After dinner it's an easy trip to Martin Twin, Marbro Drive-In, or even across town to Cinema One if we want to catch a movie. It's not far to walk to Jackson Heights from Memorial Village if the weather is not too horrible and see what the Martin Twin has to offer.
Family entertainment was the fare tonight. Charlton Heston stars in the 1972 version of The Call of the Wild. Walt Disney's The Absent-minded Professor and The Castaway Cowboy are the other offerings. I think most everyone is familiar with the lighter than air adventures with flubber in The Absent-minded Professor, but The Castaway Cowboy is a bit more obscure tale of a cowboy washing up on Kaui who decides to stay for awhile and help his rescuer's family start a ranch. James Garner plays the cowboy in one of the two Disney films he did in the 1970's. Perhaps it will be something you can see on their new streaming service these days.
Cinema One was showing a music film that was already several years old in 1974. Popcorn had been released originally in November 1971 and had been filmed in 1969. The Rolling Stones, Bee Gees, and Jimi Hendrix are just a few of the acts featured. Here's a clip with Spencer Davis Group's "I'm A Man" accompanying some suitably tripped out visuals.
If we didn't want to see any of those films our other option that night would be to go north out past G.E. and see what the Marbro Drive-In had lined up for the night.
The Marbro Drive-In often liked to have themes with their showings. The 2 films back then were both about men returning back to their home town after being away. The Windsplitter from 1971 looks like it was a pretty tame long hair versus the establishment sort of film. Ride In A Pink Car is about a guy, thought to be dead, who comes back home to find the town and his wife taken over by corrupt forces. I couldn't find any footage from the movie, but I am curious as to what the heck is going on with the tagline: "There are two things in this world I hate...racial prejudice and Indians!" My English minor skills have eroded, but those lines seem contradictory to me.
If all of those films were not too interesting it might be a good night to stay in. You could choose between Sanford and Son or Planet of the Apes at 7. Six Million Dollar Man came on at 8pm followed by Night Stalker. That's some good viewing there. I'll be back next week with another film flashback, but first here's some bonus butter for your popcorn.
Bonus: The Daily News Journal would feature a family every year going out and shopping for Christmas. It was obvious that the places they visited had paid for these entries and the Martin theatre made sure they were a part of these pieces that ran in November and December for years. Here's the one from 1974 that ran in the December 1st paper. The Waller family go with Charlton Heston.
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