MovieChat Forums > Matinee (1993) Discussion > This brought back memories!

This brought back memories!

posted 13 years ago by kadani
6 replies | jump to latest

I was 12 in 1962. I was a Navy brat who was always new in school. So I didn't talk much to other kids. It is very interesting to me that in the movie there were other kids besides me, like Sandra, who didn't believe that duck and cover would do any good. And kids who wondered what would happen if they were in a fall-out shelter with a member of the opposite sex. I remember thinking if it were my last day on earth, I would definitely kiss the boy. (The fall-out shelter scene in this movie was pretty tame, to reply to another thread in this board). I had never heard of this movie before today, and I'm very glad I got to see it On Demand.

[–] Dave_at_23 13 years ago

Hey kadani!

I agree with you! I was 11 in 1962, and seeing this film brought back a lot of happy memories about that era. going to the movies the number one thing I loved doing all trough my teenage years also.

Oh, to be that age again, even if only for a day. I better stop now, I am getting misty.

[–] ChazSmith 13 years ago

I was 13 and living in Fort Lauderdale. I had my Cold War fears, and we had been through "duck and cover" exercises in school. Above all, I was interested in the same things these kids are, notably horror and sci-fi films...and MAD Magazine!

I know it wasn't all filmed there, but "Matinee" has an authentic look and feel of life in South Florida for us kids at that time, and it's been a favorite from the time I first saw it on a friend's recommendation. (I hadn't been aware of it myself.)

I treasure my laserdisc with the "Mant!" feature. Actually, I'm careful not to watch "Matinee" too often--like, maybe once every three years--so as to preserve the pure joy it holds for me. I guess you could do that with any film, but this is the one that inspired the practice.

[–] joe_538 8 years ago

The usefulness of "duck and cover" would depend more on how far you are from the blast sight. We assumed the same position during tornado drills to protect against falling debris.

[–] yesanything 8 years ago

I was 8 in '62, I can still vividly remember the air raid siren test at 10:30 am every Tuesday.

#the coins in the jar are for charity,
#the coins in the tray are for sharing

[–] jondoe888 8 years ago

I guess 'duck and cover' would help against flying debris. It was never really for radiation. And was minimally effective. Like bomb shelters. They were never really designed for long-term survival. They were mainly a governmental propaganda tool to show the Ruskies how prepared we were for a fight to the death!
I was 13 in '62, and remember the nuke scare well. It fed my fatalistic fears, and was a big reason I never went to college until I was 30. My kids howled when I mentioned this, when they were teens. They weren't laughing as much when they were in their 20's...
(but this was a great movie! I'd like to see it again. It made great use of the Cuban missile crises, as did 'blast from the past'. Another movie I can watch over and over.

[–] liscarkat (16604) a year ago

Back when I was in school in the late '50s and early '60s we had those "duck and cover" drills. We usually got down on the floor under our desks. There was also an air-raid siren that blew the last Friday of every month. One day we had the drill, the siren went off, and a squadron of Strategic Air Command bombers was flying high above, leaving their long white contrails. I actually thought we were being bombed, and got quite upset.