Reel #17 Clip #1. S’mores Galore, 1963
Reel #17 Clip #2. Backyard Party, 1963
Reel #17 Clip #3. Peter’s Graduation, 1963
This clip follows the template set by the gradatory handshakes of my graduation in Reel #14 when the hallway walls were green. In both clips, we are dressed for the ceremony, and I guess the camera comes out when we return before the guests arrive for the family party, of which there is no footage. The answer to my onscreen question of “Who is running the camera?” is Sara, who does a solid job. Most interesting, Sara on the camera pans away from the banter between Peter and myself, to follow Dad to his seat in the living room — the camera loves action. Of course, I have no memory of what I gave Peter, probably a card, but our exchange shows the real bond we had, and Sara captured it.
[7.6.2024]
Reel #17 Clip #4. Christmases 1963 & 1964
With the siblings as adults, the charm of the Christmas clips gives way to documentation, especially when viewed with the new eyes of a grieving brother. This clip triggers the memory of living at home following three years in the Army. While I was gone, Dad finished the shop area of the basement. I remember the Saturday chore of shinning shoes together on the workbench in the shop; now finished, it was my room which came with a midnight curfew! I moved to a rooming house near the UM campus, where I attended classes and had a job holding down the graveyard shift at a local motel.
Wonder if my brother Pete knew this at the time. We were not close, nor was I with Sara, but we were bonded for life as sealed by these home movies.
In the 1964 half, note Dad’s traditional grapefruit halves topped with a red cherry that he would serve every Sunday after Mass throughout our childhood. And Peter’s performance distributing gifts, especially the new belt for Dad.
No one living knows why Sara is wearing a red dress for the movies, but we love her smile.
[7/6/2024]
Nancy’s Notes: Sara is in a dress for the St. Margaret’s Christmas dance. (I later wear that dress in Reel 20 – Clip 2.)