Weekends With Grammy Sara Etgen-Baker   © Copyright 2023 by Sara Etgen-Baker

Photo courtesy of the author..

As a young girl, I spent many weekends with Grammy. After lunch one Saturday afternoon, I sat next to her; and together we scanned the local newspaper looking for films being featured that weekend at the Palace Theater, a 20-minute bus ride from her house into downtown Dallas. After selecting our film, off we went hand-in-hand, strolling towards the bus stop. Well, we weren’t actually holding hands, for Grammy always dressed in her hat and gloves for the “picture show” and carried her parasol, twirling it as we walked. Together we sang our favorite song, “Singing in the Rain” while waiting for the bus to ferry us downtown.

Once downtown, the bus bolted to a halt; we stepped onto the sidewalk directly in front of the theater. I glanced up, marveling at the triangular marquee lined with tiny blinking light bulbs. “Now showing My Fair Lady starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison. Grammy purchased our tickets, and we entered the theater where a uniformed man wearing white gloves escorted us to our seats. We spoke not a word, sipped on our soft drinks, and waited for the lush, red waterfall curtain to lift.

Eventually, the lights dimmed, and the curtain rose. We were whisked away to the streets of London where we met Eliza Doolittle and Professor Higgins. During the course of the movie, we watched Higgins transform Eliza into a refined, loverly, and sophisticated lady who spoke properly and became comfortable strolling down the streets of London carrying a parasol similar to Grammy’s. As the end-of-the-movie credits appeared on the screen, Grammy stood up and clapped vigorously. “Bravo, Ms. Hepburn!” she exclaimed as if Audrey Hepburn was within earshot. “Bravo!”

The lights slowly brightened to a dim, and the war.