Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Ornate Movie Palace? No - Just A Little Shop And Some Great Memories

Before Blu-ray, before DVD’s, before videotapes, when even cable TV was in its infancy, there was a new technology – the RCA high density video disk. For those who are old enough to remember, disks were the first to give the opportunity to rent movies and watch them at home. They came on the market in 1980. The players were big and bulky, and so were the disks. They were just like record albums, only heavy and thick. I finally found a picture that shows the player and the stack of disks beside it. To play the disk, you inserted the whole thing, cover and all, into the player. When you pulled the cover out, the record-sized disk stayed in the machine. Each disk could only hold about 90 minutes of movie, so a lot of movies required 2-3 disks. What a thrill that was – to be able to play movies you could pick out yourself any time you wanted. Now it is old hat, but then it was new and exciting.


My favorite store to rent video disks was Leon’s Lectronics, a little TV repair shop in my home town. Leon was one of my favorite people. He was a little guy with a shock of white hair that made him look like a mad scientist. He started renting video disks on the side, and I remember him saying he was very surprised to see the business they were pulling in. My boys and I were at Leon’s at least twice a week to rent movies, and we got to be good friends. After a while, when he realized what a rabid movie fan I was, he let me buy my favorites. I eventually collected about 30 video disks. The first one I bought was The Red Shoes, then Moby Dick, The Adventures of Robin Hood and many more favorites that had been released on disk. There were some modern movies too, and I got a couple that my boys wanted, but mostly classics. The selection was not large, but it was good. The covers, like the classic record album covers, were works of art. I miss that a lot – you just can’t fit that kind of artwork on the little DVD or videotape covers.  The one picture of a disk cover I was able to find, The Adventures of Robin Hood, is unfortunately black and white.  However, I owned that particular movie, and the cover was actually beautifully colored and adorned like a medieval manuscript.

Video disks didn’t last very long. Manufacture of the disks and players ceased in 1986. Following closely upon their heels were the videotapes, and they took over the market. The disks went the way of the dinosaurs, and soon there were none to be rented or bought. Leon kept my disk player running as long as possible, but eventually it needed parts that were no longer made, and if there were used players to be bought, I could not afford them. I kept my collection of disks for many years just out of sentiment. When I cleaned out the basement last year, that stack of disks had been collecting dust for a very long time. I knew it was time to let them go. When my now-grown sons were picking them up to throw away, they both remarked how incredibly heavy the stack was. Well, the dinosaurs were big and heavy too!

I wish I had just one more picture to display in this little tribute. I don’t have a picture of Leon, which I would love to have just for myself. Leon died a few years ago, and I remember our time of fun and friendship with great fondness. Leon and his little shop gave a lot of happiness and entertainment to my boys and me.  We cherish that memory.

12 comments:

  1. I never heard of this. Thanks for sharing these memories.

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  2. I really enjoyed this trip down memory lane, Becks. A friend of mine owned an RCA videodisc player (weren't they manufactured at the Bloomington, Indiana RCA plant?). They are still collector items and some videophiles used to argue that their image quality was the equal of standard DVDs. Alas, I never saw THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD on videodisc!

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  3. Thanks, Tom, they are good memories. Rick, you say disc with a c and I say disk with a k. I never got that straight, even with computer disks (discs....you say tomato, I say tomato -- that song doesn't work in writing, does it? LOL). And yes, I remember the quality as crystal clear, definitely equal to DVDs. I know they were manufactured in Indiana, I just didn't know if it was at the RCA plant here or Bloomington.

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  4. I was that friend of Rick's that owned the videodisc player! I loved it! I got it with an employee discount from RCA in Bloomington and remember having some great movies. The first I ever got was STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN! I still have GOLDFINGER at home; like you, Tom, I am sentimental. :) I see them at yard sales from time to time and marvel at all the titles that got released!

    terryb

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  5. Becky, this was a charming post! I never had a videodisc player but I loved reading about your experience with one. I also really enjoyed seeing the name of your proprietor friend's shop: Leon's Lectronics. Perfect!

    Thanks for chiming in, terryb!

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  6. Thank you, toto. I always loved that shop name too. terryb, weren't those discs fun at the time? I had Wrath of Khan as well! Boy that seems like a million years ago!

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  7. Becky, Loved reading your wonderful story. I have never watched a movie from a high density videodisk player. What a treat that must have been for you and your boys. Leon, sounds like he was a very kind man and a good friend.

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  8. I thought it was nice that the discs were protected so people wouldn't get their grubby little fingers on the disc's surface. I can't tell you how many times I've rented a DVD and/or Blu-ray that appears to have been handled by someone who'd just dipped his/her hands in a pot of grease and mud and sweat. Thanks, Becky, for an enjoyable read about the many ways we can or have watched movies!

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  9. Thanks so much for your sweet comment, Dawn -- Leon was a great guy to me and my boys.
    Sark, you have a great point about never being able to touch the actual disc. It was rare to have any trouble with even the rented ones. I've had that same experience with DVD rentals and you just want to scream!

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  10. I never watched a videodisc, though I was aware that they existed...I do remember friends who had the Sony Betamax - that also became a dinosaur when VHS won out...Becky, a really fine tribute, I totally enjoyed revisiting some special memories.

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  11. I am like Eve, I never watched a videodisc and I knew they were real...not make believe. My Dad bought me my first VHS machine and I loved it. The story about Leon was touching. It is sad, Becky, but the small shops and their enchanting owners are almost gone in America. Small shops are taken over by big stores. I miss the small business man/woman I got to know like a friend. Nice article and I enjoyed it!

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  12. Thanks so much, Eve. And Aki, I too miss the ordinary shops where you get to know people. I commented on that very issue on Sark's article above. It is a real loss.

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