An avowed nerd, I first read about Raiders of the Lost Ark through the official Star Wars Fan Club newsletter, Bantha Tracks. That’s how I learned about a sneak preview showing — remember those? — a few days or maybe a week before the movie’s official release on June 12, 1981. Bantha Tracks gushed that the new movie — starring Harrison Ford, directed by Steven Spielberg, and co-written by George Lucas — was a thrill-a-minute throwback to serial flicks from the 1930s. I convinced my best friend Kevin to come with me, despite neither one of 12-year-old selves having much...
