Goldfinger 1964

The 50 years of Bond celebration continues with an ad from arguably the definitive Bond movie. Goldfinger is a masterpiece that helped the spy genre craze of the 60's reach its peak. I was lucky enough to see it on the big screen once but it would have been incredible to see it at the Plaza, which was one of the most beautiful theaters in Kansas City. I miss it to this day. This ad is from the 12/25/64 Kansas City Star.

James Bond Double Feature 1965

This year is the 50th anniversary of the first James Bond movie Dr. No. In honor of the occasion, I've decided to repost my Bond ads. I wish I had more but I have a decent supply of them. It looks like I might have to hit the KC Star microfilm again. Anyway, first up is this double feature from 1965 featuring the first two Bond flicks, Dr. No and From Russia With Love. I wish they'd bring back double features. It was a pretty good bang for your buck back in the day. Plus Agent 007 was there himself with gifts. What more could you want? This ad is from the 5/28/65 Kansas City Star.

Get Yourself A College Girl 1964

Nothing represents the holiday season like this groovy flick with babes like Mary Ann Mobley and Nancy Sinatra go-going to the cool sounds of The Dave Clark Five and The Animals. I definitely believe that it was the swingin'-est blast ever filmed. And it was playing at the drive-ins in the middle of winter no less. I love these mid 60's cheesfests. This ad is from the 12/25/64 Kansas City Star.

Alien 1979

I've been on a big Alien kick lately. I think it's because of the new "prequel" coming out. Prometheus promises to be cool but I don't think it'll have the impact the original Alien had on me in 1979. My dad took me to see it thinking it would be like Star Wars. Little did he know that it scarred me for life in a good way. It's a fantastic film that is just as good and scary now as it was over 30 years ago. Seeing that giant bug in 70mm at a movie palace like the Midland didn't help my fright. Needless to say, I didn't see many more horror movies after that for a really long time. This ad is from the 6/29/79 Kansas City Star.

The Muppet Movie 1979

With the release of the new Muppet movie, my mind raced back to that great summer of 1979 when the first Muppet Movie came out. Like a lot of kids my age, I grew up with Sesame Street and The Muppet Show and was super excited for their big screen debut. It didn't disappoint. I loved every minute of it and saw it several times that summer both indoors and outdoors. I haven't seen the new one yet but if it's even half as good as the first one, I'll be happy. For more great Muppet memories, check out my buddy Neato Coolville's great blog. This ad is from the 6/29/79 Kansas City Star.

Halloween 1978

There's not much to say. The greatest modern horror movie in my opinion. I wish I would have been old enough to see it at a theater. Seeing it at the old Empire downtown would have been pretty cool not to mention seeing it at a drive-in. I guess I'll have to settle for my darkened living room. This ad is from the 10/25/78 Kansas City Star.

3 Science-Fiction Thrillers 1964

Sometimes I wish I was born 10-20 years earlier than I was. I would have loved to have been able to go to the drive-in on Christmas night and watch three gloriously awful sci-fi B movies. To me, that's what the classic drive-in experience represents. By the time I was old enough to go on a regular basis, the drive-ins stopped doing stuff like this except on very special occassions which I always found out about a day later. Anyway, I've actually seen two out of the three of these gems and they would have been great after a long day opening presents. This ad is from the 12/25/64 Kansas City Star.