1961 Chicago, Illinois

Betty Christopher

Born 1953

Chicago, Illinois

Interviewed on January 29, 2024

By Spencer Staak

I watched movies with my family since I was very young, though we would rarely go to the theater. That was reserved for special occasions. I didn’t see my first movie in a theater until I was ten or so and saw The Wizard of Oz when my friend’s dad took us as a treat. So, I would get to see the movies on the television whenever one would come on. The first movie I remember seeing was Heidi with Shirley Temple. I saw it when it happened to come on the television one night. We didn’t really have reruns back then. I think it was just a specific showing of the movie on television for some reason.

I was about seven or eight years old when I saw Heidi, so it would be around 1961 when I saw it. I was at home in Chicago, Illinois and watching television with my two older brothers when it came on. I don’t remember my parents watching it with us. They may not have even been home. We all were watching it on the couch. I don’t believe we had any snacks. It was a very casual experience. 

I remember Heidi being about a girl who lives in the mountains with her grandfather, and this lady comes and takes her because she’s the governess to this little girl who can’t walk. Heidi helps her to walk, and then she finally gets to go back home to her grandfather. 

While watching the movie, I remember feeling sad for her. I felt sad for her because she was someplace where she didn’t want to be. I believe the movie probably stood out to me because I was a young girl, and it was about a young girl. I felt like I could relate to Shirley Temple’s character. The movie was all really good. It was very believable.

Relationship to Interviewer: Close family friend