There Are Worse Things I Could Do

If you ask me to name a movie that I could watch over and over, the answer(s) will be comedies or musicals. Of course, I stretch the definition of comedy to include all four Die Hard movies, because, really, is Bruce Willis not a comedian at heart? Yippie kye - ay-yay, he is!

I could watch Animal House and Stripes a thousand times, and probably have. But having seen them once, Peggy had enough of both of them a long time ago.

And that takes us to musicals. I hear that Grease is coming out this summer in a sing-along edition. Now that's living! Just think of sitting in a theater singing along to "Summer Nights" and "Hopelessly Devoted to You" and "Born to Hand Jive" for hours on end! In fact, many people own the Grease soundtrack on record album and cassette and CD, and the movie itself on VHS and DVD. It is possible to hear "You're The One That I Want" and "Sandy" and "Look At Me, I'm Sandra Dee" on the radio or any other kitchen appliance at any time of day.


But here you go...a little coldwater math mixed in with the Grease. The movie came out in 1978. It celebrated life at a high school named for Bobby Rydell circa 1959. OK, so that was 19 years before the movie. Now the movie was 32 years ago and we still love it. Meanwhile, 1991 was 19 years ago from now, and is anyone making a movie with songs by Jesus Jones and R.E.M. and Nirvana? And those madcap cutup hijinx as George H.W. Bush launched us on the road to the Operation Desert Storm? And the dissolution of the USSR? The songs could include "Look At Me, I'm Mikhail Gorbachev!" and "Hopelessly Devoted to Harry Potter" and "Born To Watch 'Ghost' !"

Some kid just being born this week, in 13 years, will start classes at the Justin Bieber Middle School. I want 1959 back, please.