Popcorn and Old Movies

When my dad and I can't figure out what to talk about, we watch old black-and-white movies. It started when I was in college and has carried us through every kind of season.

He makes the popcorn on the stove, the old way, shaking the pot and swearing gently when it sticks. I bring the movie. We've seen every Hitchcock, every Marx Brothers film, and far too many westerns.

He narrates. He tells me which actors his mother liked, which theater he saw it in as a kid, how much a ticket cost. I've learned more about his childhood from those commentaries than from any direct question.

Last month we watched "Singin' in the Rain," and during the big number he stood up and twirled an umbrella around the living room. He's seventy-three. I laughed so hard I spilled the popcorn. It was the best movie night we've ever had.