What an odd
coincidence. It is New Year’s Eve and as I am researching what to include in
today’s blog, I realized that something very personal fits today’s blog both in
historical (to me any way) and Disney significance. It’s not easy to explain
how much I love the movies. I grew up in a very small town, the entire time I
was growing up the sign at the entrance to town said, “population 2000.” I
don’t think that has changed even unto this day. The growth in the area has
been outside city limits and, even if it has changed, the sign is not up any
more.
My dad bought a
restaurant in Louisa about 1970 and I moved to the town school from the one
room country school I attended from first through third grade. Mrs. Frances
Cane ran the Garden Theater across from the Lawrence County Court House and
this became my constant hang out. For one dollar I could watch the coming
attractions, two cartoons and the movie and have a pop, popcorn and five Kitts
(little square taffy candies). It was wonderful and I saw everything there,
some things I saw several times, there was a stretch where I watched Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
probably a dozen times. Movies at the Garden Theater and comic books from Ern
Compton’s Newsstand were marvelous entertainment for a nine-year-old eastern
Kentucky boy.
But today’s excuse is
about a boy one year younger, an eight-year-old boy and the first movie I ever
remember seeing. I’m positive it was in Ashland, KY at the Paramount. The
Paramount, was, and is, a palace. Today it is a performing arts center but when
I was eight it was a marvelous movie palace. A great monument to a truly great
era of film and I wanted to see… The
Computer Wore Tennis Shoes. I was eight and I thought it was a masterpiece.
Kurt Russell was my hero and, later, when he became an action hero, I would
tell all my friends, “I remember when he was in Disney movies.” There was a
cartoon before the movie, it seems that it was Goofy in one of his “sports”
Goofy cartoons. It also seems that it may have been a double feature with the
Goofy cartoon being about an hour long. The
Computer Wore Tennis Shoes and a twinkle in his eye; I think that’s a line
from the theme song. I need to see if the movie is on Netflix. If it’s not, I’m
sure it will be soon, Netflix signed a new contract with Disney.
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne ?
The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes came out on this day in 1969. I was eight. God
bless, Happy New Year and I hope you find something that you love as much as I
love the movies.
Big Willie, rocking the bow tie.
Remember, your best
excuse is always: waiting for your dreams to come true.
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