What we (UMA'ers) grew up on??? Remembering the fun.

[Gills]

I feel lucky to have been a kid in the 70s/early80s, I grew up with Mego figures, cap guns, Baseball cards, James Bond Movies, classic horror movies, movies like Jason and the Argonauts and Sinbad The Sailor, StarWars , 6 million dollar man and best of all my Schwinn Stingray which I still have. Great Times for sure because Granddad was still alive.

[marsattacks666]

I feel lucky to have been a kid in the 70s/early80s, I grew up with Mego figures, cap guns, Baseball cards, James Bond Movies, classic horror movies, movies like Jason and the Argonauts and Sinbad The Sailor, StarWars , 6 million dollar man and best of all my Schwinn Stingray which I still have. Great Times for sure because Granddad was still alive.

Definitely great times.

[charp13]

First off- WELCOME, Gills!
And I was touched by your words about your granddad. I'm not sure if you've ever seen the movie- Peggy Sue got Married- it's really not a memorable movie, but there's a scene where Kathleen Turner goes back in time and although she's now a grown woman, it's the old days when her grandma is still alive. And when her grandma calls her house, and Kathleen Turner's character hears her grandma's voice on the phone....she just reacts so sweetly and it always makes me cry.
Anyway, I'm horrible at describing movies! hahahaha! But if you've seen it, you'll know what I'm talking about    (but usually no one ever knows what the heck I'm talking about)
I think if I could go back to the 70s, I would want to spend a day with my grandma- most of all.

[Monster Kid]

Part of the fun I experienced with monsters lay in the associations I had with them as a child and teenager.

Our family was accepting of the Shock Theater package in almost all of its offerings.  Watching the films late at night on Friday, with our local horror host "Ronald the Ghoul" and his zany friends, became a family affair.  Often we would do something special for that viewing that we did not normally do like make homemade candy, or we would pick up hamburgers (something rarely done; we had a more healthy diet than many kids do now). 

We would turn the lights off in the house in case my father decided to go to bed early.  So we sat in semi darkness with the only lights coming from the TV.  I would draw pictures of the monsters or the giant apes and dinosaurs, inspired by the films, and sometimes wrote my own stories of the monsters and their mishaps.  I was encouraged in this by my parents.

Once in a while I would get The Munsters comic books at our local Grays Pharmacy (are any Norfolk, Virginia folks on line?  That pharmacy still stands -- since 1918!).  I had those wonderful Valentine cards with monster parodies. Were those "Topps" brand Valentines?  I don't remember off hand though I have some of them still. 

[Hepcat]

Once in a while I would get The Munsters comic books at our local Grays Pharmacy (are any Norfolk, Virginia folks on line?  That pharmacy still stands -- since 1918!).

Cool! Does it have a soda fountain counter?

I had those wonderful Valentine cards with monster parodies. Were those "Topps" brand Valentines?  I don't remember off hand though I have some of them still.

These? 



If so, yes they were by Topps. They're actually not that easy to find these days.

[Gills]

First off- WELCOME, Gills!
And I was touched by your words about your granddad. I'm not sure if you've ever seen the movie- Peggy Sue got Married- it's really not a memorable movie, but there's a scene where Kathleen Turner goes back in time and although she's now a grown woman, it's the old days when her grandma is still alive. And when her grandma calls her house, and Kathleen Turner's character hears her grandma's voice on the phone....she just reacts so sweetly and it always makes me cry.
Anyway, I'm horrible at describing movies! hahahaha! But if you've seen it, you'll know what I'm talking about    (but usually no one ever knows what the heck I'm talking about)
I think if I could go back to the 70s, I would want to spend a day with my grandma- most of all.

Thanks Mars attacks 666 and charp13.

[typhooforme]

Monster Kid, my friend, your memories take me back--though my memories go back further yes!  But we share those memories nonetheless--staying up late on Friday nights, with only  the light of the tv in the living room, and "schooling myself" on the great old monster movies, and somewhat later, on the not-so-monstery movies like THE NIGHT KEY and NIGHT MONSTER (movies which featured Karloff and Lugosi, and others, like Lionel Atwill and Frank Reicher, in the supporting roles).  Then going down the silent dark hall to my bedroom, never "scared", but something much better--SATISFIED, having feasted my eyes (and glutted my soul, I guess I should add!) on a banquet of classic terror movies!  Those were the days, M.K., those were certainly the days!

[Scatter]

Monster Kid, my friend, your memories take me back--though my memories go back further yes!  But we share those memories nonetheless--staying up late on Friday nights, with only  the light of the tv in the living room, and "schooling myself" on the great old monster movies, and somewhat later, on the not-so-monstery movies like THE NIGHT KEY and NIGHT MONSTER (movies which featured Karloff and Lugosi, and others, like Lionel Atwill and Frank Reicher, in the supporting roles).  Then going down the silent dark hall to my bedroom, never "scared", but something much better--SATISFIED, having feasted my eyes (and glutted my soul, I guess I should add!) on a banquet of classic terror movies!  Those were the days, M.K., those were certainly the days!

Amen!

[Elisabeth]

DOUBLE AMEN.  (g)

James,  The rock solid, Green Glass Whale doorstop from 1969, has now been moved to a place of honour on my hearth.  and is now surrounded by a myriad of Emerald, Amethyst, Cobalt and Aqua Victorian Poison bottles.  That area gets the sunset, and treats me to a brief blast of colours when it hits the glass.

The newest arrival is HJALMAR....a black cat Gargoyle that's the size of an actual kitten.  He sports a pair of elegant bat wings, and if you look closely enough, a tiny pair of red tipped fangs.  (VBG)
"....Once a Monsterkid, ALWAYS a Monsterkid...."

"E"

[Monster Kid]

Hi, Hepcat, yes, they were the valentines I have.  I also have some of the non monster ones from Topps.. my favorite was "I'd climb the highest mountain.... to get away from YOU!"

Alas, Hepcat, the soda fountain counter once standing at Grays Pharmacy where my father and I got hamburgers is gone now.. replaced by a wall display of wrapping paper, glass knick knacks, Old Dominion University banners (the college is across the street) and stuffed animals.   But they still have the same neat  black and white paintings in huge frames hanging from the walls of a doctor making a house call, a doctor getting in his buggy to visit a patient, and a pharmacist dispensng medication.

It is so nice to know that you, Robert, felt the same way I did when I was a kid about the great films.  Somehow, we knew they were great.

[Scatter]

It is so nice to know that you, Robert, felt the same way I did when I was a kid about the great films.  Somehow, we knew they were great.

Isn't that the very definition of greatness? Anything that is so surpassing in quality that it is immediately and unquestionably identifiable as such?

To me, if you have to try to convince me that something is truly great, then by definition it ISN'T. 

[The Batman]

'Memories of building and painting my first Frankenstein model & being coached by my older brother to spend a lot of time painting. That was in the 60's...

Then building other kits, including The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Phantom of the Opera, The Mummy, the strange-change mummy, the haunted house and The Forgotten Prisoner of Castle Mare.

'Building the Flying Sub, Seaview, Spindrift, the Invader's UFO, and Star Trek models. My favorite part of the project has always been detailed painting, so spent weeks or months painting, upgrading, blending, touching-up paint details.

Then Star Wars came out and I enjoyed spending several months painting the Mill Falcon and a snow walker.

Then yrs later, enjoyed building the Polar Lights Jupiter 2, which is around half-completed in my closet, as I always have several projects I'm working on, and I like it that way.

'Watching Creature Features with host Bob Wilkins and lighting my skull candle when he lit his.
Every yr of Halloween fun, my favorite holiday and as a result, have a massive costume collection to this day, including renaissance faire costumes and several other characters. 'Happy my wife also loves and has many costumes... brew cheers   

[Scatter]

A wife who likes to dress up in costumes?? Oh the possibilities!! 

[Hepcat]

'Memories of building and painting my first Frankenstein model & being coached by my older brother to spend a lot of time painting.

My favorite part of the project has always been detailed painting, so spent weeks or months painting, upgrading, blending, touching-up paint details.

That's the skill I lack. Sometimes I wish there were model painting classes. Painting model cars would I think be a good way to develop some painting skills.

[Flower]

My parents loved zombie and monster movies .. so watching Chiller Theater was mandatory. I loved playing hopscotch and/or potsy .. no one seems to draw the chalkboards correctly or at least the Brooklyn version that I was taught.  Also, everyone I knew had cap pistols, loved the smoke and the smell.

Sadly, there aren't many fireflies/lightning bugs to capture overnight in a jar with grass and to release the next day.