Going to the movies was a big deal in the 70s. I remember paying 50 cents to see many movies and usually only on special occasions. There weren’t as many movies being released and there weren’t multiplex theaters in our hometown. Enid, Oklahoma had two older theaters downtown when we were kids and riding bikes. We’d ride down in the afternoon and watch Disney movies and I really enjoyed the Witch Mountain films.
As we got into junior high they built a twin theater out west that was near a Pizza Inn and local arcade. This is where we started seeing movies and meeting girls afterwards which made them much more memorable. Around 1977 we were able to see movies on the weekend at night without our parents which gave us that sense of independence.
Seeing a good movie in the 70s had a pretty long lasting impression on me as a young buckaroo. This is my Top 20 list of those movies that left really great memories. These are not the best movies from the 1970s, but these are my favorites and the ones that were released at memorable moments in my life. I actually saw these first 10 films at a movie theater in the 70s so all of these were before college.
You will notice two huge movies left completely off of both lists. These movies almost always rank at the top of the best films of the 1970s. They are The Godfather and The Godfather II. For some weird reason I never saw either movie back in the day. I actually didn’t see either movie until I was in my fifties. I likes the movies but still would not put them in my top 20.
Enjoy the list and let me know which ones left lasting impressions on you. These are in no particular order.
1.) Close Encounters of the Third Kind – 1977 – This movie was the coolest. I still watch it every time it comes on. I think this was the first movie we went to see as young junior high students on the weekend at night without a parent along and then got to hang out afterwards. And we didn’t ride bikes to see it.
2.) Jaws – 1975 – The best suspense movie of the decade. If only every kid could see this at the movie theater as their first thriller movie. Everyone I knew stopped hanging their arms and legs off the side of the bed after seeing this one. I think we rode our bikes to the downtown movie theater to watch this one without parents but it was during the day.
3.) Star Wars – 1977 – Wow! Who would have thought you could do that on a movie screen. Special effects before there were special effects. This was a movie you HAD to see at the theater. I did really like this movie but never bought into all of the newer movies and series.
4.) Animal House – 1978 – Oh my gosh! The best boob movie for any young man in the 70′s. Most likely the funniest movie of the decade. I can still quote at least half of this fraternity flick.
5.) Saturday Night Fever – 1977 – Can you say disco? The songs alone were enough to remember for a lifetime. Loved the dancing, not so much the acting. This movie is a huge part of pop culture especially 70s pop culture.
6.) The Poseidon Adventure – 1972 – An awesome adventure movie! Non-stop action. This movie was way cool in the 70s and holds up today. A great story that was very unique with an awesome cast!
7.) Rocky – 1976 – Yo. Gonna fly now. A great underdog story from the 70s. I liked this one so much I bought the 45 record of the theme song. I think we rode our bikes to see this one in downtown Enid during the day.
8.) The Goodbye Girl – 1977 – I thought Richard Dreyfuss was a great actor. This was a fun movie and I really like the theme song. I think this was my first chick flick.
9.) The Warriors – 1979 – If you saw this movie and didn’t want to go out and start a fight you just weren’t normal. The best gang movie of all time. Great soundtrack. This was one of those movies our entire group of friends went to see together.
10.) Phantasm – 1979 – A little known horror flick that was ahead of its time. This movie had a cult following and that cult was my buddies and I. There were several sequels released later but none ever made as much of an impression. This movie left a lasting impression on us and left us very spooked when we left the theater. I remember being in the restroom afterwards checking behind me to make sure nobody was there.
I decided to add another 10 films to my favorites list. This group of movies is different in the fact that many of these I saw these for the first time on video, TV or some other venue rather than in a movie theater.
11. Halloween – 1978 – Of course the best Halloween movie of all time. This one I try to watch at least once every Halloween. I distinctly remember seeing Halloween for the first time at junior college. They were showing it in the library and I went by myself to see if I could meet some new people. It was a great film to see in a college library!
12.) Smokey and the Bandit – 1977 – Trans Ams and CB radios! Two of the coolest things you could want as a teenager. Sally Fields wasn’t bad either. I did see this film in in the theater. As much as I loved it I never had a desire to buy a Trans Am.
13.) One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest – 1975 – I kinda remember this movie being available to watch but I would never sit down to watch it because I thought I wouldn’t be interested in it. Boy was I wrong. I loved Jack Nicholson and all of the actors in this film.
14.) Alien – 1979 – Crazy movie. This one was a little freaky but one of the best sci-fi movies ever. This was our Jaws in Space!
15.) MASH – 1970 – I was a huge MASH TV show fan before I saw this movie. I am a fan of the movie but had already connected with the actors on television so I’ve never considered this better than the show.
16.) American Graffiti – 1973 – another Richard Dreyfuss favorite. I really enjoyed things form the 50s while growing up in the 70s. This movie is one reason I was such a huge Happy Days fan.
17.) Dog Day Afternoon – 1975 – Al Pacino sucked me in on this one. I remember catching this randomly on video or TV and at the end wondering why nobody had ever told me about this movie.
18.) Young Frankenstein – 1974 – We laughed until we cried watching this. I’m not sure where I saw this first but because it was 1974 I’m thinking it was on video.
19.) King Kong– 1976 – I remember going to this movie theater to see this thinking to myself that I was going to love it. And I did! I was a huge fan of the old black and white monster movies that came on TV on Saturday’s. I couldn’t wait to see this updated version of King Kong. It did not disappoint.
20.) Breaking Away – 1979 – This was a great feel good flick. I think I rented this on video and have now watched it several times. One of those movies that reminds me of me and my friends.
That’s my list! Lots of reasons these were my favorites but mainly because they were at a good point in my life or really struck a cord with me. Hope you enjoyed!
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