Anyone of a certain age, 55 or so, probably gets a bit misty eyed at the opening notes of the original ABC MOTW theme. The ABC Movie of the Week is a cultural touchstone for people who were alive and old enough to have memories of nights spent in living rooms watching TV movies with the rest of their family. Nostalgia is the painful longing for a place you can never return to.

Back then, it was almost like going to the movies because the entire family watched the same thing. Nowadays there's a TV in every room, laptops, cell phones, pads, pods, and everything else. I sure do miss the 1970s!

RIP Burt Bacharach, the composer of this awesome tune from my childhood.

The first one takes me back to my childhood, I feel like a kid again. 😛

Star tunnel intro gives me chills, takes me back to my parents in the old living room. Better society and culture than today.

when my entire family was alive and i was a kid, now im the old man and the only one who remembers the old days.

I still get chills and all excited when I see the first one!

Awwwwww,the 70's. Miss it like crazy.

First was the best! "ABC Movie of the Week" with Burt Bacharach-composed theme "Nikki".

I remember the intros better than most of the films! Thanks for posting.

That first one still gets to me after all these years! What a world this is that people can create music that stays in your heart and mind forever!

I was 12 in 1972. The intro to the movie of the week gives me such a warm feeling. It symbolizes family togetherness. When I was at school sometimes we'd talk about what we saw on The Movie of the Week. Back in those days nobody got much more than a few channels on their TV sets..so if there was something good on, chances were everybody saw it. During this time you could pick up a newspaper and find anything you need in the classified column. Jobs places to live you name it. You didnt have to have a password and a username..you didnt have to have an account either..you just picked up the newspaper. This was so much easier..and identity theft wasn't an issue either.

I could listen to this over and over. Brjbgs me to the living room of my grandparents house I grew up in. Im crying missing those days.

I am 60, and saw all these movie bumpers, and others, on tv, during 1970s and 1980s. The graphic art of them is still cool in 2021. During those two decades, ABC, NBC, and CBS had a movie certain nights, and just before the movie began its starting credits, these bumpers would appear onscreen as an announcement of the movie. Most of the movies had been in theaters, and we eagerly waited 2 or 4 years for them to be on tv, even during the 1980s. Some were movies made for tv. Those movie bumpers bring back cozy memories.

Such good stuff. This literally brought a tear to my eye for all the nostalgia. Thank you!

Music is a time traveler. It can transport you right back to a moment in time. It is a gift from the universe.

Burt Bacharach did the first one? Wow, what a talent that man is. I believe he is still with us and l living on Long Island. Thank you for this.

The voice over announcer is Dick Tufeld, famously known as the voice of the Robot in Lost in Space. I especially remember the 4:30 movie theme as Mom would have them on almost every day while she was preparing dinner...

The first Movie of the Week was done by Doug Trumbull and his slit-scan process that was used in 2001: A Space Odyssey for the Star Gate sequence at the end of the movie.

I was something like 9 or 10 back during those wonderful days.... Gone forever.... 💔

I'm 56 yrs old and remember these ABC movie intros vividly , it just gave me chills to hear them again , great times back then in the 70s , I want to go back , can someone invent a time machine please

I remember watching all of them when i was kid...WOW!! Good ole times. I miss the 80’s. Thank you for posting

Love the announcer voice of Dick Tufeld. Aka the voice of the Robot on Lost in space

Nikki - Burt Bacharach

Really special. For the younger folks, before there was ABC Movie of the Week, there was no such thing as a "Made for TV" movie. Every movie shown on network TV was an airing of a theatrical film. This groundbreaking concept also spawned the miniseries, which didn't exist before the made-for-TV concept. I'm with some other commenters here: it was special for the family to gather together and watch a brand new movie every week.

Music like this represented excellence in the broadcasting industry.

Gale Sayers died today...Brian's Song. Movie of the Week. There's only three titles I remember...Brians Song, Duel, and I think the movie was Sunshine, starring Kay Lenz and William Holden; Because if I remember correctly, the theme song was John Denvers Sunshine on My Shoulder.

This intro was the flare shot across the bow of my childhood. We could hear it from anywhere in the house. We knew what it meant. Pepsi cola in the heavy glass bottles. Cracker Jacks, Lemonheads, Charston Chew, and Affy Tapples. We reported to the front room, sat on the area rug in front of the Zenith rabbit ear black and white. Its where I first saw " The Night Stalker" , "Bad Ronald" "Killdozer" " The Girl most likely to..." " A Howling in the Woods" and " One of my wives is missing." Thanks, Barry Diller from ABC for having the idea to make feature films for Television and how movies could be both entertaining and stories well told.

Hearing this is like stepping into a time machine to better days of far away and long ago. Oh the precious memories this intro brings of being in the warmth and safety of family in our little den. We all had our certain places to sit or sprawl out on the couch and rug. So comforting to hear this again!

I loved all these, and still do. The 1970s and 1980s used them for movies. The graphic art on them was a delight. Our CBS, NBC, and ABC came from KC, MO, but were as these. Certain evenings during those 2 decades had movies on one of those 3 channels, and those intros are now fond classics.

Makes me want to be a kid again! Thank you for the memories!

I love the first opening theme! It brings back so many wonderful memories from my grade school days!! 🏫 Thank You!!😃😉

Brings back so much fond memories Thank you for these 😃

We had some fine entertainment, movies made for television...and it was FREE! Thanks for this. Still remember the ABC intro and automatically think of BRIAN'S SONG, BAD RONALD, HOW AWFUL ABOUT ALLAN and of course THE NIGHT STALKER.

I especially LOVE that 4:30 Movie theme. I hadn’t heard that since I was a young teenager in the 1970s. Most of the time I didn’t care to watch the 90 minute movie but I remember turning to channel 7 (local ABC station in NYC) most weekdays at 4:30pm just to hear that tune. It still sounds great.

So, many great MOTW, "Brian's Song," "Duel," "Go Ask Alice," "Tribes," with pilots for shows like "The Six Million Dollar Man," and "The Night Stalker."

Me and my Family in 1975 would be so Excited when the Tuesday Night Movie of the Week would come on Because we didnt have to wait for Friday or Saturday or Sunday to see a movie. We didnt have VCRS or Cable T.V. WHAT a Primitive Time.🤣

1st intro had strong 2001 star-gate influence !

The "TUESDAY MOVIE OF THE WEEK" opening was seen from 1972 through 1975. "THE 4:30 MOVIE" opening was seen on WABC-TV in New York from 1969 through 1973.

I remember monster week on THE 4:30 MOVIE, good times.

- Thanks so much for sharing this!!!! It brings back great memories growing up in the 70's!!!

The world premiere! Whoaaaaa. Cheesiest low budget movies ever. But I loved the music intros. Reminds me of my childhood.

That one from the 80's takes me back.

Remind me when I was a kid watching TV. 😎

Yeah this brings back a lot of memories this is great stuff👍👍👍🌟🌟🌟⭐⭐

That's when ABC was clean. Not like today

I wish this gorgeous rendition of Nikki with this full orchestra were available somewhere, but it was most likely just the intro theme. Bacharach probably did this arrangement, though. 🥰

The first intro reminds me of watching one of the greatest TV movies I've ever seen...in my opinion...as a 7 year old boy. The Night Stalker, with Darren McGavin.

When this came on, I knew that it was "bed - time ! ".....

My childhood resurfacing.

THANK YOU. All but the last one hit me at the core and brought back WONDERFUL memories of a time in life so special - long ago but yesterday, so to speak. I truly hope there is so sort of afterlife for us.....

When TV was great!

I always loved Nikki's Theme. Bacharach was a genius. This is when TV was great

I miss those days so much!!!

The song on the first one was so beautiful! Reminds me of my childhood💖

This brings back memories reminds me when I was a child stay up and watch those movies.

James Rogers : you are spot on. I miss the 70's when this theme was on.

ALL GREAT BECAUSE THEY BRING BACK SUCH BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD. FAV IS THE 4:30 MOVIE. THANKS, THIS HIT A NERVE.

One word.... reminiscence..

The first and second songs has a halcyon effect on me. 🥰🥰🥰

Recall hearing it in the other room as a tucked in tyke while mother sat alone as her cheating tv musician husband left her much of the time.

I miss those days which they show this in 2023 ABC because we are not getting anywhere with this new stuff please bring it back.

These were a big deal back then. There was no cable. I remember when Goldfinger came to tv. It was the talk of the office the next day

I missed the late 60s and early 70s watching TV when I was a kid especially the movie of the week.

When I listen and watch this siniar of the ABC Movie of the Week intro from 1972. It brings it back to the sensation of growing up in another way, while in the seventies dealing with the harsh reality of an reautarded off-the-walled abusive family situations, like I was a alabaster kid in another contemporary setting watching this movie in a more heartwarming seventies styled family and school in my imaginary childhood!

good Lord! I loved the one that start about 54 second in. Wonder who wrote it. So great!

Brilliant Video Presentation!! "The Waco Nightmare" -- starring Angie Harmon will return after these messages on ABC.

Just watched an old one from 1970 with a excellent cast of actors some of these movies were quite good.

Good memory. Sitting in front of the TV and feeling that excitement about what was coming on.

Love the 2001 slit scan effect.

Miss television memories

The first one I love. The one at 0:56 I never liked.

I really, really miss 1969!

I want our America back!

By the 2000 promo VHS was so popular and DVD were becoming popular most people were watching movies that way.

Sooooo much memories.

I was 12 years old in 1972 brings back memories.

Groovy

Does anyone remember the time filers between movies on hbo? It showed someone on a bicycle going down a path

This is abc

Man the abc logos at the start of this video looks like dagers coming after you haha

The Saturday Movie of the Week was great also. Two favorites: 'The Deadly Dream' with Lloyd Bridges, and 'Flight of the Birdmen' with Chuck Connors.

most of these movies were great

Me included. It was a time when we in this country still believed in santa Clause, Christmas and more important, God.

I remember in the watching scary movie chiller 😊

I remember the second like it was yesterday!

Very haunting!

Seemingly started at 7P and finished at 9.

Included is the 4:30 Movie intro used by WABC-TV/New York. Was it used in other markets?

That was a lot of Tuesday's ago

There's a rumor that the intro to ABC Movie Of The Week was the inspiration for the now legendary multicolored Swirling Star intro to The Funtastic World Of Hanna-Barbera in 1985.

monster week on the 4:30 movie.

What about the Million Dollar movie three song?Chills .taken from Gone With the Wind.

ABC 1969

0:56 FBS Saturday Night at The Movies (1980-1988) (fanmade)

Wow

Networks no longer have movies or mini series .

Flashbacks

Does anyone know how some of these were made?

Danger Will Robinson...