It’s not surprising that parents frequently keep secrets from their children, but it’s also true that children often keep secrets from their parents – often for similar reasons, the main one being that they’re concerned about misunderstood. Throughout the history of film, children have consistently proven themselves a genius at secret-keeping, whether it’s sneaking out in the middle of the night to train their stallion for a match race, or in the case of Steven Spielberg’s “E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial,” keeping a friendly but bewildered alien in their bedroom closet. Movie kids have also tried to conceal dogs, cats, barnyard animals and even monkeys in their bedrooms, but perhaps it’s Elliot (Henry Thomas) who takes the prize here. Of course, the deception doesn’t last too long, but you have to give the kid points for trying.
Henry first encounters E.T. (voiced by Pat Welsh) when he goes outside during a game of Dungeons and Dragons (it’s the early eighties) that his older brother (Robert MacNaughton) and his friends are playing. E.T. has recently been stranded when the group he was with accidentally took back off in their spaceship, after being scared by government officials (more on those shortly) and is understandably skittish around an actual Earthling. Henry then uses ingenuity in the form of Reese’s Pieces to lure E.T. to him and convince him to come hang out in the aforementioned closet. Their mother (Dee Wallace), who is divorced, has enough on her mind so that she fails to notice, at least for awhile. Henry’s brother and adorable younger sister (Drew Barrymore), however, do make E.T.’s acquaintance later on. Drew, whose precocity won her the role, teaches E.T. English by using “Sesame Street.” Later they use a Speak and Spell toy to help E.T. – this is a movie that can be studied to learn the secrets of cinematic product placement.
Early one, Henry shows strong signs of a psychic attachment to E.T., and gets in trouble at school for engaging in age-inappropriate activities such as kissing, that E.T. is experiencing/watching back at home. Still, he is thrilled to have a new friend and begs E.T. to stay with them forever, but E.T. is insistent: “E.T. phone home!” So they attempt to help E.T. make connections with his home planet, but those pesky government officials show up again. It all ends with a token sympathetic agent (Peter Coyote) helping the kids spirit E.T. away – and E.T. does manage to return home at last.
I did not know until I consulted IMDB today that E.T.’s famous voice was achieved by Pat Welsh smoking two packs a day; this news is rather alarming, just as the discovery that Judy Garland was put on a diet of amphetamines so as to appear sufficiently girlish to play Dorothy Gale. But at least she will go down in history, so I guess risking lung cancer temporarily is a small price to pay. On a happier note, I also learned that “E.T.” is based on Spielberg’s “real” imaginary alien friend he had as a child, who helped him through his parents’ divorce. It’s always inspiring to hear a real-life story of how adversity was transformed into true art, the kind that even hardened cynics will tear up at during the triumphant climax. Looking back, “E.T.” is a reminder that you don’t always have to cram a movie full of pop culture references (cough, cough “Ready Player One“) to make magic.
Popcorn on My Knee: Movie Reviews and Reminiscences 