A Reel Review: Films of my Father

This Blogger’s dad passed away a year ago this week. Dad loved the movies, and it was a passion that obviously rubbed off on me. Not long after he passed, I had planned on writing a blog to explore the films that he loved; as a way of discovering, reflecting, and most of all, healing…but a year ago I wasn’t ready. Time is a test of all things, and after a year of thinking about it, the moment to journey back feels right. These memories are my own; unspooling like a film projector of old.

Dad was in born in 1942. In that year, the average price of a movie ticket was $0.27. MRS. MINIVER would win Best Picture, James Cagney would win Best Actor for his portrayal of George M. Cohan in YANKEE DOODLE DANDY, and a little film called CASABLANCA would be released. Dad came from a family who liked to tinker, dabble, and experiment with photography and home movies, so cinema was a natural curiosity. According to family legend, dad was literally scared out of his seat during a screening of THE WIZARD OF OZ when the Wicked Witch made one of her surprise appearances.

As a child of the 1950’s, he was surrounded by the most popular genre in film, the Old West…and there was no bigger cowboy in the world than John Wayne. The Duke became a hero to dad for the rest of his life, and his favorite films by the American icon ranged from THE COWBOYS (1972), and TRUE GRIT (1969). He was an avid reader of the classics, especially Sherlock Holmes, and became a fan of Basil Rathbone’s excellent portrayal of the famous detective during his run of 14 movies from 1939 to 1946. Dad’s time in the army, and a family connection to Vietnam would make him a fan of war films, especially PATTON (1970), and another John Wayne film, THE GREEN BERETS (1968). He was a music lover, and his favorites such as Al Jolson and Mario Lanza were happily viewed and revisited in classics such as THE JAZZ SINGER (1927), and THE GREAT CARUSO (1951).

As his first born, I spent many Sunday afternoons with dad in the family room…with him in his recliner and me on the floor, watching the WPIX-TV movie of the week. These classics leaned towards fantasy and sci-fi; FANTASTIC VOYAGE (1966), KING KONG (1933 and 1976), and THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951). This time also included watching the original STAR TREK series, which would eventually lead us to seeing the first three TREK films in the theatre together. HBO would become a big hit in our house, making JAWS (1975) a family favorite, and dad would love to watch THE EXORCIST (1974), while mom would immediately send me to bed. And as a motorcycle enthusiast he loved Bruce Brown’s definitive documentary ON ANY SUNDAY (1971).

In 1977 STAR WARS exploded into our family and stayed there. Dad took the family to see all three films, and was on board with the hordes of toys I would collect…along with using the threat of Darth Vader to send me to bed on time. Later, Indiana Jones would come swinging into our lives, and the third film, THE LAST CRUSADE (1989), which was a father-son story, became another family favorite. To this day, that is the film that I consider to be the perfect Father’s Day movie. When home video arrived, movies were recorded off HBO and carefully cataloged…ready for reference and viewing at a moment’s notice.

Sean Connery was one of his favorite actors, and in 1990 he took my brother and I to see the excellent THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, and he never missed one of Connery’s 007 movies on TV. Many of the films he picked were because of his favorite actors; John Wayne, James Cagney, James Caan, Steve McQueen, Orson Welles, Marlon Brando, Michael Caine, Jodie Foster, and Angelina Jolie.

He enjoyed sci-fi and fantasy and we often watched EXCALIBUR (1981) together. In his later years, he almost never missed a new superhero movie in the theatre, especially the new run of Marvel films. I always found that curious as he was never a comic-book reader, but now I think maybe it was a way of connecting with me. He laughed like a nut over HOME ALONE (1990), and had CAPTAIN AMERICA (2011) and NATIONAL TREASURE (2004) on constant re-watch. Dad also seemed to love a good bad movie; the wacky stuff on the SyFy channel appealed to him, along with THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN (2003), and the two SHERLOCK HOLMES abominations in 2009 and 2011.

No matter what the critics (or I) would write or say about a movie, he still found joy in those bad films, along with the good ones. A movie can be a Rorschach test into someone’s personality, and from my memories I see dad as leaning towards stories of adventure, action, fun, tough-guys, and thinkers…and the conclusions I draw from those memories are my own. Today, his recliner sits empty, and although that is a sad thought, I smile knowing that he would have loved the reclining seats in today’s theatres. Time is indeed the true test of all things, and in the coming years I am sure to reflect, discover, and remember more about the films of my father, and that is a story I am ready to see unspool.