Posted 06 July 2009 - 03:43 PM
Ah, the summer of '89! Ghostbusters 2, Batman and Bond.
I was 11 and totally looking forward to this. My first experience with Bond was TLD two years before, so I was primed and pumped for new Bond.
I remember ABC ran two nights of Bond (unheard of for a network station, or any station, back then) with DN and TMWTGG. USA Today had a promo to give away one of the cars in the film, and printed the one-sheet poster that took up an entire page. I carefully cut that out and put it up on one of my bedroom's walls. At that age, promotional memorabilia was hard to come by at that time, and what little I had I took very good care of. I also had a copy of Starlog and Cinema Fantastique, each with articles on Bond. I desperately wanted the teaser poster, but that would have to wait (about 5 years, ashamedly).
Opening day was Friday, July 14th, and I wanted to go to the very first showing but my dad wouldn't get off work until the afternoon. She suggested my mom take me to the earlier show, but he took me to TLD two years ago and I there was no way I'd go without him. So we went around 3:30 or so. I remember getting there early, lining up to see the faces of the people coming out of the earlier showing to gauge their reactions. Being 11, I hadn't mastered the art of reading facial expressions, so I had nothing.
I had read about half of Gardner's novelization, so I was psyching myself up for his description of Lupe's visible nakedness beneath the sheets in her first scene (disappointed) and the goriness of Felix's mutilation (relieved - not a fan of gore).
Maybe it was my absorption in pop culture of the 80's, which included Miami Vice, my interest in the drug trade or my enthusiasm for Bond (or all three) but I loved the film. I thought it was great. It was a step up and a departure from TLD, but in a good way. And as an 11-year old, I really dug the higher rating, which meant I was on my way to becoming more mature, or so I thought at the time.
Ironically, I had no idea that the very next day I was to embark on the most exciting trip of my life and, tragically, the saddest return to home I've ever experienced.
My family had planned a trip out west that summer. We flew from Atlanta to New Mexico and drove to Arizona, stopping at the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest. We spent time at the Grand Canyon and then made our way to Las Vegas. During this trip, I had a blast. I knew I was very fortunate to be able to take that trip while my friends sat at home, and I cherish the memories of that time. Being in Vegas and seeing the Bond sites from DAF like the Slumber mortuary and staying in Circus Circus (it was still pretty nice back then, now it's a dump) were amazing, all with the new Bond film fresh in my mind.
Flying home, we had a long layover in Chicago because our flight from Vegas left late. It was raining in Chicago, and many flights were delayed. My mom decided to call my grandmother and let her know we were going to be late. She came back from the pay phone in tears. My dad asked what was wrong, she said my grandmother was very short with her, as if in a hurry, so my mom pressured her as to why. I'll never forget these words, she said, "'Something's wrong with Freddie, I had to call Rescue.'"
Freddie, my grandfather, the coolest man to have ever walked the earth. My hero, the man who made the saddest man laugh and the happiest man elated.
We had no idea, being stuck in an under-construction airport in Chicago, what was happening with our family. I remember tears, I remember confusion in my head as to what it all meant. I didn't want to lose him. It was too early, I wasn't ready, there was more I had to learn from him.
We got home that night at about 1:00am. My parents told me to go to my room and unpack. I could hear them dialing the phone. I knew who they were calling. The next sound I remember hearing was what sounded like my dad laughing, as if in a fit. I thought, "Maybe he's okay. Maybe everything's okay." The sound wasn't laughter. He was crying, something I never heard from my dad before. I ran into their bedroom, my mom was sitting on the bed sobbing, the phone next to her ear, and my dad was leaning against his dresser, head bent over. I knew what had happened.
For some reason, through all the sadness, I look back on that summer with happiness. I had great times with my friends, a great trip to the western United States and saw some great movies. Maybe that was the final gift from Freddie: happiness.
