Movie Clip Wednesday "First Date Movie"

Hello and welcome back another sterling edition of Movie Clip Wednesday. Started by  The Glorious Boxer  a while back, I've been the caretaker of this gig for a week or three now. Most of you know how it works but if you're new here (for which I greatly thank you) here's how it works. A theme is picked each week. You choose a movie to fit the theme and find a clip, preferably three minutes or less, and post it on your blog. Announce in the comment section of this post that you are up and we'll come and pay you a visit. It's simple really. If you are looking for the theme it's usually posted under the MCW banner on the right side of my drivel by Thursday

This week's theme was your first date with someone. You're supposed to pick a movie you went to see on a first date with someone, whether it's your soulmate or someone you knew from high school or college.  Looking for some good stories here dear followers of the drivel.  I know I won't be disappointed.
It was a long time ago. We still lived in the big white house on 4th Street. I was probably too young to be going on a date.  As a matter of fact my mom and my prospective date's mom would not have allowed it if they had known but I was determined to go anyway. 

She was a good Catholic girl.  Is there another kind? (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) Anyway, the problem in making this happen was that you couldn't pick up the phone and just call over to her house.  If she didn't answer you'd have to hang up right away and try again. Boys didn't call girls (at this age back then anyway) and she had way too many siblings running around the house to take a chance like that.  No, if this was going to happen, I was going to need some help.  I needed a girl I could trust to A) go along with my plan, and B) not tell Mom.  The girl I had in mind could usually be trusted.  She was cunning herself. She knew how to stay just one step ahead of the nuns, trouble and Mom.  We had pooled our efforts before to stay out of trouble and I knew I could count on her.

This was a lot bigger than breaking the TV and blaming it on my brother Bill.  Or playing volleyball in the house and breaking an artsy crafty thing that my sister Mary had made for Mom, moving a coat rack in front of where this picture hung and then pretending not to notice when the artsy thing wasn't there. "What thing are you talking about?  I thought you hung that in the dining room.  You sure Mom?"  Still, I knew my sister Leslie could be trusted.  She was always in on a good plan and, like the great partner in crime I just described.  She would come through for me.  No doubt about it.

Once I told her the plan, she was very excited.  This is how it would work, she'd call Marlene's house and ask for her, once Marlene was on the phone, I'd take over and proceed with operation "we'll meet at the movie and sit together once the house lights are down and no one can see us together".  If Marlene wasn't there, we'd call back later until we could get her on the phone.

After a few attempts, it worked.  I think it took almost as much courage to ask her to meet me at the movies as it did when I proposed to Sybil my ex-wife. Anyway, we met at the movie, split some popcorn and a coke and after it was all over, I gave her a polished rock from my rock collection. Surpisingly enough, this display of affection did not win me any favor with Marlene. Our engagement was short-lived but the memory of sitting alone with a girl at the movies for the first time was not. At least she spurned me before I spent any real money on her. In retrospect if more women had done that, I'd drive a nicer truck and live in a bigger house.

(Sidebar:  The Villa Theater has lots of great memories.  The doors opened 15 minutes before showtime.  You knew the doors were open when the marches of John Phillips Sousa started playing on the loud speakers.  We only lived three blocks from the Villa. When the music started, my brother and I would hop on our bikes and pedal our little legs off.  He was usually far behing me.  His Duster was no match for the speed of the Coast King Saturn, but that's a story for another day. Anyway, we would just dump our bikes outside, go buy a ticket, popcorn and a "suicide" and wait for these great old movies to start.)

Oh, yeah the movie.  The movie we went to see was The World's Greates Athlete starring Jan Michael-Vincent as a Tarzan like prodigy discovered in the wilds of Africa by John Amos as the head coach of Merrivale College.  He brings "Nanu" to the U.S. and trains him in track and field where hilarity ensues.  Tim Conway gives a strong performance (almost Oscar worthy) as assistant coach Milo Jackson. 

In this epic scene, Nanu's witch doctor uncle is making sure that Nanu fails at every event thus making him want to return home.  Conway makes his own voodoo doll and takes Uncle whatshisbucket out of the game and Nanu starts kicking some ass.  Although this clip is set to Alvin and the Chipmunks singing the 50's classic "Witch Doctor" it's still pretty good.  Watch how Amos is just one step ahead of Vincent getting him from one event to the next.  Good times. Enjoy and thanks for playing.