Vintage computers in movies

From: Mark Price <markp_at_wccls.lib.or.us>
Date: Thu Dec 14 18:58:16 2000

-----Original Message-----
From: Ernest [mailto:ernestls_at_home.com]
Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2000 10:47 PM
To: classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org
Subject: RE: Vintage computers in movies

>Televideo TS-802 -Pretty in Pink
>AT&T 6300 -Secret to My Success
>IMSAI -Wargames
>HP-150 -Real Genius
>GE Differential Analyzer (UCLA) -When Worlds Collide
>Thinking Machines CM-5 -Jurrasic Park
>Memotech FDX500 or MTX512 -Weird Science
>Mac Plus -Star Trek IV
>VAX 11/750 with IBM 3290 plasma display panels -some independant film (?)

IBM XT or AT -Stand by Me (1986)

Richard Dreyfuss is the grown-up writer whose coming-of-age story we see
portrayed in the film. At the end, he's sitting there at his XT or AT (I
haven't seen it in a while) and regards with satisfaction the novel he's
just finished writing on his amazing menu-free, rulerless word processor.
His kids are calling him, so he reaches up and--oh, no--shuts off the
computer?? Aacckk!! YOU DIDN'T SAVE YOUR WORK, RICHARD!

But maybe he was just shutting off the monitor to avoid screen-burn. Yeah,
that's it. (I squirm every time I see that scene.)

And does this one count? In This Island Earth (1954), made great fun of in
Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (1996), Dr. Jeff Meachum gets a
computer kit from the planet Metaluna. Like most computer kits, this one
takes him and his PhD. buddy utilizing an entire university physics lab just
to get it put together, BUT they end up with an "Interocetor," I believe it
was called, a very cool mini that ran on a single glass bead and was
controlled by a single colorful plastic wheel. It featured a large
triangular monitor and--a heat ray! (Much more effective than a
screen-saver at keeping gawkers from looking at your work.) Apparently, not
many Interocetor kits were sold in the U.S. because for one thing Metaluna
was soon destroyed in an interstellar war before they could open any plants
in Mexico, and for another, there's nobody bumming Interocetor documentation
on this list. Too bad, the monitor heat ray could be very handy. I have a
flickering Vivitron at home that feels like it fries my retina, but it's
just not the same...

==============================
Mark Price, Library Computer Specialist
Washington County Cooperative Library Services
e-mail: markp_at_wccls.lib.or.us
voice: 503-846-3230
fax: 503-846-3220
Received on Thu Dec 14 2000 - 18:58:16 GMT