Movies

Out of all the topics we discussed for this project, movies is the one topic that I feel I can relate to most. For one thing, I still go to the theater today with my friends and family. Secondly, I still watch movies that my grandfather watched when they first came out. For my grandfather, going to the movies was definitely an event. Canton, the small town my grandfather grew up in, played host to the only theater in the county. The theater was built in 1941, and it was very nice for its time. The seats were plush and the building was air conditioned, one of the only venues in town that was. He talked fondly of going to the theater with his family and friends. He and his family mostly went to the matinees on Sunday, and in the winter, they would go on Tuesday nights to watch 2 short films. He also remembers going and watching news reels and a comic strips. His family and friends did not go much in the summer time, because everyone would be working on the farms. I asked him about getting concessions at the theater and he said it was too expensive but, he would have liked to get a candy bar!

My grandfather went on to say, that his favorite movies are, Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, and Its a Wonderful Life. Today, my family watches Its A Wonderful Life every christmas!  My grandfather liked going to movies, and said, that it's hard to pick a favorite, there are so many good ones. He went on to say, "They made all good movies when I grew up. Movies have gone to trash." I don't know if I completely agree with him on that one! When he was younger his favorite genre of movies were westerns and once he reached high school he enjoyed musicals the best.

His favorite actor was Gary Cooper and he had a little crush on Audrey Hepburn, but who didn't! I asked him if he had a crush on Shirley Temple and he replied, " She's the same age as me, why would I have a crush on her!" Which made me laugh. In 1983, my grandpa and his family got there first VCR, which to my grandmother was great because she could tape all her soap operas, which she still occasionally does today. My grandparents never bought movies though, they only rented. Today, my grandparents rent movies from Netflix and occasionally go to the theater. My grandpa's favorite thing to watch is documentaries, which shows where I got my love for history from.