Old Film Comedies Discovered By New Generation

A "Jeremiah Johnson" inspired pose. The 1972 film recently played in our home to mixed reviews.

Old films continue to hit big in these parts. The most unexpected success was "Wayne's World." Originally I wanted the kids to see the film because of the Bohemian Rhapsody scene, but they insisted on viewing the whole film.

I was worried that the many cultural references would be lost on the kids. Namely, the notion of a cable access television show -- it's been several years since we "cut the chord" and started steaming all our media. The kids probably view Wayne's cable show as some proto-Vblog.

The film was a big hit, especially the crazy subtitles and Cantonese scenes. I had to explain the "Excuse me sir, do you have any Grey Poupon?" but generally the laughs ensued organically.

The experience made me think of the films that stood the test of time when I was a kid. "Duck Soup," the 1933 Marx Brothers movie, immediately comes to mind. That film had lasted three or four generations by the time I saw it.

I suppose this is why parents look forward to being grandparents, so to show another generation of whack kids what truly is entertainment. I better start writing myself notes about this because I suspect I will have forgotten when the time comes.

Note to self: Show grand kids "Shrek,""The Incredibles," "Kung-fu Panda," "Surf's Up" and "World War Z" (but only if I'm babysitting and the parents have left).