The End Of An Era

This week I went to the Blockbuster I’ve gone to for around 14 or so years, to see the shelves emptying, many items tagged and basically- the store shutting down. I’d heard this was happening in some places, but dared not believe it would happen to “My Blockbuster.” Not just because of my enormous ego+ naïveté, but because it has an incredible location. Right by Sunset and Fairfax. This is a big intersection. I have seen celebrities in my Blockbuster. Ian Ziering and some hot blonde woman. The time Christina Ricci came in, I had a coupon, walked up to her, said, “You’ve given me so many hours of entertainment, allow me to return the favor” and handed it to her. She kept it.

I understand my sad expression is nothing compared to the now out of work clerks at the store. The ones trained to say, “Hello,” every time someone walks through the door. I think they were the first. Some film buddies and friends had amazing starter jobs there, or at times, long term ones. Many of us wondered- “What if we could watch movies all day as a job?” But it’s so much more than that.

My video renting escapades began in Whitestone Queens, NY, in the early ‘80’s. (I can’t believe a “back in my day” story takes place in the ‘80’s – ugh.) A lot of technological changes were afoot: I bought my first walkman for $120 (it was just a tape player) to help with my paper route. I loved my Atari, (which my generous brother handed over to me, not telling me our father had gotten him a spiffy new Apple computer!) Answering machines came along and I got this thing where Rich Little and some woman left celebrity impression messages. We got something called WHT (precursor to HBO that many people never heard of) which allowed me to watch “The Muppet Movie” and “Superman” 17+ times each.

And the video store opened.

Now my father had some Betamax thing (I think he stole it or the tapes from work) and I grew up on his “guy” movies of the 70’s like “Bonny & Clyde”, “Shane”, etc… But now, little Beverly Neufeld from Whitestone, Queens could walk up to the video store and pick out her very own movie! (I think my mother still hasn’t thrown out our first VHS player). Oh what joy! Summers spent going to the beach (which was very far away and you felt filthy upon returning) vowing to stay sandy, unshowered and together, order a pizza and rent a movie. Or the time I was so excited to rent some sexy movie with the name “Angel” in it, my friend and I praying my mother wouldn’t walk in, (the TV was in her room after all), thinking we’d just pulled off the “Crime Of The Century” and then looking in horror as some little cartoon girl started skipping across the screen with a cartoon doggie. We’d gotten the wrong movie. (That must be how our customers felt years later in college when I worked for the Student Film Association and we accidentally switched the rooms that 9½ Weeks” and “Charlie And The Chocolate Factory” played in. Very different experiences.)

But I digress.

Years of renting, walking in and seeing what’s new… Thinking it was pretentious that people were on their cell phones when browsing, and then realizing how helpful that was when your date was home. You walked in and picked out something based on what you were in the mood for at that moment. Not what you’d order in the mail.

And I like Netflix as much as the next person, and the instant gratification of beaming the movie to your home instantaneously is great and brings us closer to never having to leave the house for anything – ever… But I hate that one thing must die as the new thing emerges.

Except for having to pay $120 for a tape player with large headphones.

But I’ll embrace it as I did the Apple computer and its fancy screen that had no graphics but told you what was going on and you could type “Pick up dagger,” and WHT didn’t have “Big Love” or upcoming shows about the Borgia’s. I still miss Rich Little leaving messages for me as Humphrey Bogart, but I’m a survivor.

It’s time I moved on and finally joined the 1990’s.