Part 5 "MY FAVORITE MOVIE OF ALL TIME"

I knew that it would just be a matter of time. It had now been well over a full year since I’d caught my first glimpse of “Indiana Jones” in that newspaper ad on my Grandma’s back porch in Potsdam. We’d since moved to Massena and, after having obtained and read the official comic adaptation of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK too many times to mention, I was finally going to get the opportunity to see the movie for which I had waited so long. It was playing, during a limited re-release, at The 56 AUTO-THEATER right up the road from where we lived, starting on Friday August 13th, 1982. I couldn’t wait. At eleven-years old, this was one of the earliest memories that I have of attending a movie, ANY movie, with my entire immediate family. My Mom, Dad, brother and sister were all there with me. It wasn’t just a movie to me, it was an event. From the opening boulder scene, to the climactic “Raider’s March” that played during the end credits, I was enthralled. It hadn’t merely lived up to my expectations; it had flown past them at light-speed. For the better part of the rest of that summer, I was not often caught without my trusty bullwhip/electrical cord. I remember Jeremy and I taking turns using each other as “practice dummies”, standing on one foot, while the other one would skillfully, (or many times, not so skillfully), wrap the makeshift “whip” around the others ankle in an often vain attempt to “trip up” their imaginary foe. Of course, with his penchant for wearing shorts, and sneakers with no socks on, during those hot August days, my poor brother often received the raw end of the deal during a lot of those sessions. Our sister, Rebecca, also supplied the valuable service of chasing after us in the woods behind our home, executing a flawless performance as a generic “Native Warrior/Nazi henchman”. (Bravo Rebecca, Bravo). Thank you both for sharing that special part of my life with me. I will always love you guys for it. RAIDERS remains, to this day, my favorite movie of all time, due in part to the experiences that I remember sharing with you that summer. You’ve always been a great brother and sister. Thank-you.