I Confess...I Like Hallmark Movies.

I know it's not considered "manly" by rough, tough, strong dudes, to enjoy Hallmark movies, but it's not my fault. It's my wife's fault! Donna watches them so much they started to grow on me, you know, like kittens can grow on people who don't like cats. 

I really should despise Hallmark movies, due to the fact that there are very few Navy Seal stories, death defying stunts, plane, ship, train, or car crashes, earthquakes, extra terrestrials, wrestlers, baseball players...I could go on and on...like I usually do, but I won't today. (What a relief, huh?)

My style of movies here.

Another reason I should dislike these Hallmark flicks is that they are all so predictable. Pretty much the same basic story every time!

The star is a woman who works at a job where she is successful and loved by all of her co-workers. She has a boyfriend who is okay, but does not pay enough attention to her. 

She gets in a situation where she has to travel somewhere, where she meets another guy who is PERFECT. 

They fall in love with each other, but they don't tell each other, for some strange reason. 

The boyfriend gets suspicious, because his girlfriend hasn't called him for a while, he takes a plane and surprises her. While the boyfriend is hugging her, the perfect guy walks in on the hugging and thinks he has no chance with the girl.

His feelings are hurt...real bad-like!

At the end, the boyfriend gets dumped for the perfect dude...the perfect dude and girl tell each other, "I love you" and music plays. 

That's basically it, except for the Christmas Hallmark movies, where the only difference is the perfect guy hates Christmas, at first, and then falls in love with Christmas AND the girl...The End. 

So now you're wondering why I watch these movies, right?

List Of Why I Watch Hallmark Movies

1. Donna has them on, I'm in the room, I'm too lazy to get up.

2. Happy endings. (Except for the rejected, dejected, dumped boyfriend.)

3.They often star Candace Cameron Bure, who I've been a fan of since "Full House"! 

4. They also star Lacey Chabert, who looks so much like Jennifer Love Hewitt, and I like Jennifer Love Hewitt! 

Tell me which one is which in the comments section.

5. No cussing.

6. Cute animals. Like "Happy" the dog. 

7. Free from politics!

8. No drug use displayed. 

9. Most importantly, something Donna and I can watch together like the little love birds and snuggle bunnies we truly are. 

C'mon guys, go ahead! Feel free to make your snarky comments at the bottom. I'm man enough to take it, even though my feminine side may become a bit verklempt. 

Check out 2:28 on this video.

Remembering Drive-In Theatres In The Middle Of A Snowy Day

This theatre, near my boyhood home, boasted the fact that it was "the ONLY 4 screen drive-in theatre in the world"! Not sure about that, but it was very cool!

Did you ever think of warm things to make you feel better on a cold, snowy day? Like a tropical island, the Sahara Desert, and drive-in theatres? 

Me either. Except for today!

It snowed...AGAIN! In November, for heaven's sake! It's also colder than the average temperature in central Illinois, in NOVEMBER, for cryin' out loud!

So, to compensate, I started to imaginate about the sizzling hot summer nights when 8 of us would pack into our 53 Ford Fairlane (with no air conditioning) and  transmigrate ourselves to the drive-in theatre. 

I feel warmer already!

We were extremely fortunate to have 2 (count them), 2 super fantastic drive-in theatres within walking distance from our home! (The walking distance part is important, as you will find out later)

The Airway Drive-In was excellent, because it had a little rollar coaster, a playground and seats in front of the screen for those who wanted to walk in! (Didn't I tell you you would find out later about the WALKING thing?)

Guess how much the admission was? $1.00 a car load! Yes, even if you had 16 people in the car! I'm not making this up, folks! 

The other drive-in theatre was the afore - pictured, St. Ann Drive-In Theatre!

You could watch YOUR movie with sound, and a movie on another screen without sound!  With 4 gigantic screens to view, how could you lose?!

I think the 4 Screen started out at $2.00 a car load and the price went up later, as did the price at the Airway, but....

What am I doing? I'm way off the original theme!

The focus should be on the HOT NIGHTS  we suffered through at the drive-in, to take our minds away from this snowy, wintery day!

St. Louis heat is legendary, as you all know. It's even hot at NIGHT! So, if you're in a steaming hot Ford Fairlane, with 7 other family members, sitting on someone's lap, as a chubby little kid...you just about melt...like the Wicked Witch Of The West.

This is not an actual, real life happening, kids. It's only a movie.

It was not only hotter than a pot bellied pig, on a red hot radiator, in the middle of July (that's the way they might say it in southeast Missouri), but it was STICKY!

What's worse...being hot or sticky? I say BOTH! 

In addition, with the windows open, the mosquitoes were drawn to my sticky little body, and feasted on my highly sugared blood. 

With the heat rising off the blacktop of the drive-in, the hot cars (especially the classic Chevys), the month of July or August, family members radiating heat, no A.C....I'll bet you don't feel quite as cold now. 

Anyway, why not take a couple of minutes to tell your drive-in experiences, if you're old enough to have experienced the unique..uh...experience. 

You'll find the comments section at the bottom. 

It looks kinda like this.