- First (and last) time I had to go straight from the theater to the hospital.

‘Any Which Way You Can’ (1980, making me roughly 6 at the time). I went to see this with my dad at the Green Acres Cinema, a four-screen miniplex in the strip mall around the corner from my childhood home (and before you ask, by the time I would have been old enough to regularly take advantage of the place, it had already closed). I don’t remember much of the afternoon — I think it was a Sunday — other than I remember getting one of those GIANT bags of M&Ms at the concession stand and wolfing them down through the man/monkey comedy/action sequel. I also remember feeling a little off, a little wheezy and tired, but not thinking much of it, or telling my dad or anything. Figured I’d just wait it out if something was wrong.

Finally, the movie ended, and as the lights came up, I looked down at myself, only to find out that I was covered, head to toe, in HIVES. Fucking huge, swollen blotches all over my face, arms, legs, you name it. For as much trouble as I was having breathing, I might’ve had hives in my lungs. We drove straight to the hospital, and they pumped me full of something that made it stop. It never really happened again, and to this day, I still have no idea what triggered it, but to be safe, I haven’t gone to a movie with an orangutan lead in it ever since. Better safe than sorry.

I DID, however, forget the last - and, now I think - best line: “It’s playing at the College!”

http://cinematreasures.org/theater/3871/

Great stories. EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE was one of the first - maybe even THE first - movie I saw without an adult. My buddy Frank and I went to the Nostrand theater one Saturday, and laughed ourselves into 10-year-old oblivion.

F13 3-D is the Friday movie for which I also have the most affection. I saw it at the Highway theater, accompanied by my friends Paul, Vito, Rich and Paul’s father. We loved it. Paul’s pop didn’t.

CAT PEOPLE is among the first movies I rented. I had to cart the VCR downstairs and watch it on a little black-and-white TV.

CONQUEST is the best APES sequel, I agree, but ESCAPE holds a very special place in my heart - and on my arm, as I have the Ape family tattooed there.

I think all kids dream about talking animals, monkeys in particular (for many), and the APES movies bring it to live. I think they also feed into childhood power fantasies of the voiceless and oppressed - how it so often feels to be a kid - rising up and putting The Man (pretty much literally) in his place.

Do you remember the name or town of the first drive-in you went to?

SUMMER LOVERS frustrated me back THEN - the two chicks never get it on! - so to view it now for sexual purposes would be like watching a TV commercial from 1982 and attempting to pop a rod. Still, it’s a camptastic hoot.

First Movie Theater Experience:
For some reason my folks took me along with them when they went to go see EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE with some friends, theater was so packed we ended up on first row. Funny thing is the next day when my Grandma was asking me what my favorite part was of the movie was I said “Right Turn Clyde” and then punched my sister in the face. Hey, I was 5 so didn’t hurt that much.

First R Rated Movie:
When I was 8 the neighbor lady and her daughter convinced my mom that I could go see FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 3 in 3-D with them. I had yet to see Part 1 or 2 but I was just determined to see this flick. This movie fucking traumatized me for years. It’s still my favorite of the FRIDAY flicks and Dana Kimmell was and will always be the best “Final Girl”…in my opinion

First R rated movie I saw on cable I’m pretty sure was CAT PEOPLE. I was watching it with my Dad when my Mom came home and started yelling but my Dad said something to the effect of “Hey, its almost over now”

I remember seeing SUMMER LOVERS, which was basically “legal” porn for the masses, when it first came on cable TV… I have no desire to see it now as I’m sure it will always be far more impressive and scandalous in my memory than it would seem today.