Which moments in tv during the 1980's, real or fictional, stood out most for you?  Here's a few that I remember best:

1980
Who shot JR?
the news about John Lennon's death

1981
the wedding of Charles & Diana
Luke & Laura's wedding on General Hospital
the news of Reagan's assassination attempt

1987
the Iran-Contra hearings - Reagan repeatedly saying "I don't remember"
the rescue of Baby Jessica from the well

1989
San Francisco earthquake and the fall of the Berlin wall

1986 The Challenger disaster.

1986 The Challenger disaster.


I didn't see that on tv when it first happened, but I remember being in my high school algebra class after lunch when they made an announcement about it over the loudspeaker.

I was young, but I remember watching the 1986 Geraldo Special on Al Capone's Vault with my family. Everyone was glued to the tv...waiting and wondering what would be in it.

Another thing I remember watching was Live Aid in the summer of '85 - seeing all those different artists was awesome!  8)

1986 The Challenger disaster.

I was just coming back into my 6th grade class from lunch, I closed my locker, turned a corner and there were two boys running down the hall toward me shouting, "The shuttle blew up!" I still see my teachers watching the TV with a gathering of two classes, one staring in shock and the other on the brink of tears. I have no doubt that children of the '80s like me recall that moment the same way our parents remember the murder of JFK. Over and over NBC showed the minute of flight followed by that ghastly image. . . for a long time it didn't seem real. Unfortunately, I also remember hearing all the stupid, callous jokes that followed, but they were silenced at least for the few hours of the memorial service, from which I still can recall parts of President Reagan's immortal speech. "We bid you goodbye, but we will never forget you. . . Seven of our nation's sons and daughters. . . Who slipped the surly bonds of Earth, to touch the face of God." But it's not as comforting now that Reagan has also passed on. I hope no American who lived through that day ever forgets.

Your Pal,
Doc

Baby Jessica-1986
Challenger Disaster 1986
Stock Market Crash 1987
Michael Jackson's hair on fire-1984


Howard

I didn't see that on tv when it first happened, but I remember being in my high school algebra class after lunch when they made an announcement about it over the loudspeaker.


No way!  I was in Algebra, too.  Mine was before lunch, though.  Small world. :)

My fourth grade class watched the Challenger's launch and explosion on t.v. Our school was letting us watch it as a special part of a lesson. We had an early dismissal after that.

I remember Luke and Laura's wedding b/c my babysitter watched it. I remember the buzz about JR being shot. I remember Michael Jackson moonwalking on Motown's 25th anniversary special. I remember ABC (channel six back at home) airing baby Jessica's coverage all damn night! I remember when Geraldo got knocked upside the head with a chair!

Live Aid happened in both London and Philly (where I from), so we watched part of it on TV and listened to the other part on the local news radio station!

So many things happened on tv. Simply amazing!

Tanya

Another moment that sticks out in my mind was the episode of Archie Bunker's Place in 1980 when Archie has to deal with Edith's death - I watched that again on TV Land a couple years ago and I just bawled throughout the whole thing, especially the part where Archie cries into Edith's slipper.  :\'(

On a lighter note, there's also Madonna's first appearance on American Bandstand in 1984 when she told Dick Clark that she wanted to rule the world.

Another thing I remember watching was Live Aid in the summer of '85 - seeing all those different artists was awesome!  8)


I would say that this is something that wouldn't have happened without the 'power' of television.  By that I mean that the whole Band Aid thing would not have happened without us all seeing those terrible images from Ethiopia.  Sure, we might have read about them in a newspaper but I don't think that would have affected people the way the news footage did.  It made many people want to do "something" and some people actually stopped talking about it and did something.




So many things happened on tv. Simply amazing!

Tanya


But some of them would happen anyway whether television had been invented or not.

Well, yeah, of course. It is amazing that they were captured on t.v. and broadcast was what I meant!

Tanya

Another moment that sticks out in my mind was the episode of Archie Bunker's Place in 1980 when Archie has to deal with Edith's death - I watched that again on TV Land a couple years ago and I just bawled throughout the whole thing, especially the part where Archie cries into Edith's slipper.  :\'(

On a lighter note, there's also Madonna's first appearance on American Bandstand in 1984 when she told dip Clark that she wanted to rule the world.


Episode #207 - Too Good Edith
Archie keeps a sick Edith so busy cooking for his big St. Patrick's Day party, that she doesn't get the chance to tell him that "hard work is hazardous to her health." When Archie finds out the truth about Edith's illness, he takes steps to make sure she will never "forget" to tell him again.


I think this is where she passed away. :\'( That was 1983.


Howard

Lucille Ball made her appearance on Three's Company 1983
Mr.Rogers made his appearance on Sesame Street 1981
Luis and Maria(Sesame Street) got married 1989


Howard

August 1, 1981: MTV launched...Buggles' "Video Killed The Radio Star" first video aired

Episode #207 - Too Good Edith
Archie keeps a sick Edith so busy cooking for his big St. Patrick's Day party, that she doesn't get the chance to tell him that "hard work is hazardous to her health." When Archie finds out the truth about Edith's illness, he takes steps to make sure she will never "forget" to tell him again.


I think this is where she passed away. :\'( That was 1983.

Actually, that was the last episode of All in the Family that aired in 1979.  The episode that dealt with Edith's death was titled "Archie Alone" and aired at the start of the second season of Archie Bunker's Place in 1980.  Jean Stapleton made a few appearances on this show during its first season, including one where Mike and Gloria come home for Thanksgiving after he gets fired for marching nude in a nuclear protest.

Episode Number 25
First Aired November 2, 1980
Production Code 201
Writer Mark Fink & Stephen Miller

Director Carroll O'Connor & Gary Shimokawa

 
Guest Stars: Janet MacLachlan (as Polly Swanson) Renne Jarrett (as Kathy Wakefield) Wil Albert (as Bob, The Shop Teacher) Heidi Hagman (as Linda, The Waitress) Abraham Alvarez (as Jose Rodriguez) Sandy Lipton (as Arlene Schiff) 


  Synopsis   

Archie and Stephanie face life after Ediths death. 
  More detail in our recap.


  Notes   

Starting from this episode, Jason Wingreen and Bill Quinn are credited in the opening credits.
With Edith's death, this proves Archie was right when he said Edith would die first in All in the Family, I bet he wishes he was wrong now.
Carroll O'Connor won a Peabody Personal Award for Edith's death in 1981.



Oh yeah,now I remember this.Was this the one where Archie was in the funeral home crying over Edith's casket & kissed her goodbye? :(


Howard

1985-Hurricane Gloria
1987-Stock Market Crash
1988-The Michael Jackson "Bad"video.

Howard

the challenger disaster
i was in second grade and all of us were watching it in the auditorium - some of my classmates burst into tears right there  :-[

1985-USA For Africa video "We Are The World"
1984-Madonna "Like A Virgin" tour


Howard

The first successful dive to find the Titanic. That amazed me.

I remember when the fall tv season in 1980 got delayed by two months due to an actor's strike in Hollywood.  People had to wait till November to find out who shot JR.