It was in the early 1980s when a younger sibling pleaded with me to take him to see a movie at the movie theaters located at the Ohio Valley Mall near St. Clairsville. It was supposed to be a blockbuster movie in the making with a story about an alien that lands on earth and befriends a young boy.

By now you all know that I am referring to the movie “E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial.” I drug my feet before relenting and agreeing to make the 11-minute drive to the movie theater. As it turns out, the movie had all the necessary elements to keep young and old engaged in this unique story.

All of my trepidation about viewing the film was gone when we walked out of the theater laughing and chattering about what we just witnessed. The movie went on to become one of the best-selling, all-time money makers from Hollywood. And it remains a happy memory of going to the movies at the theaters now closing its doors.

I, like many of you, were fortunate to grow up in the Ohio Valley where there were multiple movie theaters in our downtowns, in neighborhoods and at drive-in locations. The newspaper would be filled with all the theater showings, their times, etc. The advertisements for some of the movies were as exciting as the actual pictures.

As kids, my siblings and I were afforded trips to most of Wheeling’s downtown theaters for double and even triple features.

Disney movies were quite popular, especially over holidays, including Christmas Day.

I think our parents dropped us off at the Capitol Theater on Christmas afternoon so they could rest up from a hectic night and early morning.

Even better were the horror movies that kept us glued to our seats for hours. I recall being extremely afraid after watching a flick about being buried alive. It upped my fear of claustrophobia a few notches.

The “Pit and the Pendulum” also was a movie in which bad dreams were made.

As teens, we watched the likes of “Romeo and Juliet,” a movie that made us blush. Later it was “The Godfather” and “Saturday Night Fever.” As a young married couple, my husband and I stood in line — yes there were people lined up in downtown Wheeling — to see “The Towering Inferno” movie.

One summer night, my sisters and I took our mother to see a movie at the Warwood movie theater. It was called “Four Seasons” with Carol Burnett, Alan Alda and a few other hilarious stars.

I remember how beautiful the scenery was on that big screen. Our mom really enjoyed that movie over many of the others she had seen. It was another memory that makes me smile after all these years.

While we still have movie theaters, most of the downtown sites are gone or repurposed. And yes, I can watch reruns of my favorite old flicks on tv, but there is nothing quite like watching E.T. phone home on the big screen.

Heather Ziegler can be reached via email at hziegler@theintelligencer.net.