East Bound And Down

I didn’t realize it at the time – and to be honest, had to go back and research it a bit, but in retrospect – Tuesday, November 11, 1980 proved to be a momentous day in my life. I was six years old at the time, and my Uncle was visiting from Milan,TN.

I wasn’t too happy about that.

Now, let me explain that statement a bit. I had nothing against my Uncle Darty. As a matter of fact, along with my Uncle Burt on my father's side, he was one of my two favorite Uncles. When he passed away in 1990, I was one of his pallbearers, and he remains one of my favorite people of all-time. However, in visiting his sister - my grandmother - he was going to disrupt my schedule. But, in doing so, he helped to shape my love of Southern Culture, and this weekend, some twenty-seven years following his passing, his visit has a profound impact on me to this day!

I have made no secret of the fact that I was a child of television growing up. Whether it be the Dukes, the Ewings, or the Waltons, the TV series I watched growing up were a big part of my life,especially being an only child. I can still tell you about flop shows of the pre-Cable era when we only had three networks. Even at six years old, I had my favorites. I hung with The Fonz, had a crush on Valerie Bertinelli, and dreamed of making a car jump in the General. (Even though, the picnic table at Burns Elementary did serve that purpose for us Dukes-wannabes in 1980, and Heather Shelton and Mary Ann Honeycutt were just as cute as Daisy Duke back then!)

So...my Uncle is coming. He was coming up to visit, as he would do from time to time. Sometime after getting home from school, my grandmother told me there was a movie he wanted to watch that was coming on TV that night.

Wait a minute. What?

Yes, as the Dauphin clan only had one television at the time, the visitor was going to get to choose the entertainment for the evening – and boy, I didn’t like it one bit. I wanted to watch whatever it was that I wanted to watch. (And, for the record, I don’t know what that was…..It was a Tuesday, so I’m guessing Happy Days or The Misadventures of Sherrif Lobo – two of my early favorites)…...He wanted to see a movie. Some two hour film about a guy who drove a car. Sounds thrilling, right?

You may know where this is going.

The movie he wanted to see was Smokey and The Bandit, a film that starred Burt Reynolds as well….The Bandit. (I think his name was Bo) He drove a black Trans Am and Jerry Reed, his sidekick, drove a truck. The plot of the film centered around the transport of Coors Beer from Texas to Georgia – which was illegal at the time. How much of the movie I understood at six, I don’t know. But, it became a favorite. And, next to Coal Miners’ Daughter, probably the movie I have seen the most over my lifetime.

Some might call it the perfect fantasy film – especially for a six year old in the big city of Burns. Truth be told, even now, I have to admit that for one day, it would be a little bit of fun to get behind the wheel of a fast car, drive around with a pretty woman, and as Reynolds did so well…..”Show off.”

So, that’s what I am going to do this weekend. The film celebrates its 40th anniversary with a re-release this Sunday and Wednesday only. I plan on being at both. While I have never seen Star Wars, Return of the Jedi, or any movie with the word Sith in it (What is a “Sith” anyway?), I have always kind of been envious of the fans of that movie who act like kids - and allow themselves that privilege – on days where another Prequel or Sequel or re-release comes out.

So, today is my day. For a few hours today and Wednesday (because I want to ensure that my son gets to experience this movie for sure as we couldn’t decipher whether he had seen the DVD or not back in his younger days with me), I am going to be a kid again. And, I’m going to be proud of it. So, fix me a Diablo Sandwich, and watch me head ‘East Bound and Down’ on Sunday…..With any apologies to those I might offend with this, you might even hear me utter the word “Sumbitch” in honor of Jackie Gleason, as well. As I recall, I think that six year old did say that once or twice that night…...So, let’s go back to 1977 when life was a lot more innocent and free….Uncle Darty, this weekend is for you! And, that’s a Big 10-4!