Darkfriend

Hey everyone! Don't know if I'm struck by nostalgia but I was reminiscing about my early movie experiences. I can't seem to remember the 1st movie I ever saw... I think it was 101 Dalmatians when I was maybe 7 or 8 years old (I'm now 35).

I remember one day in 1977 when my cousin wanted me to go with him to see this new movie "Star Wars". Bah ok I went with him and I went 16 more times after.

The movie cost $1.50 Canadian ( that's like 50 cents US), and I remember going in at noon (with a lunch) and leaving the theatre at 7 pm. That was before the whole "You gotta leave after each showing and you'll go to a camp in Syberia if you bring a lunch" thing

I also remember this "new technology" being used for the screening of Battlestar Galactica. They were using "surround" speakers and people would just go Ohh and ahhh just because they installed two huge speakers on the left and right of the screen hehe.

Last, I remember the movie "Parasite" (did it have Demi Moore in it?). We had to wear 3-D glasses; it was cheesy but funny.


What are your memories of the good ole days? Or your first ever movie in a theatre?

talemyn

I remember my friends and I trying to pick out in which theater we wanted to go see Clue, since different screens were showing diifferent endings.

Flynn

First time I ever heard Digital Sound (DTS I think) was Jurassic Park - I just couldn't believe how incredible it was.

Also, having to Stand at the first Batman in 1989 b/c there were NO seats left. That was cool...

ArchibaldTuttle

I remember back in the day when it seemed like every movie I saw was really good, I often wonder, wouldn't it be great if I could be that entertained by every movie I see now, as I was when I was, I am guessing, less than 10 years old

rushmore223

I miss the old movie palaces. I saw Star Wars in one, it was beautiful gold etching on the walls, red carpet and velvet curtains lining the walls. Always loved the balcony too.

Luckily that theater is preserved as a landmark in our town (It's the Warner theater in Torrington, CT. Somewhat famous I am told)

Unfortunately, they dont show movies there anymore, mostly theater productions. The last film I saw there was ::gulp:: The Nude Bomb, for those unaware, it was a GET SMART movie. sadly that is destined to be my final film memory of that theater.

I would love to buy an old theater and restore it, then open it and show films there, but I guess it would never be profitable.

Oh well.

The Nature Boy

I remember....

-meeting the girls from other towns
-seeing 4-5 movies on one admission(thank you multiplex era!)
-finishing Bad Dudes at the movie arcade
-when you couldn't put your own butter on the popcorn(and had to hope for a generous alotment)
-growing up in the dark ages of film as we'd see it today(the 80's) but seeing lots of cool movies with lots of great audience participation and attention, and not in a negative way. Rambo opening his eyes in the mudwall, Marty Mcfly getting blown away by the speaker, and Daniel LaRusso's final crane kick spring to mind
-ushers who would actually be in uniform, check tickets and police the theater, what a concept!
-the specialness of going to the movies. Seems gone to kids today, but I vividly recall not having cable or a VCR until well into my childhood, so movies were very much an event.
-smoking in the theater
-I remember being 14 years old and sitting through Basic Instinct 3 straight times with my friends, as we convinced each other, we needed to know "the plot"
-the majesty of Dances With Wolves, which while it's lost some luster, was the first GREAT movie I ever saw and those sweeping vistas have stayed with me ever since
-crying at 5 years old at E.T., the 2nd movie I ever saw.
-watching Rocky III. through my fingers, scared shitless by Thunderlips.
-people literally holding up signs at the end of Ghostbusters cheering them on.

Shannon Nutt

Here's a movie story for you...when I was 5 years old in 1975, my parents were supposed to take me and my older brother to see "Bambi". Well, my parents pulled a trick on me (evil, evil people!) and I got stuck seeing Peter Fonda's "Race With The Devil" instead. And I loved it!

Two years later, I saw Star Wars and that was it for me - movie buff for life. By the time I was 8, I was teaching kids in school how blue screen effects were done.

tpc

My first movie memory is like many others, of Star Wars. I was born in 77, but I saw it at a drive thru with my parents some time in I'd guess 1980. I doubt I understood much of it, but I loved it. We didn't have a VCR until the early 90s, so movies always had that luster of being special.

Giles

I really can't pinpoint what exactly was my first movie I saw was but I know this:

1) first Disney film was a reissue of "Pinocchio" in the mid 1970's.

2) first horror film: "Nosferatu" (1922) 16mm print at the Chevy Chase Public library - gave me and my sister nightmares for weeks - I loved it.

3) my real love for the cinema was initiated by "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" - utterly transfixed.

chente

I was born in a desert town in southern California and during the summer, when it was 105 degrees outside, we used to go the something called the "bottle-cap show". The entry fee was 10 soda bottle caps. The two theaters in town participated. They were really nice older style theaters with decorative plaster and ornate ceilings although they were already starting to show wear and tear. Anyway, 10 caps got you 2-3 cartoons, 1 newsreel, 2 feature length movies. The best on I remember was the time they showed Live and Let Die in a double bill with Gator! I also used to love the Woody Woodpecker and Chilly Willy cartoons. The good ole days.

cruzness

I can't pinpoint my 1st movie theater memories but I can speak of a few.
1) Saw Fantasia at Radio City Music Hall in1982(?) and I was spellbound.
2) Double features. I remember seeing Gremlins and a ninja movie with my uncle ( and bringing sandwiches)
3) Raiders of the Lost Ark at a big theater.
4) Seeing ET and then being tricked by my older cousins to go see Poltergiest with an offer of ET again. 1st scary movie.
5) Seeing Batman on opening weekend with a couple of friends and thinking I was in heaven.
6)The Elephant Man - I was scared by my cousin afterwards when she put on a bag over her head (I was like 5)
7) I remember the excitement over ROTJ, Aliens and Temple of Doom.
8) movies that could hold #1 for more than 3 weeks.

NavinJohnson

I remember my Grandmother taking me & my sister to see Mary Poppins and buying us any candy & soda we wanted (parents were kinda frugal; they rarely did that).

First movie I wanted to go see was King Kong (1976). Dad jokingly told me not to look if Jessica Lang's bosoms popped out. I was a little disappointed that Kong didn't catch & crush a jet like on the poster.

The long lines of people waiting to buy a ticket for Star Wars were unbelievable to me as a 10 year old. I can't remember exactly what people said, but there was genuine excitement in the lobby. I also picked up my first piece of memorabilia- a program.

I remember the incredible anticipation for Empire; had to see this on opening weekend. My best friend & I sat front row center and our high hopes were fulfilled in spades (this was years before I saw Mr. Lucas' name spelled with a dollar sign).

Only Python film I got to see on the big screen was Meaning of Life. When Mr. Creosote , I tried hard not to laugh out loud. It was a small audience and I didn't want to be the only one.

Not being from a large city, the reaction to E. T.'s ending was a suprise. I had never seen (or heard of) a standing ovation to a film. I thought to myself "they can't hear you...". It was a wonderful experience.

Supermallet

Being only 19, the multiplexes were the norm for me.

My first film was a re-release of Snow White. I got completely freaked out by the death of the witch.

I remember standing in line for hours to see Jurassic Park on opening day, and then the projector broke and we had to sit for an hour before they fixed it.

Being 15 and having my friend who was 17 buy me a ticket for Eyes Wide Shut. Going to see it after driving school, even though my parents told me I couldn't.

My parents not allowing me to see the original Batman, so when Batman Returns came out, I made my dad take me to see the first show on opening day. I loved it so much I went with a friend the next day. To this day it's still my favorite of the Batman films.

Seeing the remastered 70mm print of 2001: A Space Odyssey at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. It brought a tear to my eye.

Actually, I remember the first time I went to the Egyptian Theater. I found out about it through DVD Savant, who was talking about the Until The End of the World director's cut screening they were going to do. So I went and it blew me away. The theater and the film were both amazing. I've been going there regularly ever since.

Rival11

Ahh yes, I remember Jaws 3D I was so freaked out by it and I think it's one of the biggest reasons why I turned inot such a horror movie freak.

Rocky - I remember the whole theater cheering on Rocky (joking around of course) It was hilarious "come on Rock!!!!"

steebo777

First film memory being Jedi in 1983. My parents took me to it (I was born in 1979) and I thought it was so much fun. I made them buy me every action figure possible. After that, it was the era of the VCR for my parents, so they bought hundreds of tapes to record and of films. I didn't really get back into the theater experience until around the early 90's. After that, it was all downhill

Giantrobo

My early Movie theater memories....


-The earliest I can remember was seeing Disney's ROBIN HOOD cartoon with the Fox playing Robin and the bad guy Snake. I can't remember if it was in a drive in or not.

-Seeing Star Was at a drive-in with the new "Hi-Fi Sound through your radio technology". You clipped this wire to you car antenna and the audio was through your car stereo instead of that huge heavy iron box that hung on your window.

-Seeing cartoons before the movies...NOT COMMERCIALS

-Seeing GODZILLA vs. MEGALON in the theater back in the 70's after years of watching all the G movies on TV. Mind you, this was at The Wiltern Theater which is now a concert venue here in LA. It was one of the last Big Movie Joints I enjoyed actual films in.

-Seeing Superman at Mann's Chinese theater and actually having a chance to buy a Superman Movie Program. I think my parents did.

antennaball

First movie i saw in the theater was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 1990. i was NINE years old when i saw it. Not entirely sure why it took me so long.

After that, I went every chance i could. The old theater that we went to was moldy, cold, and it was kinda routine to have rats run across your feet.

Good times.

Chrisedge

Actually, what your probably thinking of is not "Surround Sound" but was Sensurround. (Basically, huge subwoofers when done right. I actually saw a early demo before Earthquake came out at Universal Studios)

http://www.imdb.com/List?sound-mix=S...15;Sensurround

Here is some info on Sensurround.

Sensurround, another dispensable gimmick, evolved in 1975 for the Universal production, EARTHQUAKE. According to Halliwell's Film Companion the process involved "the augmentation of violent action on screen by intense waves of high decibel sound, enough, in some documented cases, to crack ribs." The process was used for two subsequent films ROLLERCOASTER and MIDWAY. The process never caught on due to the disturbances at the local cineplex. When EARTHQUAKE opened in December of 1974, GODFATHER II opened the same week and often played in the next theatre auditorium. Theatre managers were inundated with complaints from audience members, literally shaken, by the bleeding of Sensurround into their theatre exhibiting GODFATHER II. The disruption was not worth the effort for most theatre owners.

(Battlestar Galactica, was also released in Sensurround)

Chrisedge

Sensurround" was perhaps the least outlandish of all "audience participation" gimmicks, and undoubtedly the loudest. Having grown to semi-legendary status among film historians and audio enthusiasts alike, Sensurround is reputed to be the "mother of all theatre sound systems," making today's THX and Dolby NR sound like am transistor radios alongside it.

Specifically developed by Universal Studios sound engineers W. O. Watson and Richard Stumpf for the theatrical release of "Earthquake," Sensurround essentially created subsonic, low-frequency vibrations between 5 and 40 cycles at sound pressures of 110-120 decibels, causing the audience to feel low vibrations during the main earthquake and dam collapse. The speakers and amplifiers were designed and built by Universal Studios in association with Cerwin-Vega, and brought in to select theatres showing the film for a $500 per week rental charge.

The actual setup consisted of six speakers; four large speakers behind the screen, and two on a platform in the back of the theatre. To give you an idea for the size of the speaker cabinets, two featured Cerwin-Vega "Model W" horns 8 ft. long, 4 ft. wide, and 4 ft. high. The other two had Cerwin-Vega "Model C" horns 1 ft. wide and 5 ft. high. Each speaker was driven by a 1000-watt amplifier, which was controlled by a special optical control track in the film, in addition to the normal 4-track magnetic soundtrack for voices and music (which, strangely, was in mono, and not stereo).

The only way Sensurround could be felt was for the theatre to have been equipped with the entire Sensurround System, which not only included the speaker cabinets, but a device connected to the projector which allowed the optical control track to be read and trigger the Sensurround. Normal projectors could play the soundtrack, but not the Sensurround if they were not specially equipped to do so.

Since Sensurround's subsonic output was in the 110 to 120 decibel range (which is in the same db range as a jet engine at takeoff!), it was so powerful, it actually caused structural damage in some theatres!! The most famous of these was the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. During a test screening designed to take the system out for a spin, the plaster on the ceiling actually cracked, forcing theatre management to string a net over the auditorium to catch any falling debris. In fact, all around the country, during the budding age of multiplexes, the Sensurround System for "Earthquake" disrupted many showings in adjacent theatres!

Sensurround pioneers Richard Stumpf and W.O. Watson pointing out the size of the mamma-jamma Sensurround System theatre cabinet. It looks ominous, even without the speakers installed!

For you audiophiles out there, Cerwin-Vega has carried on the Sensurround name by creating the "Sensurround System 6" home stereo system. Consisting of six speakers, this system literally shakes the house, and goes for a mere $1,300 (not including the amplifier!)

Darkfriend

That's it, "Sensurround"!! Thanks for the info Chrisedge!

scott shelton

This is one of the best threads this forum has ever seen.

No bitching or mouthbreathing, just stories and love. Fantastic.

Please keep this going.

Giantrobo

Shhhh!!! Don't Jinx It!

Dr. DVD

While my visits to it are small now since I no longer live around the area, my independently owned and operated theater still plays by the rule of showing maybe two or three trailers then on with the show. No advertisements or crap they shove at you in the chains who want to get corporate bucks. They also enforce the cell phone rule! Imagine that!

Good memories:

-Seeing ROTJ and ESB not on their first nights, but the second nights, which could be just as packed as there weren't several hundred prints at the same theater back then.

-Eating gobs of M&Ms during said movies.

-Darth Vader turning on the emperor in ROTJ. First time I recall audience members applauding at the actions on screen.

-Seeing Rocky III opening night in 1985. It was a night before Thanksgiving premiere and the theater was packed. Just to show you an illustration of the times, the minute Rocky suddenly began to show life against Drago and pound him, the audience went totally ballistic. We really hated them Ruskies back then, didn't we?

-Since there was no corporate ownership or regulations, the theater owner would play the ST to whichever big movie was opening on its first night before the show started. He would also have a big disco ball in the center of the auditorium to make lights dance off the screen. Entertaining stuff at age 8!
-Theaters that were HUGE. Since the maximum amount for a theater to have in the mid 80s was typically six, each screen and auditorium seemed enormous. Also, when I was a kid, it always seemed like the theater was packed and audiences liked everything.

KingSmoth

First movie I ever saw in the theater was Masters of the Universe. I was 6 and an insane He-Man fan, so when my parents took me to see it, I was in heaven. I went nuts when Dolph proclaimed that he had the power....
I remember going to see Batman with my dad - such an amazing movie, and I was the only one at school who had seen it, so that added to the cool factor.
My dad also took me to see Terminator 2, which to this day stands as my favorite action movie of all time. In return, I took him to Terminator 3 last summer.
I remember opening night of SCREAM, it was the first time I had ever seen a massive crowd in line for a movie. I was only 15, but looked older, so I wasn't carded when I bought my ticket- some of my friends weren't able to get tickets, so they ended up sneaking in so we could see it.
Although I never did get to see any of the original Star Wars trilogy in theaters, it was a treat going to see the SE's.
I don't have many fond theater memories beyond that point, it seems everything is ruined by screaming kids, cell phones, etc. these days.....

LasVegasMichael

My first movie was E.T. back in 1982.

I Remember it well, and the memories are certainly nostaligic at the very least. I was about 6 years old, and also remember the tuxedo clad ushers and droves of people with ET dollas and various other merchandising.

The first movie I saw twice in the theatre was Return of the Jedi, and was blown away both times.

My uncle took me to see Splash in the theatres when I was 7, and my mom still hasn't forgiven him for that one.

One of my "funniest" memories was only a few years ago when Star Wars Episode One opened.

I worked accross the street from a very large theatre, and saw the complete dorks lining up, in full costume mind you, over 5 days in advance. They were replete with plastic light sabers, tents, and battery-operated hibachis.

Thanks for the memories!