The Rocketeer

The year was 1991 and I was eleven years old. I felt very special getting to spend the night at my cousin's house and staying up late watching movies, eating popcorn for dinner and playing Duck Hunt and Mario Brothers. The feature that night:





Last summer Paul and I bought The Rocketeer on dvd. When we got married and moved into our house we went to buy a tv for the house and were stunned to see how expensive a tv is. After a little research, we realized that for the same amount we could buy a projector and have a truly "Big Screen" experience. The Rocketeer on the big screen is a true blast from the past!


Our family has not had regular television in years, but we do collect classic movies to enjoy over and over. During our family reunion this past June we carried couches and chairs out to the patio. We set up heaps of blankets and pillows and made buckets and buckets of popcorn. Two nights in a row everyone from my parents, in laws, aunts and uncles to the youngest little cousin followed a trail of tiki torches to find a cozy spot under the stars to watch one of our feature films.


We did showings of both The Rocketeer and Swiss Family Robinson. Everyone had so much fun!
Some of the little boys, who had been camping each night in a tent in the backyard, did get a bit scared of the Frankenstein-like fellow in The Rocketeer and decided to camp inside that night because they were a bit scared of bumping into a monster, but they also seemed to enjoy the thrill of being "deliciously scared," as Anne of Green Gables would have called it. For a Disney movie it is a bit mature, but our group was old enough to handle it.





So, what inspired this trip down memory lane? While at the museum on Monday I saw this racing plane and immediately thought of "Cliff Secord" and "The Bee Gee" that he flew. Isn't it a cool looking plane?


I wanted to look online to see if this plane that I snapped a picture of at the museum was really similiar to the one in the movie and, sure enough, it was!


Random thought: One of my favorite scenes is when "Jenny" and the evil Nazi actor are at the night club and a large sea shell opens, a clarinet begins to play and a lovely woman begins to sing. I wish they still have places like that. Seeing scenes like that give me the "I was born during the wrong era" feeling!


While searching online, I read that the original hope was to create a trilogy similiar to Indian Jones! Interesting, huh? I also found a couple of fun quotes from the movie that I thought I'd share.


Peevy: Clifford, when you borrow something, and don't tell no body, they call that stealing!


Cliff: [donning the helmet] How do I look?
Peevy: Like a hood ornament!


Matron: You know my rules: no gentlemen allowed inside after 6pm.
Cliff: But, I'm not a gentlemen.
Matron: You're telling me!




And last, but not least:
Cliff: Why don't you stick a welding torch in my ear, and call it the end to a perfect day!