It was 1987
Yes, I’m as shocked as you are that was 35 years ago. I was 14 and in Dallas for the month of July with family. I was attending my first year of TAG (a talented and gifted kid camp). It was as nerdy and hormone-fueled and mad as you think – and glorious and where I quite literally became myself and discovered my own voice. I was filled with pride and a sense of belonging I have rarely felt. But that’s not what this post is about.
Today on Twitter I found a copy of the “movie pages” in a newspaper from 1987. Do you remember the excitement of opening the paper to see what was playing that weekend? This double-page spread was EXTREME and included Adventures in Babysitting, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Robocop, Beverly Hills Cop II, The Witches of Eastwick, Full Metal Jacket, Dragnet, Jaws the Revenge, and finally the movie I remember seeing in a Dallas movie theater that summer: Spaceballs. As wild Star Wars fans my brother and I went bonkers over it and I can still recite the whole damn thing. “We ain’t found shit,” is something I still say. It’s dumb, but it’s fun, and it immortalizes John Hurt among the Hall of Fame of Actors Who Mock Their Own Selves.
I’ve seen all those other movies in the years since. Can you imagine those as the choices for one weekend? I mean, two totally diverse Vincent D’Onofrio performances to choose from. Sequels. Kubrick. Wackadoodle comedies and absolute classics like Robocop.
As happy memories go, remembrances of going to the movies rank high on my list. I hope this list makes you smile too. And if you’ve always balked at the idea of Adventures in Babysitting, a truly unfortunate title, watch it anyway. You won’t be disappointed.