ABC Movie of the Week

[ThePappadeux]

I remember all the scary movies - Crowhaven Farm, Sweet Sweet Rachel, The House That Would Not Die, The Screaming Woman, The Night Stalker, and many others. Thanks for the memories !

[polarisathena]

RIP Dick Tufeld. 1927-2012. He is the voice you here.

[beebaker116]

guerette...please let me know which sites you found them on! I teach elementary school...told my students tv actually went off the air to the tune of the anthem and then..."white noise." they shook their heads and said "poor teacher!" When did the off switch get taken away? People now don't seem to know how to switch off...

[Aeolis7]

Narrated by Dick Tufeld... voice of the Lost In Space Robot.

[TheVagolfer]

Long before flat screens, HD television, satellite or cable.........and we loved it!

[AwesomeDude898]

OH MY GOD

IT'S FULL OF STARS...

[specialgreek1]

I enjoyed the NBC and ABC weekly series of TV shows and movies. Can anyone recall which network aired mystery movies that had a "supernatural" theme to the movie. I loved watching them, however, those shows really scared the _ _ _ _ out of me. I remember one in particular involving an "evil" force on a plane...If you remember these please let me know.

[rystan1]

@specialgreek1 The movie you remember was probably "The Horror at 37,000 Feet". I remember it too (quite scary), and haven't seen it on TV since. It was ABC that often had a horror movie for its movie of the week (though many were not). NBC had mostly recurring crime mystery series movies like Columbo and Banacek. They should put together and market a DVD collection of all those ABC movies of the week, especially the horror ones.

[kgmaj]

Nikki

[MrKat65]

It also created a more common cultural connection, a shared experience. If you were alive in the 60s and 70s - young, old, white, african american, hispanic, asian, wealthy, poor....chances are we're all going to remember the same music, shows.

I miss that.

[TheVagolfer]

@MrKat65 Well said, thanks for your insight.

[fromthesidelines]

"The People" (based on Zenna Henderson's stories) was telecast on January 22, 1972. TV GUIDE had a feature on the special effects created for the movie the week it originally aired.

[ICEcoleman2k]

I had to go back in Wikipedia to see what this movie was about. Someone might be able to remake this if they did a better fleshing out of the charaters and story. Nothing like it out now. Maybe it would be done on TNT or AMC.

[Noveltooner]

Ah! When ABC was still the proudly evolving American Broadcasting Company and not a shill outfit for a really tarnished Walt Disney Company. (Walt really has to be doing furious 360 degree spins in his grave over "Pretty Little Liars" on ABC Family.) In fact, the worst shows of television back then were a so far above so much of the "best" offered today. By the way, thanks, Pres. Reagan, for your deregulation that gave us the "gift" of the infomercial we "love" so much today.

[humbleradio]

@Noveltooner Oh, so crappy TV is Reagan's fault now? I think you need to compare what was on when he was president, on the networks, and in particular what was on PBS at that time to today. PBS was wonderful then. Tons of programming. Tons of great imports from the UK. During Clinton, PBS went downhill big time. Today it's unwatchable as are the networks all owned by big donors to which party? Take a guess.

[Noveltooner]

@humbleradio I never meant to imply that crappy TV today was the fault of President Reagan; quite the contrary. As you correctly state, PBS was at its apex under his administration. What I meant to point out is that today's garbage an uninintended and unforeseen consequence of his total deregulation of that cable and pay TV industry in our paying for more and more commercials and less and less content. Today's media mega-monopolies would infuritate him.

[trickder]

haha .great great great. ...who would think of saving this stuff ...makes me feel like a school boy again

[discoAL]

man i thought i was the only one that fell in love with the theme music..

[dionreedsamurai]

THE CRAPPY MOVIE OF THE WEEK WHEN PEOPLE WERE SOOO DUMB THEY CAN ONLY HANDLE WATCHING ONE MOVIE A WEEK.

[tmap92]

@dionreedsamurai maybe, but it did seem to be a hell of a lot better than it is now, I guess that you have so many channels on the air now, that they have to find something to put on them...and the quality of shows has gone down as a result....you can also thank the emergence of HBO and STARZ! that movies don't come on the networks anymore....though I do like STARZ! trying to bring it back by having a STARZ! saturday night premiere.....

[dionreedsamurai]

@tmap92 I don't disagree with your logic,but the reason there are no more late nite movies around is because of the wonderful infomercial.The networks are making so much in revenew to show that crap as opposed to paying to show us movies.I agree that TV sucks now.Back then you could watch a show 100 times and not get sick of it.Today if you get through one showing your numb.Either way Tv's back then were fat and people were skinny.Today Tv's are skinny and people are fat.You figure it out.

[windstorm1000]

@dionreedsamurai No, we had other interests, we weren't reality TV boobs like you. We played outside and had fun, were thin as whips, visited friends, played board games--one movie a week was all we needed. We were well rounded people compared to today's text message generation. You missed out, fuzz head--go text your family now.

[windstorm1000]

@dionreedsamurai Go jump in the lake. We weren't boob tubes like people now---ran outside, etc. We only needed one movie to entertain us--unlike now.

[chip64c]

@dionreedsamurai

No. There were dumb people then as now, and there were smart people then as now. I was born in 1982, but I think the scene is lovely. The music is in F major, I believe

[grega1972]

I actually could watch the intro over and over cuz of the warm feeling I get . It also makes me sad to the point of calling my mother and crying and telling her thank you for allowing me to watch these programs with her at night becuz even though we didnt have alot of money it didn't take alot to please me , I was quite content watching these wonderful shows with my Mom or my babysitter ....

[BrickLaneBetty]

@grega1972 what a beautiful post. i think if one has love then growing up without a lot of money is not negative. I grew up around rich kids who hated life because their parents did not love them.

[sexymama1966]

don't remember much about the movies.....i was interested in the opening and closing credits:)...still do 40 years later:)

[suslider]

This was before 1975. I watched a lot of those films. Before I was 10.LOL

[hyretech]

My God, it's full of stars!

[jwillis5039]

thanks for posting,i just turned 51 and used to enjoy the movie of the week, i missed the theme it sure brought back memories.

[guerrette]

OMG I love the movies of the week. I got a bunch of the out of print classics I've been looking for, forever from a great website that carries a huge library of them. if your interested shoot me an email and i'll get you the information.

[wiedep]

visual style leans heavily on 2001 film...

[phillydisco]

@wiedep Yes, it's totally inspired by the ending of 2001.

[scrowfan41]

i remmber this a lot od good movies were on the movie of the week including Dont be afraid of the dark and home for the holidays with sally field

[mikey42]

I keep playing this over and over. I never tire of those killer graphics and beautiful theme. Such class the networks once had.

[Aeolis7]

The announcer is none other than Dick Tufeld... The voice of The Robot in 'Lost In Space'.

[thefirefighter2011]

Thefirefighter2011

wasn't that Andy Geller the announcer for that ABC MOTW series?

[life54321]

@Aeolis7 Oh wow, I never knew that -Thanks!

[humbleradio]

@Aeolis7 You bet it is!

[ttun100]

Crowhaven Farms, The Night Stalker, Trilogy of Terror. Not to mention all the shows that were pilots from The Movie of the Week. Kung Fu, Six Million Dollar Man, Alias Smith and Jones.

[humbleradio]

@ttun100 You said it, man!

[angellife21]

OMG, I remember this! I grew up on these eerie "movie of the weeks"!

[JeffPKilgore]

The name of the other Kim Darby movie was "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark," I think.

[mikey42]

@JeffPKilgore Yes, with Jim Hutton. That movie scared the crap out of me. Do you remember "Death at Love House" and "The Initiation of Sarah?" TV was so fun back in my childhood.

[visionseeker50]

things have changed so much

seemed better back then

[brutallodotcom]

solid gold.

[Porgot138]

i saw this made for t.v. movie i think. it was early 70s kim darby had moved into a house that had creepy little gnome like creatures living there. i kind of remember that she could only see them. thanks in advance if you know the name.

[dreamottowa]

Shit, I remember this movie.... "The People" had these schoolkids with telekinesis... they would float around in the classroom and such...

[dreamottowa]

Opening theme, ladies and gentlemen, by... Mr. Burt Bacharach! ("Nikki's Theme")

[hectube1]

@dreamottowa Thanks a million! Always wanted to know the name of this song...

Recently heard it over a Muzak-like system outside a restaurant haven't heard this in 40 years...

[xser88]

Takes Me way back, For Me it was the best thing on tv back then, I would record the trailers and listen to them later, Thanks.

[jojo1964ish]

Takes my back to when I was a kid...thanks for posting.

[JP5466]

Incredibly soothing nostalgia watching this!

[ticket88]

God, life was so simple back then, when there were only a few channels to watch. 3 networks, PBS and a small handful of independent stations (usually on UHF, but not always). Since cable and satellite came on the scene, it seems like the more channels there are, the less there is worth watching.

[herper64]

@ticket88 i completely agree!!

[frc1968]

@ticket88 So so very true!! And stations would sign off to a snowy picture tube too.

[rickw1100]

@ticket88 Great comment! I find the same thing to be sadly true.

[Landaux]

I remember when i 1st saw "2001 A Space Oddesy" at the end when he travels through space, and I was like "Did ABC COPY THAT effect?" I thougt thats where it came from, same light effects.

[frankd1965]

Douglas Trumball did the opening and closing of this classic series. the font used is peignot

[JimKF]

The same guy who did those effects for 2001 also did them for the ABC Movie of the Week..

[Landaux]

Yea, because the 1st thing that went through my mind the very 1st time I saw 2001 in the mid 70s was "Hes flying through the ABC movie of the week mom!!" :-D

[whizkidd4ever]

Great memories! Just hearing the theme music stirs up a lot of deep emotions. The Girl Most Likely To was a great movie but many of the movies scared the living $#@! out of me. Too many to name but here are a few that I won't forget: The Devils Daughter, Don't Be Afraid of The Dark, Trilogy of Terror, and the one where Elisabeth Montgomery finds her sister dead in the back of the station wagon. MOTW Forever Rocks!!!

[pmanis09]

This is great.  I love watching these Movie of the Week intros. Some of these movies used to creep me out as a kid - lie this one. Bad Ronald was another creepy ABC MOW movie...

[josephandmarees]

The movie with Bing Crosby was Dr. Cook's Garden. Another great MOTW. ABC owned television in the early 70s.

[d4seasons]

such a soothing , beautiful, theme. that 1970's feeling****

[geissflike]

The theme is called 'Nikki' and was written by Burt Bacharach for his daughter.

[d4seasons]

someone had already given me the information. thank you. ****

[john6380]

Kim Darby was also on a 'Star Trek' episode with William Shatner.

[JP5466]

Yup... the episode was "Miri"

[viclagoon]

There making a remake to the big screen the masterpiece of all horrors made for the MOTW back then with Kim Darby," Don't Be Afraid of the Dark " ,i forgot who they signed up to do the lead actress role but it someone we all know.i just hope they keep the music cause it will bring classic made horror movies back for us.

[nealadams70]

my favorite MOTW was THE girl most likely to...... I first saw that movie at age 6..!I didnt really get until i was much older and I happen to catch it again at age 16(god bless 1980s free tv) and again at 25.A classic ....!!! THose ABC MOTWs were great entertainment .

[deeriley24]

That was with Stockard Channing and Ed Asner. Great film!

[signcrash]

It was released on DVD a few years back. It's been discontinued now.

[viclagoon]

In fact Night Stalker series came out of MOTW films.Saw it every friday on tv.Listen my friends went out with dates i stayed and watched tv friday nights.Who remembers Susan Heyward last performance on MOTW and i believ it had a huge legendary singer also perform the lead song in the movie of the dying cancer woman ,it was Dusty Springfield.Susan Heyward really did have cancer but it was in remission and when she made this film the cancer was gone and later return to her.

[viclagoon]

who remembers the best horror tv made movie by Belinda Montgomery about her father being the devil and i believe Joseph Cotton was the devil and Shelly Winters and many more in one movie oh yes that actor who played Barnubus vampire sop opera tv show of Dark Shadows.

[viclagoon]

Elizabeth Montgomery would become the actress in great demand from Movie of the Week as requested by her fans to make a movie from her.She would make everyone of her movies a huge hit,Mr.and Mrs.Sundance,Legend of Lizzie Borden,Dark Victory,Black Widow,When the Circus Came to Town.....more too was # 1 in acting ,do we have anything like this today ,the worst is the Ruby awful hideous show of the 700 lb.woman yuck entertainment .

[lucan18]

I thought Eliabeth Mongomery's first MOTW was called "A Case of Rape" but you could be right about the "Victim" title. It starred Ronnie Cox s her husband.

Remember who Elizabeth Montgomery's co-star was in Dark Victory? Had kiddie crush on him from this movie! A very young, very dark haired Anthony Hopkins. If you want to c my & many comments re: Don't be afraid of the Dark, go to original video of the MOTW 1969 posted by sterlingyoyo. It's been visited by 1000s.your posts would be welcome!

[viclagoon]

Lets us not forget the legendary actress who had just had her tv series cancelled with ABC ,Bewitched,and later would do her very first tv made movie for Movie of the Week that according to Leslie Nielsen ratings would become the highest ever seen by the public and would become so much in demand after this film called The Victim ,i ahve saved that here on youtube ,i thought i would never see it again but thanks to youtube we have it here now,thanks.

[viclagoon]

frankd1965 how did you remember all those classic actors names ,wow , do you remember the legendary actor who came out of retirement form making movies back to tv ,he was Bing Crosby about a role of a doctor , a mad doctor was it.what was the name of this movie of the week with him in it?

[viclagoon]

who remembers Kim Darby's Movie of the Week called Dont Be Afraid of the Dark about those little pest little monsters who lived in the basement and as tiny as they were dragged her at the end of the movie into the hole of the basement door ,i hear for us fans of this movie monsters that scared us all on tv is about to be made into a huge major full screen motion picture ,yeah yeah, we need to ahve all this classics remade today to updare them.

[lucan18]

DO you remember Fiv Desperate Woment? Stefanie Powers, Joan Hackett,, Anjanette Comer, (can't remember the other one!) They were improsioned by a mean sheriff or warden who was played by Robert Conrad. What about "The Girl Most Likely To" a dark comedy with Stockard Canning (in her debut ) and Ed Asner as a detective. about an ugly duckling (she was in a fat suit and lots of makeup) who has surgeries, loses weight, to get a make over and then exacts revenge on those who were unkind to her.

[viclagoon]

I believe it was Barbra Parkins ,she made several MOTW films for them also.I thought it was Elizabeth Montgomery who was in great demand to make films for them hoeevr i am being told it was Anjanette Comer who surpassed Ms.Montgomery in making films for ABC MOTW.When will some studio place all this movies for us in HD DVD format box collection?

[royalfuzziness]

Yes i do remember.

[pookeeeee]

I remember watching them both when I was a kid in the 70's. They were great!

[viclagoon]

Martin Sheen's award winning movie winning many peabody awards back then that made him an international name and how he explained back then how he removed his latino last name and replaced with an american anme from a catholic bishop of Sheen anyway, that Movie of the Week was That Certain Summer ,one of the first tv made movies about gay homosexual relationships between two men and how his son is revealed to him that certain summer ,wow what a classic and real acting.

[viclagoon]

I forgot she was Kim Novak,anybody, rememebrs this movie Third Girl from the Left.

[viclagoon]

Who remembers Third Girl From The Left as a huge major moviestar came out of retirement to do this film about an aging dancing girl in the Las Vegas strip,will never forget this ,why hasnt some studio placed this immrotal classics on a dvd set box or something ,who agrees on this,and the music intro of the Movie of the Week made everyone glued to them week after week.

[viclagoon]

Listen those big shots sons of Martin Sheen with their all celebrity status wouldnt be here in the movies business if it were not for their father Martin Sheen who appeared in the first much rated high in ratings back then and award winning first tv film about a son and his agy father and his partner .Listen,he made a huge name with Movie of the Week.We were all glued,lets get rid of the reality shows ,the worst is that Ruby show weighing 700 disgusting pounds and making us see this filth .

[Italiabeefy]

Brings back great memories, they need to go back to movies of the week and cancel all the reality and lame shows they have on now

[pahlorstoker]

@Italiabeefy some say these movies were cheesey but i think most were far and away better than the dreck you pay highway robbery for at the theaters today. really don't you agree most of them would still hold up today?

[SgtRock57]

@Italiabeefy Totally agree, however today's generation is far to jaded to relate to such simple times. They don't know what they've missed.

[sea8boys9]

you said that right. tv was so simple but the quality of shows was so such much better. love the memories

[windstorm1000]

@Italiabeefy If it could only happen!!!

[Italiabeefy]

@windstorm1000 Yes i so agree!

[Juliaflo]

@Italiabeefy I second that.  Incidentally, next month marks the 40th anniversary of the movie that set the standard for all television movies that followed it---Brian's Song. (We will not discuss that remake).

[Italiabeefy]

@Juliaflo Wow, i never even knew there was a remake!..lol i missed that one!

[Juliaflo]

@Italiabeefy I saw the remake, and it was just an insult to the original.

[vinylrecord68]

@Italiabeefy I knew about the remake...and avoided it.

[powerlounger]

On Tuesday nights from 8:30 til 10:00. Ninety minutes of fun. There was one particular MOTW that has always stuck in my mind. Directed by Steven Spielburg, starring Dennis Weaver: Duel. Talk about building tension. But I remember Monte Markham was in nearly every other MOTW ever made, along with the beautiful Anjanette Comer, and Yvette Mimieux. Never missed a one.

[galesayers]

Don't forget Martin Sheen and Belinda J Montgomery. Martin Sheen made his name in these films, and Belinda worked a lot also.

[powerlounger]

I also failed to mention Lois Nettleton. All these people were big celebrities back in the day.

[frankd1965]

The Movie Of The Week also had veteran actors and actresses from "The good old days of Hollywood".

Phil Silvers, Olivia DeHaviland, Joan Fontaine, Margaret hamilton, Burl Ives, Walter Brennan, Andy Devine, Agnes Moorhead, Milton Berle, Janet Leigh, Joseph Cotton, Edawrd G. Robinson, Fred MacMurray, Lee J. Cobb, Ida Lupino, Henry Fonda, Rhonda Fleming, Jack Albertson, Eve Arden, Ann Southern, Myrna Loy, Helen Hayes, Van Heflin, Rosalind Russell made appearences on Movie Of The Week

[Italiabeefy]

@powerlounger Tes..i remember her well..a fine actress!

[frankd1965]

Lest not we forget other actors like Larry Hagman, William Shatner, Andy Griffith, Leslie Neilson who got bigger roles later on.

Leslie went from dramatic to comedic roles.

[KilgoreTroutReturns]

I remember watching "Duel" when it first aired and thinking that it was one of the scarier, most suspenseful movies I had ever seen up to that time. It was one of Spielberg's first major motion pictures.

[frankd1965]

Also Ruta Lee, Ted Bessell, Sheri North, Lee Grant, Darren McGavin, Ed Asner, Robert Reed, Carl Betz, Sammy Davis Jr. George Maharis, Stepfanie Powers, Bradford Dillman, Robert Wagner, Dennis Weaver, Claude Akins, Jack Weston, George Kennedy, Susan Hayward, Hershal Bernardi, Kim Hunter, appeared on Movie of The Week

I also have The Night Stalker, The Night Stangler, Ballad Of Andy Crocker, Over The Hill gang on DVD

[jb5532]

Slit-Scan photography- it is the same technique Douglas Trumbell use for the 'Stargate" sequence in 2001

[MVR326]

graphics remind me alot of that one sequence near the end of ''2001 space odyssey"

[JP5466]

Great intro!

A captain Kirk and Miri reunion!

[husekatte]

I loved this movie!