1962 Duluth, Minnesota

Rita Kainz
Born in 1937
Duluth and Pierz, Minnesota
Interviewed on September 22, 2019
by Natalie Kainz

When we were young, we used to drive all the way from Harding to Pierz to go to the theatre. A bunch of us would go together in the truck. It was always very pretty. That theatre didn’t have all of the fancy stuff that they have today but they always had candy and popcorn. I remember that there was a big projector at the back and you could lift up the seats so that you could walk through the aisles. They weren’t permanent—they were fold up. You could you get up and have people walk in front of you to get into the middle seats or the back seats. In the smaller towns I think they were less plush. The bigger cities were more plush but they’re nothing like they are now.

I don’t really remember what the first film that I watched was—that was so long ago. The old film that keeps coming back to me was when Grandpa and I were on our honeymoon. The two of us went to see a movie called Hatari! I remember that film the most out of anything that I’ve ever watched.

That would have been in 1962. That was fifty-seven years ago, so I was about twenty-five.

I remember that the filming was really done beautifully and the animals were just gorgeous—they had such vibrant colors. It had this music called the ‘Baby Elephant Walk’ which has been around for such a long time now. It’s this slow, lumbering tune. Sometimes I hear it in the elevator and it always makes me smile. It’s a very catchy tune.

There was a lot of color in Hatari! and the acting was very good. It didn’t seem put on at all. It just felt genuine. John Wayne was Grandpa’s favorite of course—him and Clint Eastwood. John Wayne is a tough guy—but he’s always got a little bit of a romantic corner to him. It underlies all of his toughness and his sarcasm. He plays the leader in Hatari!—Sean was his name. The truck driver Pockets was really funny too. There was just enough intrigue and diversity in their personalities to add something a little extra to the show. I think that’s probably why I remember it as much as I do.

There wasn’t a lot of story to Hatari! There was a lot of excitement though, especially with the animals. I think the bigger thing was the romance. Sean and this woman called Dallas fall for each other—Dallas is the photographer. I always like a little romance in a film. I also like it when there’s a female in the movie. If not, it’s a man’s movie.

I went to go see it with Grandpa—my husband. Part of the reason why I remember it was because we were romantic. We were so in love. I think that the timing was good. It was a very nice evening in August, the weather was beautiful, and we were full of joy. It was such a positive time for both of us.

We had our own car so we drove from our hotel to the theatre. We were traveling near Duluth when this happened. On our honeymoon we drove around Lake Superior—all the way around it.

I don’t remember what the theatre where we saw Hatari! was called. I think it was very sparse—a decent auditorium with seats and a full screen. I remember that the projectors and reels were all in the movie theatre. It was really quite a nice place. There were no ushers but there were concessions. We bought Popcorn and some soda and shared them between the two of us.

This was in Duluth, Minnesota. It really was a nice town. Perhaps we’ll have to watch Hatari! again some time. Maybe that will jog my memory…