May The 4th Be With You!

Welcome to the Writing Wednesday Blog! Wait, it's not Wednesday! It's actually Sunday, and a special one at that. So without further adieu... A Happy Star Wars Day and May The 4th Be With You!

I know that I haven't kept up on the blog like I would like to. That job I have to have, life in general, and working on the new book have kept me busy. Speaking of the next book, "30 Storeys" is in the final phase of being finished. Look for it this Fall. But since today is May 4 and the annual Star Wars Day, allow me to share on of the chapters with you from the new book. It's a story of my experience the first time I saw "Star Wars" back when it was released in 1977. Hard to believe how time files. So, without any further adieu, enjoy the chapter aptly titled for today... "May The 4th Be With You".

4th Floor

May The 4th Be With You

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     This story is appropriate for the day, since it’s May 4, 2023. Yes, it’s Star Wars Day! MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU!

     Did you know the Conservative Party of England originated the phrase May The 4th Be With You in 1979? The party did so to wish Margaret Thatcher well after being elected Prime Minister of England. She took her oath of office on May 4, 1979.

     Star Wars Day was first celebrated in Toronto, Canada, in 2011. It has been a huge celebration since Disney purchasedLucasfilm in 2012.

     Star Wars Day wouldn’t exist if a little film named Star Wars hadn’t taken the world by storm back on May 25, 1977.

    Star Wars’ release is a memory that still resonates with me to this day…

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     Petoskey, Michigan—May/June 1977

     I was five years old, soon to be six, when I first learned about a movie called Star Wars. I remember seeing it advertised all over television while I watched my afternoon cartoons. The ads also ran during evening shows like The Wonderful World Of Disney and the Star Trek reruns I watched with my dad on Saturday afternoons.

     I’m sure that I pestered my parents to go see it. They released the film on May 25, 1977. Since Petoskey was a small town, most films didn’t come to our local theatre until a week or two after their national release. That’s how it worked back then.

     My dad decided it would be best if we went to a show during the week, figuring it would be less crowded than going on the weekend. Boy, was he wrong!

     The Wednesday night after Star Wars debuted in Petoskey, Dad took me to see it. We drove from our house on Grove Street, downtown to the movie theatre which, if my memory serves, stood at the bottom of the street on East Mitchell.

     I don’t think parking was difficult. Yes, I question this as that was forty-six years ago! Remember, I was five, for God’s sake. I’m sure it is quite different today from back then. But I digress. We parked and walked to over to the theatre.

     Our local theatre was a large building. Out front hung an old-fashioned marquee sign that someone had to climb a ladder each week to change out the title of the current film.

     The box office sat in the center of two sets of double doors: one for entering, the other for exiting. Posters and movie stills decorated the walls to each side of the box office. Current attractions were on the side you entered, coming attractions were on the side you exited.

     As my dad and I walked up, we could see a massive line. And I mean massive from the perspective of a five-year-old. The line stretched from the box office, down the theatre’s front, around the block, and ended at the building’s end.

     “Look at all these people! We’re never going to get in,” I told my dad in a panic.      My dad, much calmer, reassured me we would as we got in line.

    To my surprise, the line started moving, and it really didn’t take that long to reach the box office. My dad and I were lucky we got there when we did. The box office closed after selling the last ticket to the people behind us.

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     The smell of freshly popped popcorn hit me as we walked into the lobby. Reds and gold were the lighting theme that gave the lobby an amber glow. They decorated the walls with vintage movie posters from a by-gone era, along with some more recent films that would become classics one day.

     The concession stand sat along the back wall of the lobby. That is where you found the good stuff: fresh hot buttered (real) popcorn, box candies, and pop (soda for those of you who are non-Michiganders). The bathrooms were to the left; to the right, the auditorium doors. The doors had a unique arched design, not square like you would usually expect.

     After getting our goodies, my dad and I headed to the auditorium doors. We handed our tickets to the theatre attendant, who dressed like someone from a marching band. He wore a red uniform trimmed with multiple gold buttons. He also wore a small cap held by a chinstrap. Reminded me of a dancing monkey’s suit. You know, the ones who dance around with an organ grinder.

     “Welcome,” he said as he took our tickets. “I suggest you go up to the balcony for your seats,” he told us with an accent I hadn’t heard before. “The view will be amazing for the young lad.”

     Yes, you heard that right…a balcony! Something you no longer see in movie theatres today.

    My dad thanked him and, taking his advice, we climbed the stairs and walked out to find no seats available. My dad observed the auditorium below, finding it was much the same.

     “I think they oversold the theatre tonight,” commented my dad.

     He did spot one seat in the balcony's front row. I remember telling him I would sit on the step next to the seat as the view of the screen from that spot was dead centered and perfect.

     Dad didn’t argue. He knew I was excited to watch the movie. When the usher came to check for any empty seats, he also said nothing. He too was aware the theatre was beyond capacity.

     The lights dimmed and after a couple of previews for coming attractions, the 20th Century Fox logo came on the screen with its signature music. The screen faded to black and those famous words in light blue came on screen…

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…

     Everyone in the theatre cheered as the Star Wars logo appeared on screen followed by the famous title crawl rolling up the screen.

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     For the next two hours and one minute, I sat on that balcony step, mesmerized by everything I took in…images of iconic entrances (yet to be iconic), desert landscapes, strange creatures, intense space battles, and old-fashioned sword fights with laser swords became etched into my memory.

     After the film, I remember being on a high. I was so pumped after seeing the movie. It was all I could talk about. When we got home, I rambled and sputtered on about the film to my mom, who had stayed home that night with my sister. My parents did everything, short of grounding me, to get me to bed. Being a school night, I was up way past my bedtime.

     I fell asleep thinking about nothing but Star Wars. It’s hard to believe that this movie sparked my interest in films, their scores, and filming.

     This experience also provided me with a memory of a simpler time. One I can still recall and will never forget as long as I live. It was one of those few perfect days you get in a lifetime.

     In closing, I say to you…

MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU!

ALWAYS.

Until Next Time....