At Flashbak; The Fisher Price Movie Viewer (1973)

This week at Flashbak, I recalled a great toy of the 1970s: the Fisher Price Movie Viewer.

Here’s a snippet and the url: (http://flashbak.com/no-batteries-required-remembering-fisher-price-movie-viewer-1973-49908/)

“In 1973, Fisher Price introduced its popular “Movie Viewer and Cartridge” toy: a camera-like device that -- when operated by crank -- could show Super 8 mm films. 

This was the Fisher Price Movie Viewer, and as the commercials promised, children could crank the device in slow-motion, speed it up, or even run the film backwards.  Best of all, the device needed no batteries.

The Fisher Price Movie Viewer was sold with one cartridge, originally: a 1937 Walt Disney short called Lonesome Ghosts

Very quickly, however, Fisher Price developed a wide catalog of films for kids to purchase watch, including several animated Disney movies. 

Available on cartridge were Snow White (1937), Robin Hood (1973), Pinocchio(1940), and The Rescuers (1977).  There were also several Looney Tunes cartridges, one each for Bugs Bunny, the Road Runner, and Sylvester and Tweety.

Other cartridges sold by Fisher Prince included the Pink Panther, three Marvel Spider-Man titles, and in 1979, Disney’s big-budget space epic: The Black Hole.”

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At Flashbak: Devo for Pioneer Laserdiscs

My second Flashbak in the past week gazed at Pioneer’s marketing attempts for the new technology of laserdiscs.

Here’s a snippet and the url: (http://flashbak.com/looking-future-devo-ray-charles-mr-wizard-pioneer-laserdiscs-49490/).

“In my previous Flashbak article this week, I remembered Star Trek star Leonard Nimoy hawking Magnavox videodisc systems in 1982.

In 1984, Magnavox competitor Pioneer brought the heat with a full line of commercials, in-store videos, and other promotions for its own laserdisc player.

First up, the punk/new wave band Devo -- at their post-Doctor Detroit (1983) apotheosis – headlined a 12 minute video for Pioneer, shown in stores. 

Declaring it their “business to keep up with the state of the art” in terms of video and audio, the band members promised to help consumers pic out “the best,” most “mind-blowing” and “most sophisticated” choice for laserdiscs.”

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At Flashbak: Leonard Nimoy and Magnavox

This week at Flashbak, I remembered the great Leonard Nimoy’s stint as a spokesman for Magnavox products.

Here’s a snippet, and the url: (http://flashbak.com/leonard-nimoy-magnavox-brightest-ideas-world-play-48959/)

“William Shatner is known as a pitchman extraordinaire for products including Promise Margarine, the Commodore VIC-20, and Priceline.com.  His Star Trek (1966-1969) co-star, Leonard Nimoy also had a career hawking products, however.  Most memorably, Mr. Nimoy acted in the early 1980s as the spokesman for Magnavox, manufacturer of TVs and high-tech home video products.

For example, Mr. Nimoy hawked the One Star System Color TV sets by Magnavox, which combined “advanced design concepts, high technology, and new manufacturing systems to deliver the highest level of reliability in Magnavox history.”

Mr. Nimoy also promoted the Magnavox Videodisc player – an early laserdisc player – which was described by the company as “gourmet video,” or “video for people who know and love video.” 

Specifically, Mr. Nimoy starred in a promotional video (actually produced for the video-disc format), describing how the Magnavox system works. 

In this video, a glowing, colored, translucent alien rock appears in a 1980s living room, and Nimoy – taking on the dispassionate tones of everybody’s favorite half-Vulcan, Mr. Spock – explains to it the specifics of the Magnavox system.  The rock only speaks in beeps and whistles, but Nimoy seems to understand its language, and respond with a lesson on laser-disc technology.”

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At Flashbak: Sci-Fi Scrooges!

This week at Flashbak I also looked back at the various sci-fi TV adaptations of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

Here’s a snippet and the url: (http://flashbak.com/sci-fi-scrooges-five-times-cult-tv-programs-adapted-dickens-christmas-carol-48476/)

“A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, was first published in 1843. Readers immediately took to the redemptive story of the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge and his encounter with the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future.  The spirit of Christmas saved his life; or at least his soul.

Still, neither audiences of the day nor Dickens himself likely could have imagined a future in the 20^th and 21^st century wherein Scrooge’s story has been regularly adapted to science fiction TV programming. 

Outside sci-fi, A Christmas Carol has been replayed on comedy series such as Sanford and Son (1972-1977) and Family Ties (1982-1989), but within the genre it has seen even more popularity.

Here are five memorable sci-fi adaptations of Dickens’ timeless tale:

“A Bionic Christmas Carol.” First aired on December 12, 1976, this episode of The Six Million Dollar Man (1974-1978) guest stars Ray Walston as a miser named Budge whose Scrooge-like ways are jeopardizing a NASA mission. 

Colonel Austin (Lee Majors) is assigned by the OSI to investigate Budge, and the world’s first bionic man masquerades as Santa Claus to teach the miser the true meaning of Christmas.  In particular, Steve Austin must show Budge how his nephew, Bob Crandall, is living in near poverty because of Budge’s behavior. 

Intriguingly, much of this Christmas episode is set at the Psycho House, on the Universal Lot!

“X-Mas Marks the Spot.” The Real Ghostbusters (1986 – 1991) broadcast this episode by J. 

Michael Straczynski on December 13, 1986.  Here, the Ghostbusters travel back in time to 1837 and inadvertently change history. They zap the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, and now must make certain that Scrooge still learns his lesson in humanity…from them…."

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At Flashbak: TV-PIXXX

This week at Flashbak, I remembered the Age of TV-PIXXX, a weird call-in game show of the early Video Game Age.

Here’s a snippet and the url: (http://flashbak.com/tv-pixxx-uitimate-new-game-show-1980s-48402/).

“At the height of the first Video Game Age – in the late 1970s and early 1980s – a local TV station, WPIX in New York City launched a game show called TV-PIXXX.

This “Ultimate New Game Show” aired on channel 11 (“11 Alive!”), often on afternoons following school.  This particular game was apparently based on another telephone-based video game program called TV-POWWW, which first aired in Los Angeles on KABC-TV in 1978.

The TV-PIXXX program was hosted by Ralph Lowenstein, and lasted only a few minutes per episode, essentially running as filler between television series. But the premise of this game show was that the studio would telephone some kid at home while simultaneously broadcasting an Intellivision video game. 

Once the game began, the contestant on the telephone would have to shout “Pixx!” at the appropriate moment to shoot a ball in a basketball hoop, or fire a laser in some Asteroids game knock-off. 

I still possess vivid memories of hearing young contestants endlessly shout “Pixx!” at the TV screen on TV-PIXXX in hopes of winning a station-brand T-shirt or a ten-dollar savings bond. 

Prospective contestants for the program had to send in stamped post-cards with their names and addresses printed on them if they hoped to be picked to play on the air.

I learned recently that there was no amazing technology behind TV-PIXXX.  Instead, whenever the player shouted PIXXX, some operator in the studio just pressed a button of a joystick.

It seemed so much cooler than that back in the day…”

Continue reading about TV-PIXXX at Flashbak.

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At Flashbak: The Commodore Amiga 500

My second Flashbak article this week looked at another computer of the 1980s: Commodore’s Amiga 500.

Here’s a snippet and the url (http://flashbak.com/everything-never-expected-computer-remembering-amiga-500-47963/):

“In 1987, Commodore released the Amiga 500, a home computer, a system that -- to this day -- is beloved by dedicated gamers. 

More than 6 million Amiga 500 units were sold (originally at the princely sum of $700.00), and Commodore advertised the system as “the most advanced home and small business computer” in history.  One might contrast this marketing slogan with Atari’s promise for the 800…that it was ‘timeless.’

Indeed, Commodore promised that the Amiga 500 was so wondrous an advancement in home computing that the user is limited “only by imagination.” 

The 500 featured “software to aid learning,” 4096 colors and stereo sound, and most importantly “the latest high-tech video games.”

Anyone who had an Omega remembers great games such as Wings (1990), Lemmings (1991) and Worms (1995).  Uniquely, one could also hook the Amiga up to a VCR and add video overlays -- special effects -- to home made movies...”

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At Flashbak: Atari 800 - The Timeless Computer

This week at Flashbak, I remembered my first home computer: The Atari 800.

Here’s a snippet and the url (http://flashbak.com/timeless-computer-remembering-atari-800-47864/):

“My first home computer was not the TRS-80, or even the Commodore VIC-20, both of which I’ve looked at here on Flashbak in recent weeks. 

Instead, it was the magnificent (though admittedly boxy…) Atari 800.

I remembering seeing the Atari 400 in stores, the model with the “flat” or membrane keyboard, and wishing we could get one. The console was released in November of 1979, and was produced until the mid-1980s.

But instead of the 400, my parents sprung for the more expensive Atari 800 -- which was marketed more as a home computer and less as a game system -- and we soon had numerous accessories for it, including a light pen, joysticks, a cartridge drive and then later, a floppy disc drive. 

The Atari 800 was advertised as “The Timeless Computer” and advertising was aimed at those consumers who had “no personal experience” with computing, but who nonetheless wanted to join the 1980s home computer revolution.  A key sales point was that the system -- which came with “expandable memory, advanced peripherals and comprehensive software” – would never grow “obsolete.”

Ads for the Atari 800 asked a specific question: “How sophisticated can a personal computer be if it’s outdated in a year? Or even a month?”

This marketing gambit clearly has some drawbacks since people today aren’t using the Atari 800 anymore. 

Not so timeless, after all?

On the other hand, I owned and operated an Atari 800 for five or six years, and that’s better than the lifespan of recent Dell, Sony, and HP computers that I’ve purchased…most of which tap out after two years or so.

But back to the Atari 800. In addition to raw computing power, it had great games too, including Star Raiders, Centipede, and Missile Command. I also used a word processing program with the Atari 800 (Word Perfect?) I still remember typing out high-school papers on that 800...”

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At Flashbak: The Wonder Computer of the 1980s! (The Commodore VIC-20)

This week at Flashbak, I remembered the Commodore VIC-202, the so-called "wonder computer" of the 1980s.

Here's a snippet, and the url (http://flashbak.com/remembering-wonder-computer-1980s-commodore-vic-20-47427/ )

"The first home computer to sell a million units was the Commodore VIC-20, an 8-bit unit hawked by Star Trek star William Shatner and released on the market in 1981.

Sold at a very reasonable $299.99, the Commodore VIC-20 was the best-selling computer of the 1982, and described as “revolutionary.” 

Or, as the ads trumpeted: “a computer like this would have been science fiction a few years ago. Now it’s reality.”

Shatner’s TV commercials were effective, in part because the marketing technique involved positioning the VIC-20 against Atari 2600 and Intellivision game systems. 

“Why buy just a video game?” Shatner queried, when “the whole family can learn to compute!” A key selling point was, accordingly, that this machine had a keyboard, not just joysticks."

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At Flashbak: Remembering the Colecovision Game System (1982-1984)

My second Flashbak this week remembers another great video games system of the Golden Age: The Colecovision.

Here's a snippet and the url (http://flashbak.com/cant-beat-system-remembering-colecovision-game-system-1982-1984-46624/ ) 

"I’ve devoted a lot of space here at Flashbak recently to the Vectrex, Atari 2600 and Intellivision, just a few of the most cherished video game consoles of the late 1970s early 1980s 

When I think of the original, golden age of video games 1978 - 1983, however, I always think in terms of those systems.

But there is another.

Colecovision.

I had a dear friend in middle school and high school who lived on the other side of town and got a Colecovision for Christmas in 1982.

And -- even though I was an Atari Kid -- this system put the 2600 and 5200 to shame.  The Colecovision was amazing.

Colecovision came bundled with Nintendo’s Donkey Kong (where Atari came with…Combat), and that wasn’t the only great game in the system’s stable.  Colecovision’s Zaxxon was -- up to that point, anyway -- the most advanced-looking home video game I had ever seen in terms of graphics and play.  It absolutely lived up to the system’s advertising promise of “arcade quality” games.

Even the ‘super’ controllers for the system seemed a quantum leap forward, with deluxe models that had a roller, a 12-button keyboard, and a trigger grip.

Coleco Industries sold over one million Colecovision unites in one year’s time (1982-1983) and quickly became the most beloved game unit on the market..."

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At Flashbak: Thought, Action, and Reaction: The Magnavox Odyssey (1972)

This week at Flashbak, I remembered the age of the Magnavox Odyssey, the first home video game in history.

Here's a snippet and the url (http://flashbak.com/thought-action-reaction-age-magnavox-odyssey-1972-46539/):

"I’ll admit it, I don’t actually remember this console, the Magnavox Odyssey.

It was released on the market when I was just four years old, in 1972.  Yet it is historically important, since video game scholars mark it as the first commercially available home video game system.

Created by Ralph Baer with Bill Harrison and Bill Rusch, the Magnavox Odyssey is described in its promotional material as “the exciting Electronic Game Center for children and adults.” 

The same advertisement notes that the game system makes TV into more “than something to just sit and watch,” transforming the boob tube into a “challenging electronic playground of fun and learning for the entire family.”

The Magnavox, its manufacturers note, is “thought, action and reaction. It is a play and learning experience for all ages.”

The Odyssey is very different from the other game systems that I have covered here, for certain.  For example, the Magnavox Odyssey features no sound card, runs on six C batteries, and features color overlays that you can place over the TV set to make it appear that the games are produced in color. 

The Magnavox Odyssey also was sold with poker chips and dice, so that you could play casino style games with the machine (like “Roulette.”)

In 1972, 100,000 Odyssey units were sold, and over its life, 27 Odyssey games were produced. Twelve came with the console unit (including “Table Tennis”).

One of the most interesting add-ons for the Magnavox Odyssey is a pump action rifle or shot-gun to be used with such games as “Shooting Gallery,” “Shoot Out,” “Dog Fight” and “Prehistoric Safari.”

The makers of the game also faced a lawsuit from Atari, because the Odyssey’s Tennis game apparently too closely resembled the popular Pong arcade game..."

(Continue reading at Flasahbak).

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At Flashbak: George Plimpton, Voice of Mattel's Intellivision

My second Flashbak contribution this week remembered the era of George Plimpton as spokesman for Mattel's Intellivision:

Here's a snippet and the url; (http://flashbak.com/george-plimpton-voice-mattels-intellivision-45868/ )

George Plimpton (1927-2003) was a Renaissance Man in the truest sense of that word. He was an accomplished athlete, a journalist, a literary critic, a musician and even, on occasion, a comedian.

But my generation probably remembers him best for his spell as TV pitch-man for Mattel’s Intellivision.

Starting in 1980, Plimpton appeared in a series of commercials for the brand new game system, Atari’s biggest rival, and his name became synonymous with Intellivision to Gen X kids.  He starred in nearly a dozen such commercials, and in the process compared Atari and Intellivision head-to-head, preached the value of “Intellivoice,” and even shot a commercial with E.T.’s buddy, Elliott (actor Henry Thomas)."

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At Flashbak: More Games; More Fun - Remembering the Atari VCS

This week at Flashbak, I recalled the dawn of the home video game age, and the arrival in my life (and the culture) of the Atari 2600 (or VCS).

Here's a snippet and the url (http://flashbak.com/games-fun-remembering-atari-vcs-46013/ )

"I officially entered the video game era on Christmas morning, 1978, when my parents -- or was it Santa Claus? --- gave me and my sister a remarkable and unforgettable gift: the Atari VCS (Video Computer System), which also goes by the designation of Atari 2600. I was nine years old.

We enthusiastically the unwrapped the huge, flat, rectangular box, but had no idea what an Atari was. My folks explained, simply, that it is a game you can “play on the television.”

That sounded….different.

My father hooked up the Atari to our family room TV set (a zenith, color model), and quickly unpacked the first game cartridges: Combat, Missile Command, and Space Invaders.

We played Space Invaders first.  And from the first moment the strange aliens began their downward march on screen (to a military-sounding thump…), I was hooked."

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