# Ok memorial weekend 1977 your at the movies which one would or did you see **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 24, 2020, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-memorial-weekend-1977-your-at-the-movies-which-one-would-or-did-you-see/854395 "2020-05-24T21:18:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Kyrie\_Eleison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kyrie_eleison/32/7682_2.png) [@Kyrie\_Eleison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyrie_Eleison)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-memorial-weekend-1977-your-at-the-movies-which-one-would-or-did-you-see/854395/41 "2020-05-25T18:39:07Z")
I was 10, and Star Wars was the first movie I went to see unaccompanied by a parent. I don’t know if it was opening weekend, but I know it was a hot Memphis summer and the line stretched outside around the movie theater. Smokey and the Bandit I saw because Mom & Dad took us to the drive in to see it. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-memorial-weekend-1977-your-at-the-movies-which-one-would-or-did-you-see/854395/42 "2020-05-25T18:47:47Z")
Smokey wasn’t even on my radar then I didn’t see it until it was on HBO. (We got cable pretty early) I was excited to see Star Wars since the moment I saw a commercial on our black and white tv. I know I wanted to see it right away but I didn’t on the opening weekend. My father tried to take us multiple times but there were always long lines and sold out shows. It felt like forever before we were able to see it. I have no idea how long it actually was. Hard to imagine now with multiplexes and reserved seating. I was ten when it came out. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-memorial-weekend-1977-your-at-the-movies-which-one-would-or-did-you-see/854395/43 "2020-05-25T18:54:25Z")
I’ve never had the remotest inclination to go the movie theatres when large crowds / packed venues were to be expected. One always waits for new releases to age past their opening week crowds, unless it’s likely to slip away and disappear. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-memorial-weekend-1977-your-at-the-movies-which-one-would-or-did-you-see/854395/44 "2020-05-25T19:08:15Z")
I saw Star Wars eventually, but I only went to a movie once on a holiday - for some stupid reason, we went to a Star Trek movie that opened one Christmas. I don’t even like Star Trek, but I was outvoted. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-memorial-weekend-1977-your-at-the-movies-which-one-would-or-did-you-see/854395/45 "2020-05-25T19:08:42Z")
I could have sworn I saw **The Deep** on Memorial Day weekend but Google says it didn’t come out until June. Funny how 43 years can skew ones memory. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-memorial-weekend-1977-your-at-the-movies-which-one-would-or-did-you-see/854395/46 "2020-05-25T19:10:56Z")
You really need a choce for “both” ---
**Author:** ![Jane\_Elliot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jane_elliot/32/6166_2.png) [@Jane\_Elliot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jane_Elliot)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-memorial-weekend-1977-your-at-the-movies-which-one-would-or-did-you-see/854395/47 "2020-05-25T19:46:50Z")
I was 16 and my high school nickname was ‘Queen of the Geeks’. These were the kids in 1977 who knew about computers, read science fiction, owned Bored of the Rings, and knew about Star Wars because they attended San Diego Comic-Con. They drove to my house on the way to the theater, pulled me into the car, told my mom they were taking me to the movies, and I had no idea what I was in for. I still remember how I felt in the first moments of the opening shot. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-memorial-weekend-1977-your-at-the-movies-which-one-would-or-did-you-see/854395/48 "2020-05-25T20:59:54Z")
I was thirteen years old and in Jr. High that weekend. To the best of my recollection, I didn’t see any movies that weekend but I wasn’t an avid movie goer. I grew up in West Los Angeles. I never saw _Smokey and the Bandit_ and to this day know very little about it. _Star Wars_ was clearly on another level. I clearly remember my buddy Brian telling by the school lockers about this amazing movie that he saw. He couldn’t shut up about it. It may have been just after that weekend because I hadn’t even heard of it prior to that. Then almost overnight it was everywhere. Being the contrary little punk that I was, I didn’t see it during the hype even though I was the prime age for it. I wanted to be the only kid not to have seen it. Before the second movie was released, they re-released _Star Wars_ (with some edits?) in the cheapie theaters. My friend tricked me into seeing it. Other than many snippets on tv over the years, that remains the only time that I have seen a movie from that series. I am largely ignorant about Star Wars lore and I miss a lot of references. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-memorial-weekend-1977-your-at-the-movies-which-one-would-or-did-you-see/854395/49 "2020-05-25T21:03:47Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > I saw Smokey first, and I would choose Smokey again. A fantastic stupid movie, SatB features the greatest performance by a basset hound in cinema and a Sally Field who, frankly, just looks fuckin’ _choice_. Also, I grew up in Atlanta and it was thrilling to see Six Flags and the Scream Machine on cinema. Yes. A lot of people seem to write off _Smokey_ as just a stupid redneck movie, but it was actually pretty good. Fine performances all around. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-memorial-weekend-1977-your-at-the-movies-which-one-would-or-did-you-see/854395/50 "2020-05-25T21:11:00Z")
I can’t remember what I did _last_ weekend. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-memorial-weekend-1977-your-at-the-movies-which-one-would-or-did-you-see/854395/51 "2020-05-25T21:43:47Z")
In June 1977, my father took us kids (relatively speaking; I was 23 years old, and my sisters were 24 and 16) out to Los Angeles to visit relatives out there. While we were out there, we saw _Star Wars_ at a 1000-seat theater. The audience cheered and applauded when Luke blew up the Death Star. To this day, I’ve never seen _Smokey and the Bandit_. And I have no idea what I was doing that Memorial Day weekend. At the time, I was working a shit job in Hartford, CT. > [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > _Star Wars_ got a cover blurb (although not a cover photo) on the[May 30, 1977 issue of _Time_ magazine](https://time.com/3836877/1977-star-wars-facts/), and a dozen photos in the story within. I remember they referred to R2D2 as Artoo Detoo, and they did something similar with C3PO. (See-Threepio, maybe? Just my best WAG, 43 years later. :)) ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-memorial-weekend-1977-your-at-the-movies-which-one-would-or-did-you-see/854395/52 "2020-05-25T22:54:42Z")
I saw both in theaters during their initial release, but I’m not sure which I saw first. What I do know is that I didn’t see Star Wars until it had been out for several weeks, so Smokey was probably first. I’m thinking neither was opening weekend though. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2020, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-memorial-weekend-1977-your-at-the-movies-which-one-would-or-did-you-see/854395/53 "2020-05-26T00:15:30Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > And I have no idea what I was doing that Memorial Day weekend. At the time, I was working a shit job in Hartford, CT. Now that I think about it, I remember one thing I did that Memorial Day weekend, and it had nothing to do with movies - a friend and I drove up to Boston that Saturday for my very first game at Fenway Park. [This](https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS197705280.shtml) game. A perfect introduction to Fenway. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2020, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-memorial-weekend-1977-your-at-the-movies-which-one-would-or-did-you-see/854395/54 "2020-05-26T01:11:18Z")
My family was in North Bay visiting my Dad’s brother and his family, and we all went out to see “Star Wars.” It blew our minds. As a kid I liked Smokey and the Bandit too, but Star Wars was THE MOVIE. For kids of that era it was the most important thing ever. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2020, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-memorial-weekend-1977-your-at-the-movies-which-one-would-or-did-you-see/854395/55 "2020-05-26T02:12:17Z")
My Dad, my brother, and me stood in the heat for the first showing of Star Wars. We had a lot of excitement built up for it. I was 14 and a HUGE sci-fi fan. I don’t know how much the average teenager knew about it, but we were totally ready for it. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-memorial-weekend-1977-your-at-the-movies-which-one-would-or-did-you-see/854395/56 "2020-06-02T05:07:11Z")
_Star Wars_. No question. I think I saw the original three times in its first release; I had zero interest in any Burt Reynolds movies back then (and very little now). ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-memorial-weekend-1977-your-at-the-movies-which-one-would-or-did-you-see/854395/57 "2020-06-02T07:07:44Z")
I was really keen to see _Star Wars_ when it first opened. I didn’t see _Smokey and the Bandit_ until it was on TV some time, many years later. Much as I enjoyed Star Wars, I still have never seen _The Empire Strikes Back_ or _Return of the Jedi_. Nor have I seen\* Smokey and the Bandit Ride Again\* or _Smokey and the Bandit Part 3_ which were also released in 1980 and 1983. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-memorial-weekend-1977-your-at-the-movies-which-one-would-or-did-you-see/854395/58 "2020-06-02T07:21:21Z")
Saw Star Wars. I was six. I think I still have the program they passed out at GCC theaters. It had a faded purple font explaining who was who and what was what. Acting credits for Harrison was amusing, since it was pretty short and included soap operas. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-memorial-weekend-1977-your-at-the-movies-which-one-would-or-did-you-see/854395/59 "2020-06-02T12:38:10Z")
I never have seen Smokey, probably never will. Can’t stomach more than a few seconds of Burt Reynolds. I remember seeing **Star Wars** in the theater, it was pretty cool but it wasn’t quite as mind-blowing for me as it seemed to be for most folks. I did see **Spy Who Loved Me** and **The Deep** at the cinema, and [**Food of the Gods**](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074540/) the previous year. I was 9-10 years old. Seems like society’s standards have changed a bit for what it’s ok for little kids to see. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-memorial-weekend-1977-your-at-the-movies-which-one-would-or-did-you-see/854395/60 "2020-06-02T12:41:34Z")
in 1977 it was Smokey and Saturday Night Fever again and again then saw Grease several times in '78. STill havent seen SW entirely in one sitting. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-memorial-weekend-1977-your-at-the-movies-which-one-would-or-did-you-see/854395.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-memorial-weekend-1977-your-at-the-movies-which-one-would-or-did-you-see/854395.md?page=4)