where you lived. There weren't thousands of screens like there are now. So, when a movie came to your town, it was a big deal. You bundled up the family and went out for a night on the town. Now, ''Patton'', as you may know, is the story of the flamboyant World War Two General George Patton. Patton, the man, was a big personality that demanded a big personality to play him. George C. Scott fit the bill like a glove. All gravelly-voiced and striding with authority, Scott embodied Patton in the performance of a lifetime. But, my six year old mind was not looking at the actor's portrayal, not yet. All I remember is that the movie was loud. Filled with battle sequences. And, I saw that everyone around me was enjoying the film, including Dad. In my mind, there was a thought that sprouted that day--- though, it would take several years for me to articulate it---- that here was a most curious concept. Hundreds of strangers had made the conscious effort to leave the comfort of their homes to willingly seek out another world in the dark. That big screen. The Big Silver Screen. A world created from our fantasies and yearnings. An escape hatch from the pressures of the modern world, our everyday life. We gratefully surrendered ourselves for pure escapism. All over the world, people lost themselves in the comfort of the dark, letting our minds meld with the magic. Even as a little boy, it dawned on me that I was experiencing a powerful feeling. The willing suspension to believe......... The most memorable movie going experience in my life came in the summer of 1975 when ''Jaws'' terrorized the population. My Dad, brother, and Uncle Tom went to the late, much missed Golf Mill Theater in Norridge. I was nine that summer. We got there early, which was a good thing. Because there was a long line around the block. I had never seen that before. Literally, several hundreds of people waiting in line to see Steven Spielberg's first masterpiece. It was a cultural phenomenon , that movie. ''Jaws'' shirts were already the rage. I was concerned that with so many people there that we might not get in. No worry, though. We sat in the balcony part of the theater. And, for the next two hours, the terror of the movie surrounded us. You know, being nine, I was already a man, you see. So, I couldn't let my family see that I was scared. That was for little kids, not a worldly person like myself. In the most intense parts of the movie, I looked away from the Big Silver at my ''Acapulco'' t-shirt. It must have been noticeable because Dad slipped his arm around me, in the protective way that all Dads do. The shark was tearing people up fifty feet away. But, Dad would keep me safe..... By the way, I loved the movie....... The years passed and my movie going experiences piled up. Some were with Dad [most memorably, we saw ''Close Encounters Of The Third Kind'', both of us enchanted by the film. Dad always loved space] and some with friends. We saw the typical teenage movies like, ''Animal House'' and ''The Warriors''. We friends would gaze longingly at the women on-screen, dreaming of what we would do with them if they ever decided to walk off the screen. They never did...... Sometimes, I could  scramble up a date to take on a Saturday night. I would always try to choose either something romantic or something to get their rocks off. I saw ''Top Gun'' many times, not because it was a good movie [it is a laughable movie] but because I knew whatever woman I was with would get excited about the beefcake flyboys in the movie. It worked a lot.......... But, in recent years I have not gone much to the theater. The Big Silver I still love. It is different now, however. Long gone is the pleasurable experience of sitting down and enjoying a quality movie with a respectful audience. The films today are mostly recycled garbage aimed at a ten year olds. And, the audience for these viewings are a horror. The plague of cell phone usage and the constant talking is a major hurdle that I can no longer battle. It astounds me that people seemed to find nothing wrong in having a conversation in a movie theater, as if they are at home. The mentality is as low as the movies they are seeing. And, this irks me on two levels. 1] Because people are being ignorant and rude [something I will never tolerate in any form by anyone] 2] Having falling in love with the movies and the experience of being drawn into the sweet joy of  big screen memories, it saddens me to think this marvelous joy is fading away before my eyes. The current average moviegoer has never had a good time at the movies. They believe that they have but they are sadly mistaken. They just went to a movie........ Whereas, I have had memories.......