The ABC Sunday Night Movie - "Salvage" (1979)

[Earych]

This spawned a short-lived tv series with ghosts, natural disasters and other stuff.

[lionsgate12345]

Love the ABC opening!

[NowhereMan1966]

I loved this show. 

[knoxvilleguy2]

@NowhereMan1966 - Some of the 70's programs were maybe a little cheesy, ( Buck Rogers, original BSG, Airwolf, etc. ) but damn - they still look golden compared to some of the reality / celebrity family dreck on today.

[Gempalace]

It will only be a matter of time until this is remade starring Will Ferrell and Owen Wilson. (sigh)

[Satchel334]

@Gempalace It was already remade as The Astronaut Farmer.

[PAM2167]

Was fun watching this movie and the tv show. But we know now you can't just get in a rocket and head to the moon. The moon doesn't stay in one place

[ItalianAce]

Reminds me of KTLA 5 (Los Angeles) in the late 1980s would run these "Monday Night" or "Sunday Night" Movies with these cool promos. They would show movies about ten years old.

[14DaveHunter]

Andy Griffith later played Joel Higgins father-in-law, in "Best of the West".

[jksonny]

Wasn't there a Billy Bob movie similar to this a few years ago?

[BDRUMMER]

I like the fancy graphics. probably made with cel animation. Or some electronic gadget that took up a whole room!

[GIMetalfortheTroops]

I miss shows like this one. Man, the memories... Of all the shows I used to watch, I would love to see this one get a DVD release (or has it?). And, I wouldn't even mind seeing a re-imaginined version as well- as long as they stayed with the innocent principals of the original series.

[vladimir998]

My gosh, I remember this cute, little TV movie !!!

I wonder whatever happened to Trish Stewart. She apparently stopped acting about three years after this TV movie. And Joel Higgins just dropped off the face of the earth in about 2003.

[fromthesidelines]

This was actually the pilot for the short-lived series, "SALVAGE 1" (1979-'80).

[whitewitchoz]

I remember this but I to get confused with Salvage, Salvage 1 , and Salvage 2. .....although I was only 5.

[steelbuc39]

Made me want to build my own spacecraft.

[3rdPR]

Back then, you could actually use up 27 seconds to say, "The ABC Sunday Night Movie", and people wouldn't get distracted and wander away.

[vladimir998]

Good point!

[rdt1970]

didnt they have a robot with a laser in its chest? we should have our own community saterlites in space by now taking HD pics of the moon and ufos. as if they would allow us that :)

[fff1313]

trish stewart is a hottie!!!!! we need more fun shows like this.

[gaIIery]

One of the most entertaining made for television movies I've ever seen. Wish the series had been as great although a couple of episodes were worthy of this superior pilot.

[movieone67]

man you too...this reminds me of the summer of 79...ahh to be 12 again!

[shella2bella]

....you and I are the same age...I love it..

[143AC]

It's interesting that Mr.griffith played a likeable

con man in this tv movie pilot.

[ruarc2077]

I remember riding our bikes in the late 1970s when there where only the 3 big networks. I have vivid recall of how, with everyone's windows open on a nice evening, we kids could hear the music playing of the ABC Movie coming from all the houses on the block... everybody was watching it!

[trentcreek]

I hated that intro..it reminded me I had school the next morning.

[ninelivecat]

LOL You where probably like me not having all your homework done I hated Sunday too

[jupitr2]

I remember watching this very movie that Sunday night. The TV series was OK I guess, but I thought the concept of salvaging space junk was pretty cool. Love the ABC movie themes too - takes me right back. Too bad movie events like this on network TV are all gone. Really boosted ABC's ratings for many years. Thanks for the post!

[HomerWinslow]

Now let's see the opening of Salvage 1,The TV Series. That would be quite a trick.

[jess4metoo]

Dinner and a movie! How simple life was, yet so exciting. Wish we could go back. Thanks for the upload.

[bruhe]

am i the only one who revisits these bumpers to hear that music again? It totally rings back to a time when everything was okay because either we were too young to know any better or because andy griffith was going to the moon.

[icbr]

No you're not the only one. The music is terrific (all of ABC's movie themes from 1969 into the mid-80s were great.) And the only reason things seemed okay was because we were too damn young to notice the shit around us!

[tmsan74]

I remember these ABC movie bumpers. It sure is great to watch these again.I really liked watching these when I was a kid.thanks for posting.

[bruhe]

was it mentioned that this was probably aired after the show was picked up? i believe they re-ran the pilot at one point. god what kid didn't remember the idea - junk yard? all that stuff? gotta be able to build a rocket.. lol.

[tonyt55]

it was a tv show for a while i think about 13 shows i think if that long.

[snowrocket]

I remember these bumpers, the pilot and the series; all good stuff. Before cable was common, these network promos REALLY pushed the weekend movie as if it were a "can't miss event"!

[jupitr2]

I remember watching this when it originally aired. The plot seemed a little wild, but the late 70's were a time of lame TV... Mork and Mindy, Supertrain (barf). Though, I always loved ABC's movie intros and bumpers, made it seem more like an 'event' to sit back with a bowl of popcorn. Thanks for the post!

[pookie67]

man these ABC bumpers bring back such memories of being a kid in pajama's, staying up late to watch a movie. There was something so comforting, dreamy and relaxed about growing up in the 70's.

[tonyt55]

good old days they really was what have happen to us now?!

[retseuqzaps]

I know...it was kinda better in those days...no internet ...family sat around for dinner .... movies on tv were a big deal. Miss those days

[tonyt55]

me too we have 1000 channels now and the internet and all most no value to look.

[TServo2049]

The intro is another masterpiece from Robert Abel and Associates...

[Padawanmage]

Wow, I remember this show. Vaguely remember the series as well. I wonder how many episodes there were in all and did it get put out on DVD?

[harper1967]

i remember this, it started a series, but i dont think they could better the first one, i dont remember any other stories.

[fromthesidelines]

This was indeed the two-hour pilot that sold "SALVAGE 1" to the network in 1979. Most made-for-tv movies seen on all network "movie nights" during this period also doubled as pilot films. This is a typical example. On the other hand, the revived and revised version of "TOPPER", starring Kate Jackson and Jack Warden, did NOT get picked up by ABC that same year.

[CommanderCronus]

Great find, ClassicTelevisionFan! I really love this classic network bumper.

[NEPatriot]

Believe it or not I remember there was actually a local version of this sequence--for WABC-TV's 4:30 Movie.

I think at the tail end of the run of using the classic open with the rotating cameraman and flying 7's, there was a custom version of this ABC open used by Channel 7. The music was not the same as the ABC version, more of a synth/disco pop number.

[chapter90]

Oh yea, I loved the movie and when it became a series "Salvage 1" I watched it every week, good stuff!

[mwhite36]

Cool!

Intro and everything! NICE!!!

I vaguely remember "Salvage". Trying to remember if it became a TV series or not.

[ettoufela]

I remember the series. It didn't last long.

[tvengr4047]

I remember when this premiered on ABC and loved "Salvage". Thanks!