Thursday, April 5, 2012

E is for E.T.


In June of 1982 I was almost six and two family friendly movies came out a week apart: E.T. the Extraterrestrial and Annie. My siblings had been talking about E.T. all week and having seen some of the previews I was really excited to see a movie about this little alien. My whole family was excited to go.

We stood in line underneath bright flashing lights at the ticket booth and I held my mom’s hand. I wiggled and fidgeted and scuffed my feet along in the line. Finally at the head of the line my mom casually asked the person behind the window if E.T. was appropriate for me.

The lady shrugged and said, “Well, there are some really intense scenes that could be scary for a little girl.”

My mom hesitated for a fraction of a second and then purchased two tickets to Annie and four to E.T.

“I’ll bring Heather to see Annie instead,” she told the rest of the family. “You have fun watching E.T.”

I looked at my mom with a frown. “I want to see E.T.”

“I think it might be too scary for you, sweetie.” She said as we went into the theater.

“But...” I tugged at her hand wanting to follow my brothers and sister.

“You’ll like Annie,” Mom said. “It’s about a little girl.”

I was distressed. I didn’t want to see Annie. Stupid Annie! Who does she think she is being a little girl and not an alien?! Mom brought me into the theater and we found seats. A large red curtain covered the screen. People sat all around us whispering to each other before the movie started. The lights dimmed and then went black and the whispers trailed off. The curtain swept aside and the white screen flashed into view. I wiggled and fidgeted some more until my mom told me to stop. A green flash and previews blazed across the screen.

When the movie finally started I wanted to hate it. I wanted to be disgusted with this little orphan. But instead, I was enthralled. A spunky little girl rising from poverty against the odds? And singing and dancing? Leaping Lizards! What wasn’t to love? And by the end of the movie, I was truly worried that Rooster would really hurt Annie!

But, I didn’t forget about E.T. and after the movie was over, I told my family that Annie was okay but I still wished I had seen E.T.

And then, I did. And it scared the crap out of me. The jangling keys. The chase through the woods. Elliot in the field encountering E.T. The scientists and all the medical equipment attached to innocent E.T.

I guess sometimes Moms might know best.

14 comments:

  1. But isn't also sometimes good to scare the crap out of a child to show them what the world is really like, terrifying?
    I just rewatched ET for the first time in over 15 years the other night. And it holds up. It's no Little Orphan Annie, but it's alright.

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    1. I wonder if that is why I've always had a lingering fear of scientist and lab coats?

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  2. ET is one of those movies like Star Wars that everyone remembers the first time they saw it.

    Nice to meet you and hope you're enjoying the Challenge!

    KarenG
    A to Z Challenge Host

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    1. Thanks! And totally! ET is up there with Star Wars as a memorable one! Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. Ah, I LOVE Annie. It's still one of my all-time favourite movies. My little sister cried and cried and cried during ET.

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  4. My friend and I used to sing Annie songs to the kids at daycare and they would look at us like we were insane. We did a lot of "It's A Hard Knock Life" back in those days.

    I need to watch E.T. again. It's been a few years and I LOVE that movie.

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    1. I sing that to Ashleigh when she gets all dramatic and angsty about having to do chores!

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  5. Shhhhhhhhh....don't say that too loud! We don't want mom's to find out!! :)

    DL Hammons @ Cruising Altitude 2.0
    Co-Host of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

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    1. Good point!

      Mom if you read this it is a complete misprint!!

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  6. I've never seen Annie, but I've never seen ET either. I guess I'm probably missing out on something.

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    1. Oh no! You should totally watch them! Both are great!

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  7. Ha! Great story. I was reading it thinking to myself that your mom definitely made the right call. Although, with the stuff kids grow up watching these days....(oh my stars, I sound like I'm 80 or something)....never mind where I was going with that thought. I need some reese's pieces. Stat.

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  8. Mmm Reese's Pieces! Man I should have picked some up today! As for what kids watch today? It is scary. But here's the thing: I'm okay with gore and violence but not sexual scenes. Guts ripped out and splattered around? Cool. Kissing? OMG! Wash your eyeballs out and leave the room!! How weird is that?

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