August . . . is a great time to watch a summer blockbuster movie!
When I was a teen-ager, I lived in a small(ish) town (Cheyenne, Wyoming), and we had only two movie theaters. Yep. Just two. We could choose to see what was playing at the Lincoln, or we could choose to see what was playing at the Paramount. And the movie offerings there? Well, let’s just say that at that time in history, blockbuster movies didn’t come to Cheyenne right away. In fact, summer blockbusters . . . were often fall blockbusters by the time they rolled into town back in those days!
In the summer of 1975, I was 16 and THE blockbuster everyone wanted to see was . . .
But, of course, it was not showing at either the Lincoln OR the Paramount. (Sigh.) Lucky for me, though, I happened to travel to Denver for a swim meet one weekend soon after the movie came out. Some of my teammates and I convinced our chaperone that we should ALL go see Jaws while we were in Denver! So we did! We were so excited — but I was also really nervous about seeing it. (It did scare the $hit out of me, truth be told.) When we got back home to Cheyenne, my swim team friends and I enjoyed weeks of well-earned “social capital,” teasing our unlucky friends with tales of how great the movie was, and taunting them with how we knew they’d love it . . . when it came to town, that is!
Yep. There is no time like the summer to go see a movie.
Let’s create some Summer Vibes . . . by putting together our own Summer Film Festival!
Here’s the plan: Just leave a comment with your favorite summer movies. They don’t need to be actual blockbusters. They can just be movies you saw in the summer. Or maybe movies about summer. Or even movies that just remind you of summer. You can even include a story or two if you’d like.
I’ll compile a list of movies and share it later this month — so we can all celebrate these last days of summer with a virtual Summer Film Festival.
(Now who’s bringing the popcorn???)
I, too, remember the Lincoln & Paramount movie theatres … and standing in line to see a movie! One of my favorite memories? Standing in line in 1977 (I was 15) to see the very first Star Wars movie! Wow, words cannot describe how exciting it was! Great memories!
Blockbuster or not, I have never seen JAWS!! (The movie that scared the shit out of me in high school was The Exorcist!) I do remember lining up around the block to see Star Wars.
Summer movies, eh? It doesn’t matter what the season, Shawshank Redemption is high on any movie list for me! And Jesus Christ Superstar. Raiders of the Lost Ark, too, and BIG. And Batman. And Star Trek. (I’ll stop now.)
Oooh, I have some ideas for this one! (Of course you’ve already used the quintessential summer movie yourself.) Allow me to suggest: Grease, The Parent Trap, ET & Dirty Dancing.
Hmmm, as you know, I’m not much of a movie person (I get bored, I get antsy, I hate how loud theatres are, etc., etc.), but two movies come to mind that remind me of summer: I think the name is Endless Summer (?? – the one about surfers chasing the waves) and Chariots of Fire. As for favorite movies – any time of the year – top of the list is Out of Africa followed by Cross Creek and then Gone With The Wind.
Much Ado About Nothing (Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Denzel Washington, Keanu Reeves, Kate Beckinsale), 1993, set in Tuscany – reminds me so much of summer that I watched it over and over in a frigid Pittsburgh winter when the movie first came to DVD in order to to keep warm! Still do! Recommended for the all star cast and the sunshine.
The 1984 version of Footloose – with Kevin Bacon. It’s a fun movie, but it also brings back those feelings of my summers growing up. They were wonderful in many ways, but for us country kids, a little lonely too, without school. And if Lynn hasn’t seen the Joss Whedon Much Ado, I highly recommend it. It was filmed at his HOUSE — it’s in black and white, and really just lovely.
PS – we haven’t done this for years, but when our kids were home and teenagers, we’d project a movie onto a sheet hanging from the side of our house and watch in the back yard. Those were great parties – even in August, it doesn’t get dark till pretty late and then it cools off. Such good memories of sitting on the lawn in the dark on summer nights.
I’m not much of a movie person either, but Apollo 13, The Fugitive, and almost any Harry Potter movie come to mind. Ryan was quite anxious to see Quidditch on the big screen and Justin wanted to see the movies because he got bored reading the books.
P.S. Jaws scared me enough when I saw it in the theater in 1975 that 48 years later I haven’t re-watched it. Maybe if I’m watching it in the company of other blog readers?
My strongest summer movie memory is taking my younger brother to see the original StarWars movie at the new multiplex, mostly because it would be air-conditioned and we were in a heat wave.
My other summer movie memory was seeing Gimme Shelter in the town where I went to summer camp. I don’t recommend the movie itself but the event made a lasting impression.
Favorite summer movies are probably Dirty Dancing and Original Footloose. More recently, maybe Black Panther (the first one). In a completely different direction, maybe Babette’s Feast for taking me far away and into a cinematic sensual realm I had never imagined.
Jurassic Park will always have a special place in my heart.
Hmm. The first (or the fourth) Star Wars movie–saw it Memorial Day of my freshman year of college with my ex-hs boyfriend who was visiting me for the weekend. The Blues Brothers in 1980–someone I took dance from was in it. Xanadu (LOL!) –someone I took dance from was in it (not the same someone who was in the BB movie).
Hmmm…good choices. Did The Exorcist come out about that time? I would never want to see it again but was proud of the fact that I had the courage to sit through all of it. Loved your Denver story! Never underestimate the power of a group of girls.
Dirty Dancing. I watched this on repeat with my daughter, and (because it was close to my parents’) even visited the real resort where most of the film was made.
The Last Starfighter. My kids and I watched this at the drive-in in Cheboygan, Michigan. Sci-Fi isn’t usually on my “must see” list, but this was a charming movie.
The Big Chill. I don’t know HOW many years I made this my personal New Year’s Eve viewing party. Love it.
My parents had a cottage at a lake and there was 1 tiny movie theatre in town. ( I think it’s now the grange hall but back then a movie theatre). I remember one summer seeing the Planet of the Apes and we got to sit through it part way a second time as we were waiting for my father and the owner said he’s watch out for his truck and let us know when he came. No cell phones then. I also remember going with the neighbors to a town farther away with a multi theatre where we saw Star Wars.
1975 – Tommy the rock opera and 1976 The Omen. We were summer campground kids who had a nearby drive-in. So fun! (One of our best friends was a kid on the beach in the Jaws movie! )
Likewise, Holland Michigan had just two theaters (The Park and Holland aka The Knickerbocker) as well… I remember standing in a blocks long line to see Star Wars at the Holland Theater in the summer of 1977. Fast forward several decades and you will see my Sam and I seeing that Star Wars movie in that same theater. It was the best movie experience in my life… why? Well Sam’s utter excitement at seeing that movie on the big screen… including his jumping to his feet in his chair in the light saber scenes to fight with Luke Skywalker (take that Darth Vader!!!) The best memories ever…and that makes Star Wars my penultimate summer movie!
I always think of baseball movies when I think of summer, so I will add The Sandlot, Bull Durham, and Field of Dreams to the list.
I’m not a super-big movie person, but I’d have to second Carole’s E.T. and Parent Trap (1961).
Our town had only one movie theater and on summer weekends the matinee was always packed with kids. They showed beach movies like Beach Blanket Bingo ( I had a pre-teen crush on Frankie Avalon) and all of the Gidget movies. I do remember seeing Mary Poppins right before school started. I think we drove our 5th grade teacher crazy because it was all we could talk about on the first day of school.
When I was a little older we usually went to the drive-in and saw movies like Love Story, The Way We Were, and Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid. I don’t know if those movies were released in the summer, but that is the time of year I remember seeing them.
I am not a big movie-goer. The summer like movies that stand out are the original Parent Trap with Hayley Mills, South Pacific for the warm climate (that really dates me but that’s me) and The Way We Were. I grew up in a northeast Nebraska town smaller than Cheyenne so summer blockbusters weren’t a thing. I’ll bring the popcorn.