Late Night TV Commercials.
This vid includes a bunch of TV commercials that aired in Detroit back in ‘86…
More specifically, it collects ads that aired during late night hours. The video quality is pretty bad, but I thought this represented the “flavor” of Dino Drac After Dark too well to skip.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a night owl. If I have no reason to get up in the morning, I’ll happily putz around until dawn.
That’s way easier to do nowadays, because the web never sleeps and even regular television gives you whatever you want whenever you want it. Back in the ‘80s and through most of the ‘90s, late nights were so much… emptier.
As a kid, I had a television in my bedroom, but not a cable box. If I was pulling a secret all-nighter, my entertainment was limited to whatever television threw at me.
Past a certain hour, there wasn’t much. There was that weird 60-90 minute period before the infomercials totally took over where you’d have a couple of ancient sitcom reruns or newsy-type programs, which at best served as background noise.
During those blocks, the commercials were worth more than the programming. They were more current, more energetic and often more familiar.
This mix of ads really captures what it was like to watch late night television back then. (Notice how some of them were slightly spooky, and remember about how easy it was for kids to freak themselves out… especially if they were alone at 2 in the morning!)
Tonight’s survey:
Were you a night owl as a kid? How did you pass the time? Nintendo, comics, Chips Ahoy and blanket forts? Share memories, in the comments!
Ghoulies IV!
Man, I’m beat. We spent pretty much the entire day chasing down more old video stores. Long drives, but so worth it. I’ll give you the scoop next week. 🙂
Tonight’s movie is Ghoulies IV. This was the last film in that franchise, and I guess the least interesting of them, since the “Ghoulies” in Ghoulies IV were hardly Ghoulies at all. (Which was extra weird since they brought Peter Liapis back from the first movie. Why go through all of that trouble if you weren’t gonna work in some monster rats and green goblins?)
Still, the movie does have its charms, and I kinda have to say that since I was quoted on the DVD:
…and of course, my quote was only barely grammatical.
Oh well.
Tonight’s survey: I’d call being quoted on the Ghoulies IV DVD one of my favorite really stupid accomplishments. What are some of your favorite *really stupid* accomplishments?
Brag away, in the comments!
Shock Treatment!
Say, have you ever seen the sequel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show?
Well, semi-sequel, anyway. Brad and Janet return in Shock Treatment, which debuted in 1981 and never quite managed to capture imaginations quite like RHPS did.
Acting both as a tribute to and indictment of television culture, Shock Treatment isn’t nearly as fun as Rocky Horror, but it does have its moments — not to mention a bitchin’ soundtrack.
I doubt you’ll make it through this if you’ve never seen RHPS, but if you have, it’s worth a watch. I’m the first to admit that it’s anything but breezy, so if you’re having trouble with this one, at least look up the soundtrack on YouTube. I honestly prefer it to Rocky Horror’s.
And since I don’t expect Shock Treatment to inspire much discussion, let’s add a survey:
Name your favorite MOVIE SONG. Not just a regular pop song that was used in a movie. I mean a song that was MADE for a movie. Maybe it was used in part of the film, or maybe it just went over the credits.
Tell us, in the comments!
Darkman TV Pilot!
Oooh, this sounds interesting. It’s the unaired pilot for what would’ve been a Darkman television series, from 1992:
Very curious to see this. I loved the original movie, which was sort of like the dopey son of Batman and The Crow.
For reasons I still can’t fathom, we rented the video upon its release, and the whole family watched it together. We never watched movies as a family, and I can’t think of anyone who would’ve been pulling that hard for Darkman. It just sort of happened.
It’d later become one of those flicks that was always on cable. At this point, I’ve probably seen Darkman more than 50 times, despite the fact that I’ve never once purposely set out to see it.
…which brings me to tonight’s survey:
Name a movie (or a few movies) that you ended up seeing all the time almost on accident. These probably wouldn’t be your favorite movies, but once you see anything a hundred times, your heart makes a place for it.
Spill it, in the comments!
