I'm sorry.....

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Posted by Dale Dassel from constellation.shreve.net on September 26, 1999 at 19:01:08:

In Reply to: The first time you saw Indy (long post!) posted by DeWayne on September 26, 1999 at 18:01:37:

: I was just wondering about the first time you people saw Indy. How immediate the "obsession" hit. I would be interested in hearing your stories, like did you first see the movies on the big screen or video? etc.
: My first experience with Indy was right at the beginning. I was just about to turn 7 when Raiders came out. I saw it in the theater with my Mom, Dad, and my brother. (I wound up seeing it 7 times!) My little brother and I were instantly hooked. I remember telling my Mom (during the movie) that I wanted a jacket like Indy's...and a whip like Indy's...and a hat like Indy's...and well, you get the idea.
: I went home and started to piece together a crude Indy costume. Some tan jeans, white shirt, cowboy hat, dark brown courderoy jacket, and a binocular case (for the bag). My brother started work on his own Indy dudds. He was only 4, so I made us both a whip using rope, and shoelaces for the handle and loop.
: A few months later, with my Mom running the camera, we made a 3 minute long 8mm version of the opening sequence in our back yard. I was Indy, of course, and my brother played Satipo, AND Belloq, AND Jock! My brother died in a car accident last year, so our shared love of Indy holds a very special place in my life, and always will.
: I look forward to hearing some of your first Indy experiences and their impact on you.
: See ya! DeWayne

I was reading your post and reminiscing about what it was like
for me. Now I'm filled with a deep sadness and on the verge of tears
after hearing about your brother. I am so, SO sorry... It's strange
how I can be emotionally affected by people's stories whom I have never
met. And yes, you are right: those are memories to cherish. (If I were
in your shoes, I would find it incredibly difficult to watch that
childhood Raiders home movie you made) I hope I can make you feel
better by telling you my Indiana Jones childhood.
The year was 1986; Hahn AFB, Germany. I was seven years old.
After being put to bed one night, I found that I couldn't get to
sleep. I walked out into the living room, where mom and dad were
about to put a movie in the VCR. It was about eleven o'clock. I
asked dad if I could stay up and watch and he said yes.
What followed was the most incredible thing that my eyes
had ever seen. I was hooked. It was so COOL!!! I mean, I was really
jazzed. When my parents realized this, they helped me collect some
stuff. They ordered a Stetson reproduction fedora from the States
(which I still have) I used my gray Sunday School pants and white
long-sleeve, button-up shirt for the clothes. I used a leather belt
for the whip, and I bought a gray-and-black plastic cap gun for the
pistol. (didn't have a jacket) Me and my friend Eric Neal played
Indiana Jones with some fake Halloween props he had, like plastic
skulls and bones, fake costume jewelry (artifacts), and a vampire
costume to re-enact scenes from Indiana Jones and the Cup of the Vampire.
Back then, the only videos we had were Raiders and Temple.
We must have watched them every week!!! I purchased my first Indy book,
Eye of the Fates, from the school book fair (the ONLY book I bought from it!)
My mom used the order form in the back to order me the rest of the
Find Your Fate series from the States. Dad read them to my brother and I
EVERY night, and let us make the decisions (to get us to go to sleep)
To this day, I still have every one of those books (extremely worn and,
in some cases, with the covers taped back on), save for #16: Ape Slaves
of Howling Island (which Eric owned and let me borrow once) I just
won a brand new copy on EBAy last month, which brought back memories
after not having seen it since I was seven.
I also had the Raiders Read-Along Adventure, where Harrison Ford
reads the story and you turn the page when the whip cracks. (Lost that,
too, but found an unopened one on EBAy and won it straight out) The
only thing else that I used to have from Germany but lost, is a copy
of The Making of Raiders book, which I never read; just looked at the
pictures. I was always, and still am, a voracious reader. (I suppose
that a book that thick looked pretty daunting back then!)
The only other significant thing that I remember was that every
time I watched Raiders as a kid, I would get scared at the end (when
the ghosts came out of the Ark) and hide behind the couch while covering
my eyes!!! My dad never ceased to find this amusing for some reason.
But that is the story of how I became an Indiana Jones fan. Memories
that will last a lifetime... I sincerely hoped you enjoyed my story.
My heart truly goes out to you. I think your brother would be proud of you.

Sincerely,

Dale Dassel

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