Lou, KY Star Wars Cinema Experiences

I was just curious where and when the members here saw the Classic Trilogy, Special Editions, and Prequels.

I just want to get a feel of where we all have our SW Cinema moments at. Those little things that make up so much of our appreciation.

 

My first Experience, waaaaay back in '86 , My parents finally got our first VCR(they were kinda high back then, whew!). I was but a youngling, a mere 6 years old. I remember my mom telling us she bought us a movie that we might likle. I looked at the cover and noticed a chick in a metal bikini ( I instantly wanted to be just like her the moment I saw her). Then I noticed a cute furry guy in the corner. Then I looked at the title. It said "Return of the Jedi". I remember asking my mom what a Jedi was (LOL)..She said she didnt know,and to watch and see. Alas it became my favorite movie, and then I found out from my big-mean-brother (usually) that there were 2 movies before it!! I was sooooooo EXCITED!! I begged my mom to take us to the video store so that I could see these "other" Star Wars movies. She said no , but a few months later the FIrst one, A New Hope, came on tv! I MADE my mother record it for me ,and I LOVED it....Being a little girl, I had to love the "swing to freedom" part with Luke and Leia (heeeheee).......Ahhhhh...those were the days, when I wanted to be a dancer in Jabba's Palace (Oola) a rebel chick in a metal bikini (which I am currently making ) and best friends with WIcket and all the other Ewoks. Those are the memories that make life worth living. Oh yea, the point was to that long book, that ever since I was 6 years old and saw Return of the Jedi, I have been a life-long fan. Praise George Lucas, my God. Amen.

 

Yeah, that's what it's all about. My first memory was also of RotJ. My mother took me to the local twin theatre to see it. She was not a fan she just saw the preview with the cute little teddy bears and thought I might like it. She was right. I did like the teddy bears . . . and everything else too. I still vividly remember sitting in the horribly uncomfortable seats and looking over at my mom in the seat next to me and she was moving her head up, down, side, to side trying her best not to get hit by a tree during the speeder bike chase. hehe. I was hooked at that point. I never did get into the games or anything because it seemed I was the only fan in my town. The first time I saw New Hope and Empire on the big screen were the Spec. Editions. Man was that ever awesome. The only reason I even wanted to see them was so I could experience a tie fighter wizzing by in DTS surround. Whoaa.

 

Of the three original films, "Return of the Jedi" is the only one I saw during its first theatrical release in 1983. That is also the first movie I can EVER remember seeing in theaters. We actually went on a field trip from elementary school. I remember almost getting motion sickness from the chase through the Death Star towards the end (we were sitting pretty close).

The thing I'll always remember the most about that experience, though, was the audience cheering when Darth Vader picked up the Emperor and saved Luke.

I was glad when they put the Special Editions out so I could finally see the first two in theaters. I saw ANH:SE eleven times, ESB:SE sixteen times, and ROTJ:SE twelve times. Once, after JEDI opened, my dad and I went up to Showcase on Bardstown Road and watched all three back-to-back-to-back; they had them scheduled perfectly so you could walk out of one and head right into another just minutes before it started. That was cool, but quite exhausting.

Then TPM came out in '99 and it remains the movie I've seen the most in theaters, as I saw it 31 times during it's theatrical run. I remember that when I was at Tinseltown for the 12:01 show of TPM on opening night, when the SW logo blasted onto the screen, I almost cried, because it was such an awesome experience to be a part of the first new SW film in sixteen years.

God, I hate to think how much money I've spent on tickets to see "Star Wars" films. Oh well, it's worth it.

-John

 

Wow. I saw A New Hope before it was a New Hope! I was 4 years old. I was hooked from then on. It was at a little theater that used to be in Westland Mall (Now Park Place Mall on Dixie). I remember thinking that Obi Wan was a Jawa and that he turned into a man when he touched Luke (the mind of a child ).

I remember my Dad calling me into the living room a few years later when there was a commercial on for the Empire Strikes Back! I was so excited, I didn't even know they were going to make another one! We saw it at Showcase on Bardstown. I remember standing in line for a couple of hours to get in.

Then, I saw Return of the Jedi when it came out in a theater in Alabama (we were on a vacation. Wow. My formative years were FULL of Star Wars goodness.

I got to take my wife to see the Special editions when they came out, she hadn't seen any of them in the theater. We saw those at Bardstown.

For the Phantom Menace we went to Showcase Stonybrook, when they first installed the stadium seating. I know what John means when he talks about wanting to cry. I had tears in my eyes too! It had been sooooo long since that first experience....

I'm pretty sure I will cry when I see Episode III, just because it will be the last, and we'll finally get to see Darth Vader again after 22 years!

 

I remember seeing ANH when my aunt and uncle took me to the drive in to see it...WOW!!! I was hooked from that momment on. I feel pretty lucky that I was able to see all 3 orginals on the big screen. Imagine my excitement when I heard of the SE coming out in theaters. I took my wife to see them. We did not get a chance to see ROTJ though. Saw them in the theater in Elizabethtown. As Far as TPM. We were in Maryland at the time visiting friends. One of them had already gotten advance tickets for us. To me..that was a great trip.

 

I was 7 and the movie was ANH. VCR's were rare to own, so we used to rent them, and one night my daddy rented the vcr and A New Hope and we sat and watched it and drank chocolate milkshakes. I was so addicted after that!! I was madly in love with Obi-Wan Kenobi, I just thought he was the coolest ever (still do, actually). I saw 'Empire' a few years later and my daddy refused to let me have any of the toys because they were 'boy's toys' and he thought it would make me gay ::coughcough:: Anyway, I saw RotJ not too long after that. I taped them from TV and watched them over and over! TPM I saw opening night and AotC I saw opening night. This year wasn't nearly as fun as it was for TPM. No one was in costume (I went to Dixie Dozen 'cuz it's closest to me), there was no SW Trivial Pursuit, no nothing. But the vibe inside the cinema was much better than for TPM! We cheered for the title screen, and for Yoda twice and for the end credits.

Bunny

 

I can remember my dad takeing me to see a few war movies around the age of 5 and the fire scenes always hurt my eyes.So the first weekend ANH came out he asked me if I wanted to see it.I said I did not want to see any more war movies but he told me it was going to be different.BOY WAS IT!! Darth Vader busted into the rebel ship at the beginning I had found my antihero.I made him take me 11 times while it was out.Then EMPIRE came out we drove to showcase cinemas and the line was around the building literally.What a disappointment but we did make it after it cooled down a bit and it became my favorite.I was an only child and my parents split up early so this fed a lonely kids imagination and the toys filled my time.I heard Bob and Tom downing the saga this morning.Its a shame that people only see the geek side of this wonderful world but what can you say about men who prefer boob and fart jokes to intellect and imagination.

 

I know what you mean about the Bob and Tom thing. They really dissed the Phantom Menace when it came out, and then a few weeks later they interviewed Jake Loyd on the air and were all nice to him and kissing his @ss. **cking hypocrites.

Sorry for the harshness, I'm not a morning person.

 

I'm almost afraid to give away my age with this post.....

I was 12 when I saw SW for the first time. Saw it on Bardstown Rd at the cinemas. I was wearing a "worry bead" necklace...the kind you're supposed to spin when you're nervous. During the Death Star battle - I got so nervous - I twisted it the wrong way and nearly choked! My dad was so engrossed in the film - he never noticed.

My other vivid memory is of a date for ROTJ. I had already seen it several times in the theatre. My date cooked me dinner and let me drink almost an entire bottle of really good German wine. I was toasted. We sat in the 3rd row and i was hooting and hollering and cheering on the Ewoks during the Endor battle. He didn't take me to the movies too often after that.

 

Its ok tinkerwench, we are all of assorted ages here, so don't you'se worry about your age making a difference. Thats just my 2 cents.
And Phil, it's ok, Im not a morning person either

 

YIKES I feel bad for anyone who had to watch a "Star Wars" movie at Dixie Dozen. Although that theater was BY FAR the closest one to me during the SE's and TPM, I refused to see them there. I've seen home TV's and sound systems better than that place. The theaters there are TINY, and, worst of all, the seats are TOTALLY uncomfortable. I actually went up there to see "Jurassic Park" back in '92 or whenever, and I vowed that was the last time I'd see a movie at that place. Plus the place is usually so full of immature middle-schoolers that talk and constantly get up and down during the movie... I've known people who worked there that offered to get me in for free and I'm still like, "No thanks."

They're remodeling that place now and using the space from the old Drug Emporium next door. I'd like to think they're using it to build new actual theaters, but it will probably turn out to just be an expansion of that pizza/arcade place in there (which was originally called "Choo Choo's" when it first opened, but I have no idea what it was called after that).

-John

 

::QUOTE:: YIKES I feel bad for anyone who had to watch a "Star Wars" movie at Dixie Dozen. ::END QUOTE::

Yes, pity me. Since I don't drive, I really had no choice but to see them at Dixie. And the seats... well, see, I got up there early... like 6 hours early because the woman on the phone told me there would be a huge group since they weren't selling advance tickets. As you can imagine I was the only one there until about 10pm. Anyway, I decided to see Spiderman again during the wait. I didn't notice that someone had ripped up the cup holder and arm rest therefore I didn't notice the jarring piece of metal or the sharp nail. My blue jeans were ripped all the way up the side and it cut two big gashes in my hip (they are now scars). I had to keep my shirt pulled WAY down and had to use that icky soap in the lavoratories to clean my wounds. And the place next to it was called 'Screen Play' after Choo Choo's. Dixie used to have the ultra cool 'Star Wars Trilogy' game, but it suddenly vanished and Screen Play was lacking any game past 1995. They did have old Namco games like Pac Man. And they had Pole Position. It's closed now though. Horrible, horrible memories. ::giggles::

Bunny

 

I don't believe I have ever been to Dixie Dozen before...is it a dollar theater like Village 8? Or like GHetto SHowcase on Bardstown rd? ?

 

//I don't believe I have ever been to Dixie Dozen before...is it a dollar theater like Village 8? Or like GHetto SHowcase on Bardstown rd?//

Ghetto Showcase all the way. The only movie I ever saw up there was "Mystery Men" (great movie, LOUSY theater). Never again. Then again, I live like ten minutes from Tinseltown.

If it were a dollar theater, it might be semi-OK. As it is, the theater was puny (seating at most 100), it was completely flat (no slope to it at all), and the worst part was that they had freaking black lights on during the entire show. Plus it's a first-run theater. The only - ONLY - reason I would ever go to the Village 8 now is if they started showing vintage movies again, like "Pulp Fiction" or "Clerks" or "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." They used to do that, and it was really nice. Oh well.

 

// I don't believe I have ever been to Dixie Dozen before...is it a dollar theater like Village 8? Or like GHetto SHowcase on Bardstown rd? //

Dixie used to be a dollar cinema actually. It's not nearly as bad now as it was then. But I live on Wheeler Ave which is off of Berry Blvd. I live about 5 minutes away from Churchill, so Dixie is the closest for me. And like I said, I don't drive, so I have to rely on other people or the bus. Isn't Tinseltown on Bardstown? I've never been to Village 8, and I haven't been to Showcase Cinemas since 'Interview with the Vampire' came out years ago. The cinema downtown is nice, Broadway Cinemas. It's really nice inside there. They don't have as many movie selections though. You all are REALLY making me want to see AotC at Tinseltown.

 

Actually showcase Cinemas Louisville is on Bardstown, (its pretty ghetto), TInseltown is all the way off Westport Rd. and the *GOOD* showcase Cinemas in Stoneybrook is off HUrstbourne. HEhe hope that clears that up for you
BTW,I've never seen the broadway cinemas....I live 1 minute from Broadway, and I have NEVER seen it, isnt that kinda weird? ?

 

I saw SW before it was ANH on the big screen in Elizabethtown and I was in 3rd grade. My little brother and I shot at "tie fighters" from the back seat of the car the whole way home. Saw it again at the local drive-in and then once more (when it was ANH) at the local twin cinema.

Saw ESB at that same twin cinema as many times as I possibly could (it helped having a friend who lived dangerously near the theatres).

Wanted very badly to be as cool as Han Solo, and really liked the utter evil of Vader and all the way cool Bounty Hunters. Glad to hear there are some other fogeys here too ;-)

 

I saw ANH in May 1977, i was only 10 at the time, so i begged my mom to take since we were just down the road from my moms interview for her new job. I saw the movie in theater 4 at showcase cinemas bardston road. I was totally blown away by it, and i always have to set the bar by ANH when i see other movies. I saw ESB with a friend of mine when i was 14 , the summer inbetween 8th and 9th grade, i saw the movie also in theater 4 at showcase cinemas bardstown road, that is the big screen thater there now, slighly smaller now than what it was in the 1977-1983 era. For ROTJ i took my moms van and took some people from school to see it opening day back in May 1983, also saw it at showcase theaters bardstown road. I saw all the re-releases in 1997 at showcase cinemas bardstown road. And TPM and AOTC i saw both at cinemark tinseltown in theater 11, the big screen theater there. Oops, forgot i saw ANH the summer of 1980 at alpha III on westport road, me and a friend of mine sat through all showings from 10am to midnight, i was an obsessed fan even then . Hope i didnt leave anything out, and please pardon the typo's i typed this too fast. see ya obi-wan-bartak.

 

Wow! This is so cool.

I didn't think that you all would take this idea, and really run with it.

I love hearing all of these stories about people discovering SW. Hell, I like any story of people truly enjoying film.

I would have to say that the first time I saw a SW film was back when I was 4 on Cable TV. Back when there was a network called Spotlight. To put in perspective how long ago that was. Spotlight went out of business in early 1986.

The first time I saw any Star Wars film on the big screen was the A New Hope special edition at Showcase Cinemas on Bardstown Road.

I ended up seeing all three Special Editions there.

Later, I ended up working at another Louisville theatre, when Phantom Menace came out.

I got my reserved tickets (I paid for them) for the big screen in #11, and brought 20 of my friends on one of the last days of school.

It was a fun send off, seeing as how we've all gone our separate ways.

I saw AOTC at Stonybrook, twice so far. And I've had a ball. Plus, they've got funnel cakes, which makes them better to me, than any other theatre.

Anywho, that's my rap.