July 7th, 2008, 7 Comments »
Rebecca wrote a short history of the Stanley Theatre, and it reminded me of one of my favourite movie-going experiences.
On May 24, 1989 (I know the exact date thanks to this page), Rob Stover, Steve Lee and I cut out of Grade 10 afternoon classes. We drove (Steve had his license very early) all the way from our safe West Vancouver enclave over to the Stanley Theatre. We sat in the front row of the balcony and watched the first matinee show on the opening day of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
My friend Rob was a huge Indiana Jones fan, but it was a bit of a thrill for all of us. That was in the midst of my Premiere-reading period–I was a cinephile from early on.
The Stanley was a gorgeous cinema, and I miss seeing movies in that grand old space. It’s a lovely theatre, too, of course. It’s a pity the Arts Club doesn’t make consistently engaging shows to play inside it.
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June 18th, 2007, 2 Comments »
This evening I was looking at one of the kitsch Virgin Mary candles we have on our dining room table. You know, the kind they’re talking about in the opening scene of Runaway Jury. You can also see them in the background of this photo.
Suddenly, for no apparent reason, the phrase “The Virgin Connie Swail” popped into my head. I took me a while to contextualize it, and at first I thought she was from Ghostbusters. Nope, it’s actually Dragnet, circa 1987:
Pep Streebeck: Hey partner. I tried to call you up till midnight. I didn’t know the Christian Science reading rooms stayed open so late.
Joe Friday: Not that it’s any of your business, but I spend the evening in the company of Connie Swail.
Pep Streebeck: Don’t you mean “the Virgin Connie Swail”?
[Friday looks at Streebeck as the Dragnet theme starts]
Pep Streebeck: Wait a minute!
I probably haven’t thought about that movie for twenty years. Or if I have, I wasn’t remembering the peculiar sobriquet for Alexandra Paul’s (still acting, I see) character. What else is stuck up there in the hoary attics of my gray matter? I shudder to think.
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