Our first cable box was a non-descript metal contraption with a rotary dial and unlimited potential (with no brand name – weird). We flipped it on, and the first thing we noticed was that the reception was crystal-clear; no ghosting, no snow, no fuzzy images. We had the premium package: HBO, Cinemax, The Movie Channel, MTV, Nickelodeon, CNN, The Disney Channel, and the local network affiliates. About $25-$30 a month. Each week (and sometimes twice a week!), “Vintage Cable Box” explores the wonderful world of premium Cable TV of the early eighties.
August, 2015
“Swamp Thing, 1982” ★ ★ ★ ☆
“Easy Money, 1983” ★ ★ ★
“Porky’s, 1981” ★ ★ ★
September, 2015
“The Sender, 1982” ★ ★ ★
“American Pop, 1981” ★ ★ ★ ★
“Doctor Detroit, 1983” ★ ★ ☆
“Endangered Species, 1982” ★ ★ ☆
“The Osterman Weekend, 1983” ★ ☆
“The Big Chill, 1983” ★ ★ ★ ☆
October, 2015 – Halloween on Vintage Cable Box
“National Lampoon’s Class Reunion, 1982” ★ ☆
“Psycho II, 1983” ★ ★ ★ ☆
“Amityville II: The Possession, 1982” ★ ★ ★
“Halloween III: Season of the Witch, 1982” ★ ★ ☆
“Brimstone & Treacle, 1982” ★ ★ ☆
“Creepshow, 1982” ★ ★ ★ ☆
November, 2015
“The Rosebud Beach Hotel, 1984” ★ ☆
“Still of the Night, 1982” ★ ★ ★
“Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen, 1981” ★ ☆
“Baby It’s You, 1983” ★ ★ ★ ★
“Get Crazy, 1983” ★ ★ ★
December, 2015
“Deathtrap, 1982” ★ ★ ★
“Best Friends, 1982” ★ ★ ★
“Author, Author!, 1982” ★ ★ ★
“Romancing The Stone, 1984” ★ ★ ★ ☆
“Assault on Precinct 13, 1976” ★ ★ ★ ★
“The Man Who Wasn’t There, 1983” ★
“A Christmas Story, 1983” ★ ★ ★ ☆
“Twice Upon A Time, 1983” ★ ★ ☆
January, 2016
“The Ice Pirates, 1984” ★ ★ ☆
“The Survivors, 1983” ★ ★ ★
“Death Hunt, 1981” ★ ★ ★
“The Hunger, 1983” ★ ★ ★
“The Keep, 1983” ★ ★ ☆
February, 2016
“It Came From Hollywood, 1982” ★ ★ ☆
“WarGames, 1983” ★ ★ ★ ★
“Strange Brew, 1983” ★ ★ ★ ☆
“10, 1979” ★ ★ ★ ☆
March, 2016 – Dudley Moore Month!
“Arthur, 1981” ★ ★ ★ ☆
“Six Weeks, 1982” ★ ★ ☆
“Lovesick, 1983” ★ ★ ★
“Romantic Comedy, 1983” ★ ★ ☆
“Unfaithfully Yours, 1984” ★ ★ ★
April, 2016
“Blame It On Rio, 1984” ★ ★ ★
“Somebody Killed Her Husband, 1978” ★ ★ ★
“The Man With Two Brains, 1983” ★ ★ ★
May, 2016
“The Star Chamber, 1983” ★ ★ ★
“Wavelength, 1983” ★ ★ ★
“Jekyll And Hyde – Together Again, 1982” ★
“Max Dugan Returns”, 1983 ★ ★ ★
“Deal Of The Century”, 1983 ★ ★ ☆
June, 2016
“Eddie and The Cruisers”, 1983 ★ ★ ★
“The House Of God”, 1984 ★ ★ ★
Vintage Cable Box Celebrates Mel Brooks!
“History Of The World Part One, 1981” ★ ★ ★
“The Twelve Chairs, 1970” ★ ★ ★ ★
“To Be Or Not To Be, 1983” ★ ★ ★
“Silent Movie, 1976” ★ ★ ★ ☆
July, 2016
“They Call Me Bruce?, 1982” ★ ☆
“Summer Lovers, 1982” ★ ★ ☆
“Young Doctors In Love, 1982” ★ ★ ☆
“Midnight Madness, 1980” ★ ★ ☆
“Superman III, 1983” ★ ★ ☆
August, 2016
“Class, 1983” ★ ★ ★ ☆
“Q – The Winged Serpent, 1982” ★ ★ ★ ☆
“A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy, 1982” ★ ★ ☆
“Repo Man, 1984” ★ ★ ★ ★
“Tag: The Assassination Game, 1982” ★ ★ ★
“The Woman in Red, 1984” ★ ★ ☆
“Twilight Zone: The Movie, 1983” ★ ★ ☆
September, 2016
“The Toy, 1983” ★ ★ ☆
“Little Darlings, 1980” ★ ★ ★ ☆
“Rhinestone, 1984” ★ ★ ☆
“Avanti!, 1972” ★ ★ ★
October, 2016 – Halloween on Vintage Cable Box
“Friday the 13th, 1980” ★ ★ ★ ☆
“Friday the 13th Part 2, 1981” ★ ★
“Jaws 3-D, 1983” ★ ★ ☆
“Friday the 13th Part III, 1982” ★ ★ ☆
“The Slumber Party Massacre, 1982” ★ ★
“Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, 1984” ★ ★ ★
“Of Unknown Origin, 1982” ★ ★ ★ ☆
“Firestarter, 1984” ★ ★ ★
November, 2016
“The Atomic Cafe, 1982” ★ ★ ★ ☆
“Terms of Endearment, 1983” ★ ★ ★ ☆
“Scarface, 1983” ★ ★ ★ ☆
“The Cannonball Run, 1981” ★ ★ ☆
December, 2016
“Where the Buffalo Roam, 1980” ★ ☆
“Never Say Never Again, 1983” ★ ★ ☆
“Octopussy, 1983” ★ ★ ★
“Trading Places, 1983” ★ ★ ★ ☆
January, 2017
“Something Wicked This Way Comes, 1983” ★ ★ ★
“The Ratings Game, 1984” ★ ★ ★
“Kiss Me Goodbye, 1982” ★ ★ ☆
“Barbarella, 1968” ★ ★ ☆
February, 2017
“Soggy Bottom U.S.A., 1980” ★ ★ ★
“Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes, 1984” ★ ★ ★
“Alligator, 1980” ★ ★ ★
“My Bodyguard, 1980” ★ ★ ★
March, 2017
“Harold and Maude, 1971” ★ ★ ★ ★
“Sixteen Candles, 1984” ★ ★ ★ ☆
“Boarding School, 1978” ★ ★ ☆
Note: I instituted a “star-based” rating system for this archive page. These ratings are not based on a rigid set of criteria, but rather my personal opinions. These movies are not judged perfunctorily. The questions I ask as I watch a movie are, “Does it try to entertain?”, “Is it of a certain quality?”, and “Do the filmmakers care?”.
This site is for educational purposes only, also known as “Fair Use”. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research.
Misadventures in Blissville 