My family’s introduction to cable television in August 1981 is a vivid memory. I recall a Cablevision salesman, our local provider from Huntington, visiting our Long Island home on a warm evening. For those unfamiliar, Long Island extends from New York City into the Atlantic, nestled near Connecticut and New Jersey. He engaged in a conversation with my dad at the dinner table, and after he departed, my curiosity peaked. Dad explained we were getting cable soon. Cable TV was still a novelty; none of my friends had it, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, although the salesman had left behind the current month’s program guide. Within days, technicians arrived to set everything up. I remember the hard-wired “remote” distinctly: twelve channel buttons in the center, a lever on the left to switch between tiers, and a dial on the right for fine-tuning.
Having Home Box Office (HBO) was revolutionary. Without a VCR until 1984, the concept of uninterrupted, uncut movies at home was groundbreaking. The Plainview-Old Bethpage Library, my favorite spot in town, had a laserdisc player. My friends and I would experiment with it, although the selection was limited to Jaws 2 and The Eiger Sanction. The library also had basic cable, but no premium channels, a fact I learned firsthand on two separate occasions.
The first instance was before we had cable at home. I noticed Bugsy Malone, a film I adored from its 1976 theatrical release, listed on HBO in the Newsday TV guide. Too young to go to the library alone, I convinced my mom or a sibling to drive me after dinner. Secretly, I wanted to check if the library’s smaller TV, not connected to the laserdisc player, actually had HBO. Located somewhat discreetly from the study carrels, yet still in a semi-public area, I felt self-conscious about my true motive – watching a free movie. I remember becoming increasingly flushed as I frantically flipped through channels, desperately seeking Fat Sam and Tallulah’s witty banter in their kid-run speakeasy, but to no avail.
The second time, probably less than a year before we got HBO at home, revolved around my Our Gang obsession. I religiously watched those classic shorts, repackaged as The Little Rascals, every day after school on WNEW, channel 5. When I saw Rascal Dazzle, a movie compilation celebrating the series, listed in the newspaper, it seemed new and essential viewing. Despite my previous library disappointment, my mania drove me back, hoping they had upgraded their cable service. Of course, they hadn’t.
My friend Jeff and I were thrilled that August’s HBO lineup included The Blues Brothers and Caddyshack. These movies were in frequent rotation, especially considering HBO wasn’t a 24/7 channel until January 1982. The broadcast day started around 5 pm with family-friendly programming, concluding around 2 am on weekdays, with longer weekend hours.
Below is the Optonline Channel Guide from HBO’s first 24/7 month, a slightly blurry image I found online:
Jeff practically lived at my house for the rest of the summer. With school looming after Labor Day, any night featuring both The Blues Brothers and Caddyshack was mandatory viewing. If the cheesy sci-fi/horror film It Came… Without Warning was also on, even better.
Initially amused, I quickly became desensitized to the mature language and occasional nudity. Alan Parker’s Fame premiered that month. During one viewing, my mom walked into the TV room during the scene where Barry Miller’s character tearfully and profanely rejects God after his sister’s assault. My mother gasped and demanded I turn it off. I protested, but when she repeated her demand, I nonchalantly replied that I’d seen it five times already. Mom, defeated by uncensored entertainment invading our home, just sighed and retreated upstairs. That first Cablevision guide featured a dance scene from Fame on the cover. I saved that issue and the next few years’ worth. Eventually, realizing it was excessive, I clipped pictures of favorite movies for a scrapbook and discarded most, keeping only the first. That first guide, along with the scrapbook, has since been lost over numerous moves. Now a nostalgia collector, I regret discarding them. These guides have become rare, but I recently managed to purchase one, which is the focus of this post.
The guide I acquired is from February 1983. I was finishing Catholic school then, and entering public high school that fall with no friends, Jeff having moved away and others attending Catholic schools. This marked the end of what I now consider “The Good Old Days.” I was still neurotic and insecure, but at least I had friends to share those times with. Now, it was just me and Mike, another nerd from Catholic school, spending weekends doing nerdy things. If you’re reading this, you probably understand.
This issue of the Optonline channel guide heralded the television premiere of Star Wars. I adored Star Wars even more than Our Gang, my room a shrine to the first two films. By early ’83, however, I was somewhat over it and don’t even recall watching it on HBO, although I’m sure I must have. Here are the cover and table of contents:
Next were “February Attractions,” detailing movies and specials on HBO, Cinemax, The Movie Channel, and Showtime, along with the Cablevision General Manager’s newsletter and a Fraggle Rock contest.
The sports schedule followed, not a priority for my younger self, or even now.
The month’s big premiere was highlighted opposite a TDK ad with a “Pleasure Playback” contest.
I didn’t scan all the movie synopses, but here are a few, starting from the “A” section:
Then came the channel directory. Of course, there were local channels (2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 21, and 47), but seeing stations from Boston and Chicago was exciting. This lineup wasn’t exactly the same as when we first got cable, but close. I enjoyed reading the Swap ‘N’ Shop classifieds and even bought my first video camera for $125 through it. They also played unfamiliar radio stations with graphics, introducing me to the Hour of Madness.
Before the listings—also only partially shown here—was a breakdown of channel packages. Ours was Rainbow, including Sportschannel II, but sadly, not Playboy.
More listings followed, along with the Long Island Sports Network schedule.
An ad and schedule for the Cable Health Network, which later became Lifetime.
This Cablevision ad promoted the soon-to-launch Newsday Channel, which I recall being mostly on-screen text and graphics with little live content, and it didn’t last long.
Entering the glossy, color center pages was a self-promotional article about cable television itself.
Here are pages detailing Montage, a vintage film channel I vaguely recall. Online research indicates it was Cablevision exclusive, later becoming American Movie Classics (AMC) when it went national.
Centerfold ESPN. Again, not my favorite.
Next was Bravo programming, with an MTV ad. MTV joined our lineup in summer ’82 with a short loop of music videos leading up to its official launch. When it launched, the switch flipped mid-song during “Your Imagination” by Hall & Oates. I remained glued to the screen for months.
The next pages were ads for PlayCable, a video game service featuring Intellivision games. Having an Intellivision console, I didn’t pay much attention. I was an anti-Atari snob, dismissing their graphics until Intellivision’s quick downfall.
Then, a peek at the Playboy Channel’s offerings. I discovered that scrambling on other movie channels could be bypassed by pressing buttons on either side and wiggling the tuning dial. However, the Playboy Channel, at button 37, foiled this trick. Double rats! (More listings and ads followed.)
Approaching the end, more color pages showcasing movies you might have skipped in theaters but found acceptable while lounging in pajamas. Except for Diner, of course.
Specials were spotlighted, including the Doobie Brothers’ “farewell” concert (despite numerous tours since).
Finally, a brief Harrison Ford career retrospective and the back cover.
And lastly, a bonus: While I don’t have TV Guides from August 1981, here’s a glimpse of a typical sleepover Saturday, August 29th, from the Newsday TV Book. The scathing review of The Blues Brothers meant nothing to Jeff and me – we loved it! And I now see our movie viewing prevented us from seeing a Saturday Night Live rerun. Oh well, at least we caught the end of SCTV.
