1977 started with big disappointments. The hated Raiders won Super Bowl XI 32-14 over the Vikings. Later that month Jimmy Carter was sworn in (not at yet) as our country's president.
I start my second semester of third grade. Mrs. Carrier has us doing multiplication races at the chalkboard. "Doing the fives" meant writing "5x1=5, 5x2=10, 5x3=15" all the way to "5x12=60." These races were a nerd's dream competition. We learned all our multiples up to twelve - I don't know why.
Marquette beats North Carolina 67-59 in the NCAA Division I Mens Basketball tournament. My Clones finish another disappointing season with an 8-19 record.
Three days before my ninth birthday two Boeing 747's crash into each other at a foggy airport in Tenerife, Canary Islands. 583 people are killed. This accident is one of the reasons I do what I do.
That summer I finally get to play Pee Wee baseball. Dad took me to the sporting goods store in Blair, Nebraska to buy my first glove which was not easy since despite writing with my right hand most of the time, I am really a south paw. The light tan dirt infield of the Modale ball field was like concrete. Since we were little kids the outfielders played on the outer edge of the hardpacked infield, too. Richard Powell was our coach even though his own son wasn't on the team. I don't think I ever heard him yell. Vern Gute was the assistant coach. I once nearly took his noggin off with a line drive that surprised us both. Striking out looking or letting a grounder through your legs were transgressions that paled in comparison to the worst thing you could do: backwash into the team water jug (something I don't believe anyone did but we all accused each other of). In other baseball news Reggie Jackson earns the nickname "Mr. October" as the Skankees beat the Dodgers four games to two in the World Series.
In the fall I started the fourth grade. Mrs. Strain is taking touchy-feely classes which she uses on us to make us feel better about ourselves and not so critical of others. We repay her for the flower child education by setting the classroom clock ahead 15 minutes.
"Saturday Night Fever" is a monster hit both on the screen and on the radio fueling the misguided disco revolution despite Kiss being the most popular band in the nation. Further saddening the music world is the alleged death of Elvis and the plane crash that killed half of Lynyrd Skynyrd.
The pretty little red headed girl in my life moved away to New Mexico. We had talked for several years about the chances the Beatles would reform. I stopped caring about the Fab Four after she left. The baby-sitter who replaced her had brown hair and cute freckles.
"CHiPs," "Wonder Woman," "Charlie's Angels," "Starsky & Hutch," "Three's Company" - all fine shows for the small screen. But, the real entertainment that year was the life changing film "Star Wars." It was the greatest thing I had ever seen and remains to this day one my favorite movies along with another George Lucas film, "American Graffiti." This was the first film I ever wanted to see in the theater a second time. And, a third time. And, a fourth. Don Juan was an even bigger fan than I. Later in life I would buy this movie on VHS tape. And again as the remaster version on VHS. Then on Laser Disc to get full surround sound. And on DVD for better picture quality. Then another copy on DVD to get back to the original film without CGI "corrections" (Solo shoots first). I am waiting for it to be released on Bluray. Someday I hope to have it on holocube...
1977 was a great year for me.
This post's title is from the opening of Star Wars, the highest grossing film in 1977.
Be safe.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment