Last night, Terry and I were at Blossom Music Center to hear the Cleveland Orchestra play the music of John Williams, he of movie soundtrack composing fame. We had a wonderful time, but then, how couldn't we? It was John Williams. And the Cleveland Orchestra. Conducted by the amazing Sarah Hicks. Outside on a late summer evening.
From "Jaws" and "E.T." to "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Jurassic Park," I associate Mr. Williams' music with wonderful memories from many stages of my life.
I remember, for example, being awed by his "Star Wars" film score when I saw the movie in 1977 at the Great Lakes Mall cinema complex in Mentor, Ohio.
Or at least I think I remember that. At this point in my existence, nearly 57 years on, I've come to realize that certain of my memories are not memories at all, but rather things I only believe to have happened.
I know this because I will relay anecdotes from my past and find myself being corrected by a friend who was there or (in the case of my high school athletic career) a newspaper article telling a different story.
So when I say I think I saw "Star Wars" in the theater, it's either something that really happened or something I wish had happened. I can't be sure which.
Whatever the case, my memory is that I went with the Wuicik family, our neighbors from across the street. The boys Jason and Billy were constant companions in my early years, and I definitely do remember going with them and their mom to the drive-in to see "Smokey and the Bandit."
Assuming the "Star Wars" thing also really happened, it probably would have been only the second or third time in my life I had been in a movie theater. We weren't a movie-going family, though I do remember – or again, believe I remember – my mom taking me to see Disney's "Escape to Witch Mountain" in 1975 or '76, my first theater experience.
My memory of "Star Wars" (real or not) is having been blown away by the visuals, sound, and music. It was unlike any other entertainment available at the time.
I do know for a fact I saw "Empire Strikes Back" in that same theater in 1979, because I vividly recall seeing people dressed up in Darth Vader and Chewbacca costumes in the lobby.
OK, maybe saying I know that "for a fact" is a little strong. But I am more confident that one actually happened.
Or at least I think I am. Who can say?
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