Tuesday, March 21, 2023

A little slice of childhood

Alligator is a film that I consider to be staple of my childhood. I can't recall the exact details from the first time I saw it at this point, but do know that it was via a rented video while staying the night at someone's house back in the late 80's. I do recall quite vividly though that the movie was pretty scary to an under 8 year-old me.

It wouldn't be until we got cable in 1993 that I saw it again. By that time, it was being shown quite regularly on the Sci-Fi channel, and would continue to be for the next few years. It was no longer scary at that point, but even so, if you had asked a then 11 year-old Jon, he would've listed it as one of his ten favorite movies (it has since dropped down the ladder a bit, but not as far as you might think).

The films practical effects probably don't hold up to a generation that's been raised on CGI, the shoestring budget is visible in places, and some of the acting is a bit over the top (Henry Silva clearly had fun with his role), but this particular cranky old man wouldn't change a thing. I love everything about the film.

Jaws is often credited with "scaring a nation out of the water". Well, along similar lines, Alligator could be credited with scaring 80's kids away from jumping (or pushing someone else) into unlit swimming pools at night 💀

Robert Forster has many fine credits to his name, but to me he'll always be Detective David Madison, the balding anti-hero that tried, mostly in vain, to warn everyone about the giant Alligator roaming around underneath the streets of Chicago.

I had bid, and lost out on, many copies of this card before finally winning one early last year. I think mine was around $18 shipped, which was a bit of money, but not anywhere near the $30-50 that all of the previous copies ended at that I had bid on. If memory serves, this one ended on a Sunday night, so that may've played a role in my getting it for much less than it had been going for at the time.

14 comments:

  1. To me he's the patriarch of the Petrelli family on Heroes. Don't remember Alligator at all, but a nice auto nonetheless.

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    1. I never watched Heroes. I meant to give it a go at some point, but obviously that point hasn't come yet.

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    1. Haven't seen it. I do like Tim Allen though.

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  3. that's great that you finally got one! i remember seeing him on a magnum pi episode back in the 80s, but i will now and forever think of him as ed - the guy who ran a vacuum cleaner store in the breaking bad universe.

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    1. I haven't seen Breaking Bad, but do remember that Magnum episode.

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  4. Don't think I ever saw Alligator... but Forster's face was familiar. Looked him up on IMDB and remembered him from Breaking Bad.

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    1. I think that he did lot more than most people remember.

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  5. That's a familiar looking face, I'm sure I've seen him in something.

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  6. Only thing I remember him from is "Jackie Brown".

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    1. Of all the people here, you're the one that I would've thought most likely to have seen Alligator.

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  7. I haven't seen Alligator and it probably would have scared the crap out of me as a kid. I did like him in Jackie Brown and Breaking Bad though, great actor. I was sad when he passed a way.

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    1. I saw Jackie Brown back when it first came out on video, but only really remember that Pam Grier and Robert were in it. I've since developed quite a disliking for all things Tarantino, so despite liking some of the cast, I'm not sure that I could ever bring myself to watch it again.

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