Post by trulyuseless on Sept 27, 2023 23:17:47 GMT
At some point between 1980 and 1985, the local library screened filmstrips during its children's story time hour. These really were film strips, as I recall one film missing the take-up reel and emptying out onto the floor, thereby ending the program less than 5 minutes into the show.
My memory is most of the film strips were short in length. Some were animated, some live-action. We watched Disney's animated short, Pecos Bill (c.1948), and somebody's animated production about John Henry.
The film in question was in color, live action, and seemingly a western - cowboy, horses, mountain terrain, that sort of thing. The main character was a cowboy who rode around and did something. Maybe he did good deeds. Maybe he was a Lone Ranger-like figure. The one thing identifying the character was his comically large cowboy hat. The rounded crown appeared at least a foot tall. Some may recall the "large hat" musician Pharrell Williams wore a few years ago. Yeah, it was like that, though maybe taller - and it looked more like a cowboy hat.
Whatever the plot, the film ended on a spectacularly weird ending when, after encountering someone, the big-hatted cowboy doffed his hat. Finally, we see why the hat is so tall. His head is tall. Bullet-shaped. Rounded. Whatever you want to call it. In retrospect, he looked like a Conehead character from SNL. While many kids watching laughed, I remember being more startled.
I would place the production of the film between 1960 and 1978, but I have nothing to confirm this. I don't think too many of us were interested in copyright dates at that age. Ha.
I don't remember much, if any, dialogue (or music) in this film. The actions could have been pantomime, as far as I know. My memory of the cowboy, however, is coupled with a weird, high-pitched warbling yodel-like noise. However, as far as I know, this noise could have easily been in another film strip. The takeaway here is I later realized I could vocalize a similar noise in my childhood bathroom, and my memory of the image and the ability to sort of reproduce the sound haunted me for years.
Thoughts?
My memory is most of the film strips were short in length. Some were animated, some live-action. We watched Disney's animated short, Pecos Bill (c.1948), and somebody's animated production about John Henry.
The film in question was in color, live action, and seemingly a western - cowboy, horses, mountain terrain, that sort of thing. The main character was a cowboy who rode around and did something. Maybe he did good deeds. Maybe he was a Lone Ranger-like figure. The one thing identifying the character was his comically large cowboy hat. The rounded crown appeared at least a foot tall. Some may recall the "large hat" musician Pharrell Williams wore a few years ago. Yeah, it was like that, though maybe taller - and it looked more like a cowboy hat.
Whatever the plot, the film ended on a spectacularly weird ending when, after encountering someone, the big-hatted cowboy doffed his hat. Finally, we see why the hat is so tall. His head is tall. Bullet-shaped. Rounded. Whatever you want to call it. In retrospect, he looked like a Conehead character from SNL. While many kids watching laughed, I remember being more startled.
I would place the production of the film between 1960 and 1978, but I have nothing to confirm this. I don't think too many of us were interested in copyright dates at that age. Ha.
I don't remember much, if any, dialogue (or music) in this film. The actions could have been pantomime, as far as I know. My memory of the cowboy, however, is coupled with a weird, high-pitched warbling yodel-like noise. However, as far as I know, this noise could have easily been in another film strip. The takeaway here is I later realized I could vocalize a similar noise in my childhood bathroom, and my memory of the image and the ability to sort of reproduce the sound haunted me for years.
Thoughts?
