“I want a little black book and the gay nightlife” That quote by the quirky sidekick character “ Winky” from the classic man hunt in space got me thinking. Not that I make a habit of doing so mind you. I was starting to notice little things that separated classics- from cult classics. Granted I'm sure it was MST3K that helped preserve several of these films more than the film itself.

In most of these classics I noticed one major thing- the heavy use of the era's slang and other terminology. Terms like “ Strapping gay lad” and “ feeling a bit queer” had totally different meanings in the 50's when most of these films and serials were being produced. Things that spoke tot he everyday person of the time. Yet the classics that survived from then as iconic films ( as many today) seem to be written in a way that avoid writing that place them in a specific era.



I do admit to being rather fond of the films in the new context. The wicked delight comes from knowing that what is being said is not what I'm taking it to mean, yet it adds such a wonderful new spin to the whole thing. I highly suggest a night of watching older b movies and just letting your mind take things as they first come and ride with it; trust me it pays off oh so often.