MovieChat Forums > Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) Discussion > Anyone besides me see this opening night...

Anyone besides me see this opening night!?


Funny, I unwittingly saw Star Trek: TMP on opening night Friday Dec 7, 1979. My dad dropped me, my friends Allen and Anthony off at the Blue Ridge Cinema East theater. It was one of those times where I didn't know what movies were showing but remember back then there was usually a good movie or two released every week! And this being Christmas holiday season there was sure to be a big movie on December 7th! Sure enough, somewhere along the line we were informed that Star Trek was playing that night. Of course I had seen the tv show but wasn't really a huge fan, mostly because it was an hour show and I couldn't keep my attention that long unless it was Johnny Carson or a popular movie. Remember, if they showed a popular movie on TV it was usually well after it had left the theaters so it was an EVENT! You simply could not know when(or if) they would show it again.
back to 7 Dec 79.. I remember we had a few hours to kill, I think it's because we waited in line to buy tickets and they gave us a later showing because so many shows were sold out. Anyway, we ended up going to a Winchells nearby and I remember some sort of fight broke out between us and thankfully we all made up in time to walk back to the theater and watch the movie. It was definitely a very cold, wild, winterly night for us 14 year olds. All I can remember about watching the movie that night is that is seemed pretty boring with all those long, long scenes of the Enterprise going through the cloud. At least one time I fell asleep. I was excited about the Sci-Fi and I did feel a little awesome when V-Ger turned out to be the Voyager probe. One of the most memorable movie nights ever, I guess because it was a "Star Wars" type event and we did more than just go to the movies and go home! I hope Allen and Anthony are still with us, maybe I'll get to meet them again one day!

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I saw it on 12/7/79 at the Edwards Newport Fashion Island Theater in Newport Beach, California. My brother and I rode our motorcycles there. Some idiot in a Mercedes hit me and knocked me off on the way, bending my gear shift lever, but I got up and managed to make it to the theater anyway.

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