update: removed the bellhousing to discover one of the pressure plate fingers was pressed all the way down when the other two were flush leveled. New pressure plate on the way!!! thanks for the replies!!!!
The '64 4 speed trans in my '65 Dart does the same thing. Fairly hard to shift into first at a roll. It has been doing this for the past 20 years. I just double clutch for 1st gear. No problem.