MovieChat Forums > General Discussion > Anyone watch a lot of HBO as a kid...bac...

Anyone watch a lot of HBO as a kid...back in the eighties?

posted 5 years ago by Jehosaphet (1055)
21 replies | jump to latest

Back before VCR's hit the market..when, aside from watching 4,5,7 and 11, you only had HBO for your movie-watching pleasure. Maybe Showtime and Skinemax, but they didn't seem to have anywhere near the market-share that HBO had.

Anyway, due to their limited inventory of movies or whatever, it was the same movies over and over...if it wasn't Elephant Man, it was the Terry Fox Story, and if it wasn't either of those, it was Mommy Dearest. There were a couple others, but I'm having a hard time recalling...

The Terry Fox story was one of their own productions, maybe they were proud of it, but that damn movie was on seemingly every day, sometimes multiple times a day. I grew to hate that Terry Fox bastard, but I had that movie pretty much memorized anyway.

Trying to think of a couple of the other movies...anyone a couch potato as a kid that can remember HBO's repetitiveness?

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

My country only had 3 channels in total before the 90's when cable came around. If i had known what you americans had i would've been jealous as all hell.

[–] Jehosaphet (1055) 5 years ago

Woah, HEY...even when we had cable, it was one of those boxes that you had to walk up to in order to change the channel. Was like this little plastic pointer-thing you had to zip back and forth. It wasn't an easy time for anyone lol
Of course, by zipping that pointer-thing way to the right, towards uncharted channel territory, you could sometimes find a booby channel by positioning it JUST right...in between a couple channels. Then call your friends over, get busted by your parents later that night after having forgotten to turn it back and pretend like you have no idea how it got there, sticking to your guns despite all available evidence of your pre-adolescent pervery.

Three channels was about average for us too though, you could sometimes get a fourth...either 11 or 13, but it depended on where you lived and how good you were at fiddling with the tv's antenna and tuning knobs.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

At least you had one, infinitely better to have a crappy boat than being stranded on the 3 station island XD

[–] Jehosaphet (1055) 5 years ago

MY PAIN IS REAL!!

Lol okay, alright, maybe not as real as yours though. What country are you from? Hopefully a decent one...because I bet you had to venture outside here and there for your entertainment needs =D Poor bastard...

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Sweden. I was small child and had toys so it was alright. Since i didn't know what i was missing there wasn't any suffering going on. I was blissfully unaware.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

In Australia, we only had 5 free to air channels back then and no pay TV. As a young kid some of those channels didn't even broadcast 24/7!

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Not here either. Parts of the day they had a test image or a clock counting down to the next program or literally nothing.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Yep, being a loner even as a kid it was a drag and weekends, especially during the day seemed to be all about sports on TV.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Sports fans was and are still extremely spoiled when it comes to entertainment value.

[–] sslssg (27771) 5 years ago

I remember stations going off air. On the Canadian Broadcast Company they would play the national anthem and then go to static, but on certain nights they would air The Log Drivers Waltz. This brings back such nostalgia to anyone over 40 I'd say. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upsZZ2s3xv8

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

To be honest that show looks dope as hell.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Xanadu baby, like a mofo!

[–] yatzo376 (7458) 5 years ago

We got cable and HBO in 83 and I remember watching a double feature Friday the 13th II and another B slasher flick.

[–] ShogunofYonkers (71785) 5 years ago

I fondly remember Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas and Fraggle Rock

[–] Mrmojo4700 (20448) 5 years ago

Down in Fraggle Rock! Clap clap 👏

[–] Mrmojo4700 (20448) 5 years ago

I remember the HBO intro before a movie was like you were flying over a town at night and your view point ends up gliding to an HBO sign. Does anyone remember that?

Also, when I think of Skinamax I think of Shannon Tweed. 😀

[–] Jehosaphet (1055) 5 years ago

Yup...hell yeah I remember that...in fact, I just looked up that old intro on Youtube awhile back...its there, and the theme music brought back all sorts of memories. Duh duh duh duh duh, dah dah de dah...lol

[–] Mrmojo4700 (20448) 5 years ago

I need to look it up!

[–] Kazak (2007) 5 years ago

My Bodyguard. I was obsessed with The Elephant Man, I watched it every time I found it on. Long before I even knew who David Lynch even was.

[–] Mrmojo4700 (20448) 5 years ago

Wow I remember My Bodyguard! That was in Animal Mother’s early days.

[–] Jehosaphet (1055) 5 years ago

Hah there it is! My Bodyguard...hell yeah, one of the handful I watched time and time again. Man that was a good movie...especially for us kids that'd been bullied some at school, was total fantasy fulfillment right there.

My Bodyguard...wow, had forgotten all about that one.