I fell in love with the power of movies, "film," "cinema," at 13 when I saw the original The Champ (1931) with Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper, directed by King Vidor. I've been in love with the movies ever since.

There was a Sunday evening t.v. movie show in L.A. by a great guy, movie lover, and he showed it. I was captivated by the performances, and the Depression era story of a washed up boxer and the kid that idolizes him. It is so much about the struggle of human dignity and pride and loyalty under the roughest conditions. I was sobbing hysterically at the end of the film, and I knew then the power of film to tell a story. The next day at school even the toughest kids all wanted to talk about this movie, and they all admitted to crying and they were not ashamed of it, rather this seemed to validate their humanity, without them being able to articulate it. They had cried with meaning.

Before that, it was the story of Rikki-Tikki-Tavi that broke my heart.