Free-Lance Movie Critic Likes to Chalk Up His Successes

The Oscar nominations may be Hollywood’s biggest honor, but down by the port in San Pedro, a film has not really made it until it appears on the weathered blackboard that Rawlan (Tank) Nelson hangs outside his second-story window.

Nelson, a burly longshoreman by trade and community film critic by avocation, says he has seen 6,000 to 8,000 movies in his 59 years. Every morning, when he gathers with a dozen friends at a local coffee shop over breakfast, the talk inevitably drifts to films--and what Nelson thinks about the latest releases.

To reach a bigger audience, Nelson began posting his favorites four years ago for those passing his home at the busy intersection of West 22nd Street and Pacific Avenue. He knows that his fans are a diverse lot--they range in age from 15 to 78 and include longshoremen, housewives and even a minister--so he shies away from any movie with too much sex or blood.

The influence of Nelson’s picks may not compare to Gene Siskel’s and Roger Ebert’s thumbs, but when a movie makes the chalkboard, the box office gets a few more San Pedro locals in line. In recent weeks, Nelson has endorsed such movies as “Bugsy,” “Prince of Tides,” and “Beauty and the Beast,” all of which were nominated for best picture honors in that more conventional Hollywood honor.

“We’ve gone to a lot of movies he’s selected and he’s done a great job,” said Dottie Fabian, a longtime San Pedro resident. “Everybody who goes by the signboard looks at it. It’s become a local landmark. People know it who don’t know him at all.”

From the time Nelson was a lonely 5-year-old growing up on the streets of San Pedro, movies have been an important aspect of his life. Today, after decades of films, he considers favorites such as “Singin’ in the Rain,” “The Magnificent Seven,” and “Sea of Love,” each of which he has seen dozens of times, a part of his personal history.

“Think about being in a drive-in with your true love,” said Nelson, a divorced grandfather of seven. “You have your arm around the lady who is going to be your wife and up on the screen is Gene Kelly dancing in ‘Singin’ in the Rain.’ When every emotion inside you says, ‘This is the person for me,’ Gene Kelly is singing that song. Do you think that song isn’t going to live with you forever?”

Nelson is such a film devotee that he can recall the cast, scenes and even dialogue from movies made ages ago. When the name of an actor from a 1966 Western called “The Professionals” slipped his mind, Nelson scolded himself, picked up the phone to call a friend and then paused. The name had come to him. “Lee Marvin,” he said.

Although Nelson recalls the days when he paid a dime to see movies in the classic old theaters of Los Angeles in the 1930s and 1940s, he does not dwell on the increased cost or the giant theater malls of today.

“People pay a lot of money to see a Rembrandt,” he said. “They pay $50 to see ‘Phantom of the Opera.’ You go to a moderate restaurant and you pay $12 to $15 for a meal. But for just $7 you can have--if you choose the right movie--the experience of your life. How many restaurants are like that?”

Nelson will occasionally watch a movie on television or rent a video but is irritated by editing, commercials and the small screen. To really experience a movie, he says, a theater is essential.

“If you had a Lincoln Continental and a Ford Tempo, both could take you where you want to go,” he said. “Watching TV is taking the Tempo. Driving the Lincoln is watching the big screen. You get to the same destination but what’s important is how you get there.”

Watching movies is pure pleasure for Nelson, but he takes it seriously as well. He sits in the center of the back row so he has a clear view of the screen and no one to bother him from behind. He does not munch popcorn, a distraction that he says can detract from the film. Nelson is waiting at his seat when the opening credits roll--for they are a critical part of the movie too.

“Directors make the movie from the opening glimmer of light,” he said. “It’s all part of the movie experience. You can’t be late.”