"Someone has to save our skins. Into the garbage chute, flyboy."
~Princess Leia Organa
Star Wars
No, this isn't my, Ellipsis Movie Of The Week, recommendation, it's, well, a memory. You see, while my sister and I were never particularly close, we did share a love of movies. But as we found over the summer of 1977, Star Wars wasn't just a movie, it was a kid's blockbuster! When I say kid, I mean tweens and teens, like me. The movie was released on May 25th, 1977, and took off with light speed! By the time my birthday came around, a month later, it was a genuine hit! I didn't really have a big desire to see it, but my mother insisted I did, so off I was sent with my sister and her brand new fiancé to see it, at a matinee. The line was around the building, and down the block, and in that it was at the end of June, it was HOT, but folks were already on their 8th or 9th time seeing it! I have never loved the summer, and I have especially never loved that my birthday was in the summer, but it was fun to watch the energy of those around me in line. The movie was so-so. There was just something about it that had me wondering what the big deal was. My sister and her fiancé were a little too into each other for me to discuss the finer points of what I found lame, so there was that. As the summer wore on, and I discussed the movie with my friends, most of them decided I was nuts. They were either in love with Han Solo, or Luke Skywalker, which I completely understood, but that had very little to do with what was nagging at me about a perfectly fine movie! My guy friends simply insisted it was the best movie ever made, period, end of discussion! Then, I finally got my answer when I met my future husband.
You see, dear hubby is the brother of sister's husband. Yes, we married brothers. Alan and I met somewhere between the film's release and my birthday, Memorial Day, to be of exact. We didn't talk much that day. He can be a bit standoffish. Which is fine, the whole, families getting to know each other, thing was lame, but there was no avoiding it, so I figured that perhaps we could be... yikes... cordial. Um... nope. He barely acknowledged my existence. Shrug. Okay. It wasn't until years later I learned why he not only would not want to talk all things Star Wars, but why he had his nose out of joint that day, but that story is for another time. Eventually, he and I met again at the wedding, the following November, so here was my chance, I really wanted his opinion, and it was a safe ice-breaker. Why was the movie that ate the summer, so mediocre to me? I explained my impression to him, that the film seemed to be oddly off about something, and he said, it wasn't lacking anything, and then he asked me if I liked westerns? I had to think about it, but finally I told him, no, I didn't. I grew up in a time when there was a different western on every night of the week, I exaggerate, but take a look at the tv in the 50s 60s and 70s! Bonanza, The Big Valley, Alias Smith and Jones, The Wild Wild West, Wagon Train, Rawhide, The Riflemen, Have Gun Will Travel, Maverick, The Virginian, ugh, you see what I'm saying! I thought about it, Star Wars takes place in a Galaxy, far, far away, which was different than most sci-fi I grew up with! Suddenly it all came together! Star Was was a space western for our parents, and a glitzy sci-fi movie for we kids. The special effects for the time was truly amazing! Of course it couldn't fail! Well done, George Lucas!
So, all these years later, I am married to the love of my life, and we have this whole day planned around watching as many Star Wars movies that we can fit into one day! And I am thinking of my sister. She passed away, several years ago, without she and I ever really becoming close as sisters, and I am in truth, missing her most days, but I have grown to really like the memory of going to see, Star Wars, with her and WhatsHisName. Looking back, it was a good day! Space Westerns Rule!
And I still have a crush on Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford!
May The 4th Be With You!
