Certain films land on the Gotta-Stop-and-Watch list

A couple of Sundays ago, I was using the remote to lazily flip through TV channels, burning up valuable hours of my life doing nothing.

Did I want to watch this show? Nah. How about that show? Nope. This one? Are you kidding?

Suddenly, though, something popped up onscreen and I stopped. No, that’s not quite correct. I didn’t stop; I slammed on my brakes and screeched to a halt. “Night Shift” was on. For those who don’t recognize the name, it’s a 1982 comedy starring Henry

Winkler (The Fonz) and Michael Keaton in his first major movie role. Directed by Ron Howard (Opie Taylor/Richie Cunningham), it’s about two guys who work at night in the city morgue and decide to run a prostitution ring out of it while also handling dead bodies.

Yes, like I said, it’s a comedy.

And it’s one of those movies that, if I run across it while channel-surfing, I stop and watch. No matter if it’s an hour into the film or just starting, I watch.

I think everyone has those kind of films, the ones you have seen a million times but don’t mind seeing again. I’m not talking about movies that you have the DVD or can stream whenever you want. I’m talking about the ones that you love so much you can’t help yourself when they pop up on TV. You have to watch again.

For me, “Roxanne,” the comedy remake of “Cyrano d’Bergerac” and starring Steve Martin, is in the same league as “Night Shift.” “Tootsie,” “Shane” and “The Professionals” are there, too.

I recently put out a Facebook call to friends, asking which movies fall into this category for them. Films like “Field of Dreams,” “Cool Hand Luke” and “The

Shawshank Redemption” showed up on several lists. Others included “The Princess Bride,” “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Notting Hill.”

Alfred Hitchcock got some love with “North by Northwest” (on my list, too) and “Rear Window.” And idiotic-but-iconic films like “Animal House,” “Caddyshack” and “Smokey and the Bandit” also made appearances.

So what about you, what films are on your gotta-watchit-whenever-I-see-it list? Send me your No. 1 film on that list and tell me why it grabs you. I’ll do a column in a couple of weeks on what you’ve sent.

Now, sorry, I’ve got to go. “Roxanne” is on again.

Shawn Ryan