Oh my.
From a cinema perspective, I have seen the original Star Wars trilogy – Episode IV: A New Hope (1977), Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983) – starting first in the theatres first and then on to watching at home in various ways, more than a dozen times.
I saw the first three Lord of the Rings – The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King – when they opened in the theatres, and at least a half dozen times on the home screen now. Sort of jumped in when Titanic appeared, and have been watching that one when it surfaces during an evening of dead sea scrolling. Deadpool is up there, The Dark Knight, and the like are in the five plus crowd.
But by far, the most watched movie for me, spanning decades is:
I always find something different in it. The scene where Harry exalts his brother: “A toast to my big brother George: The richest man in town” still brings tears. Just did now. I will watch that one all the way to the end. Literally and figuratively.
TV shows?
That gets a little more complex.
Growing up in the suburbs, Sunday nights on the local WTTW station meant joining the circus.
Being that it was on Sundays meant me and my brother would watch it religiously. That is simply a pun. God, you know me.
Later in life, it became AFV, replacing the Pythons, every Sunday evening.
The ones where people get the crap scared out of them are the best. Kids in the flour bags and make up drawer a close second.
But this is where it gets tricky.
I have always loved the original Tom and Jerry cartoons. Tex Avery and Looney Toons close second and third. But then newer iterations get mixed in, like Shemps and Joes. But I could watch Tom, Jerry and Butch whack each other all day.
But by George, the longest running favorite of mine ever, though they are technically shorts, are by far, Moe, Larrry and Curly.
I have been watching them since my preteens and still watch them every week in my mid sixties.
We used to go to midnight Stooges festivals at the local theatre during highschool. And they have found a place on Me TV, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM each Saturday night. Leading into Svengoolie, another one I used to enjoy on WFLD back on the day.
In short, it’s a wonderful life when you can spread out and pick two.
Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.
...my temporary assignment. 