The premium tv community Dwelling Field Workplace (a.okay.a. HBO) launched as a regional service in northeastern Pennsylvania again in 1972, progressively build up over time till it turned the nationwide, 24-hour powerhouse we all know it as on the finish of 1981.
Needing to fill 24 hours of programming each single day, the community ended up displaying some motion pictures time and again. Probably the most well-known repeat offenders was the 1982 fantasy journey movie The Beastmaster. It allegedly aired a lot that subscribers joked HBO stood for “Hey, Beastmaster’s on!”
This brings up a captivating piece of cable trivia: Have you ever ever puzzled precisely what number of occasions The Beastmaster was proven on HBO within the ‘80s—and what the highest 50 most-aired motion pictures really had been?
I can’t say I ever contemplated these particular questions. But, once I noticed that the lately launched YouTube channel The HBO 80s Database had the information, I instantly clicked on their video.
What had been the highest 50 most-aired motion pictures on HBO within the Nineteen Eighties? You possibly can watch the complete 25-minute video embedded above to search out out, and I extremely suggest it. However should you simply need the cheat sheet, right here is how the numbers stack up:
The 12-Means Tie (38 Airings)
Numbers 50 by 39: Sure, Giorgio (1982), Underneath the Rainbow (1981), The Man from Snowy River (1982), The Competitors (1980), Tender Mercies (1983), Superman: The Film (1978), Star Wars (1977), On Golden Pond(1981), Looker (1981), Gloria (1980), Soiled Tips (1980), and Brainstorm (1983).
The 39-Airings Membership
Numbers 38 by 34: A five-way tie between Threshold (1981), Second Ideas (1983), Raggedy Man(1981), Lone Wolf McQuade (1983), and King of the Mountain (1981).
The 40-Airings Membership
Numbers 33 by 25: A nine-way tie between The Night time the Lights Went Out in Georgia (1981), The Jazz Singer (1980), The Nice Muppet Caper (1981), The 4 Seasons (1981), Superman II (1980), The Sea Gypsies (1978, a.okay.a. Shipwreck!), Kiss Me Goodbye (1982), Continental Divide (1981), and Any Which Means You Can (1980). (I’ve a sense I personally caught most of these airings of Any Which Means You Can.)
The High 24 Countdown
41 Airings (24 & 23): St. Helens (1981) and Six Weeks (1982)
42 Airings (22 & 21): The Unimaginable Shrinking Lady (1981) and Chariots of Hearth (1981)
43 Airings (20 & 19): The Secret of NIMH (1982) and Blue Skies Once more (1983)
44 Airings (18 to fifteen): Marvel of It All (1974), Proper of Means (1983), Eddie and the Cruisers (1983), and Absence of Malice (1981)
45 Airings (14 to 12): The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), Dragonslayer (1981), and Arthur (1981)
46 Airings (11 to 9): Tremendous Fuzz (1980), My Favourite 12 months (1982), and Finnegan Start Once more (1985)
48 Airings (8 to six): 9 to five (1980), Flash Gordon (1980), and Between Pals (1983). (Enjoyable stat: No motion pictures had been proven precisely 47 occasions!)
The High 5 Most-Aired on HBO
51 Airings (5 & 4): Victory (1981) and Daffy Duck’s Incredible Island (1983)
54 Airings (3 & 2): The Terry Fox Story (1983) and The Cannonball Run (1981). (I distinctly bear in mind watching absolutely the hell out of The Cannonball Run once I was a teen… although I nonetheless suppose my complete viewings of Any Which Means You Can would possibly beat it.)
The #1 Most-Aired Program of the ’80s
With 58 complete showings, the primary spot goes to the 1983 stand-up comedy particular Invoice Cosby: Himself.
Sure, in a surprising flip of occasions, The Beastmaster didn’t even make it into the highest fifty! In accordance with the historic knowledge, it was solely broadcast 23 occasions. The working joke was a complete delusion.
Had been you watching HBO within the Nineteen Eighties? What number of of those did you catch on repeat? Reminisce within the feedback!
The HBO 80s Database
