Oddity Archive: Episode 224.5 - Ben’s Junk: Video Store Regulars (& Memories)

[@unklejohn8575]

I’ve been catching up on you own archives, I can definitely say that you and I were cut from the same cloth. Everything video and comment about them is exactly me.

[@bartsimpson83]

When my local mom and pop video store closed for good in the early 2000s (it hung on that long because I live in a very rural area where there wasn't a Blockbuster for fifty miles) and sold off all their tapes I was able to get a few of the exact tapes I rented as a kid and now they're some of my most treasured tapes in my collection. There's nothing rare or anything but if I lost my VHS collection in a fire and had to rebuy everything they wouldn't be MY tapes that I grew up watching so it wouldn't be the same. Am I a weirdo for feeling that way?

[@luigi7834]

No sounds normal to me. It's good to be sentimental

[@Jeremy-si7jq]

So many memories came flooding back with this episode. Growing up, the state college had a football coach whose first name was Curly (if you can believe that) and the local radio DJ would play the Curly Shuffle song before talking about the upcoming football games. And I always pick up any sun faded VHS tapes that I see. It always reminds me of those old video stores with big bay windows that let in the sun to fade the colors of the VHS covers. Also, is it just me or do only VHS boxes seem to become torn and worn? The first DVD I ever bought it still in pretty good shape. However, DVDs never had their own version of 'big boxes".....OK, fine steel books. And I too rented VHS from our local grocery store. They had a surprisingly eclectic selection, including 'A Man Called Rainbo.' Another great episode Ben!

[@firewalker1372]

🤣 Loved the Curly shuffle song. Back when we were kids, my dad set his camcorder up and he pulled us around on the ice with a sled. He would sling us off, well he would edit the tape to where that song was playing over the video. That song brings back some good memories 😂.

[@jwgreek8606]

Where are u drom?

[@jC-kc4si]

Berwick Bulldogs?

[@jdenoe69]

I was able to find the Big Box version of The Great Bear Scare. It has the mid 80s Family Home Entertainment logo on the box, but the 1981 logo on the tape with 2 Popeye cartoons as filler at the end.

[@jamesborlan2850]

Honestly that’s a pretty interesting bonus after an animated feature film comes two theatrical public domain cartoons It’s a bit backwards but it’s just like the old days

[@EddietheHead32]

I like The Great Bear Scare but I've never seen a movie with animation that strange.

[@movieedge7370]

The curly shuffle song/video is still a classic today. I know in Chicago when they did three stooges shows showing their shorts they would sometimes use that music is an intro.

[@movieedge7370]

Police squad series has been released bluray as well. Also the naked gun series is on Blu-ray great transfers

[@RickinBaltimore]

I see why I love your channel so much Ben. Same taste in tapes it seems.

[@TheBronyBraeburn]

I primarily rented from a mom and pop store years before Blockbuster moved into town and drove them under. The store had been around since 1982 and had some really obscure kids movies that I rarely see mentioned online. I was 12 years old, looking for something to rent for the weekend, and I stumbled upon the movie Clue. I was baffled, how do you make a movie out of a board game? I was convinced it was going to suck, and I didn't waste my rental money on something I wasn't sure I'd like, but I was compelled to get it anyway. For better or worse, I had to watch it and see how they did it. Thankfully, I loved it and it's one of my favorite comedies to this date.

[@DanZero77]

I don't know what was more awesome to see either the gray and red MGM/UA Home Video label or Blockbuster's attempt at being funny with their please rewind sticker. Wow What A Difference!

[@5roundsrapid263]

You did a great job showing your influences. Mine were quite similar; my dad and I loved Steve Martin, Naked Gun, and the Three Stooges. I guess that’s why I like your humor so much.

[@chattingesque372]

One of fondest memories as a kid in a video store is discovering that Madballs animated movie VHS

[@stratkiller86]

Some great tapes you got there, Ben. Police Squad/Naked Gun were some of the great products of the Zucker brothers.

[@heggy_69]

Being born in 2001, the only video rental memory I have is my parents renting a copy of chicken little from an Irish blockbuster type place when we were in Leitrim

[@heggy_69]

Chartbusters, that was it

[@PKSandman]

Just a quick answer to who you may have missed as a musical guest on that SNL tape- the 1/21/1978 episode had Randy Newman ("Short People" and "Rider in the Rain") along with The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band ("On the Loose with Blues" and "White Russia" with Steve Martin on banjo), and the 11/4/1978 episode had Van Morrison ("Wavelength" and "Kingdom Hall").

[@jwgreek8606]

Full episodes are on Hulu!

[@-abacchus]

Soooo, in the US, videos were rented in a cardboard sleeve..? In the UK, they were displayed on shelves in those _over sized_ cases. Then rented in a case with the rental shops logo plastered all over it.

[@FlopsyHamster]

Most video stores in my area (Nova Scotia, Canada) would put the cardboard sleeves on the shelves for you to look at, But would keep all the tapes behind the counter. You'd bring the sleeves with you up to the counter, and they would give you the tape in a durable plastic case. You didn't usually bring the sleeves home with you, or they'd get beat to hell in no time. But when they decided to sell the tape, they'd just put it back in the cardboard sleeve, and use the plastic rental case for another new tape. I know in the UK, most video tapes were issued in clamshell cases, but in the US and Canada, those were reserved for kids movies, particularly Disney movies. There were a few others issued in clamshell cases, such as Fox's series of widescreen releases in the mid 90's, but most new video tapes just had cardboard sleeves.

[@-abacchus]

@@FlopsyHamster The only cardboard sleeves with pre-recorded media here came with either magazines or as instructional videos. Otherwise, absolutely *all* pre-recorded tapes came in a clamshell.

[@thezenitsufan1249]

The most frequent guest host from the 1975-80 period was Buck Henry who hosted 10 times while Steve Martin was second with eight.

[@SAM-ru4vx]

Tom Hanks and singer Paul Simon is in the club.

[@jamesborlan2850]

That’s a very nice rental vhs collection That snl tape must’ve been rare since this was at the time when wb distributed nbc stuff on home video These days I try to find boutique labels since they are usually definitive versions of video rental films on dvd or blu ray (they even distribute cult and foreign films such as the controversial a Serbian film (which I own because to quote Chris stuckman “sometimes you got to own a film simply because it exists”)

[@chattingesque372]

yeah boutique labels kick ass!

[@michaelcarpenter2498]

My first video was Star Trek II the wreck of corn…I mean the wrath of khan. I still have a few vhs and want to rebuy a lot of them. I have to agree on the Stooges, Naked Gun, and Weird Al. Remember watching Police Squad on ABC on its original run on a black & white television. I had the Saturday night live tape, but like yours, it went to rot. Droopy though will always be my hero, created by the great Tex Avery.

[@mrmonty86]

I would love to see the video stores make a comeback with new releases, rare and hard-to-find movies.

[@jwgreek8606]

Me topz! There are still some around! One in Charlptte and pne in Seattle!

[@jwgreek8606]

Charlotte

[@CandGoods]

I did watch retro SNL stuff quite a bit when I was younger, but I just utterly never got Steve Martin. I guess when it comes to old stand-up comedy stuff I was definitely more a George Carlin person.

[@firewalker1372]

Didn’t care much for Steve’s stand up and when he was on SNL. Loved his movies though, The Jerk being my favorite. Trains, Plains, and Automobiles would be the other one.

[@mightyfilm]

The only time I ever heard of "The Curly Shuffle" was all the way back when I was a young child, my friend's dad was in some lame cover band and had a video of himself singing that song. I think it was my friend's favorite song at the time, also being a young kid. Other than that, never heard it in the wild, even as an adult. And I totally have that Weird Al music video collection, as well as his 1999 concert video, and the Bad Hair Day video collection. I think it had the Jurassic Park one on there, but I'm not sure. Always wanted that Complete Al video, though.

[@jamesborlan2850]

I believe there’s a weird al set that contains a bunch of his music videos from his early works to Star Wars episode 1 (the song) on dvd I’m trying to track that down since I am a weird al fan as well I love his Saturday morning show on cbs (which I own on dvd)

[@Ripplin]

A couple I did that with at Blockbuster were Emo Philips: Live at Hasty Pudding Theater and Curb Dogs (skateboarding video). Tried to buy Ban This (skateboarding) too, but someone beat me to it, I guess.

[@cartooncookie1isfun372]

Speaking of Droopy that tex Avery volume three Blu ray is going to be mine in a couple weeks all uncut

[@chadwik4000]

My friends dad rented Dumb & Dumber enough times to buy about 20 copies back in the day.

[@TeeVeeGames]

I don't think anyone I've ever mentioned it to, even people my age, remember The Curly Shuffle. But yeah, it was fairly popular for that short time in the 80s. I still have the music video I recorded off TV way back when. I do have a lot of weird, novelty (sometimes unintentional novelty) 45's in my collection. Of those, the Curly Shuffle is one that I can play and enjoy unironically, even if it is a little corny.

[@doctorwhofan6340]

I was born in 2004 so I don't really have many video store memories but I do remember having and actually still having a copy of jingle all the way with schwartsneger and Sinbad and playing the heck out of it and I cant remember if it was always like this but its a jumpy mess now but I always watch at charismas time and I love the line form Sinbad's mail man character when he says This is sick work were living in sick people!

[@newmedia2862]

R.I.P. Tom Smothers

[@louiseogden1296]

I was ten when I laughed at a dirty joke on TV and my parents were rather upset that I actually understood it. I won't repeat it here...

[@jwgreek8606]

And in fact, King Soopers is owned by Krogerm

[@dorourke105]

Yes i have that same vhs of weird al, i love it

[@Franniiv3]

Awesome vid! I get ya man, My first copy of Terminator 2: Judgment Day DVD somehow has a huge crack through it, but I just can't bring myself to throw it out! I watched it to death and always had it in my Backpack for some reason, so the case is battered, cover is water damaged and creased! Have the 4K BD, and replacements of that particular DVD as I was nostalgic for that Mastering, but that unplayable first DVD is one of those things that just means something to me. It's amazing those Blockbuster stickers with date stamps haven't faded! I've got receipts in some Discs that have completely faded in like 5 years!

[@movieedge7370]

The Long Shot I seen, it was a ok film not their best work but well worth the time to check it out (if you can find it)

[@Lungdum]

Why are american vhs tapes distributed in paper sleeves? when Europe and Japan had them in a more robust plastic case.

[@brad3042]

You got lucky dude. I would love to see what they were seeing/hearing back then and the origins of such shitty decisions....

[@veb92168]

3 stooges are awesome!

[@sneakyskunk1]

Good God, I have not seen the f.h.e. logo in years!

[@printo316]

I remember my first time watching The Naked Gun. It had been many years after the OJ Simpson trail, and I just laughed at OJ getting shot up. He deserved it.

[@mrmonty86]

The Stooges are great.

[@soundminedd]

Odd!❤❤❤

[@firewalker1372]

Saturday night live, that was back when it was actually worth watching. I tried watching it not to long ago and man was it horrible, it wasn’t even funny. I was one of those kids where my parents didn’t mind me watching SNL. Oh and speaking of SNL, RIP Norm…… Loved his bits on Slick Willy Clinton and The Juice 🤣 😂.

[@bobpatel5646]

You can't watch a Warner Bros Movie without a Warner Bros Ball Cap. Don't forget about ties! Neck ties that is

[@Musicradio77Network]

That was from the promo with Bugs Bunny & Daffy Duck. I remember that from the VHS of “Batman”.

[@Cole.....]

Whenever you start grumbling about "political correctness", your inner Boomer comes out.

[@OddityArchive]

Guess I'm hitting that age.

[@chattingesque372]

i dont think hes old enough for even his parents to be baby boomers