ABC Sunday Night Movie Open: "The Ten Commandments" - 1984

[DimeraFan28]

I Just Love This Movie, It's Unbelievable, My Family and I watched this movie Every Easter, I hope when Easter comes again (2012), I'll be able to stay awake, and see the whole movie.

[bradywahl]

Aw, no Hardcastle & McCormick tonight!

[neneshubby]

Wow, memories

[Fab4geek2010]

No doubt my mom would have been in fornt of the TV watching this Every Easter Sunday that was a tradition for us. Funny ABC didn't show it this year. So of an end of an era.

[Laceykat66]

@Fab4geek2010 Actually they did. They just showed it on Saturday.

[lilgiggler35]

@Laceykat66 they originally showed on Easter Sunday night until 2003. Then they switched to Saturday night. Timewise Saturday was better because people didnt have to get up for work or school the next day. I remember watching it on Sunday night because it was to only night of the year besides New Years Eve that I was allowed to stay up past midnight as a child. A truely magnificent movie. It has moments of campiness, but that only adds to its grandeur.

[Laceykat66]

@lilgiggler35 Thanks for that bit of information. I agree that Saturday is a better time as they use to start at 7:00 and run it past 11. I actually love the "campy" grandeur also.

[FutureNewsAnchor]

@lilgiggler35 Actually, the Saturday airing wasn't commonplace until '05. In 2004, the film aired on Palm Sunday.

[tsntana]

Everything about this intro is powerful. From the logo for Closed Captioning. To the title card for the Sunday Night Movie. And of course, Ernie Anderson announcing the timeless classic,

"The Ten Commandments...Next"

Happy Easter folks.

[benhurfanclub]

I enjoy The Ten Commandments, but I've always been perplexed as to why this is the only movie ABC (or any other mainstream network) runs at Easter. After all, it's not a Christian movie. The best thing would be to run TTC on Saturday, and maybe Ben Hur on Sunday. Two classics back to back, and it covers both Easter and Passover.

[fromthesidelines]

Because Easter and Passover are usually celebrated within the same week, 'MrLogoman'. And because the movie is about the events which led to the origin of the Passover holiday, that's why it's shown around Easter.

[DimeraFan28]

I Just Love This Movie, It's So Awesome, Unbelievable, I Remember Watching This Movie when I was living at the farmhouse in Canton, South Dakota,

[RideMyBMW]

wow, listen to that intro...the thundering timbals and frenzied strings building up

to an explosion. You would hear this I tell ya and youd drop everything cuz you KNEW there was some quality entertainment bout to come on the tube.

[geneshifter]

This intro is so righteous.

[radiodj1520]

In This Clip, From 0:00 To, It Was KOVR-TV's Newswatch 13's Weekend Edition Video ID From April 1984.

[FutureNewsAnchor]

Announcer: It's a better newscast, weekends!

Weeknight Anchor Team: Thanks, promo department!

[dolphinbuc]

Yes! Enjoy this..you'll never get it like this again....ever.

[fromthesidelines]

Several years back, the network decided Sunday night was "too valuable" for them to show the movie (especially with their lineup of "AMERICA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS", "EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION", "DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES" and "BROTHERS AND SISTERS"), so they shifted it to Saturday at 7pm(et). ending at 11:45pm [five more minutes of commercials].

[FutureNewsAnchor]

@fromthesidelines The film has not aired on Easter Sunday since 2003. I actually remember seeing it on ABC two Saturdays before Easter Sunday in 2005. The next year, they began airing it on the night before Easter. The annual telecast of The Ten Commandments will run on ABC on Saturday, April 23.

[MrLogoman007]

@fromthesidelines Why do they even show it during Easter?

[fromthesidelines]

I remember when ABC used to present "THE TEN COMMANDMENTS" in two parts- on the "SUNDAY/MONDAY NIGHT MOVIE", at 9pm(et)- during most of the '70s. Then, they began showing it in one night- Sunday- beginning at 8pm(et), ending around 12:40am. By the '80s, they moved the start of the film to 7pm(et), with the conclusion at 11:40....

[chrisman737]

Remember so well every Easter staying up to watch this -- most especially to see the Parting of the Red Sea!

[DimeraFan28]

Every Easter, I used to watch this movie, and it's so awesome.

[patrick9648]

Ernie "The LOOOOVE Boat" Anderson. He was the voice of thunder. He could read the phone book and make it sound cool.

[FutureNewsAnchor]

(in reference to my previous comment): If ABC wishes to keep the film as a one-night special, they should at least take back the 7PM hour from the affiliates. That way, the stations can air the late news afterwards.

[faithful4]

Nobody, could do the voice on these abc movies, but this man. What was his name? Oh, nothing to look forward to anymore. I miss these days.

[tsntana]

@faithful4 That man's name was Ernie Anderson (1923-1997).

"Tonight..."

You're right. No matter if it was a big movie or a half hour sitcom. It was always something to look forward to when he announced it. The sound of his voice always meant, "Don't miss this!".

[StefanoFan27]

Whenever I'm watching "The Ten Commandments", I could feel Charlton Heston's (r.i.p) spirit watching me watch one of his movies. sometimes i look up at the sky, i could almost see his face up there, and know that he's looking down on everyone, from his family to his many fans, he's watching over everyone and protecting them too, and is seated on the right hand of our father in heaven, at a round table, along with everyone else that went before him.

[TheSecondEvolution]

Easter Sunday film.

[StefanoFan27]

this is still one of my favorite bible movies, right beside "Jesus of Nazareth" and

"Ben Hur".

[FutureNewsAnchor]

ABC should split the telecast into a two-night event for 2011, so that local affiliates can run late local news on the first night. After the 2009 and 2010 telecasts, my local station (WYTV) did not run a newscast because it was so late (12:44 AM on Easter Sunday). They instead opted for a "Desperate Housewives" repeat.

[tsntana]

@FutureNewsAnchor Wow never heard of a local affiliate doing that. What do they do when a game runs late?

[FutureNewsAnchor]

@tsntana If a game runs late, they will generally run the news in its entirety after the game, followed by Nightline and Jimmy Kimmel Live (if it's a weeknight.) On a weekend, the news will run in its entirety, followed by Desperate Housewives.

[GameShowNetwork]

One of the greatest epics in film history! I watched it at easter, but I sometimes watch it at other times. As this is one of Heston's signature films. When I first saw Ten Commandments on TV, I have to stay up late becasue the movie runs into midnight. I have the tape and DVD.

[StefanoFan27]

Cool. oh btw this is also my favorite bible movies, right beside jesus of nazareth and Ben-Hur. i remember watching this when i was living in a farm in canton, south dakota at that time.

r.i.p charlton heston.

[StefanoFan27]

i've seen that movie, "the ten commandments", and it was so awesome. even the part of when moses departed the red sea. it was unbelievable.

i hope i'll see it again on ABC this easter. this movie is by far one of my favorite bible movies, right beside, "Jesus of Nazareth", and "Ben-Hur".

[StefanoFan27]

wow, those were the days. they don't have an open like that anymore.

[StefanoFan27]

wow, i remember watching that show at the farm in canton, south dakota. and it was so unbelievable. i was on the edge of my seat all the way through it. this is one of my favorite bible movie's ever. right next to, "jesus of nazereth" and "ben-hur".

[StefanoFan27]

i still remember this, and i was a lil upset when i didn't get to see, "ripley's believe it or noy". but this movie was so awesome. i was on the edge of my seat all the way through it.

[StefanoFan27]

wow, 26 years ago.

[StefanoFan27]

wow, 26 years ago. man i remember watching this. i wish someone would upload the full movie on here.

[xlogold]

please post more of these!

[007InMiami]

I like how Ernie always said "tonight..."

[1976REDRYDER]

I am so sick of CGI! I remember when the new Indiana Jones was going to be filmed Spielberg said he wanted to do it old school but they went CGI anyway. Build the sets and film! Remember the ten commandments! That is on here at ABC movie too. What great massive sets were built

[007InMiami]

I agree with you o the overuse of cgi, but in this movie It was also a lot of of matte paintings. The CGI of its day.

[mordanai]

Yeah this was an epic movie. Holy shit, a movie with actual fucking actors, actual fucking extras, actual built sets. I can't stand the green screen overused CGI of today. It makes me want to kill myself.

[maverick309]

Ahhh, When TV was actually TV. How I miss these days. That intro still stands up today! They should redress and reuse it.

[mikelovestheeighties]

This past Sat night (4-11-09) ABC showed this movieand of course without this intro and it wasn't the same. I wish they'd bring these intros back!!

[SugarShandy]

Wow... Hardcastle and Mccormick...this brings back memeories, this is back when families could watch television together after 7 p.m., not anymore

[beanut520]

Shit, TV was actually worth watching back in those days.

[chrisman737]

@beanut520, you said it! I remember when I was little trying very hard to stay awake so that I could see the Parting of the Red Sea. Now that's entertainment!

[CaptainBuckRogers]

@beanut520 Amen. The intro is so cool. Not like today.

[jayce79]

@beanut520

Don't we know it. Just something about yesteryear. Glad I grew up when I did. There's still a few actual t.v. shows worth watching today , that could still be called shows , but television as a whole has just gone to the crapper.

[AmericatheBabylon]

We watch it every Easter!!!!LOL

[StefanoFan27]

@AmericatheBabylon, me too, i just love watching it, in fact it's my favorite bible movir ever, right next to, "Jesus of Nazareth" and "Ben-Hur".

[PortPowerKS]

Hardcastle & McCormick FTW!!! =)

[heine71]

This has aired on ABC every Easter since the 1960's or 1970's/

[lno2k6]

Acually "heine71"-since 1973-according to Wikipedia.