July 4 - My Girl

Here is a film with a scene that happens today - July 4. I hope you enjoy  the movie and watch it tonight. 

MY GIRL

In 1972 eleven year old hypochondriac, Vada Sultenfuss lives with her widowed father Harry, who is a mortician and her alzheimer inflicted Gramoo. Her father  can’t relate to her, so he ignores her. Then one day free spirit Shelly DeVoto gets hired as a makeup artist at the mortuary. Vada’s best friend is  a boy Thomas J., who’s allergic to everything and she has a crush on her English teacher Mr. Bixler.  As the summer progresses Harry and Shelly begin developing an attraction for each other, which is not appreciated by Vada, even though Shelly tries to act as a mother towards Vada. Vada takes a summer writers class led by Mr. Bixler. On July 4, 1972 when Shelly’s ex-husband shows up to try and take her motor home, Harry threatens to plant him in the front yard if he ever comes back. [53:06 to 59:21] One day Thomas J. and Vada knock down a hornet’s nest and she loses her prized mood ring. Later, Vada decides to run away from home because she is upset about the developing relationship between her father and Shelly, but when she returns no one has even noticed she had left. Vada has her first period and Gramoo interrupts a funeral service.  Vada and Thomas J. kiss. Thomas J. goes back to find Vada’s mood ring and is stung to death by the hornets. Vada is devastated and retreats into herself, but has an emotional outburst at Thomas J. ‘s funeral. She runs away and becomes even more agitated after she meets Mr. Bixler’s fiancée.  Vada returns and confesses to Shelly that she stole the money to pay for the writing class from her. Vada and her father are able to reconcile and move on.  Thomas J. ‘s mother gives Vada the mood ring found on his body.

A bittersweet film. Has some very funny moments, but also teaches some important lessons. Vada learns not to hold things inside. Her father learns that you can’t shield children from the world and the longer you try the more you can hurt them.

This is an Independence Day party, which is this date as per Celebrations: The Complete Book of American Holidays by Robert  Myers, Doubleday & Co., Garden City, NY, 1972) at page 188 and the calendar at 10:23 a few days previous shows the month as June, so it is not Memorial Day.

Producer -  Brian Grazer, Joseph M. Caracciolo and David T. Friendly

Director - Howard Zieff

Screenplay - Laurice Elehwany

Narrator - Anna Chlumsky

Runtime – 1 hour 42 minutes

Released – November 27, 1991

Starring –

Anna Chlumsky as Vada Sultenfuss

Macaulay Culkin as Thomas James Sennett

Dan Aykroyd as Harry Sultenfuss

Jamie Lee Curtis as Shelly DeVoto

Richard Masur as Phil Sultenfuss

Ann Nelson as Gramoo

Griffin Dunne as Mr. Bixler

Watch a trailer for My Girl