THROWBACK THURSDAY: One Post Isn't Enough To Celebrate The Eternal Beauty Of Karen Allen

After last week's celebration of my most enduring childhood crush, Karen Allen (particularly in her role as Marion Ravenwood), I just couldn't get her out of my mind.

So, I sat down to watch Raiders Of The Lost Ark again.

What a great film. It really is non-stop, gliding from set-piece to set-piece thanks to Spielberg's glorious pulp alchemy.

And Karen... oh, Karen, such screen presence and such a strong character.

As one of the few people on the planet who seems to actually enjoys both Indiana  Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull and Dial of Destiny, I guess I should roll them out again for some more Marion magic, but, really, I can get all the fix I need from continued revisitations of Raiders.

It never gets old.

THROWBACK THURSDAY: Karen Allen - My Most Enduring Childhood Crush

I watched Raiders Of The Lost Ark again the other day, as it's one of my "comfort films" that help centre me in this crazy world in which we're living.

It is also the film I've seen most times and the most times in the cinema.

Part of the appeal, on top of its pulpy majesty, is the presence of the stunning Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood, the plucky two-fisted bar owner who doesn't take crap from either Indiana Jones or the Nazis.

Unlike most young boys of my generation I was never the big Princess Leia fan (that would come later as I grew to admire Carrie Fisher the person), it was all about the tough cookie Marion with her lovely freckles.

I clearly recall that the second time I watched Raiders on the silver screen, I spent the whole duration of the movie transfixed by the sight of Marion (ie Karen Allen), rather than watching the film as a whole.

From her iconic first appearance in her bar to her final moments with Indy, I was hypnotised.

After the second or third viewing at the cinema, 15-year-old me even wrote to the movie's production company, trying to get an autographed photo of her. Instead I got back a simple head shot, that I still have framed and on display in the office.

In more recent times, I acquired a signed photo of her from Raiders, through eBay, but the provenance is a bit iffy, so I'll never know for sure if it was really signed by her hand. But, to me, it's the real deal!