Patrick Read Johnson wiped a tear away from his eyes as the audience at the world premiere of “5-25-77” stood and applauded at the end of the semi-autobiographical film he wrote and directed.
Thirteen years in the making and based on Johnson, 55, growing up in Wadsworth four decades ago and dreaming of becoming a filmmaker, the movie opened at the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan on Monday night.
The premiere was part celebration of the 40th anniversary of Star Wars, which hit theaters on May 25, 1977. But it was even more a class reunion, as the audience recalled Johnson as humorous, different and smitten with sci-fi films as a teenager.
Greeted by Imperial stormtroopers and Darth Vader, moviegoers stood in line outside the theater on Monday, three days before “5-25-77” was scheduled to open in 32 select locations across the U.S.
Diane Norman O’Connor of Lindenhurst went to Warren Township High School School with Johnson, who graduated in 1980. “He was a really cool guy,” she said. “He was a lot of fun in high school. He was in all the shows, and he had a great sense of humor.
“We wouldn’t miss this premiere for anything,” she added. “He’s been working on this for years.”
Johnson, known for directing such 1990s movies as “Spaced Invaders” and “Baby’s Day Out,” raised his own funds for the film, working on a shoestring budget and using his Wadsworth home as a movie production studio.
His children, now grown, played cameo parts, cutting their hair to look like their father did when he was a preteen.
The film leads to the moment when Johnson, as a teenager, saw the premiere of “Star Wars” at the Genesee. There’s much more to the story than that, though. And those who see it will likely find it to be a poignant tale about daring to be different amid humorous high school scenes and a true but seemingly implausible trip by Johnson to meet Steven Spielberg and see the filming of “Star Wars” in Hollywood.
Johnson said everything in the film is true, except for the order of occurrence and the length of time between events.
Before the show, Johnson told the audience tales of working on the film, including cutting a hole through his home to make a certain scene work. And he joked about the “long, long, long, long, long time” it took to complete the film. “Some of you weren’t even born when we started this,” he said.
Mostly, though, he thanked individually the many audience members who played a part in the movie’s completion. He introduced a family friend who came up with $10,000 when Johnson was going to have to shut down filming at Bertrand’s Bowling Alley in Waukegan.
He also introduced Rob Proce of Waukegan. “He’s been there through thick and thin,” Johnson said, adding that Proce has been the construction coordinator for the film since 2004 when Johnson started working on it.
Though the film was in danger of being shut down several times over the years, Proce said, “I knew someday it would get done.”
After the screening, Pat Maki of Waukegan said she thought it was “awesome. To see a young boy who was considered an oddball growing up making his dreams come true — it encourages everybody to do that.”
Maki, a beautician, put together 1970s hairstyles for the film, as well as Johnson’s own mother’s hair when she was alive.
She’s seen all the “Star Wars” films. “I loved all the special effects, the colors. I like the idea that good always wins, and you get to know the characters,” she said.
Friends and family gathered once the closing credits had rolled to reminisce about their times with Johnson.
O’Connor laughed and cringed at the same time when she saw the scene of Warren Township High School boys getting on top of the school bus to look into the girls locker room.
“It was funny,” she said of the scene. “But it wasn’t funny then.” She added that the problem was solved when the buses parked elsewhere.
Her sister-in-law, Jenni O’Connor, recalled when she was working at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee and a scene was being filmed in which Patrick is on his first day of the job as the Amazing Alfredo, who could guess a person’s weight and age.
The Gurnee Fire Department was there to imitate a downpour, she said. “There wasn’t enough rain, so they had to get more fire trucks,” she said.
One of Johnson’s good friends, Mike Caplan, meteorologist at Fox 32 Chicago, came to the premiere and recalled double dating with Johnson years ago. One of them got the idea to rig up a cassette player in Caplan’s 1978 Firebird so the music would come on at an appropriate time during the date.
“Two hours later, there were wires everywhere,” said Caplan, a Gurnee native. And when they went on their date, he added, “everything was cross-wired.” When the lights were supposed to come on, for example, the windshield wipers came on instead.
The friends found someone to fix Johnson’s mess — that story is not in the film, but it’s among many others that demonstrate Johnson’s a little-bit-out-there personality. Here are two more examples: In the movie, the young filmmaker created scenes from what he called the sequel to “Jaws” with simulated blood gushing out of his best friend’s arm, and he also painted his sister’s horse to look like a zebra.
Though it appears to be an ending now that the film is done, in other ways it could just be the beginning for Johnson as he works to promote the movie and get more theaters to show it.
“We did it, and we did it with a lot of help,” he said.
Luke Skywalker could have said that very same line after defeating the Empire 40 years ago.
Sheryl DeVore is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
