Enough to Make a Grown Man Cry: 1970's Cinematic Tear Jerkers

Recently my boy Dollar Bill the Hot Tub Don (Pronounced all at once like A Tribe Called Quest) and I were hanging out when the conversation turned to one of our favorite subjects, old movies. And I’m telling you, Bill the Hot Tub Don (Pronounced all at once like A Tribe Called Quest) is a virtual well of knowledge when it comes to old movies. He's like a walking old and obscure movie database.  I’m beginning to think that all he does is hang out in the hot tub and watch old flicks.

Anyway, he suggested I do a list of 1970’s tear-jerker movies. You know. The ones that made you cry back in the day. So here goes in descending order:

4. Cornbread Earl and Me

“They killed Cornbread!. They killed Cornbread!". Remember that? You know you cried. Probably cried like a baby.  And the narrative is timeless. We are still discussing these same issues today. Check out young Laurence Fishburne.

3.  Sounder

When you cried during Sounder, who were you crying for? Were you crying for the dog or the boy or both? Who would have thought a movie about a dog would make us cry? And check out Cicely Tyson. She looks perfect for her roll. She’s shiny with sweat the whole movie.

2.  Ben

If you were surprised you cried about a dog, what about crying over a rat? This was a for sure tear jerker. But the movie would not have had the impact it did if it had not been for young Michael Jackson’s song Ben. That song made the movie and made me cry.

1.  Cooley High

Let me ask you a question. “How Can I Say Goodbye to Yesterday?”. See there. I got you! You’re probably crying now. This was the king of the tear jerkers. If this one did not make you cry, you have a large cold stone where your heart should be.

Do you have any more that made you cry? Did we leave any off?  Let us know!