Kay Hively: Old movies

I’m not much of a movie fan these days. In my youth, I was very much of one. My father owned a grocery store on a city block that also had a movie theater.

Every day I walked pass the theater four or five times and always stopped to study the “coming attractions.” I was always aware of each movie that came to town and probably saw 99% of them.

In front of the theater there were wonderful photos of my favorite stars which included Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean, Debbie Reynolds, Rock Hudson, Jeff Chandler, Kim Novak, Mickey Rooney and many others. I loved the Lassie movies and anything that had a race horse.

Some of the great movies I liked were “Giant,” “Singing in the Rain,” “An Affair to Remember,” and cowboy and military pictures.

My taste in stars and movies has changed since my youth. Unfortunately there are almost no current movies I can list as a favorite. I haven’t seen a movie in a theater for years, but I have discovered a new set of favorites.

Movies made in a late 1930s, 1940s and early 1950s are the ones I enjoy now. Many of these would be considered “B” grade, not blockbusters such as the “Wizard of Oz,”or “Gone With the Wind.”

I have learned to enjoy these movies because they are shown on the television movie channels. The “Thin Man” series is a great favorite and all the Bogart movies are good. In his early acting days, Humphrey Bogart often played a gangster. Later he became a leading man and a hero in such movies as “Casablanca,” (my all-time favorite film) and “Key Largo.”

Today’s movies seem to rely on sequels and we get the equivalent of War Stars II, III, IV, etc. It seems that original ideas as scarce. Cartoon characters such as Spider Man, Superman, Wonder Woman and other cartoons are always showing up in the theaters.

In the old black and white films, I find interesting characters, good plots and drama that could actually happen, not computer generated explosions. I have never seen a real zombie nor do I ever expect to, so am not interested in watching a movie or TV show about them. This kind of show doesn’t require much thinking. You just need to sit and watch, not use your brain.

I like crime stories because they feature forensics and old-fashioned detective work which allow the viewer to judge the suspects for themselves.

Just between you and me, I believe that we all need to use our own minds as much as possible.
(Kay Hively is a historian, author and former editor, reporter and columnist for the Neosho Daily News and Neosho Post.)