A long time ago....

May 25, 1977. A mother and father take their two young sons to a movie.

It was "family" night and the father had heard about this new film that had come out. It was supposed to be quite something.

The two boys were just happy to be with their parents. They got popcorn. They sat in their seats and once the lights dimmed down and the film began, their childhood would never be the same again.

I still remember the night that my parents took me to see Star Wars. I was 7. From the beginning of that movie my jaw literally dropped. It stayed that way right through the end. When we left and drove home I knew I had witnessed something special.

Fast forward a few years and a couple of sequels later. I had collected a ridiculuous amount of the toys. My room was littered in X-Wing fighters, landspeeders, and a never-ending flotsam of action figures.

It is somewhat silly to write and say that these films had a huge influence on my childhood, but the reality is, they did. I know I wasn't the only one though. The mythic concepts of right versus wrong, hope, and overall mystery were powerful for millions of children. The toys, lunchboxes, and bedsheets were just the material bonuses that kept reminding me of the source of where they all came from.

I was Star Wars crazy. I stayed that way for many years. That is, until the 3 recent sequels were released. What a load of crap they were. I was hoping for so much more and yet I was delivered so little by them.

Perhaps they simply weren't made for me, but for the next generation who, like me as a boy, sat entranced from beginning to end.

It's all about context though. When the first Star Wars came out, nothing like it had been seen before. Movie tie-in toys were pretty much non-existent. At the core of it all, in 1977 people just didn't live in a world where bombastic films with huge special effects were the norm.

ANYWAY, I can only hope that something comes along for my two young sons that captures their minds the way Star Wars did for mine. It'll have to be something pretty damn special though. The world is awash with "big films" now. To cut through all of that and get right to the core of something new, fresh, and inspiring is a tall order indeed. Not to mention that a majority of what's out there now is full of "mind-candy", but mighty short of substance.

In short, it will take a film as unique and rich as Star Wars. Yeah, it's really just a movie with monsters, lasers, and spaceships, but there was a tangible something beneath it all. It gave some kids who were open to it, a "message". The world could use a bit more of that now.

Truthfully, nothing would make me happier than to take my boys to such a film, sit next to them and watch their world change in the span of two hours.

As I write this, I have two of those original action figures on a shelf in my sons room. Luke and Darth stand side by side overseeing my boys as they sleep. Good and evil. Father and son. I like all of that.

My mother, bless her, kept many of these toys. She continues to find them in random boxes in her house and sends them to me now and then. The toys are a bit weathered and have seen better days, but look like they got a lot of use, and gave a lot of joy. They really did.

So while it is somewhat maudlin and goofy, I'd like to wish Star Wars a proper Happy Birthday. You made so many kids happy and inspired.

This one included.

By the way, while it was always much cooler to like Han Solo (and I told everyone in public he was my favorite), in my secret, young heart, I was always a Luke Skywalker fan. He was the hero. The wandering son. He just whined a little about it.

The Velvet Underground ain't got nothing on me....

People c'mon, no autographs please...

I'm busy pooping my pants here.