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Like all classics, there are many urban legends that surround the film, from a shadowy figure in one scene actually being a person who hanged himself (not true...or is it?), and the story of how Buddy Ebsen (who went on to star in The Beverly Hillbillies) nearly died from the makeup he had to don as the original Tin Man (Jack Haley would supposedly replace him in the role for this reason). Some may find the movie a bit cutesy, but with its timeless story of good versus evil, it's hard to imagine even the sourest member of your family not falling in love all over again, or for the first time, with Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and all those lions and tigers and bears. Yes, I really went there.

Star Wars—Episode IV: A New Hope

More than any other science-fiction film, more than any of the other movies in this epic series (and let's once again forget that the new trilogy ever happened), the first...and fourth entry in the Star Wars series is the perfect movie for everyone in the family. Again, there are plenty of places where the young ones could be scared big-time (Darth Vader, the method he uses to get information from Princess Leia, the aliens, and so on), but to watch a boy become a man, to watch dogfights in space, to watch romance, derring-do, and the like, there's nothing better. Anybody who watches this Star Wars movie should find it awfully hard to not get sucked in; over the July Fourth weekend, I found myself watching this and the other two older Star Wars movies, becoming so engrossed as to lose track of time.

Luke Skywalker may be a bit of a goof, an innocent and naïve farmboy, but he's also each and every one of us, dreaming of something better, something more. His heroic journey begins here, but there's so much to triumph over for the kid in all of us. If you forget that he's pining over his sister, there's the unrequited romance with the highfalutin royalty. His fight against Darth Vader isn't as climactic as it could be, but why worry? Star Wars - Episode IV: A New Hope is fantastic family entertainment; it's worth risking it to see if your kids get a little scared.

Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade

I realize that some of you may be slapping your keyboard or computer screen in anger right now, as I've chosen to forego the first two films in the Indiana Jones series (and am ignoring the fourth one altogether). Here's my justification: like the first two films, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is exciting, fast-paced, suspenseful, and has a villain who meets a gruesome end. I do, however, think that the violent finale in this third film is not nearly as icky as that of the two preceding movies. The melting of the Nazis' faces, the heart-pulling...it doesn't compare to a man rapidly aging and dying. Sure, that latter fate is gross, but kids may not be as squeamish. Even better, if your kids haven't seen the Indiana Jones series yet, this may be the best entry point.

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