Category Archives: Video Vault

Garfield in Paradise

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Garfield in Paradise is a half-hour animated special that debuted in 1986. It was the fifth animated Garfield special and ran as a special presentation in primetime in the summers for a few years. I would scour the latest TV Guide every week in the summer looking for an air date until it would finally show up. It was appointment television for me every year. Why I never made a VHS recording of it I have no idea.

Now for me, no other Garfield special tops the Christmas one, but Garfield in Paradise was a close second for a very long time. It may still hold that spot. I’d have to sit and think on it for a bit to confirm that though. But since we are now in the heart of summer, I thought it would be a great time to watch it again. Here it is in all its glory for you to enjoy. But if you’d rather watch it on some large screen, I believe it’s available on Pluto TV.

WWF Wrestlers Performing Land of 1000 Dances

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Anytime I’m down or feeling blue, nothing picks me up quite like watching the wrestlers of the WWF from the 1985-ish era singing “Land of 1000 Dances”. Not just for the silliness of the song, but also for the exagerrated actions of the wrestlers in the video.

If you’re having a bad day, this should lift you a little. If you’re already having a good day, this will make it a little better. And yes, that’s Meatloaf playing the drums. Your day is already a little better because of that last sentence.

MTV Headbanger’s Ball Halloween Special from 1989

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In case you’re staying in on this Halloween night like I am, you may want something to keep you entertained between visits from modern kids looking for free candy. And since you’re here at Retro Ramblings, then you must enjoy the finer things in life like stuff from the ’80s and ’90s. Well, I’ve got you covered on both fronts with this Watch & Listen feature.

It’s the 1989 MTV Headbanger’s Halloween special with Alice Cooper hosting! Not only is he presenting some of the spookier music videos and hosting segments in between, but this video also has all of the glorious 1989 commercials still intact as well. So feel free to make this your Halloween night entertainment, and take a little trip back in time while you do it. Enjoy, and Happy Halloween!

Captain America: The Movie (1990)

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I’m hard-pressed to think of anything more patriotic than the iconic Marvel Comics character, Captain America. These days, the Chris Evans incarnation in the MCU is all the rage, but once upon a time, there was another movie version of the red, white, and blue hero.

The film was originally intended for theatrical release in August 1990 to coincide with the character’s 50th anniversary, but due to numerous delays, it ended up being released two years later in the summer of 1992 as a direct-to-video offering. It also started airing on cable television in the summer of 1992, which is where I first saw it on HBO. Being the comic book fan that I was at the time, I recorded my own version on home video.

This version of Captain America has largely been forgotten, if ever known about in the first place, but it’s still packed full of campy fun that you might enjoy. So here it is in all of its original 1990s glory for this Independence Day.

Rollergames in HD

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I’ve talked about my fandom of Rollergames in the past. I talked about it when I covered the Rollergames Nintendo game comic book ad, and again not that long ago when I posted the Rollergames Yearbooks as a Time Capsule. But for those of you who don’t know, Rollergames was a syndicated “sports” show that debuted in September of 1989. It was a version of roller derby played on a figure-8 track. In addition to the game itself, episodes also featured “live” rock music performances. This version of roller derby also featured a pit that housed alligators that would be used during “sudden death” overtime periods in tied games. This version of roller derby was obviously heavily influenced by the theatrics of the World Wrestling Federation.

Recently, the original episodes of Rollergames have been remasted in HD and released on YouTube. If you never saw the show in its heyday, check out the good-looking video of the very first episode, and see why I was such a big fan of it. Maybe you’ll become a fan too.

The 1993 MTV Rock & Jock BBall Jam

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MTV’s Rock & Jock series of sporting events are a big part of my ’90s nostalgia. The softball games, basketball games, and later on the football games, were some of the highlights of MTV’s offerings for me. The basketball games were always my favorite, and the game usually aired on NBA All-Star weekend.

The teams were always made up of a combination of NBA players, actors, musicians, MTV regulars, and other pop culture personalities. This eccentric mix of talent always made for a memorable game, and in this post, we’re looking back at one of the more entertaining games from the series in 1993.

He-Man and She-Ra Christmas Special

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The He-Man and She-Ra Christmas Special debuted on television in 1985, and I was there for that original broadcast. While the franchise was on the verge of starting to lose steam as a property, it certainly wasn’t losing steam with me. I was still watching both half-hour cartoons every afternoon after school, and still playing with the toys on a daily basis at this point. So when this special dropped, I was excited for weeks on end leading up to it. For years and years, there really wasn’t any way to see this special again, but thanks to the power of the internet and online videos, we can watch it any time we’d like.

With that said, find some time to relax and give this old special a watch again. I’m sure it will bring all kinds of memories flooding back for you.

Garfield’s Thanksgiving

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It doesn’t get much better as far as Thanksgiving cartoons go than Garfield’s Thanksgiving. It debuted in 1989 and has been a staple pretty much ever since. I know it is in my house at least. It’s a classic tale of Jon screwing up Thanksgiving dinner and having to call Grandma to come save the day, and poor old Garfield is under the threat of diet for the holiday. Surely you’ve seen it before, but if not, don’t pass up this chance to give it a look. And if you have, watch it again. You know you’ll enjoy it.

Halloween Safety Video from 1985

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Before you take the kids out for trick-or-treating or let them go out on their own tonight, be sure to watch this Halloween Safety video from 1985. Sure, the safety information is still relevant, but the real draw to watching it is getting a glimpse of life from 1985! Stuff like this is like catnip for nostalgia nerds like me.

The Paul Lynde Halloween Special

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You’ve probably heard me talk about this Halloween special from 1976, but it’s worth repeating if you’ve still not watched it. The Paul Lynde Halloween Special is such a zany feature, and it’s full of surprise guests, and has such a great Halloween vibe, that I still watch it every year. And if that isn’t enough to get you to give it a try, it features the first TV performance by KISS, which was a huge deal back then, and is so cool to see now. So carve out a little time and watch this classic special. It just may be the best decision you make this Halloween season.

And after you’ve watched it, go listen to the old TRN Podcast episode Jason and I did where we review the whole affair. It’s a fun listen as well.

1985 VHS Recording of Halloween Cartoons

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This presentation may be the one I’m most excited about in the history of Retro Ramblings. What we’ve got here is a rip of a home-recorded VHS tape that features probably the two greatest Halloween cartoons of all time. It was recorded in 1985 and features the debut airing of Garfield’s Halloween Adventure. Not only that, but it has It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown right behind it. And if that wasn’t enough, it still has all of the original 1985 commercials intact as well. Everything is complete as presented by CBS as a special presentation that week in 1985! So settle in for this one and try to remember what it felt like all those years ago to view this magical night of television.

Matt Foley’s Halloween Story

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This may be short, but it’s still a classic. Chris Farley’s Matt Foley character just might be my all-time favorite character in the history of SNL. This sketch in particular is my favorite just due to watching David Spade and Christina Applegate try to keep from breaking character. And hey, it has a Halloween theme, so that’s just a bonus.