The Late Movie

As I'm sure I've mentioned dozens of times before, I came into this world right alongside the emergence of Home Video and Cable TV, so while we have so much at our fingertips in this day and age, I can't say there was ever really a time in my own life when I felt truly deprived. But when I look back on the abundance of media that pervaded my youth I can say with certainty that part of it came from tape rentals, part of it came from pay channels like HBO, part of it came from actual movie theaters, but perhaps the biggest part came from local TV stations. I don't mean like the town's public access, I mean the far-reaching city stations with national affiliates that entertained entire regions; WLVI, WSBK, WNDS, and WPIX were the channels that aired throughout the NorthEastern United States and filled my nights and weekends with awkwardly edited feature films that I otherwise would've never sought out myself. Even if I'd had the means, I didn't have the knowledge or the wherewithal at 7 years old to say, "Mom, can we rent Big Bad Mama II?" -- stuff like that had to find me. 

This all started long before videotape, and it began as more of an event. The big networks like ABC, NBC, and CBS had there own versions and they treated it like a legitimate movie premiere -- because it kinda was; if you missed Oliver! in the theaters, tonight and tonight only was your chance to catch it. But the stuff I'm talking about is when it became more casual and it seemed like every channel on the dial had an 8pm showing, a 10pm showing, a midnight showing etc. And obviously if you didn't grow up with my channels, your area most likely had its own variation on it, and it's sorta fascinating that every version kinda followed the same format: the spooky, seedy naughtiness of a nighttime movie - regardless of whether it was Friday the 13th Part VI or The Barefoot Executive, the fanfare surrounding the actual feature consisted of a colorful graphic treatment and a haunting jingle. Accordingly, that's why I've asked you here today - not to read this longwinded intro (or skim, let's be real) but to watch this compilation of "Late Movie" intros and bumpers (along with a few "Afternoon Matinee" pieces) that hopefully gets you as giddy/horny/drowsy as it does I. Get cozy. 

- Paul