I was three years old if I recall correctly. My parents, my sister, and myself were living in Ogden, Utah. My brother had yet yet to arrive yet. My memories of Ogden are good. I could see mountains from the backyard of the house, I rode my bike up and down the street, and I played in the snow in the winter. Warnings to be aware of pedophiles and stranger danger was not the norm. It was a happy time for me. But, I was a little kid without a care in the world, so of course I was happy. I can remember walking down to the corner 7-11 for a Slurpee. I remember my dad building a swing set for me and my sister and man, what a day that was. I would try to get as high as I could swing and then jump off the seat and see if I could land on my feet. I thought I was a daredevil. Not sure if my mom saw me do this, she may have yelled at me to stop or I'll get hurt. And it was in Ogden that I have my first memory of movies.
It was spring time. The sky was blue, the grass was green, and dad was washing the Chevy Nova in the driveway. I was playing in the front yard and dad had said, "Do you want to see Darth Vader tonight?" I didn't know who that was. Darth sounded like a weird name. It sounded to me like Dorothy, which is why Dorothy from Wizard of Oz popped in my head. I didn't think much of it and continued playing. Later that night, I found out who Darth Vader was.
Let me set the scene for any younger folks reading this. People used to go to what were called Drive-In Theatres. What they were was a movie screen set up outside and you drove your car to a huge lot, parked, and put a speaker onto the door of your car to hear the movie. There was no Dolby surround sound, stadium seating, and you had to leave the car for concessions which were in a separate building. Apparently, they were a popular place for teens to clumsily fondle each other.
My parents would take my sister and me to the drive-in dressed in our pajamas. Without fail, we would fall asleep somewhere in the second act. I remember seeing four movies at the drive-in. The Apple Dumpling Gang, 101 Dalmatians, Grease (not my choice), and of course, Star Wars. Like most Star Wars fans around my age, I was hooked from the very beginning. The movie had action right off the top. Mostly, I recall snippets of the opening battle in the Blockade Runner and the Stormtroopers busting their way into the corridor and opening fire. Then Darth Vader entered the ship and, holy cow, he was awesome. I could tell as a three years old, he was someone who others answered to. Authority and black armor. I don't remember his artificial breathing and it's probably because the little drive-in theatre speaker was known for audio supremacy. After seeing R2-D2 and C-3PO being caught by Jawas and the cantina scene, I fell asleep.
Star Wars was on my brain ever since. My dad got my sister and I an action figure, me C-3PO and her R2-D2. For Christmas I got an X-Wing Fighter. Everything Star Wars related on TV my mom made sure I was watching it. Especially the infamous Holiday Special in 1978. To my knowledge, it has never been released for purchase to the public. Bootleg copies are out but Lucasfilm has done its best to make sure this show never gets out. Why? They say it's bad. Embarrassingly bad. Bea Arthur and Art Carney were in it and I don't think they ever spoke about it. The only seemingly good quality was the animated segment, mostly because it was the first appearance of Boba Fett. That's what I remember the most.
Among my friends and schoolmates growing up, Star Wars was what we talked about. It was almost like it was normal that they had Star Wars figures in their room. The first kid to get a VCR no doubt had kids over to watch Star Wars on video. A vast toy collection was a bit of a status symbol. If you had the Millenium Falcon or an AT-AT, you had the crown jewels of Star Wars vehicles. All good times, but alas, a boy does grow up.
I haven't really grown up that much. My hair is gray in parts and falling out in others. Star Wars has been with me since I was three. I've lost count at how many times I've seen the movies. I've got the soundtracks, books, and posters. I am a huge fan despite the fact that I haven't dressed up in character to see the movies. My son will be born in about two weeks. I have thought of Star Wars as something I can introduce him to when he becomes a toddler. He already has a Darth Vader radio waiting for him to use. I just hope it doesn't freak him out. I looked at some Star Wars Fatheads and thought that Darth Maul with his red and black head and horns glaring down on him from the wall might be a bit much. Passing on something I have enjoyed for years is something I look forward to.
Of course, if he becomes a Trekkie, I will disown him.
P.S.- Disowning a child over Star Trek is an exaggeration. I would not do that. You know that's an attempt at humor, right? I just can hear my sister saying, "You would do that?" The internet is full of stories of people doing bad things for horrible reasons. I like to think I'm a bit more balanced and normal, though a life size functioning AT-AT is something I still want.
With a 2-year-old daughter already into Star Wars, and not the least bit terrified by Darth Vader, I wonder who will embrace your first love more... the boy who is coming, or the girl who already knows how to use a light saber.
ReplyDeleteKeep writing, honey.