34: Rain Man

1989, Almost at the Four Seasons Mall

and then definitely at Janus theater

with: Middle School Girls

April 2nd is World Autism Awareness day.  I've been doing the Lent movies to take a step back from autism, because I really have a lot of different interests and abilities and things that make me me.  Also, the older my children get, the less the story is mine to tell and the ownership shifts to them. BUT every now and then, our hobbies and interests and abilities collide.  I have a Rain Man story.

My mother was very anti "The mall."  She would never let the three of us just hang out at the mall. Maybe that is why I feel a need to get in and out of one so quickly.   Even when I was old enough to drive myself I would go and get what I needed and then go home.  Remember why my friend had to shop for me?

Once in a while, she would either get too busy to notice or my Dad was in charge, and I would get to "THE MALL" with a middle school girlfriend. This particular night, we were going to shop and then see a movie.  We wanted to see Rain Man because anyone who was anyone was in love with Top Gun and Tom Cruise...this was his latest movie.

We were in line with our McDonalds softdrinks cups and our Limited/Outback Red plastic bags with bulky sweaters and matching socks. If you ever wanted to know why my socks matched my sweaters until Meredith threw them all away, now you know.

I don't know why we were carrying all that junk and didn't expect what happened next...

"Two for Rain Man."

"Can I see your IDs?

OOPS...

The guy at the ticket counter tried to ID us.

 Obviously, two fourteen year olds weren't old enough to go see Rain Man.

This was the only time in my life I tried to get into an R rated movie and was carded and stopped.

My friend wanted to throw a fit, but I have always been slightly more sensible than others.  I scanned the screen and there was only one movie available not rated R.

"OK...So, what's Gleaming the Cube about?"

While she huffed and puffed, I smiled and shifted the situation.

"Oh, it's a great movie about Skate Boarding, interracial families, and murder investigations."

"That sounds right up our alley, two please!"

And no, a movie about skate boarding was not right up my alley, but neither was getting kicked out of a movie theater and getting my dad in trouble with my mom for letting me go to the Four Seasons Mall, so a little Tony Hawk culture never hurt anyone.  Christian Slater was going to be in True Romance five years later, so all was good.

I have a way of smoothing it over!

A couple of us did make it in to the movie later to a theater that wasn't so diligent about checking driver's licenses.  Whatever. When I was fourteen, it was all about Tom Cruise and his car.

And now?

Well...

In 1989, I had never seen The Graduate and definitely not Midnight Cowboy.  I had an idea of Tootsie but only because it was on the cover of the HBO monthly catalog. Even though Rain Man dealt with the more interesting side of autism and not the daily life as we know autism, it was the beginning of what became today,  April 2.  It paved the way for more knowledge and interest in this disorder that I live with every day, twenty three years later.

Neither of my children can look at matches on the floor and tell you you how many are there.  They can't draw perfect carpet signs. I'm not taking either of them to Vegas to get rich quick.  Their brother on the other hand...

The only scene that really rings true to my personal journey is the scene when Tom Cruise is desperately trying to find a television so Ray can watch The People’s Court.  I have suffered many a melt down due to changes in routine.

Hollywood will be Hollywood, and my die hard activist friends forgive me, but Rain Man to me did what Indiana Jones did for archeology.  It sparked an interest.   It brought awareness.   With awareness, we get knowledge.  With knowledge, we can make it better. Smooth it over and save the situation.

My fourteen year old self knew that and avoided getting kicked out of a movie theater.

April is Autism Awareness month-Let it begin!

33: E.T.

 

1983, Robinson, Illinois

with my family and Rhonda

To say this movie was popular would be an understatement. I've never met anyone that didn't like it. 

E.T. was the first commercial movie I ever experienced.  He was everywhere.  Personally, I know I had a folder and a purple t-shirt and I think one of the three of us had the actual stuffed animal.

He was even used to get kids to wear their seat belts.   My town of Guilford still has the signs up. I hope kids still know who he is-my three do. 

  

I tried to snap a shot of the buckle up signs all over town-I'm sorry it came out blurry. My name is not Annie Leibovitz.

 

OK, so my little town never took their E.T. signs down. Which is a good thing, because not only do we now buckle our kids, but we put them in the car seats and don't let them ride in the front!

You know what else makes this perfect? The first time I saw E.T., I was in a small town. I had moved from the metropolis of Houston, Texas to southern Illinois.  The town was called Robinson.  One elementary school, one middle school, one high school.  One movie theater that played one movie at a time.

I had a best friend, I always have a best friend. In all three states my best friend was a blonde-my first friend here was a blonde (she might have dyed it though, don't talk to her anymore).  This best friend was different from the other two. I don't remember ever having a fight with this girl. I don't remember us getting catty or competitive.  Neither of us were insufferable know-it-alls.  We did what we did without a fight. 

We went to see E.T. in the one auditorium movie theater.  It was PACKED. Because the town was small, a lot of our classmates were there and if they weren't there their siblings were.  Sometimes the librarian or one of the waitresses at the diner would go see a movie. Have I always had a way of knowing everyone?

She and I were sitting in the row ahead of our parents.  They let us do that to think we were cool. We were eating popcorn and as we were watching the movie and Elliott was letting frogs go, we heard the announcement.

ATTENTION!  CONCESSIONS IS CLOSING IN FIFTEEN MINUTES!

This tiny little theater would interrupt a movie to let everyone know they had fifteen minutes left for Milkduds.

Could you imagine:

Terms of Endearment: GIVE MY DAUGHTER THE ...ATTENTION! CONCESSIONS IS CLOSING

Soylent Green is....ATTENTION! CONCESSIONS IS CLOSING!

Time for your medication...time for medication..time for ATTENTION! CONCESSIONS IS CLOSING!

Bud would have never found out Sissy cleaned the trailer instead of Pam if they had lived in Robinson, because concessions would have interrupted.

I love a good small town with it's quirks and routines.  Maybe that is what keeps me here.

Tomorrow starts Holy Movie Week!  The first one will be ATTENTION CONCESSIONS IS CLOSING!!!

See you Holy Monday!