February 11, 1979: Which movie to watch on TV?

Imagine it's 40 years ago on this date. Adjusting your rabbit ears and flipping on the tube, you have a very competitive menu of Sunday night movie options as the Big 3 networks are making the most of February sweeps.



What'll it be? Scarlett and Rhett, Randle P. McMurphy, or that Disney kid as the late lamented King of Rock and Roll?

 

I hear the call of the Cuckoo...what a shame, I wouldn't have gotten my first Quasar VHS until a year later.

On the other hand, I was working my first post-college job at that point - a cineplex at the mall...so, I might have just stuck around to catch "Murder By Decree" in Theater Three, then home for some nutritous Kraft Dinner, a couple of hours reading, and gone to bed...

 

I voted from hindsight for Elvis. I initially thought Cuckoo but then I remembered this take on Elvis was regarded pretty well. In truth I would likely have given it 20 minutes then switched over to Cuckoo if it sucked.

 

Cuckoo!
Even though I was only 6 at the time.

 

I watched Kurt. I’d seen Cuckoo and had no interest in the other. I turned it on with zero expectations. I expected it to be like Moochie playing Bobby Kennedy, but Russel was really good. I’ve liked him since.

 

I believe I was probably nursing a hangover from the high school Valentine's dance the night before....probably in bed asleep.

 

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (NBC)

 

I remember I watched part of "Elvis". I had already seen GWTW and Cuckoo's Nest a few times by then.

 

I got lucky and NBC wound up using the company I work for to run off about 100 dubs of the entire movie to send out to industry people for Emmy consideration and to promote the actors, writers, the director. I thought it was a terrific film, but they did screw up by a) using the modern RCA logo in shots of Elvis' 1950s Graceland, and b) they used modern color TV cameras on the shots of Elvis on The Ed Sullivan Show, which was completely wrong. The producer was chagrined when I politely pointed out those problems, but admitted it was the best they could do on a TV budget.

 

I watched the Elvis show, Kurt Russel was good.

 

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

 

I remember this night and my father wanting Cuckoo's Nest and my mother wanting Elvis. We kids must have been the tiebreaker because we got my pick: Cuckoo's Nest. I fell asleep before the end. Wouldn't mind seeing that Kurt Russell Elvis now, actually.

 

The Elvis TV movie was directed by John Carpenter. I loved Kurt Russell playing Elvis and it was great to see him spoof this in the closing credits to 2000 Miles From Graceland.

 

That was my ninth birthday. I actually remember the hype about the showdown that night. My mom watched GWTW, but I watched Elvis. I enjoyed it and learned a lot.

 

The Advocates

 

I’m amazed that anyone can remember what they watched on TV on a particular night 40 years later.

 

Didn’t watch tv from December 1976 till 1981, so.

 

Elvis, obviously.

Apparently he has an Elvis moment in that Netflix movie from last year where he played Santa.

 

As a little kid, I would have picked Elvis.

I saw the Elvis movie, but not sure if it was in reruns or at that time. I think I saw it later. I recall it being a good movie overall. As a younger kid, I would not have picked either of the other 2 movies.

 

I think I remember watching Elvis, although if I can remember that far back, I was sorely disappointed with the dubbed vocals by McDowell.
If it were today, I would definitely watch Gone With the Wind which in my opinion is the greatest movie ever made. I am a huge Gable fan, and Vivien Leigh ain't too bad either!

 

I'm with you. I can't remember what I did last week. My response above was based on:

• knowing that I'd watched Kurt Russell in Elvis! that year and that I'd only seen it once and never again, and
• also knowing (after checking) that I hadn't watched it in rerun on December 30th of that year (I was preparing to move 1,300 miles away on New Year's Day and my belongings had already been packed).

As for the other choices on February 11, 1979 - I don't recall considering or rejecting them, but I knew 40 years later why I selected Elvis! instead.

I did see a bit of Gone With The Wind in BlacKkKlansman yesterday.