I was 7 when I first fell in love. My mother worked as a secretary at the local Christian Church. So not only did we get to learn about Jesus on Sundays mornings, but we also got to see the inner workings of his house without the hustle and bustle of sister jane's and brother bill's rushing to find their preferred seats. We used to sit next to my mom, but after a while she moved us to the children's nursery.
And since mom was at work during after school hours, my sister and I were condemned to spend the hours of 2-4:30 in solitary confinement in said children's nursery (don't ask how we survived 8 hours a day in this place during summer). The only thing we had to entertain us other than building blocks and puzzles was a 12x12 inch screen vcr/tv. So my sister and I brought all of our favorite Disney films (Dumbo, Snow White,etc...) to watch on this vcr and were able to survive the first two months of boredom. However, this quickly died off as soon as we heard, "someday my prince will come" being sung for the 5th time in the past 8 weeks. Being 7&8, my sister and I went and complained to our mom about our lack of activities. She told us to be quiet and be good or we would be spanked. We got her point, but not without a few grumbles under our breaths, which were thankfully picked up by her co worker, Mary.
Mary Duran. An amazing woman who was married to the assistant pastor of our church. She worked with him. I didn't know her very well, only talking to her when my mom would tell us to say hello. It wasn't until she came with a Ralph's paper bag full of "goodies" that I would come to admire her and be forever grateful to her.
The day after our outburst, Mary told us she had a surprise. Out of that wonderful paper bag she drew a black video cassette that was missing its label. She handed it to us and told us that it was one of her favorite movies. We asked Mary what the name of it was and she just told us that we were going to like it. I don't think I had ever been as excited to watch a movie as I was at that moment. The missing title and the smile that Mary gave us as she explained it had me itching to watch it. Holding the tape in my hands, my sister and I ran to the nursery and popped it in the vcr player. We waited with bated breaths as the familiar grainy screen gave way to a "TCM" logo and a strong and terrifying orchestra accompanying the title of the film: THEM!
Yes. Them. From the first scene where the unsuspecting police officer's scream of death is swallowed by the disturbing screech of "Them" to the young Ellison girls re-visitation of the memory of her parents death and her screams of, "THEM! THEM! THEM!...", to the final tunnel scene where we see the queen ant being burned to death; my sister and I were captivated. We couldn't believe this movie was made in 1954. It was too "cool". But Mary just reassured us that movies like this were made all the time back then.
We asked her to bring more. She did. And while my sister was fond of them, they gave me a generous shove in the right direction. I began researching, watching, renting, and reading about everything surrounding classic hollywood films. By 9 I had become a Kazan follower, and by 12 I was convinced that I was born in the wrong era.
Mary continued to bring films for me to see until my mom quit her job. Even though I saw less and less of Mary, thankfully her influence was enough for me to continue cultivating my love of classic cinema. This love is still small (merely 12 years in the making) and still has a lot of room left to grow. But I'm in no hurry. Love like this lasts a lifetime.
