|
The Last Picture Show
by Wyatt Newman
It was a bittersweet conclusion and goodbye "to that gang that
sang "Heart of my Heart." Memories, strangely, of the last
outing of Ken Kelling, Barry Robinson, Bob Martin, Norm Cooper and
me have grown dim over the years since our graduation, so faded are
they I had to consult Ken for some of the simplest details.
I'm not sure what day it fell in the line of graduation hooplas'
last days of the Rogers Pirate ship cruise, but I want to think it
was after the graduation ceremony itself. The five of us piled into
a car--whether it was my '50 Chev or Coop's pea-green Ford I don't
recall--and headed for a drive in movie. Ken has assured and
reassured me it was the Autoview. Neither of us can remember what
movie we saw. For years I thought it was the "Great
Escape," but a few years ago I looked on the video jacket and
that movie came out in the early sixties. So I now think it might
have been the Gary Cooper-Rita Hayworth sleeper, "They Came to
Cordura." I remember seeing that movie at a drive-in...I think.
I remember puffing a pipe that night as we watched the movie,
something I always wanted to do since my uncles and grandfather were
pipe-puffers. Their pipe smoke was enticing and looked manly. Being
released from the No Smoking dictate as a track team member, since
school was over and as far as I was concerned so was running, I lit
up. Also, high school kids don't go around smoking pipes, but I was
no longer a high school kid, but a soon-to-be college kid, and
college guys smoked pipes. It seems to me one or two others were
puffing cigars or a pipe. I won't say who I think they were because
it could well be a false accusation. It also seems to me Marty
complained, properly, of the smoke in the car.
I remember the movie had enough interest that we didn't chat all the
way through it. Of course, comments were made from time-to-time, one
of the benefits of drive-ins--you could talk during the movie
instead of waiting until it was over.
I imagine we all went to the Panda after the show...that was normal
procedure. Maybe we drove downtown and cruised Riverside...that was
also a routine, nighttime activity. One thing is clear-- it was the
last time the five of us got together. Marty went off to the Air
Force...haven't seen him since. Got one e-mail from him in 2000. He
lives in Texas. Coop went to college in Oklahoma and reappeared in
my life in Hillsboro, OR. We got together once, but our lives had
changed. I saw more of his daughters who were in my classes than I
saw of him, but I was able to keep up with his life from his
daughter's reports.
Barry is apparently deceased, Ken and I have determined, with some
reluctance to declare it true and final, as the memorial statement
on this website indicates. Ken went off into the Army. Good old
loyal friend Ken. He wrote to me from Korea when I was at Wazzu,
kept in touch from time-to-time by phone or Christmas cards, and
thanks to the 40th reunion and e-mail, we keep in touch nearly
daily.
They were all a darn good bunch of guys---all track rats, as we
called ourselves, proudly--all Hillyard Boosters. It seems when it
was a boys night out it was always with those boys.
So, this being my final Moviemem essay, I don't really have much
memory
of the movie, but the many memories of those five guys I went with
for
that last time together are treasured. I reckon I don't have
specific
memories of that night because it was not that unusual, just another
one of the usual good times out tooling around with the guys. Like
all
of us when we graduated, it was assumed we'd keep in touch. And like
all of us, that just didn't always happen...unless you are fortunate
to
have a good, loyal friend like Ken Kelling.
-Wyatt Newman |
