Hey! Guess what? I just met Willie Wonka!

The Castro Theatre is showing their annual Sketchfest movies and providing some time with special guests. Tonight's guest was none other than the infamous Gene Wilder, of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory fame.

He spoke fondly of the movie, and even told us that he didn't see the new version, which stars the far less Wonka-ish Johnny Depp. He chose not to see it when he saw a preview in the

movie theater and examined how Mr. Depp chose to play the character of larger-than-life Willie Wonka.

Seeing Mr. Wilder tonight reminded me of a few weeks ago when I had three of my after-school helpers in the classroom. After an hour of cleaning and sorting papers for me, the kids sat for a treat. I showed the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. As soon as I popped the VHS (yes, a TAPE) of the movie into the player, the kids sat mesmerized by the technicolor show.

Occasionally, other students would filter through the classroom to pick up forgotten jackets and books and see Willie dancing and singing on the television. They, too, would plop down in a seat, never taking their eyes off the screen.

It just goes to show that cautionary tales by Roald Dahl, that mastermind of children's plight and tales of survival and, ultimately, triumph, survive the test of time. Gene Wilder paired with the mastermind storytelling of Dahl makes for a fabulous children's movie that easily passes the ten-year-old short attention span test.

The movie translates perfectly into this day and age of Internet and the word "Google" listed in the newest version of the dictionary. Netflix or rent it, if you don't already own a copy!