1954 Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Stanley Eisenstat
Born in 1944
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Interviewed on September 20th, 2019
by Katherine Arackaparambil
Although my memories are fading, I believe that the first movie I remember seeing was the Creature from the Black Lagoon. It was a black and white monster horror film from the 1950s. I went to a theater that was located in the suburbs of my hometown Cleveland, Ohio. I do not really remember my age at the time since it was so long ago, but I was probably around 10-12 years old. I think that this movie is now known as a classic horror film from its time.
If I could use any words to describe my first movie, I would say it was very scary. I hardly remember anything else from this film. I don’t recall the characters, actors, storyline, or plot, even though I still know the title of the movie. It might have been a frightening experience, especially since I watched it as a young child. But even though I can’t remember the movie itself, after all these years, I can still remember how it made me feel.
I know I went to the movie theater to see it with some of my friends, but I forget what their names were. I think that my parents drove us to drop us off at the theater, and their parents picked us up after it finished. After going to the theaters, I started watching some movies on my TV at home when they were playing on television channels.
After living in Ohio during my childhood, I went to California to get my master’s degree at Stanford. I took a film course during grad school that introduced me to a wide variety of captivating movies. The professor would host late-night screenings that were generally from the 30s and 40s. The screenings were open to students on the whole campus, so I was able to go with my friends and classmates. Thanks to this film professor, I was exposed to so many new movies that I could enjoy watching during my college years.
Even though my first film was a horror movie, I am more interested in the genre of Mysteries and Comedies. I don’t really like the scary part of films, but I enjoy the suspense of mystery and the jokes from comedy. I cannot think of just one favorite movie, because it keeps changing depending on the year and how I’m feeling at the time. However, I do prefer movies that are from the 20s, 30s, and 40s. I think that the general quality of writing and acting was much better during that time period.
Today I usually watch movies on the TV network Turner Classic Movies (TCM) which is operated by Warner Bros. Entertainment. I really appreciate the acting and screenwriting in these older movies, especially since they are classics that have good ratings and critic reviews. The Marx Brothers are very talented and have made many successful movies together. Some of my favorite movies that have streamed on this channel are Duck Soup, The Cocoanuts, A Day at the Races, Bringing Up Baby, and High Society. My opinions might be based on selection bias, but I think that these older classical films are better than some movies today, and I will continue to enjoy watching them.
