ABC-TV Promos: 1981, 1982 and 1984

From the video archives come these spots from three ABC-TV promotional campaigns of the early 1980s: "Now is the Time" - "Come On Along!" - "We're With You"
All rights are acknowledged.

[@vintage31]

I can't begin to say how amazed I am to see these. I produced the first two campaigns on this clip and haven't seen them for almost 30 years. I just wanted to say to your younger subscribers that these were produced on 35mm film, no videotape, no computers, no digital editing software, everything by hand. All the animation that appears over the live action was created frame by frame and took forever. Thanks VintageTelevision! Harry Marks

[@derekwilliams1660]

Back then,the fall television seasons were an event.

[@InfiniteLogic718]

This is AMAZING Vintage Television! Thank you!!!! Best memories growing up as a kid in the 80s. The younger generation has no idea how great tv used to be.

[@bradleyelsken1886]

The late great Ernie Anderson at the beginning. What a voice. Tonight on... The LOOOOOVE BOAT

[@BenJabituya]

Ernie Anderson also lent his voice for the SEGA Master System commercials.

[@djdon60]

Good going! I scrolled, to see if anybody' had called the name, of the incomparable Ernie Anderson!

[@daminmancejin]

Those kids look so familiar I seen them before at 6:08

[@Kimmiesoundz]

Remember these years ago:) Awesome shows back then:) Threes Company, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Too Close For Comfort,Barney Miller, etc:)

[@kayandaeddings4803]

I remember the promos from 1982 and 84. I was a really young kid at that time. I don't remember the 1981 promo though. Anyway, these was awesome to listen to. I even miss the Saturday morning cartoons. Now, we don't get those anymore.

[@drboogersnot]

I miss the 80s...

[@MattyMVP]

Cheesy, maybe, but something about these makes you think, "Why can't the world be like this again?" Wasn't prepared for Fonzie and Chachi being helicoptered in past the Twin Towers at 2:35

[@nx01alpha]

Amazing....and in perfect quality....better than the past

[@sterlingyoyo]

Hah! That's me at 2:57 (in the middle, of course)! Fun to see this in such high quality... thanks again, VT!

[@kingbee1500]

The best ''season song" ever: ABC 1981 "Now Is The Time, ABC Is The Place."

[@Timelytube1178]

I agree, great beat!

[@1980Triumph]

Yup 1981 is the best along with the 1978 one as well.

[@Timelytube1178]

So is 1979! 8-)

[@djdon60]

I'll add my vote, also; definitely, the best I've heard, to date(2016). 'Didn't mind "Still, The One", either.

[@38yofrmut]

And "Come on along......" for '82-'83, "You're with us..." '84-'85, "You'll love it..." '85-'86, "We belong together....'86-'87, and "Something's happening............'87-'88!

[@PoliteTia]

I saw John Ritter! I miss him

[@Juliaflo]

PoliteTia Words do not begin to describe how shocked I am, nearly 12 years later, that John Ritter is not with us. He was a standard-bearer.

[@001GenLee]

You won't see TV like that n e more. :(

[@mrFalconlem]

I remember seeing these promos mostly in the morning.. or afternoon after getting home from school. but they were quite rare after the 80's.

[@DVSyoutube]

Back when TV was family-friendly, sound programs, objective and fair news reports and well-made movies.

[@mrFalconlem]

Back when TV was good.

[@mrmonty86]

The network promos with the cast members of their shows is something we're never see ever again too much money and not much time for those actors to do it.

[@ScoopNemeth]

Aah, the powerful voice of Ernie Anderson. He got real stronger back in the 1980s, because he started selling more ABC shows.

[@dangerouslytalented]

I am from Australia... This is kind of like nostalgia... But not from my own past. I can only remember Happy Days, Fantasy Island and Benson from these...

[@hamursh]

Dynasty Fall Guy and Greatest American Hero in 1981.

[@hamursh]

The 1984 promo is better than the 1983 ABC promo!

[@JHollowayNetwork]

at 1:23 that actually Paul Kreppel and Ann Jillian (Making A Living).

[@38yofrmut]

correction & addition to my previous comment: My mistake. KITV 4 is the ABC affiliate in Hawaii. And BTW, KOVR 13 in Sacramento is now CBS, meaning KXTV 10 in Sacramento became ABC.

[@movie0007]

How long about, roughly, would you say it took to do the animation frame by frame, and how was some of it done? In the promo's shown, there's alot of animation going on, so I can only guess it would've taken weeks. This is when TV was good and wholesome. Now it's nothing. I haven't watched a show on a TV in about a year. The only thing I use it for, is an Atari 2600, an original NES and an Xbox 360 console. And most things I watch are on KZbin and older shows on Netflix.

[@DeAngeloStevens]

"Now is the Time, Channel 2 is the Place" WSB-TV Atlanta, Georgia

[@debfan74]

When the networks took PRIDE in what they showed! I miss stuff like this

[@DanZero77]

These 3 promos were just simply amazing, and the image campaigns in all 3 years were ABC's best, right down to the jingles. I know Frank Gari did the music for '81 and '84, do you know if he composed Come On Along in 1982?

[@Idoljunky32]

Great video! This was back when networks cared about their fall line up by using promos. Great shows, now TV is all garbage. Thanks for uploading!

[@werewolves08]

Love this

[@DeAngeloStevens]

"We're With You on BRC-6" WBRC-TV Birmingham

[@38yofrmut]

Do you have the slogan & theme song for the 1983-84 season? What about "You'll Love It! On ABC" for 1985-86, "We Belong Together" for 1986-87, "Something's Happening! On A! B! C!" for 1987-88, "Some....things, Hap.....penning. on ABC" for 1989-90, & "America is Watching ABC" for 1990-91?

[@kj1832001]

that is the longest promo i have ever seen, they dont do that at all anymore

[@pineyfusion]

Hey, that's Tom Hanks at 3:44

[@Lana2k6]

+pineyfusion - Does look like him a bit, but that's actually Adrian Zmed from "T.J. Hooker."

[@FlamingoPulse]

I don't know how WTSP in St. Pete-Tampa, FL did these promos, because their logo is "Sunset 10" and the logo is an incomplete circle. Would they cut the bottom part of the circle off for their logo and put the Sunset 10 on it?

[@hamursh]

Believe It or Not, Joanie Loves Chachi and T.J. Hooker in 1982.

[@Barber747]

@jaybee1973jaybee I see that. So clear infact, look @ the Asian lady John Ritter picks up @ 5:13. You can clearly see her eyes!

[@MichaelHansenFUN]

1:38 NOTE HOW HERE ITS ALL EXCITING and now it isnt?

[@PTH4Fun]

Is that Roseanne @ 3:59?

[@Barber747]

Why can't networks do crafty, unique stuff like this today? All the network campaigns, logos, etc.--particularly those from ABC--are so bland and dull now. Especially given the fact that said network has been using that same "splash" animation SINCE TWO-THOUSAND AND FREAKING SEVEN! PLZ REPLACE IT WITH SOMETHING NEW ALREADY!!!!!

[@ArmpitStudios]

Not nearly as good as the '70s "Still the One" campaign.

[@marxmith]

What show is being watched at 6:07? It looks like some cheesy science fiction show. It looks like people in the 1980's were interested in space travel. I wonder if we'll ever go into space.

[@CLU7]

It's not a cheesy sci-fi show. It's network coverage of a space shuttle take-off.

[@1980Triumph]

So glad 83 was excluded, that was one awful promo.