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.
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!
