HBO promos & sign-off 1977

Vintage 1977 HBO weekend promos lead into the station sign-off.

[@kennedyblanchet7623]

Bass player is WORKING on that opening track.

[@TimmyTheTinman]

HBO was truly something special back then.

[@jeffrey5366]

The HBO weekend promo is for the weekend of November 11-13, 1977.

[@Diskoboy1974]

It's still hard to imagine there was a time in my life when channels went off the air. Between 3am-5am, there was little to watch back then. You head maybe 15 cable channels and 3 networks. You might've had a few independent stations that would broadcast 24/7.

[@ilmamartinez522]

HBO didn't expand to a 24/7 schedule until 1981.

[@thegamerpro1167]

@@ilmamartinez522 not for long LOL
in 2019 it suddenly reverted back to being a non-24/7 channel,
i've only found 1 recording of the sign-off which can be seen in the link below.
ua-cam.com/video/AZ4nUr6p61Y/v-deo.html

[@stantonrogers]

​@@ilmamartinez522 That's Right

[@pauljr.harrington1905]

Apparently it was in 1978 when they started playing some telephone-style DTMF tones before the color bars, since this one from 1977 did not do that. I found the same HBO sign-off from 1975 which also did not have them, though I could not find one from 1976. There are videos on UA-cam of the same sign-off from 1978-1981 with those tones.

[@thinblueline1903]

The end of the night cartoon was the best. I have not seen that in 38 yrs lol

[@ilmamartinez522]

It was 40 years ago

[@gabrielbennett5162]

They stopped using it when they switched to a 24/7 format in September 1981.

[@pauljr.harrington1905]

You’ll never see it again.

[@devinnytroysmediacorner]

Based on these promos, this was after an airing of one of these movies:
The Outlaw Josey Wales
The Next Man
The Grasshopper
I Will, I will for now

[@pinedelgado4743]

LOVE IT!!! My late mom and I were never HBO subscribers. But this is great!! Thanks lots for posting!!!! :) :) :) :)

[@Wildcock23]

Considering this clip is more than 33 years old, the quality is stellar.
Nothing but the best from you ROB =)

[@eggnoggies481]

now it's 47 years old

[@Wildcock23]

@@eggnoggies481 Time flies!

[@brithgob]

Not sure how many people know this, but the studio scenes in "Network" with Peter Finch at the anchor desk were filmed at CFTO.

[@Blastoff24001aj]

Actual air date: Tuesday 11/8/1977

[@devinnytroysmediacorner]

If that's correct, this could be taken after an airing of "The Next Man"

[@Blastoff24001aj]

@@devinnytroysmediacorner I think so!

[@JasonDelarosa2000]

Just days before the 1977 Macy's Parade

[@whattheheck1000]

I imagine that most of the people that watched those movies are in their elderly years now.
The middle aged affluent adult watching? Probably in their 80s or older now, if still alive.
The young adults that were watching? 60s and 70s now.
The late teen / young adult still living at home watching it at their parents' house? Late 50s to mid 60s now.
The teen who snuck over to their neighbors' house to watch "Network"? Mid 50s now.
I wonder when the youngest person who actually saw that telecast of Network was born. 1965?
June 11, 2018 11:57 pm

[@flatcapman]

@Whattheheck1000 I was 5 years old when this came on and I'm 47 now

[@DerekBayRoberts1]

I remember living in Texas in 1978 when i was 8 (i was born in 1970). The first cable system i ever heard of was called "Showcase". (Not Showtime, but it was actualy called "Showcase", i remember it didn't even show commercials, you'd hear a radio station play while ads would roll up on the screen, then when it came time for a movie, it would start. anyone remember that?

[@jackson.7028]

i think that became showtime

[@Music-tk5oq]

Just like Pinwheel became Nickelodeon. Did u know that?

[@joel8583]

New one to me and I also was born in 1970, lol.

[@jeffknudson9754]

...and before HBO in San Diego during the mid 70’s, the paid movie service was called Channel 100.

[@larrysmith534]

I remember Showcase I was born in 1984

[@joel8583]

Wow, I never knew HBO like this. It sure looks ancient, lol!

[@robatsea2009]

It's been a few years since I transferred the tape so I cannot remember which movie beyond the fact it definitely was not "Carrie"

[@JHollowayNetwork]

@Demis4Lunch HBO went 24 hours, in December 1981. They were 24 hours on weekends in September 1981.

[@Music-tk5oq]

No, it was all day & all night starting in November 1981 on weekends, then 24/7 in January '82.

[@Music-tk5oq]

Its sab that people cant get facts straight. Lucky 4 me im autistic & have an extraordinary memory!

[@entertain1048]

This one was earliest in their famous music as very same presentation was introduced in 1975 with different music.

[@JasonDelarosa2000]

This was when my mother had heard of it.

[@erickpaolod.santos3719]

HBO Will be concluded this evening until 1980's (it became 24/7)
It's not on TV but it's HBO

[@EricandDish]

I don't know what is more shocking about "Network":
A. I know the lines even though I haven't seen the entire movie!
B. Director Sidney Lumet (bless his soul) exposing The Illuminati/Council on Foreign Relations
C. Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway and Beatrice Straight winning Oscars...and wouldn't be nominated again! (Finch died of a heart attack before he could get it, Dunaway went through a series of bad films-with "Mommie Dearest" the film that sunk her career, and Straight would just disappear)

[@Diskoboy1974]

EricandDish - Straight had Poltergeist. Then she faded away.

[@whattheheck1000]

Hard to believe this was so long ago, my parents would never have been allowed to watch "Network" on that night! (I don't even think their parents had heard of HBO in 1977).
My mom was 7 and my dad was 9 in '77; now, in 2018, I'm currently 25.
June 11, 2018 11:51 pm

[@stantonrogers]

I didn't know Network was premiering for the first time on HBO, back in 1977.

[@bannaners5086]

Why did they do beepings

[@flatcapman]

the bars were you could adjust your picture and the tone was for Audio. In the 1981 HBO sign off you hear a dial tone before the bars meaning they could activate them walking out the door with a C tap to the console turning on the bars and tone

[@ilmamartinez522]

@@flatcapman I was going to explain the same thing, but you beat me to the punch.

[@flatcapman]

@Daneil Garcia Sorry about that. Test Patterns is a personal hobby and interest

[@luisreyes1963]

@@flatcapman Mystery solved. Thanks, old chap! 😁

[@SpongeDan]

Is this November 5th 1977?

[@JasonDelarosa2000]

8th probably. By the way, Rita Moreno is a BABE!!!

[@JHollowayNetwork]

@Kargaroc286 There is an earlier HBO sign-off from 1975, which uses Scanimated effects from Computer Image Corporation. It can be found here at: watch?v=tETXbPu73Zc.

[@Freddysworld7]

youtube/watch?v=yETXbPu73Zc

[@Retrontario]

@brithgob Who could forget Tom Gibney's awesome voice!

[@kascnef]

Alive or dead

[@ilmamartinez522]

Hi Retrontario!

[@kascnef]

Oldest hbo video

[@JasonDelarosa2000]

Noooooooooooot exactly.

[@evelsteev]

robatsea2009, do you still have the original tape this came from?

[@robatsea2009]

Somewhere, yes

[@evelsteev]

Awesome. Well, if you ever want to trade videos, I've sent a link to my list.

[@bldali]

When did HBO stop signing off and switch to 24 hour programming?

[@davesmith8877]

They went 24 hours a day on weekends in August 1981 and 24 hours seven days a week January 1st 1982

[@shirleysmith4510]

HBO went to 24 hours a day 7 days a week December 24 1981

[@stantonrogers]

And no announcer

[@DavidSmith-fs6pi]

@Tomleç HBO went to 24 hours a day on Weekends in August 1981

[@Summerskool]

Kinda like Sopranos..

[@robatsea2009]

No