What is the earliest memory you have of watching a movie at the theater? For me that movie would be none other than "Star Wars". I was either 4 or 5 years old and I distinctly remember watching it with my parents. I even remember some guy seated behind me saying "take out your stupid sword" in Spanish when Luke was grabbed by the dionaga during the trash compactor scene on the death star.

Mine is seeing "In Harms Way" at a drive in. I really don't remember what my first movie in a an actual theatre was. I do remember seeing "The Godfather" when I was 12 in a theatre.

Probably wasn't my first, but the most vivid memory of seeing a movie in a theater when I was young was when my Dad took me to see Midway.

I was about 5 I think when I saw "Carrie" and "The Wizards" in the theatre. I think I saw "Burnt Offerings" in the theatre as well at that age. I saw "Jaws" and "The Omen" at that age at a drive-in theatre.

See, it hasn't messed me up! I'm normal!

v6,
boNes

It was a Dirty Harry movie, the one where he shoots a guy at the end and throws his badge into the water. The guy was holding a kid hostage at the time.

My parents obviously didn't wait so long to take me to the movies because they were concerned with age-appropriate content, they just didn't take me to see stuff they didn't want to see (like Star Wars . . . grrrrrr! ). I was 10 years old when Star Wars was released and I still haven't forgiven my parents for not taking me. Every kid in school was talking about it. I finally saw a third generation (crappy) VHS copy around 1981.

One of the earliest experiences I can remember was seeing the Disney cartoon "Pinocchio" at the local theater, probably when I was 5 or so. I'm the youngest of 5 kids so my parents would just drop us off, with the older kids babysitting, and then pick us up later.

I remember seeing Bambi. It was a re-release of course. Darbi O'Gill and the Little People was another. I was probably 5.

And I'm all messed up.

As an aside. I don't mind paying the price for a ticket today considering how much the experience has changed over the years. Stadium Seating is da bomb. Surround Sound, 3D, IMAX, etc etc. It's surely a lot better than long flat auditoriums where you couldn't see because of the chap in front of you. The room echoes from the hard concrete flooring. The sound can't compare. I rarely have issues with the film quality, whereas back in the day it was based on the quality of print/# of viewings/mainetance.......

Consessions? Well those are a bit much.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7SnGX_x8is&feature=fvw

I give my age away when I say Old Yeller, but when I first saw it with my parents, I was so upset I made them watch it again the same day. And they did.

And now I know where my preference for yellow labs comes from.

I don't remember my first movie in a theater experience. I do remember an early theater experience though where I must have been pretty little. If I recall correctly, they were playing a commercial for the Marines and seeing their closely shaven heads and not knowing better I said out loud "Hey that guy is bald" or something like that? I believe there was a fellow sitting up in front of us who started to rub his hand over his head. He must have had little hair but I was referring to the Marine commercial.

I saw "The Out-of-Towners" starring Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis when I was 7 years old at Radio City Music Hall. Must have been 1970.

The physical theater environment is usually pretty nice these days, it's the people that go there that ruin it for me. Kids running around, some schmuck who can't fathom why not everyone in the theater wants to hear his commentary, the crackling wrappers, etc.

So I got a large HDTV and a surround sound setup in my house and wait for the DVD. It's great, and I think the picture quality is better on my plasma than most theaters (The Dark Knight in Blu-Ray comes to mind).

my dad took me to see Godzilla vs Megalon in Iowa City when I was about 5 yrs old... AWESOME!

I have vague memories of watching 'Mary Poppins' in the cinema when I was about 4 years old. Some scenes have stayed with me ever since.

dw griffiths' "birth of a nation" during its first theatrical run. those were the days...

I think that my first theatre visit was probably to one of the Disney movies when I was a little toddler; probably something like The Little Mermaid or something, although I suppose it could equally have been a Don Bluth animation. Far too long ago to remember now.

I've never really been a big theatre-goer; the theatres aren't too bad back home, but the crowd are a bunch of cretins these days, mainly because the vast majority are in the 10-22 bracket. I think the only time I had a positive crowd was when I saw Independence Day - the bit where the dog jumps through the door to safety drew a huge cheer which was rather amusing. Nah, I've decided that unless the movie is worth it, or is an IMAX, I'm probably not going to bother.

My mom wanted to take me to see a Dinsey movie so we went to see "Fantasia". Everything was fine until "Night on Bald Mountian/Ave Maria" came on. Back in the day (@1956) a demon even one from the Disney studios was enough to give a 4 year old night mares for weeks. BTW I prefer the original version of the film (conducted by Igor Stravinski) to the newer re-release.

I remember seeing Ghost Busters in a drive-in theater; but I can't really remember my first "in door" movie...probably something like Bambi lol

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, with my parents. I can distinctly remember walking out of the theaters like it happened yesterday

Herbie Rides Again is the one that comes to mind right now.
I know I went to movies before that one...
I think why it is the one I remember the most is because it was the first time I went with a friend.
The parents left us at the theatre alone. It was 1974 ane we were only 9.
I don't think anyone would do that now.


Wheels

Good lord I think that was the first one I saw as well. Year checks out. I was 5 but I remember the neighbour's parents took a few of us. I know it was a Herbie movie and I'm just basing it approximately on the year I would have seen it.

Never went to the movies again until Star Wars I believe.

Wow Pepper, I had no idea you were around in 1915.

The sound of music in 1970 or 71 I am not sure..

Did you walk out before it ended, or was the movie so great that you remember leaving? That was a Harryhausen Classic. A local TV channel used to play that on X Mas eve afternoon. I always watched it.

Misleading phrase "walking out", my apologies (mein engrish). It was a good movie, what I can distinctly remember was me and my parents "after" the movie. I can remember the damn hue of the lights and the stairs etc.

Edit: And the Cyclops and Dragon duel is something that stuck with me up until this moment. It is stop motion but the impression it left me is still here even with all the CGI bombardment from Transformers 2.

Earliest movie memory is of my teenage sister REFUSING to let me go with her and her school friend to see Lady and the Tramp (must be early 70's?).

First drive-in experience was in Israel. Spent the day on the beach (v. hot!), gloating about it being -5C in the UK, on christmas eve '86. Then went to see Aliens 2 in the evening, in a beautiful roman amphitheatre. Which was nice.

The first theater movie I really remember wasn't a theater at all. It was a drive-in movie. My parents took me to see C.H.O.M.P.S. - the movie about the robot super dog! I remember less about that movie than what was playing on the screen out the back window of the car...some steamy love scenes in an R rated movie I guess.. :thumbup:

Smokey and The Bandit in the drive-in with Mom and Dad.

I didn't make it to a indoor theater till I was 17 and went to see Home Alone.

They wouldn't be doing a very good job if they did.

I can remember though, when the parents would drop a bunch of kids off at a movie theater for Saturday matinees. Cartoons, Three Stooges, maybe some Sci Fi. I recall seeing "Forbidden Planet" and how the monster scared the crap out of me. The girls in the audience were hiding their eyes and I wanted to as well.

I remember how it was was when my parents took us to see "20thousand Leagues under the sea" back
around 1966. Was pretty cool to see a movie in color since we only had a Black & White TV at home.

"Monsters...monsters from the Id..." yepper, Disney did it again. That one nearly scared one of my cousins and me
to death...

I must really see "Forbidden Planet" again. It's probably been at least 10 years since I've seen it. What kind of sci-fi fan am I? lol

"Forbidden Planet? What is it?"

"A movie, starring me. But that's not important now."

I do believe that this was my first as well. I think one of my sisters was forced to babysit me (4-5 years old) during an afternoon and she and a bunch of her friends wanted to see this, so they took me along to a matinee. I remember some guy, who had a hook for a hand, got it ripped off at some point - that freaked me out. The dragon had multiple heads, didn't it? I don't think I've ever seen it since, but those things I still remember.

The first movie I remember seeing in a theater was "The Empire Strikes Back." I was 6. I've spent my entire life going to movies wishing I would could feel again how I felt when I saw that movie! Needless to say that trilogy has been and always will be my favorite films. I guess in some way that's why I felt personally violated by the new Star Wars trilogy. Like Lucas set out to destroy my precious childhood memories.

LOL!

That movie seems to be repeated endlessly on TCM.

i saw all disney on theather, but the most vivid experience was watching batman returns and then jurassic park, i think jurassic park was the best movie experience i had to this day, those dinossaur still live up to today CG animation,with exception to some scenes,mostly the light ones, like the raptors in the kitchen.

I have very fond and vivid memories of the night that my parents and I went to see ESB. I remember waiting in line for about an hour before I could go in the theater and sit down!

I didn't see the Star Wars movies until Return of the Jedi came out in 1983.
I saw all three that day.
Star Wars (1977)
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Return of the Jedi (1983)
A friend of mine was awestruck that I hadn't seen any of them up to that point.


Wheels

I went to see 'Star Wars" the day it came out in Baltimore. I watched it with 9 or so other souls in the theater. I was amazed at what was on the screen. So, I went home dragged my younger brother back with me (had to wait for him to get home from school) then got into a line that wound for 3 blocks around the movie house. We waited through 2 showings before we made it in. My mom was furious at me keeping him up so late on a school night but, he said it was worth it.

He probably still remembers it as a great day Iron Mike.


Wheels