STAR LIGHT ... STAR BRIGHT

When I was a youngster -- think five to seven years old -- my Mother would take me to the movies in Rochester, New York. We either rode the trolley/subway, [long gone] or took the bus to the downtown area. There a number of BIG movie THEATERS back then, with names like Lowe's, The RKO Palace & The Paramount.

I don't ever remember going to the movie theater with my Father. It was always just Mom & me. Never the three of us.

I do remember seeing movies with both my Mom & Dad ... but ... it was at the Drive-In. I guess we were an after-dark family when it came to movie entertainment, but it was probably more of a money issue. I remember we took our own popcorn.

The Starlight Drive-In Theater -- sounds FANCY, doesn't it ?? -- was our usual choice. We would arrive while it was still light & I would go down to the "Kiddie Land" at the base of the movie screen, where there were slides, swings, & all sorts of play apiarists, where no one got hurt & if they did, no one got sued. Times were different.

When it got dark enough, the movies would start, usually with a cartoon or two. We kids would scream for joy & run back to the parked cars to begin watching the movies. Again, I never remember any kids getting run over in the mad scramble thru the cars, which was in fact just a large parking lot.

I can't recall too many of the movies we saw at the Starlight. I remember one was "The High & The Mighty" staring John Wayne. There was a lot of whistling in the movie.

One movie I do recall, & which has been a favorite to this day, was "The Creature From The Black Lagoon". I don't know who picked that movie to see. It wasn't me. Still, it hit a nerve with me. Loved it.

There were three movies made featuring The Creature, or as we fans call him/it ... "The Gill Man". The second movie was "Revenge of The Creature" & the last one in the series was "The Creature Walks Among Us".

I never saw the second movie but did see the third installment. By the time the third movie came out, I was riding the bus alone by myself to the movies in downtown Rochester. Even at an early age, I was a "loner".

When I was in high school, we were living in Honeoye, New York, which was about 30 miles south of Rochester. There were still occasional trips to the the movies. It just required more "planning".

Once I had my drivers license & my own car, going to the movies became a "date option". In the warmer months -- remember this was upstate New York -- the Drive-In was a "cozy" option ... if you catch my drift.

There were two local Drive-Ins -- read that ... "within 15 miles or so from Honeoye" -- I would frequent; one in Lakeville, at Conesus Lake & the other in Canandaigua, New York. I don't remember if either one had a "Kiddie Land". I had other interests.

As I have written in a previous post, I was in love most all my high school days. The object of my earthly desires, the love of my life -- "Weiner" -- was my usual partner for Drive-In adventures.

The Drive-In's usually had "double features" -- two movies. I saw a lot of Elvis movies for the the first part of the "double". Then the concession stand closed up, it got a bit darker when their lights went out & by then I was interested in something other than the movie.

Now, before everyone thinks the Drive-In was just some sort of "passion pit" for Weiner & me, I can remember a HUGE fight we had one night in Lakeville. I could not begin to tell you what it was about but it sure rests in my memory as proof the word "bitch" should always be spelled with a capital "B". [Another example of why I am a "loner".]

Of course, our "fights" led to break-ups & make-ups. Then ... back to the Drive-In. On & on it went. [And even to this day we are friends & in contact. And there is no "B-Word".]

The number of Drive-Ins have dramatically decreased across the United States in the past years. I don't know if there are any in Arkansas. I'm sure there are still some towns in the state with them. I just don't know of any around Little Rock.

I have [mostly] fond thoughts of my many visits to see movies at the Drive-In. Like so many things in my past --places, people, loves & losses -- places like the Starlight Drive-In Theater are from a time passing further backwards in my memories.