E.T. Is Alive and Well In My Closet: A Short Diatribe On The State Of The Nation
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| Title: | E.T. Is Alive and Well In My Closet: A Short Diatribe On The State Of The Nation |
| Creator: | Carita Rodriquez |
| Date(s): | February 1983 |
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| Fandom: | science fiction, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial |
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E.T. Is Alive and Well In My Closet: A Short Diatribe On The State Of The Nation is an essay by Carita Rodriquez.
It was printed in Force & Counterforce: Media Science Fiction in Perspective #3 in February 1983.
Some Topics Discussed
- the movie E.T.
- the state of media science fiction at the time
- nit-picking science fiction fans
- the merchandise side of marketing media science fiction
- science fiction fans "have finally grown up" and fans in general have become "more accepting of the unknown"
Excerpts
Much has transpired on the science fiction front in the past 12 months, but by far the most noteworthy is The E.T. Phenomenon, that friendly little alien who got stranded on Earth last year. Science fiction and its media-related cousins have come a long way, but E.T. made the largest impact on young and old alike. It was the kind of film you could take your kids to see without being bored to tears. When the children screamed, "Let's see it again, "you didn't have to grit your teeth, groan and prepare for another two hours of tedium. It increased American productivity — E. T. bubblegum cards, dolls, stuffed animals, action figures (this one always got me), towels, blankets, soap, mugs, bowls, cups and that was only the beginning.
Children loved him, talked about him, and gained instant empathy. He was the poor stranded alien who didn't want to hurt anyone. The story was so corny it was a nice change.
E.T. would have been considered an evil, grotesque monster 20 years ago. But to prove just how far humankind has come to accepting the unknown, this celluloid alien wasn't stoned or torched. The unknown is expected not feared. Children have always been good at that. The feet that the plot left everything to the imagination when it came to plausibility upholds the theory that even nitpickers can be squelched if overcome with "niceness." Where are all the SF fans who just love to take apart anything; to say that "Star Wars was a great movie, BUT... I can see the planet through that ship; or Luke is right or left-handed in the last scene and not in this one; Darth Vader's mask is on sideways at the end of the movie; Captain Kirk's toupee is slipping in that scene, blah, blah, blah."
Everyone actually liked this movie. Which brings me to the point of this diatribe — WHY??? I'd like to know why? E.T. for all intents and purposes, is one of the ugliest creatures ever seen in a movie theater. In the 1950's, he would have died an agonizing death at the hands of some righteous human. A woman with an enlarged chest cavity and great lungs would've screamed herself silly at being confronted by such hideousness. And yet, in this sophisticated, technological society, E.T. had become synonymous with goodness and light.
This has to say something for the SF fan. I believe we have finally grown up. Having experienced Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Star Wars and the cantina scene, Star Trek with its incredible variety of Federation life forms, and all the lesser known in between — this makes E.T. acceptable and not screamable.