By Abe Villarreal
When I think of unforgettable movie moments, I think of the scene in The Wizard Of Oz when Dorothy and her three yellow brick road friends are sitting on the steps of the Emerald City. Dorothy's dreams have been crushed and she begins to cry. She's just a girl trying to find her way home. It's a story to which we can all relate.
The doorman with the big mustache is torn to pieces. He lets Dorothy, the Tinman, Scarecrow and Lion in to see the Wizard.
The film was made in 1939. Computer generated special effects didn't exist and movie audiences relied on good acting, great storylines, and the creative touch of movie producers and directors.
It's hard to imagine but motion pictures have only been around for about 120 years. Today, just like they always have, movies have a special ability to take us to another world. For a couple of hours, in a dark room with a warm bag of popcorn, you engage in an intimate experience.
The light of the silver screen and that motion picture with larger than life characters, these things were the life passion of Mr. Osborne. I grew up watching and learning from Mr. Osborne. A film historian and the face of Turner Classic Movies, he passed away earlier this week.
His death felt like another milestone, marking the distance that is growing from a time we soon will only once read about, the golden age of the movies.
I love watching classic movies. The big dramatic kind where two film giants like Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman stare each other down in Casablanca. The corny but fun kind where Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney are trying to put on a barnyard show in Girl Crazy.
Mr. Osborne taught me each day on TCM why these films of yesteryear are so important to us. Before Facebook, emails and texting, we communicated in different ways, more intimate ways. Movie stars spoke to us, teaching us about each other and ourselves.
In the 1950 film Sunset Boulevard, an aging movie star lives in a bubble. Strange circumstances surround her life. She can't let go of her past life of glamour and stardom. Her name is Norma Desmond and somehow, we can relate to her, or know someone just like her.
Movies are an important part of the American culture. They have the power to influence entire populations, change minds, and convince us about truths we have a difficult time confronting.
Mr. Osborne was the kind of guy I thought would always be there to tell me these things. His warm voice, large smile, and charisma were made for the comforts of the small screen. His heart and mind were fixated on the big screen.
I often go out to the movies on my own. People think it's strange, but for me, watching a movie can be a very personal experience. I like to get lost in the story, forgetting where I am and who's sitting next to me. There are a few things in life I enjoy more.
We've all experienced leaving a movie theater and feeling something different, but what is that feeling? Sometimes it's hard to explain. Mr. Osborne always helped me see things more clearly. He explained those feelings to me. He knew what I was feeling after watching Rebel Without A Cause, or E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, one of the first times I felt that magical feeling.
Thank you to Robert Osborne for making his life mission to do one thing, to share with the world the importance of motion pictures.
I think I'm going to go watch a movie. The old, black and white kind. The kind that Mr. Osborne told me were the best kind.
Abe Villarreal is the Director of Communications at Western New Mexico University. When not on campus, he enjoys writing about his observations on marketing, life, people and American traditions.