Moonraker 1979

I've always loved the James Bond movies but one of them has a special place in my film loving heart. Moonraker was the first Bond film I ever saw and I was hooked. It is usually reviled by Bond purists as silly and implausible but that's what I loved about it. It had nothing to do with the book and it capitalized on the Star Wars craze which was OK with me. Roger Moore is still my favorite Bond and I will always remember seeing this at the Ranch Mart with my dad. The above ad is from the 6/29/79 Kansas City Star and the ad below is from 9/21/79 later in its run when it played more theaters.

War Of The Worlds/When Worlds Collide 1977

Those lucky moviegoers in 1977 got to see a very cool double feature of 1950's Sci-fi classics. It would be really cool if double features like this would come back. Grindhouse was about the closest we've gotten to something like this in the last several years. I would have loved seeing this when I was a kid. This ad is from the 11/18/77 Kansas City Star.

Dickinson Theatres Ad 1984

The summer of 1984 was a great one for movies. This ad for Dickinson Theatres shows just how many good movies were out that summer. Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom in 70mm and Star Trek III at the Glenwood, Purple Rain and Gremlins at the Antioch, and Bachelor Party and The Karate Kid at the Gladstone were just a few examples. Not to mention Revenge Of The Nerds at the Plaza. What a great summer! This ad is from the 7/27/84 Kansas City Star.

Battlestar Galactica 1979

One of my favorite TV shows as a kid was Battlestar Galactica. Imagine my surprise and delight when they released an expanded version of the pilot episode to theaters in the summer of 1979. I remember seeing it at the Blue Ridge theater but I'm not sure when I saw it because it wasn't playing there at the time of this ad in September. I remember the sound being cranked really loud when the Colonial Vipers took off. It probably wasn't that loud compared to sound today but back then in the early days of Dolby Stereo it was pretty impressive. The pilot episode still holds up today unlike most of the rest of the series. It was a great childhood moviegoing experience. This ad is from the 9/21/79 Kansas City Star.

GoodFellas 1990

One of my favorite movies of the 1990's is Martin Scorcese's GoodFellas. It's a modern day mob classic. Although it's not as good as Coppola's first two Godfather pictures, it's fantastic from beginning to end. I remember seeing this at the Blue Ridge East while I was in college and being blown away. This ad is from the 10/5/90 Kansas City Star.

A Clockwork Orange 1971

A Clockwork Orange is one of the most disturbing and creepy movies I've ever seen. Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece is definitely one of a kind. It was one of the more original movies that came out in 1971. It had an exclusive run at the Embassy, which was a small theater on the Country Club Plaza. This ad is from the 5/21/71 Kansas City Star.

They Went That-A-Way And That-A-Way 1978

One of my most cherished childhood moviegoing experiences was seeing this Tim Conway film at the Independence Square theater. I loved Conway from the Carol Burnett Show and he was fantastic as usual in this silly caper movie. I was very lucky to meet him many many years later. I wish I would have remembered to tell him how much I loved this movie. Oh well. This ad is from the 10/20/78 Kansas City Star.

A Bridge Too Far 1977

One of the cooler 1970's WWII movies was A Bridge Too Far. It was the typical all star extravaganza but it was really well shot and directed. I never saw it at a theater but it would have been cool on the big screen at Blue Ridge. This ad is from the 5/29/77 Kansas City Star.

Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom 1984

This sequel to my second favorite movie came out three years later and I was really disappointed at the time. It was much darker than Raiders and the supporting characters were incredible annoyting. The movie holds up pretty well though and I like it a lot better now. I seem to remember seeing this at the Glenwood but I also remember seeing it at Blue Ridge West. I probably saw it at both places. I wasn't aware that the mall theater had 70mm capability. I know the Blue Ridge East did but it doesn't make any sense that the small bunker style theater did. This ad is from the 7/27/84 Kansas City Star.

King Kong 1977

The 1970's remake of King Kong has long been hailed as one of the worst movies ever made. It was crazy to remake one of the greatest films of all time but that didn't stop them from trying. There are some decent moments in the movie and the makeup is pretty good. It actually lasted several months in the theaters and did OK financially. It had been playing for about six months when this ad appeared in the 5/29/77 Kansas City Star.

Stripes 1981

Stripes is one of the classic 1980's comedies. Bill Murray and Harold Ramis were fantastic in this military blockbuster. I had been a fan of Murray's since Saturday Night Live and Meatballs but I think this film cemented his movie stardom. It still holds up fantastically well and is a great movie. This ad is from the 6/12/81 Kansas City Star.

Convoy 1978

Perhaps the most legendary film of the 70's that hasn't been released on DVD or VHS that I'm aware of is Convoy. It's a classic trucker movie that epitomizes the era. I saw it on WTBS when I was a teenager and I don't think I've seen it since. I might have seen it in college but I don't remember. This movie was a natural for the drive-in. I'm surprised it was only at a couple of them. This ad is from the 7/3/78 Kansas City Star.

The Love Bug (Re-release) 1979

Turner Classic Movies is showing a lot of the Disney live action movies this month and I got to thinking how much I liked a lot of them that came out in the late 60's and 70's. Perhaps the most well known of these is The Love Bug, which came out in 1969 and spawned several sequels. The original film was rereleased several times and I probably saw it for the first time during this release in 1979. I remember seeing it at Blue Ridge and loving every minute of it. This ad is from the 2/9/79 Kansas City Star.

AMC Theaters Ad 1972

I've always enjoyed these chain ads in the papers. It was interesting to see what movies were playing with each other in the days before the muliplex. This ad from the 3/24/72 Kansas City Star shows The Godfather, on its opening day, playing the Empire, along with the classic Billy Jack and a couple of minor movies that didn't achieve any historical status, at least not to me anyway. Fiddler On The Roof was playing the big Midland screen while the classics Summer Of 42 and Play Misty For Me were relegated to the tiny screens to the side of the main house. These two theaters were AMC's pride and joy in 1972. They were pretty much the only downtown theaters left at this time. Having their own ad in the paper was proof of that.

1941 1979

Unlike a lot of the critics, I actually enjoyed Steven Speilberg's first attempt at comedy. 1941 is a glorious train wreck that is very fun to watch. John Belushi's Wild Bill Kelso is one of the more underrated cinema characters of the 1970's. I never saw this in a theater but I really dug it when I saw it on video about five years later. It still holds up well to me and it's an interesting piece of '70's movie history. This ad is from the 12/21/79 Kansas City Star.

Unidentified Flying Oddball 1979

I really enjoyed seeing this double feature at Blue Ridge when I was 9 years old. At the time anything having to do with space appealed to me so this was a no brainer. The movie is super silly but it's a great example of the way Disney live action was at the time. This movie, along with The Cat From Outer Space, were some of my favorite Disney live action movies. This might have been the first time I saw The Jungle Book too but I'm not sure. This ad is from the 6/3/79 Kansas City Star.

The Last Starfighter 1984

Another classic from the summer of 1984 was The Last Starfighter. Made to capitalize on the video game and Star Wars crazes, it was incredibly entertaining and still holds up well to this day. Who didn't want to be the main character in a video game like atmosphere. I love this movie. I take I might take it out again tonight. This ad is from the 7/27/84 Kansas City Star.

The Warriors 1979

The Warriors is one of all time cult movies of the 1970's. I remember wanting to see this in the worst way but as a nine year old, there was no way my parents were letting me see it. I did see it in high school and really dug it. I watched it again recently and it's definitely of its time. It would have been fantastic at a drive-in. This ad is from the 2/9/79 Kansas City Star.