Early Movies that left an impression on you

It seems as you get older, live alone and have very little outside communication with others, especially during these trying times, that you live and think about the past more than you do the present or the future. There appears there is nothing for you in the future. You think different than the younger generation, and not many of them are interested in your experience. On this site I am able from time to time lend my voice to a conversation and have it acknowledged as being worthwhile.

All of the conversations there have been, every where, about wearing masks, have triggered thoughts from many years ago to my childhood years, and things or in this discussion, movies. We had a discussion several weeks ago about the movie, Song Of The South. This was the first movie I remember ever seeing. I was 5 years old in 1946. I am not sure that I can relate all of the feelings I had during that movies and I can remember it like it was last week, but I can't tell you what I ate yesterday.

Our family didn't have much and I learned not to expect too much, either for a birthday or Christmas. I did learn to be grateful what I did receive. Although, many times was disappointed. That is why I started trapping when I was 6 years old. But back to the movies. Movies were seldom and few until the 1950s when my aunt got a job working in a theater. Then I got an opportunity to see the Saturday afternoon serial movies, once in a while. I of course loved the westerns with Lash Larue, Hoot Gibson, Hopalong Cassidy, Ken Maynard, Bob Steele, Red Ryder and Little Beaver and of course Zorro and many more. I think watching these shows taught me right from wrong and good from evil.

One of the movies, in black and white, that left an indelible impression on me was the 1939 version of "The Man In The Iron Mask". I wasn't born yet when it first came out, but they did another showing of it when I was probably 8 to 10 years old. I have no idea, what impression it was that I was left with, but it is still with me till this day. I think maybe it was the conquering the impossible. Overcoming all odds and then making things right and punishing the wrong. Ever since this mask routine we are now involved in comes up, the first thing that pops into my mind ins The Man In The Iron Mask.

The next movie that left a lasting impression on me was the 1938 version of the "Adventures of Robinhood", with Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, and Claude Rains. Again, I can not tell you what the feeling is, I was left with, but it is still with me today. I can only suggest it is the same feeling that I had from the others... Injustice, right over wrong and those that are good should prevail.

The last movie that has made a significant impact on my life was "Braveheart", in 1995. I guess the theme of all of these movies that have impacted me down to my deepest core are all the same including the Saturday afternoon cowboy movies.

Now, looking back and looking at today, the difference may be that today we have no true heroes. We have no historical facts to place our hope or trust in. Everything that comes to the screen today is so slanted, perverted and corrupted, that any feelings one might have are those same feelings. God Bless this country and lift this doom from our eyes and hearts.

For those that take the time to read this gibberish from an Old Fool... Bless You.

Garry-

good read,mine was about a lady named "Debbie" that took place in Dallas.

The shining. Saw it way too young.

Several other B & W Classics from the late 30's and early 40's are "Captain's Courageous" and "Sergeant York".

.... good post Gary , I’m sure it will get lots of reads

... I always loved westerns.... but it concerns folks that I usually root for the bad guys lol

Shane, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof.

Braveheart........because I couldn't believe Hollywood would produce a movie that promotes freedom

Braveheart also, many John Wayne movies

Nice post, Garry.

Great post Garry! I remember as a kid in the 70's the old Shrine's Theater was a old and classy place and would show matinees starting at 10 am on the weekends. They would run them till 4pm then it was regular price. I would beat feet on my paper route and ride my bike like the wind if there was a good movie playing.

If you paid for the first showing, they let you stay and watch it over again all the way up till 4pm. I always loved the newsreel and the cartoons before the show. I think the first movie that I was in awe over was in the middle 70's, Rooster Cogburn came to town. Seeing the Duke up on that big screen sure was something!

Garry what a great post. I am 56 and only watch the old movies Bogart,Flynn,Rains, Scott ,Tracy,Dehaviland and many more. I like the old movies and of course the westerns and even the war movies. Seems like they were about our history current events of the time without too much political spin and of course without every episode of blowing up and shooting and blood and gore.

Hamburger Hill. May not always agree with and even oppose politically with Vietnam vets but they do have my respect.

While stationed at Ft. Lewis, we slipped up to the Rialto theater in Seattle and watched the Exorcist. I suffered through it, but honestly, I would have got up and left early on if not for being with friends. Haven’t watched it again.

How could I forget...the amazing movies with Catherine Hepburn ! Errol Flynn was fun in the action movies.

They don't make actors like that anymore.

"Vanishing Point" circa 1971 with Barry Neuman and the beautiful 1970 White Dodge Challenger. 440 Cubic Inches of pure Mopar power and adrenaline! I have it on VHS and DVD and watch it at least once a month! Not to mention all of the related YouTube videos of Nick's Garage and all of the "Groupies" who have returned to the filming locations in modern times!

Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry taught me to look both ways before crossing railroad tracks.

Jaws was another good one.

1960.The Alamo.Directed and starring John Wayne. Not everything is historically correct ,but it left me wanting more on the subject.Walt disneys Davy Crockett series got me in a life long love affair with what happened in Texas in 1836.Only thing on my bucket list--make it to the Alamo,to pay tribute to all that died there.
Tom

Texas chainsaw massacre.
Scared the crap outta me!!

same boat, but I was 12 years old (or so)...begged my parents to allow me to go with a friend.

Big Mistake.

E.T.

I grew up with John Wayne.

"Those Calloways" 1965 - I was 11 and when the kid was trapping and confronted by the wolverine under the log pile, I was on the edge of my seat.

Uncle Dave

Robin hood, ivanhoe, john wayne, roy rogers, jimmy Stewart, shane, rifleman

Swiss Family Robinson
Journey to the Center of the Earth
I was lucky to be able to talk face to face with WW2 soldiers and sailors.So war movies were interesting to me. cant remember all the movie names.
Westerns were also interesting to me. also cant remember all the movie names.
Movies I watched back then seemed to have a better moral compass than today.
other than a few children movies with my boys, Dances with Wolves is the last movie I saw in a theater.

As a youth (we saw very few movies) Old Yeller , To Kill a Mockigbird
As a teen, young adult- Lawrence of Arabia, Bridge over the River Kwia
As an adult- The Firm, The Fugitive, Platoon, Out of Africa
Bryce

Stripes.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I'm a good bit younger than you but feel the same way about 99% of what's on the screen now, and most of what you stated in your last paragraph. I suspect our folks are from the same generation.

I do have to respectfully disagree with your comments regarding that today we have no true heros. There are folks out there that have persevered and triumphed over some adversity that we could look up to, we just don't hear about them. Some of their stories aren't quite glitzy enough to make a movie about or even devote a few lines of print to but they're still worth more than most of the drivel that makes it on the big screen or the NY Times best seller list. The folks usually touted today as hero's in the media, internet, movies or news are no more worthy of second glance than a dog humped up in the back yard poopin'.

Ever since they did away with the Fairness Doctrine, weak minded, perverse and sinister individuals have been buying up every news outlet they can. With their agendas and "knowledge is power" mantra they'll only recount and pass on the stories that fit their purpose. It's sad but in this day and age we have to view every story, comment, video or picture with skepticism and wonder what their "angle" is.

Looking over my post i guess I rambling, it could be the heat but I'll blame it on Actor for getting me to thinking

A feller might go blind watching movies like that......

Weep no more my lady
Jeremiah Johnson
The day the earth stood still
(Most any John Wayne flick)
Crimson Pirate

X2- I too have always enjoyed watching "Those Calloways". In fact, I just received the DVD for Christmas this past winter. Like many movies from that era, it is just a little slow at times. But the overall theme is great. It was because of men like Cam Calloway, that we now have Federal National Wildlife Refuges for the geese to rest and feed during their migrations.

Animal house, true grit, and first blood are a few of the movie's i can remember watching young.

Wide eyed 3rd grader watching Star Wars on the big screen when it first came out ,
1st "R" rated Fast Times at Ridgemont High , still like brunettes for some reason . lol

"How the West Was Won" has always stuck with me. Jimmy Stewart instilled a fascination with the Mountain Men and the theme song is almost always in my head. My oldest brother took me to see it at the theater ("showhouse") in Milwaukee which was a treat in itself.

The scary movie my other brothers let me watch on t.v. was "The Thing". That was centered in an Arctic scientific station. They dug some alien critter out of the ice and he commenced to terrorize them....and me for many years. It was the first scary movie I ever saw.

Moosetrot

Been thinking about this for awhile and wanted to give the OP a real answer since his post was so heartfelt. I'm thinking "It's a wonderful life" would be a movie that influenced me. Not because it turns out perfect but because it reinforces God, Family, Country and the good of man. All of these things are in short supply these days and perhaps that's why the country is in the state it's in. I know that some on here hate that movie. I hear it every Christmas when there is a thread about it. However, look past that. Look into the real meaning of it. The meaning behind it. It represents American values probably more than any other movie I can think of. Thanks for posing the question Actor. It made me really think about things for awhile.

Yep ermine trapping think about that movie now and then.

Thanks for articulating some of the things that worry me about the current world. You are not the only one to notice how the movies have changed.

John Wayne - The Cowboys
Teachers - 1984 - Did not see it until 1987 - Motivated me to become a teacher and left the group homes for juvenile delinquents. (I was not a resident)
1970's, I will do almost anything for my students - legal
One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest - The craziness of Crazy
Rocky - Anyone can do anything and we do not know what we are capable of
Jeremiah Johnson - enough said
The Warriors - I and my buddies loved it
Animal House - Led a to some debauchery
1980's
The Shinning - seen it with my girlfriend and her mother - WOW
The Outsiders - Was running a group home for Juvenile delinquents - we could relate and everyone in the twon hated us for who we were helping
Footloose - Loved the music
1990's
Schindler's List - Still show it every year to my Juniors in American History
The Sandlot - Still coach our girls softball team, been coaching a team since 1980.
Tombstone - "I can be your Huckleberry"
2000's
Gladiator - Great Movie - Vengeance shall be Mine
Dances with Wolves - I would love to see it in the theater again!

A few movies that I love and hit the emotion button.

We were Soldiers.
Gladiator
The Cowboys
Braveheart
The Passion of the Christ
Last of the Mohicans, really like the music score. Powerful stuff

Thank you all for your responses. the movie "It's a Wonderful Life" came out in 1946 or 47, In the area of the country I lived in, central Ohio. It didn't really come to be the dynamic movie that it is now, until probably late 1950s. It is also one that has influenced me, not only at Christmas time, but through out the year and my whole life since I have seen it. It has in some cases helped me make decisions that I might other wise might not have made... and there are also times when I should have given it much more thought. We may never know, how we treat someone today how it will affect our lives or the other person's life tomorrow.

One movie that several have mentioned that I haven't seen is "Those Calloways". I have heard about it, but never have seen it. I don't subscribe to any of the TV channels that show all of the old movies. I just get the channels that have all of the older Westerns on them.

Speaking of Hero's today... there are quite a few that should probably be considered as such, but they aren't widely accepted. We had movie stars, sports, war just common folks from the past that did tremendous things we could look up to as hero's, but most have been tore down and tried to be destroyed in our eyes and in our hearts and minds.

Garry-

Where the red fern grows
The cowboys
Jeremiah Johnson

Jeremiah Johnson at the hometown movie theater with my Dad in 1972. He knew I loved the outdoors and we shared the experience together on many occasions. He never went to the movies that I could remember so I was thrilled he decided this would be his first. God Bless you Dad!

Chris

Moby Dick was something special. I remember watching with my dad and just being awestruck. I have a couple copies of the book and read it once a year. Still watch it with my dad.

I have liked and disliked a lot of movies, but there is only one that truly affected me. A 1995 miniseries, Buffalo Girls, with Angelica Houston as Calamity Jane Canary. It was about the waning days of the wild west and I was depressed for two days afterward. Only time in my life I have ever felt depressed. It was sad to see the dying of an era.

Starbits

I can relate . ..I stayed up late one night with my older brothers and watched The Fall of the House of usher....way too young for that. Couldn't tell you what is was even about today, but know that it sure put a fright in me that lasted a long time. Lol

Witness
Dragon Heart
McLintock
The Goonies
Second Hand Lions that somebody a couple months ago on here recommended and I got it

Sense and Sensibility and Keeping the Faith we went to the movies to see those two and got up and walked out about 20 min into both of them.

Good post Actor and I will have to see some on here I haven't seen.

One of my Sisters snuck me in to see blazing saddles when I was 9 I think. I was sore from laughing.

It wasn't a movie but a miniseries Centennial just something about getting to watch a nation grow.

Ben Hur.

Mice of men, Braveheart, and west side story.

Yeah, that and deliverance.

Old yeller was the first movie I really liked. Red badge of courage was another.

Where the red fern grows is worth watching if you take it with a grain of salt.

My cousinJimmy lost an arm when he was 5. He was grown when the movie Cat Balou was being made. He and Lee Marvin got to playing pool in a local tavern when it was being filmed. Jimmy won a bunch of money from him. Both were drunk and Marvin told my cousin he let him win cause he felt sorry for him. The fight was on and both went to the county jail in Canon City. Marvins head was pretty swolled up and he couldn’t work for a week or so. Anyway after all that I had to go see the movie and I liked it

I have been trying to remember mice of men for an hour, was hoping someone would post the title, it was one of my favorites.

There are two movies named Of Mice and Men. The first was best I thought.

Wizard of Oz Mom said i cried the whole time Still hate it

Ole Yeller and Where the Red Fern Grows, talk about growing up and tough decisions

Only TWO movies made me shed a tear................... Old Yeller and Shindler's List................. One when I was young in Life and one when I was much older in Life............. So I think "Life" has a way with shaping a person around those kind of things.

How the west was won, then Last of the Mohican with Daniel Day Louis.

The original Clash of the Titans,the original 13 Ghosts,Jeremiah Johnson,John Wayne westerns,Gettysburg,Private Ryan,Last of the.Mohicans

Escanaba in da moonlight

Red Dawn.

"The Trap" made in 1966

I’m with Danny, Old Yeller is one of the first I can remember that left a mark on me. Some favorites are Silverado, Man from snowy river, Rooster Cogburn, and the Shawshank Redemption

American Guerrilla in the Philippines, one of my favorite movies.

Grey eagle.

Mostly I am a huge comedy fan though and comedy movies were an important part of my life. My all time favorites are airplane, vacation, blazing saddles, and so forth. Best one in my opinion was so I married an axe murderer. Got to be one of my favorite comedy love stories.

Jim

Bigfoot - short preview shown right before Frontier Freemont at the theater

The Man from Snowy River

Who is this newbie that posted lol. Hi Aaron, Mr. Proffitt, hope you and yours are well.

I thought of something a bit ago, it weren't at the theater, it was at home. Watching Porky's with Dad and Mama of all people. I swear I never heard Mama laugh so hard when they suggested doing a police line up to identify the tallywhacker. Good times.

Four pages and no one has mentioned the all time classic, Dumb and dumber?

Tora, Tora, Tora.......I've hated the Japs ever since !!!!!

The Cowboys.......We're Burning Daylight !!!!!

w

Anybody remember the movie the Deerhunter? I thought it was one of the best of all time.

Thanks Actor....you sound like my Dad. Just lost him last November at 92. First movie I remember was at Sabetha KS drive-in and it was Spencer's Mountain. (probly about 61-62) A tree fell on a guy and killed him. It was like real life. We never had a TV and I'd never seen a man die before. It was shocking to me.
Dad would talk about how many families lived between our home farm and the nearest town, and could name every family. 18 families I think. Today there are none.

mountain men and jeremiah johnson

I saw the "Deer Hunter" on TV many years ago on TV starting at 11:30 PM. I believe that it lasted like three hours with commercials. It was so intense and at the same time depressing that I had to watch another movie to relax myself before I could even think about going to sleep.

The Sacketts
The Cowboys
Uncommon Valor
Rough Riders (1997)
Tombstone (1993)

I’m doing well , my friend. I jump on from time to time.

Great Porky’s reference. Hilarious scene.

I guess its the china virus that gets us old farts thinking. Last night the wife and I were remembering old times and how different it is today.
There are a few movies have left impressions on me
.
Shangri-La with Ronald Coleman
The Earthling with Rickey Schroder and William Holden, I believe it was William Holden's last movie.
Man in the Wilderness with Richard Harris.

When I sas "Rebel Without a Cause" when I was 16 years old.

We didn't have TV when I was a kid. Not complaining at all about that, but I didn't get to see movies often. I remember arguing with Mom and finally getting to go see " the pursuit of D.B. Cooper." I was probably 13 at the time.

But we did go see" Swiss family Robinson" when I was younger. I suppose it would seem cheesy now, but it was really exciting for a kid who never watched anything on a screen.

Wizard of Oz

I have a collection of all the Laurel & Hardy movies. Two of the greatest comics that ever lived.

Conan the Barbarian. Dad would make us close our eyes during the witch scene.

Saving Private Ryan

and a book titled Neither Wolf nor Dog

Red Dawn (1984)

Whenever a jet would fly over the school, me and buddies thought it was go time . lol

The 10 Commandments

x2!!!!! I still get the chills when moses is before the burning bush,,,,and the voice of god says..." I AM THAT I AM!!!!"

Those Calloways stuck with me and made me interested in trapping. The Alamo was a favorite too.

Jeremiah Johnson