Lisa Denton and Barry Courter
BARRY COURTER: Lisa, I bet you remember back in the day going to the picture show with your best beau to watch a whole day's worth of oaters for only a nickel.
LISA DENTON: What are you talking about? You're three weeks older than I am, and neither of us did that. And the only people who even know what oaters are work the daily crossword puzzle.
BARRY: Oh yeah. You're right. I'm having an early onset senior moment. Well, the folks at the Tivoli are announcing the latest films in the Bobby Stone Film Series today, and it's the bee's knees.
LISA: Still with the nostalgia? I get it, though. I've seen the lineup, and I'm thinking you must have "Goonies" or "Jaws" on the brain. Or more likely "Ben-Hur." So you can remind me that you don't like to drop names but that you once met ...
BARRY: Charlton Heston.
LISA: I remember. You've managed to drop his name into this column several times.
BARRY: Well, me and Chuck ...
LISA: OK, so there are some great nostalgic movies in the lineup, but there are new releases too. Like "Rocketman" and "Pavarotti." Lots of good stuff really - musicals, family films, summer favorites, Samuel L. Jackson classics.
BARRY: Samuel L. Jackson makes whatever he's in a classic. Tivoli Foundation Executive Director Nick Wilkinson tells me they'd like to have a Jackson film in every series, which is a good idea for several reasons. He's from here, it'd be cool if he came back for a Sam Jackson marathon or some such, and the series will never run out of Jackson films in our lifetimes. The man likes to work. Have I told about the time I talked to him?
LISA: Maybe just a time or two.
BARRY: I wonder if he and Chuck ever talked. Anyway, they are also screening "Do the Right Thing," one of my favorite Spike Lee joints, as he calls them, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "The Apartment." That's a Jack Lemmon classic directed by Billy Wilder. I love both of their works. Shirley MacLaine and Fred MacMurray are in it.
That's some good nostalgia.
LISA: I can't argue that. But it doesn't start until July 6, so in the meantime, we can start planning our Fourth of July celebrations. There are at least three events happening this week. The Chattanooga Music Club will have its annual Patriotic Organ Concert at Memorial Auditorium on Thursday; there's a chance to see fireworks after a Southern gospel singing Friday at The Barn in Middle Valley; and the third annual Red White & Brew and Barbecue Brawl is Saturday at Cambridge Square in Ooltewah.
Get event details every Thursday in ChattanoogaNow or online anytime at www.ChattanoogaNow.com.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.
Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.