Heidi (1937)
Shirley Temple films were aired on television every Sunday afternoon and I tuned in faithfully. I liked all of the movies and watched them in black and white. My favorite movie was “Heidi”. What is the most memorable moment in this movie? When she received a Christmas snow globe from her employer and asked if she could keep it … “FOREVER?!” The gentleman laughed and responded “Longer than that.” As a child, I remember thinking “You mean time can last longer than FOREVER?”
National Velvet (1944)
Elizabeth Taylor played the role of Velvet, a small fragile child with a Big Dream. This young girl had an impressive role model she could look to for inspiration and motivation: her own mother. As a young woman, her mother followed her dream to be a champion swimmer. When the time came for Velvet to follow her dream, her mother fully supported her daughter’s endeavor. Velvet entered a horse race and won! She was disqualified when the judges realized she was a girl. It didn’t matter to her. She had accomplished what she set out to do. What makes this movie so memorable? For a young girl growing up in the 60s, the message was clear to me: Girls can do anything boys can do!
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Judy Garland played Dorothy from Kansas. Her family had gotten to the shelter but she was caught in a twister. A piece of flying debris hit her in the head and knocked her unconscious. She dreamed she wasn’t at home in Kansas anymore. She was in the wonderful Land of Oz. And although the place was magical and even had witches who were beautiful and good … all she wanted was to get back home to Kansas. Her delightful adventure and journey to return home began when she started on her way, down the Yellow Brick Road. This movie was a tradition. It was only televised once a year and every year I looked forward to hearing Dorothy sing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”.
2 Disney Animated Films: Bambi (1942), and Lady and the Tramp (1955)
As a child, “The Wonderful World of Disney” was aired every Sunday evening before my bedtime. My mother made sure “we” (my siblings and me) watched this program. She thought it was great family entertainment that encouraged positiveness and goodness in young children.
One might argue that all Disney movies are memorable movies. Even though "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs(1937)" was Walt Disney’s first full-length feature film, the 2 animated films that, in my mind, were the most memorable were about animals.
- “Bambi” was about a fawn (a young deer) who lived in the forest.
- “Lady and the Tramp” was a romance, a love story, between dogs.
What were the memorable lessons that a child learned?
- Memorable lesson learned from “Bambi”: If you can’t say nothing good, don’t say nothing at all!
- Memorable lesson learned from “Lady and the Tramp”: People can come from completely different backgrounds, grow up in completely different environments, and they can cross over any “barrier” that might look like it will separate them and fall in love. Love conquers all.
Do you have any memorable movies from your childhood?
