Like ghosts appear in cigarette smoke

[sovay]

After careful perusal of box-office figures for 1981, we have determined that my answer to that data-scraping meme in which the main character of the number-one film of the year in which you were born is now starring in the first movie you ever saw is Indiana Jones and the Dancing Cavalier. Since spatch informs me that Indy was canonically born in 1899, he would be in his late twenties for the events of Singin' in the Rain (1952) and since I find it funnier to interpret this meme as a crossover rather than a substitution, I am now trying to figure out what archaeological mishegos he could be perpetrating in Hollywood that would bring him into contact with Cosmo, Kathy, and Don—and whether, depending on the nature of the mishegos and the timeline of his tenure at Marshall College, he could have Marcus with him. Inevitably, some producer is going to offer him a contract to star in an adventure serial.

Comments

[sovay]

Oh, well, I was born in 1977, so I give myself no prizes for guessing the top rated box office hit! First film I ever watched, though - how does anyone know that?

I happen to know mine because my parents remember showing it to me and I remember being shown. We estimate I was four years old at the time: I could already read, but could still fit into my Paddington boots.

I've described this as best as I can to people and best guess is that it might have been Kind Hearts and Coronets, but generally God Only Knows.

If it was a Christmas cake, it can't be Kind Hearts and Coronets—the only poisoning in that movie is accomplished via a glass of port. The rest of the D'Ascoynes are respectively drowned, exploded, shot down with bow and arrow over Berkeley Square, exploded again, and drowned again, though I can't remember if the last is actually the handiwork of the protagonist or the convenient result of admiral's own stubbornness.

I also have memories of encountering things as a child (and as an adult) that were supposed to be funny but which I found extremely upsetting, so you have my sympathy.

But on balance, I think Luke Skywalker is probably now in Carry on Henry and, honestly, I'm not sure it would make much difference. To the Carry On crew, I mean. Obviously, Luke would be very confused and fail to get proper Jedi training.

We haven't gotten to that one yet, but it does feel metaphysically correct that anyone can be incorporated into the Carry On universe, so long as they're willing to be very confused.

ETA: Excuse all the edits. Yours sounds fabulous, though, I meant to say. I would definitely watch it!

Thank you! I wish I could show it to you!

[ethelmay]

Trying to find poisoned cakes led me to a song called "The Arsenic Cake," which is obviously not from the old movie in question, but seems worth knowing about anyway.

[thisbluespirit]

Yes, I realised afterwards that I think it was Arsenic and Old Lace people have said, but apparently these are the same film in my head. XD

We haven't gotten to that one yet, but it does feel metaphysically correct that anyone can be incorporated into the Carry On universe, so long as they're willing to be very confused.

Well, quite. XD

[sovay]

Yes, I realised afterwards that I think it was Arsenic and Old Lace people have said, but apparently these are the same film in my head.

They would make a very fine double bill. The poisoning in Arsenic and Old Lace is also accomplished by drink, however! Now I want to know where the Christmas cake comes from.

[thisbluespirit]

I don't know if it is! It's just every time I try to explain what I saw, that's what people give me. But there was poisoned in the cake, or I thought there was poison in the cake. So, who knows?

[sovay]

So, who knows?

I'm not doubting your memory! I'm sincerely curious!

[thisbluespirit]

Yeah, it's hard to be sure at this distance. I mean, I've always thought it was some old b&w film, but that might just be as time went on, I forgot about us having a b&w TV then - & was explaining in my head why it was in b&w. The bits I feel sure about is that there was someone in a chair, or maybe a wheelchair? - and there was poisoned cake they were being offered, possibly by old ladies, or the old lady was in the chair, or all three?? (which I saw as Christmas cake, but I don't know if that's because it was Christmas-set in other ways, or just because it was old-fashioned fruit cake with royal icing that I would only have known as Christmas cake), and it was supposed to be funny but horrified wee me. XD

But I just don't know - given that it was back when we had b&w TV, I would have been 4 or 5 max, and I have flashes of odd bits of memory dating back to 16 months. So how reliable my memory is, I doubt, but I did see something like that. I probably would know it again by the feeling if not the details remembered, because I've had other things where I watched them that I don't remember, but I get weird intense feelings and then it turns out that I watched it, or the likelihood is v high indeed.

(Like S&S! It appears that Dad watched A6 and I must have seen some of it along with him and got completely freaked out even as an adult by seeing the Transient Beings again. It also explains the feeling I've had for pretty much all my life that I knew David Collings from something else and had really loved as, was in fact Silver all along, only it was a very long journey back around to find out.)

[alexxkay]

I think you left out hunting "accident" :) Kind Hearts and Coronets has been a favorite of mine for decades.

This is a fun game, but my personal memory doesn't really go back far enough to even make a credible guess as to first movie...