Returning to Kentucky

How's everyone today?

We had a inspiring day yesterday at the screening room. Along with our professionals we invited a group of advanced actors from a class here in Hollywood to get a grass roots, fresh point of view to some of the films we were screening. To get the audience's feeling of response for judging. It was a very interesting experience to hear their comments.

As I was driving home from the studio my mind began to wander back to some wonderful days when I was that spectator and all the films I had seen. I thought about the early days of when I was helping my Uncle that opened the Kenmore Drive In and then in later years the RiverView Drive In in Carrollton, Kentucky.

I remembered the many trips to Cincinnati to book films for the theater and the excitement of projectionist booth and smell of that old carbon arc that lit the screen. I remembered the Saturday nights when they would be "Horror" night and I would lay in the coffin in front of the box office as Dracula and rise out of it occasionally when a car full of kids would pull up to the box office window. Their expressions were priceless. And, there were times I'd get a soft drink tossed on me because I'd be playing Frankenstein and wandering around the speaker bumps sneaking upon a car. I was remembering the opportunity to go in the snack stand and get a free hot dog when I wanted to and how wonderful that was. Then my mind slipped into the RiverView Drive In. My brother and I were the lifeguards during the summer there. We lived in the Drive In with our Aunt and Uncle. This was interesting because when it was built, it was built with a 3 bedroom in the tower of the Drive In. When I wasn't working the "Horror" nights and just going to bed, I could lie in bed and listen to all the dialogue. I knew more lines of movies than any of my friends. I may have only seen the movie once, but I heard it a million times.

What great moments those were. And, now as I'm approaching my dream of a great film festival in my hometown, my thoughts are relishing all those memories that were so a part of my growing up. As I sit in the viewing room I think about the times I was trying to sleep to the dialogue of Spencer Tracy, Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, and all the wonderful actors of the late 40's and early 50's. I could hear the great musicals over and over again and the wonderful tap shoes of Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, and the voices of Doris Day and Donald O'Connor.
It makes me ponder if all that wasn't a prelude to today and being able to offer recognition for the great young film makers out there busy scratching together their money to create their dream. I have to believe it was. I'm excited that my dream and the dreams of the people around me are reaching our goals. We're almost there. it's only a few more months and we open to the red carpet of our dreams.

I'll see you there.