Category Archives: Video

Video: Kris Kristopherson

Posted on by
Reply

News came out last week that singing and songwriting legend Kris Kristopherson had passed away. A lot of folks from the last couple of generations may not recognize the name right off, but they have certainly heard the songs he’s written. Songs like “Me and Bobby McGee”, “Sunday Morning Coming Down”, and “Help Me Make it Through the Night” are classics that numerous artists have performed through the years.

I grew up with music as I traveled with my dad and he was a big fan of all of The Highwaymen, so their various 8-tracks and cassettes were the soundtrack of those travels. As a small tribute to the country legend, I’m sharing a video from the famous “Highwaymen” tour of 1988, with Kris performing his favorite song of mine, “Loving Her Was Easier”. It’s a great song, performed by Kristopherson with help from Willie Nelson. Kristopherson will be missed by many, but his work and influence will live on forever.

Garfield in Paradise

Posted on by
2

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

Posted on by
1

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.

Folgers Coffee “Peter Comes Home For Christmas” Commercial

Posted on by
Reply

This commercial really got to me as a kid.  It probably had something to do with the fact that my old man traveled a lot, and there were times he would come in early in the morning like this.  Never at Christmas though.  He was always in town for that.  But whatever the reason, this commercial has continued to resonate with me for all these years since I first saw it air. 

I think it embodies the spirit of Christmas in the form I like to think of it.  Families being together, and enjoying simple things in life like a fresh cup of coffee is endearing to me.  I actually keep this commercial on my Christmas playlist on YouTube to make sure I see it every season. It very well might be my all-time favorite commercial.

The commercial debuted in 1985 and played during the Christmas season for two decades. Folger’s updated the commercial with a newer version in 2009.

The Evil Horde Fright Zone Commercial

Posted on by
1

The Evil Horde Fright Zone playset was released in 1985 for the Masters of the Universe toy line. It featured a caged cell, a dead tree that could capture action figures and a “snake” that could drag off unsuspecting foes. It wasn’t the largest playset the MOTU line had to offer, but it was a great companion piece to Castle Grayskull and Snake Mountain.

I was still very deep into all things Masters of the Universe in 1985, and already had Castle Grayskull and Snake Mountain. But the Fright Zone eluded me for some reason. Maybe my parents were suffering burnout from all of the MOTU stuff in the house or me running around yelling “I Have the Power!”. Whatever the reason, I never ended up with this.

While a lot of fans my age would rather have had the Slime Pit, the Fright Zone was where it was at for me. Maybe it was the Halloween vibe it puts off or the way it feels like an outpost in some far-off corner of Eternia, but either way, I wanted it then, and I wouldn’t say no to it now.

MTV Headbanger’s Ball Halloween Special from 1989

Posted on by
2

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)

Posted on by
1

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.

The Dukes of Hazzard at Hills Commercial

Posted on by
4

I’ve talked about Hills department store in the past, but if you’ve missed those ramblings, let me sum up all you need to know about Hills: It was awesome! The entire time they were in business, and ever since they went out of business, it’s been my favorite department store.

There’s a lot that can be said about why Hills was so great. For one, they had an awesome snack bar, and you couldn’t walk in the place without getting an instant whiff of hot dogs, popcorn, and red slushies. Another big reason, and the one most people cite, was their amazing toy section. Hills’ main slogan was always, “Hills is where the toys are!”, and that wasn’t just hyperbole.

As my memory goes, they always maintained a larger and more varied selection of toys than any other department store at the time. And they knew how to highlight the best of what they had to offer, as this video will prove.

It’s a commercial for Hills’ Dukes of Hazzard shop. It would appear that they had everything a Dukes fan would need. From t-shirts to logo-emblazoned jeans, underwear, and the best Dukes of Hazzard toys on the market. I would be very surprised if all of my Dukes of Hazzard merchandise didn’t come from Hills during this period. While I could go on about how great Hills was, I’m just going to let the following commercial take over and give you a little taste of their awesomeness…

Garfield’s Thanksgiving

Posted on by
1

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.

Matt Foley’s Halloween Story

Posted on by
Reply

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.

Thunder Run Movie (1986)

Posted on by
1

Here we are on a Friday night. It’s only 8 pm, but it’s already dark where I am. The weather is a little cool, and all things combined, it’s feeling like a “movie on the couch” kind of night. While browsing through the numerous streaming services we subscribe to, I was having trouble finding something I want to watch. But then a post on Instagram pointed the way for me.

In it’s entirety on YouTube is a movie from 1986 that I used to love watching with my old man when I was young. We had recorded it off of a pay channel like Cinemax or The Movie Channel at some point, and all through the late ’80s, he’d pull that tape out and pop it in the VCR to rewatch it. The movie is Thunder Run. It’s about a truck driver who gets lured out of retirement to haul a load of plutonium from Nevada to Arizona, and along the way, he has to fight off domestic terrorists who want the load. While that premise alone is a good one, it’s got the added benefit of being something like an extended episode of The A-Team.

With the job to haul the plutonium came a big payday. Our hero in this movie took a chunk of that money and bought a rig, and outfitted it with all sorts of cool weapons and such to fight off the terrorists. The whole movie is a fun, action-packed, thrill ride, and I’m going to give it another watch tonight. I thought I’d share it here too. If you haven’t seen it, I suggest carving out an hour and a half at some point and giving it a watch. It’s a great way to spend 90 minutes.