The first 24-hour video music channel MTV (Music Television) was launched in the United States and aired its first video, “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles on 1981. Spectrum and CBS Cable began. Showtime became a 24/7 channel. HBO began broadcasting 24 hours a day, also. Financial News Network went on the air. Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network began. Star Satellite television, PRISM Sports New England, as well as Spotlight Cable television began to operate. EWTN (Eternal World Television Network) a Catholic Global Network with Mother Angelica (1923-2016) began operating from Birmingham, Alabama. Cable television was becoming more popular. President Ronald Reagan’s presidential inauguration was the most watched in American history. The cast of The Brady Bunch reunited for the TV movie The Brady Girls Get Married. “Weird Al” Yankovic made his first television appearance on NBC’s “The Tomorrow Show” with Tom Snyder. The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island, the made-for-television film, reunited the cast of the 1964–1967 sitcom. On ABC’s 20/20, Barbara Walters famously asked Katharine Hepburn, “If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?” The series finale of “Charlie’s Angels” aired on ABC. The final episode of Sanford was broadcast on NBC. Grant Tinker replaced Fred Silverman as president of NBC. Following a two-month-long players strike, MBL resumed with the All-Star Game from Cleveland on NBC. PBS launched “Nightly Business Report” nationwide on over 125 public television stations. John Carpenter’s 1978 horror film Halloween made its broadcast network television premiere on NBC. The punk rock band Fear’s appeared on Saturday Night Live, included a group of slam dancers. The NBC soap opera “The Doctors” broadcast its 5,000th episode. The CBS soap opera “As the World Turns” debuted a new opening sequence and theme song for the first time in its 25-year history. Joan Collins made her first appearance as Alexis Carrington Colby on “Dynasty.” Chuck Woolery hosted his last episode of the NBC game show “Wheel of Fortune,” quitting after a salary dispute with series producer and creator Merv Griffin. Thus, Pat Sajak began hosting this show until his retirement in 2024, 43 years later. Other new shows in 1981 were “Dynasty,” “Hill Street Blues,” “SCTV Network 90,” “Best of the West,” “The Smurfs,” “Space Stars,” “Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends,” “Entertainment Tonight,” “Mr. Merlin,” “Laverne & Shirley in the Army,” “Fitz and Bones,” “Battlestars,” “Gimme a Break,” “Lewis & Clark,” “Code Red,” “Father Murphy,” “The Fall Guy,” “Shannon,” “Strike Force,” “This Week,” “McClain’s Law,” “Simon & Simon,” “Darkroom,” “Open All Night,” “Bret Maverick,” “Falcon Crest,” and “You Can’t Do That on Television.” The following shows ended in 1981: “The Tim Conway Show” (1980-1981), “Hollywood Squares” (1966-1981), “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century” (1979-1981), “Soap” (1977-1981), “The Muppet Show” (1976-1981), “Flo” (1980-1981), “The Waltons” (1972-1981), “Eight is Enough,” (1977-1981), “Card Sharks” (1978-1981), “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids” (1972-1981), “Super Friends” (1973-1981), “Heathcliff” (1980-1981), “The Tomorrow Show” (1973-1981), and “The Mike Douglas Show” (1961-1981), after twenty years. What was your favorite TV show of 1981?
Music in 1981
The 23rd Annual Grammy Awards were in New York City, hosted by Paul Simon. Christopher Cross, with his self-titled debut album and its single “Sailing”, became the first artist to win all four general awards in a single ceremony, controversially beating Pink Floyd’s The Wall for Album of the Year. The UK pop group Bucks Fizz’s song “Making Your Mind Up” won the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin, Ireland. Both Phil Collins and Billy Idol started solo careers. The gated reverb drum sound started a new trend in music. Diana Ross signed a $20,000,000 record deal. Eddie Van Halen married actress Valerie Bertinelli, as Ringo Starr and Barbara Bach also got married. U2 appeared on “The Tomorrow Show” with Tom Snyder, for their first U.S. television appearance. Simon & Garfunkel performed a free reunion concert in New York City’s Central Park attended by over 500,000 fans. The Rolling Stones opened their US tour in Philadelphia. Three songs by John Lennon appeared on the Year-End Hot 100, charting posthumously after his murder in late 1980. An estimated 35 million people around the world watched a live satellite transmission of a Rod Stewart concert at the Los Angeles Forum. British vocalist Sheena Easton hit No. 1 in the US with “Morning Train (9 to 5).” Adam and the Ants single “Stand and Deliver” and “Prince Charming” remained number one for ten consecutive weeks. Stevie Nicks released her debut solo album Bella Donna, which sold 4 million copies in the US alone. Diana Ross & Lionel Richie recorded the song “Endless Love” for the movie of the same name. The Human League reached number one with “Don’t You Want Me” and became the best-selling single in the UK for 1981. The tenth annual New Year’s Rockin’ Eve special aired on ABC, with appearances by the Four Tops, Rick Springfield, Barry Manilow, Alabama, and Rick James. Menudo’s golden era (1981–1985) began in Latin America, as well as parts of Europe and Asia. Paul McCartney & Wings split up. “Bette Davis Eyes” by Kim Carnes was the number one song of 1981. Other great songs of 1981 were “Lady” by Kenny Rogers, “Jessie’s Girl” by Rick Springfield, “Celebration” by Kool & the Gang, “I Love a Rainy Night” by Eddie Rabbitt, “9 To 5” by Dolly Parton, “Keep on Loving You” by REO Speedwagon, “Being with You” by Smokey Robinson, “Slow Hand” by The Pointer Sisters, “The Winner Takes It All” by ABBA, “Angel of the Morning” by Juice Newton, “America” and “Hello Again” by Neil Diamond, “Every Woman in the World” by Air Supply, “Elvira” by The Oak Ridge Boys, “Lady” by the Commodores, “It’s My Turn” and “I’m Coming Out” by Diana Ross, “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” and “Treat Me Right” by Pat Benatar, “Hungry Heart” by Bruce Springsteen, “More Than I Can Say” by Leo Sayer, “What Are We Doin’ in Love” by Dottie West & Kenny Rogers, “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” by Stevie Nicks & Tom Petty, “A Little in Love” by Cliff Richard, “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)” by Christopher Cross, “Games People Play” by The Alan Parsons Project, “I Can’t Stand It” by Eric Clapton, “Feels So Right” by Alabama, “What Kind of Fool” by Barbra Streisand & Barry Gibb, “Tell It Like It Is” by Heart, “Smoky Mountain Rain” by Ronnie Milsap, “I Made It Through the Rain” by Barry Manilow, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin” by Hall & Oates, “Suddenly” by Olivia Newton-John & Cliff Richard, and “The Beach Boys Medley” by The Beach Boys. What is your favorite song of 1981?
Movies in 1981
1981 was a great year for films. I saw and liked a lot of them. The 53rd Academy Awards were postponed due to the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan earlier that day. However, they were held the following day with a message from President Regan, a former actor, recorded for the ceremony prior to the assassination attempt. The big box office hit was Raiders of the Lost Ark with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas writing and directing Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones. It became Paramount’s highest-grossing film of all time and spawned four Indiana Jones sequels. Raiders set a standard for many action-adventure movies to come. The special effects were amazing with an okay story. However, I really loved the story and the actors of On Golden Pond, with Henry Fonda, his daughter Jane Fonda, and Katherine Hepburn. They grappled with the problem of aging and family relationships. It was just wonderful. Nevertheless, my favorite of the year, and perhaps all-time, was Chariots of Fire. The English actors were good, but the story of the British athletes training and going to the 1924 Paris Olympics was outstanding. The opening scene of the English runners on the beach with that haunting melody still hits me when I see the commercial for that movie. Chariots of Fire dealt with all the modern problems of religion, prejudice, social status, income inequality, personal beliefs, nationalism, and professionalism in amateur sports. It was a great movie. I also liked the funny quirky movies like Arthur, Stripes, and The Cannonball Run. There were other action movies like Roger Moore as James Bond in For Your Eyes Only, and Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, and Margot Kidder in Superman II. I also liked The Four Seasons romantic comedy with Carol Burnett and Alan Alda. Warren Beatty directed and starred in the movie Reds, about American John Reed who lived through and wrote about the Russian Bolshevik Revolution in a book called Ten Days That Shook the World that made him famous. I found it interesting. Then there was also the movie Atlantic City with Burt Lancaster and Susan Sarandon, as well as Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons in The French Lieutenant’s Woman. Pennies from Heaven had Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters, Christopher Walken, and Jessica Harper in it. It was a great year for movies and I saw a lot of movies in 1981. MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) also acquired beleaguered UA (United Artists). What is your favorite movie of 1981?
Sports in 1981
In Super Bowl XV, the wildcard Oakland Raiders won 27−10 over the Philadelphia Eagles in the New Orleans Superdome, as Raiders QB Jim Plunkett was MVP. LeRoy Irvin of the LA Rams set the NFL record for most punt return yards in a game with 207 yards. The 1981 Clemson Tigers football team finished their undefeated 1981 season with a 22–15 victory over the #4 Nebraska Cornhuskers in the 1982 Orange Bowl, to become number one in the press polls. In his first year of eligibility, former Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson was the only player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. An International League game between the Pawtucket Red Sox and the visiting Rochester Red Wings set the record for the most innings ever played in a single professional baseball game, at 33 innings (24 extra innings). The game was suspended after 32 innings on the morning of April 19, and was concluded on June 23 with a 3-2 Pawtucket victory. MLB players begin a 49-day strike from June 12 to August 9, over the issue of free-agent compensation. In the World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers with manager Tony Lasorda won 4 games to 2 over the New York Yankees. In the NCAA Basketball Championship, Indiana won 63-50 over North Carolina, as coach Bobby Knight and player Isaiah Thomas bested coach Dean Smith with players like Al Wood, Sam Perkins, and James Worthy at the Spectrum in Philadelphia. In the NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics with Larry Bird, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale won 4 games to 2 over the Houston Rockets with Moses Malone, Calvin Murphy, and Rudy Tomjanovich. In Boxing, Larry Holmes defeated Trevor Berbick by a unanimous decision to retain the WBC heavyweight title. Muhammad Ali lost to Trevor Berbick in his last-ever fight. Sugar Ray Leonard defeated Thomas Hearns by a knockout in round 14 to unify boxing’s world Welterweight title. Marvin Hagler defeated Mustafa Hamsho by an eleventh-round technical knockout to retain his undisputed world Middleweight title. Ric Flair defeated Dusty Rhodes to win his first World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship in Kansas City. In golf, the Masters went to Tom Watson. The U.S. Open went to David Graham. The British Open went to Bill Rogers and the PGA went to Larry Nelson, with the PGA Tour money leader Tom Kite with $375,699. Senior PGA Tour money leader was Miller Barber with $83,136 and the LPGA Tour money leader was Beth Daniel with $206,998. In horse racing, John Henry became the first horse to win a million-dollar race, at the inaugural Arlington Million, at Arlington Park, near Chicago. Pleasant Colony won two of the three legs of the Triple Crown. In Ice Hockey, the New York Islanders defeated the Minnesota North Stars 4-1 to win the 1981 Stanley Cup. In tennis, John McEnroe won two of the four grand slam events, so that he was Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year, while Tracy Austin in tennis was the AP Female Athlete of the year. Joe Louis (1914-1981), the heavyweight champion of my youth, died. Some baseball greats also died in 1981, Freddie Lindstrom (1905-1981), Paul Dean (1912-1981), and Frank Lane (1895-1981). What sporting event do you remember from 1981?
Deaths in 1981
Several Irish hunger strikers died in 1981, including Bobby Sands (1954-1981), Patsy O’Hara (1957-1981), Raymond Mccreesh (1957-1981), and Joe McDonnell (1951-1981). Anwar Sadat (1918-1981), 37th Prime Minister of Egypt and 3rd President of Egypt, a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, was assassinated. Moshe Dayan (1915-1981), an Israeli general, also died. Omar Bradley (1893-1981), an American WW II army general, died. The Polish Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński (1901-1981), died. Robert Moses (1888-1981), a New York urban planner, died. Felton Jarvis (1934-1981), American record producer of Elvis, Willie Nelson, and other musicians, died. Bill Haley (1925-1981), American rock leader of Bill Haley & The Comets, died. Hugo Montenegro (1925-1981), American orchestra leader and composer of film soundtracks, died. Bob Marley (1945-1981), Jamaican singer and songwriter, died. Lowell Thomas (1892-1981), the great radio broadcaster, died. Bobby Sherwood (1914-1981), American bandleader and radio host, died. George Jessel (1898-1981), an American actor from my youth, died. Harry Chapin (1942-1981), American singer and songwriter, died. Hoagy Carmichael (1899-1981), American jazz composer, died. Allen Ludden (1918-1981), American television host of Password, died. Albert Speer (1905-1981), German Nazi architect and war minister, died. William Holden (1918-1981), an American actor, died. Jack Albertson (1907-1981), American actor and comedian, died. Natalie Wood (1938-1981), American actress, drowned. Edith Head (1897-1981), Oscar winning American costume designer, died. Will Durant (1885-1981), American philosopher and writer, died. Roy Wilkins (1901-1981), American civil rights activist, died. Howard Thurman (1899-1981), American philosopher and civil rights leader, died. Catherine T. MacArthur (1908-1981), American philanthropist died. Jack Northrop (1895-1981), American airplane manufacturer, died. Nelson Algren (1909-1981), an American author, died. William Wyler (1902-1981), American movie director, died. Paddy Chayefsky (1923-1981), American screenwriter, died. William Saroyan (1908-1981), American author, died. Michael Maltese (1908-1981), American screenwriter, died. The following actors and actresses died in 1981 also: Richard Boone (1917-1981), Barry Jones (1893-1981), Margaret Lindsay (1910-1981), Richard Hale (1892-1981), Arthur O’Connell (1908-1981), Jack Warner (1895-1981), Lola Lane (1906-1981), Melvyn Douglas (1901-1981), Robert Russell Bennett (1894-1981), Vera-Ellen (1921-1981), Frank McHugh (1898-1981), Robert Montgomery (1904-1981), Michael Granger (1923-1981), and Barbara Bedford (1903-1981). Do you know someone who died in 1981?
Disasters in 1981
Earthquakes hit Sichuan, China, killing a 150 people and Athens, Greece, killing 22 people, injuring 400 people, and destroying 4,000 houses. The Indonesian passenger ship Tampomas II caught fire and capsized in the Java Sea, killing 580 people. The overcrowded ferry boat Sobral Santos II capsized in the Amazon River, Brazil, killing at least 300 people. While attempting to rescue those on board the Union Star off the coast of South-West Cornwall, England, the lifeboat Solomon Browne was lost with all its crew, killing 16 people. I can remember the Hyatt Regency walkway collapse in Kansas City, Missouri, that killed 114. I could not believe that it happened. The No. 21 Mine explosion in Whitwell, Tennessee, killed 13. There was an explosion at a mine in Záluží, Czechoslovakia, that killed 65 people. There was a gas explosion at a coal mine at Hokutan, Yūbari, Hokkaidō, Japan, that killed 93 people. Seven coaches of an overcrowded passenger train fall off the tracks into the Bagmati River in Bihar, India, killing between 500 and 800 people. In Greece, 20 fans of Olympiacos F.C. and 1 fan of AEK Athens died, while 54 were injured, after a stampede at the Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus, at the end of a soccer match. A fire at the Stardust nightclub in Artane, Dublin, Ireland, killed 48 young people and injured 214. Heavy snow caused several houses and buildings to collapse in northwestern Japan with 152 people killed. As far as I can tell, there were only two plane crashes in 1981. An Inex-Adria Aviopromet McDonnell Douglas MD-80 struck a mountain peak while approaching Ajaccio Airport in Corsica, killing all 180 people on board. A Northrop F-5 crashed during a military exercise, in Babaeski, Turkey, killing 1 crew member and 65 soldiers on the ground. Meanwhile military skirmishes took many lives in 1981. In El Salvador, army units killed 900 civilians at the El Mozote massacre. An Islamic Dawa Party car bomb destroyed the Iraqi Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, killing 61 people in a suicide attack. Israeli aircraft bombed Beirut, destroying multi-story apartment blocks containing the offices of PLO-associated groups, killing approximately 300 civilians. A bomb exploded at the United States Ramstein Air Base in West Germany, injuring 20 people. What was the worst disaster that you remember from 1981?
Great events of 1981
Besides the Iran release of 53 Americans, the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan, the first woman Supreme Court Justice, the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Di, and the rise of AIDS, there were other world-wide events in 1981. François Mitterrand became the first socialist President of the French Fifth Republic, so that France voted to abolish capital punishment. Belize, formerly British Honduras, Antigua, and Barbuda gained independence from the United Kingdom. The first London Marathon started with 7,500 runners. The Church of England General Synod voted to admit women to holy orders priesthood. The first DeLorean automobile, a stainless-steel sports car with gull-wing doors, rolled off the production line in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland. Spain became part of NATO. Greece entered the European Economic Community as Andreas Papandreou became its Prime Minister. In Riyadh, the Gulf Cooperation Council was created among Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Chilean military dictator Augusto Pinochet was sworn in as President of Chile for another 8-year term. Around the end of 1981, China became the first country ever to reach a population of one billion people. Pepsi entered China with its first bottling plant in China. A panda was born in Chapultepec Zoo in Mexico City, the first panda to ever be born and survive in captivity outside of China. Pope John Paul II received a delegation led by Polish Solidarity leader Lech Wałęsa at the Vatican. He also visited the Philippines. However, he was shot by Mehmet Ali Ağca, a Turkish gunman, at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, but he recovered. President Ronald Reagan signed the top-secret National Security Decision Directive 17 (NSDD-17), authorizing the CIA to recruit and support Contra rebels in Nicaragua. A Solidarity Day march, in support of organized labor, drew approximately 250,000 people in Washington, D.C. The first American test-tube baby, Elizabeth Jordan Carr, was born in Norfolk, Virginia. A jury of architects and sculptors unanimously selected Maya Lin’s design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. The first game of paintball was played, in Henniker, New Hampshire. The use of crack cocaine, a smokeable form of the drug, was first reported in the United States and the Caribbean. The US Space Shuttle program began a crewed reusable spacecraft that returned from orbit with the space ship Columbia. The E-mu Emulator sampler keyboard with floppy disk operation was unveiled with Stevie Wonder as its first user. Luxor AB presented the ABC 800 computer. The original Model 5150 IBM PC (with a 4.77 MHz Intel 8088 processor) was released in the United States at a base price of $1,565. Donkey Kong was released, marking the first Donkey Kong and Mario smash hit arcade game developed by Nintendo in Japan. The Nobel Prize for Peace went to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. What do you remember about 1981?
I was back at Montgomery Ward Outlet Store
When I showed up at Wards in 1981. It was like I had never left. There were many of the same people who had been there two years earlier when I left. Instead of being the furniture manager I was an appliance salesman. Everyone there seemed to know that I was going to be the appliance sales manager. It was simply a matter of time. I think within a couple of months, it was official. Bill Gardner was retiring and I would be the new appliance sales manager. I would get a salary plus 1% of all the appliances sold. I had to go back to the warehouse every day to get appliances. Some of the warehouse people were happy to see me come back. I had to contact the repair department at Rosemont. I had to have the salesmen sell service contracts. I had to deal with customer complaints. Once again, I would not be making phone calls, but receiving phone call complaints. Have you ever been pleasantly surprised when you returned to some place?
The decision
I went home that day in 1981, and told Margaret what happened. I had turned down a job to return to Montgomery Wards. Then she asked me if I liked working at Wards? Did I like working at Prudential? The answer seemed simple. I preferred the work atmosphere at Wards over the Prudential office work. She pointed out that Dale Hoffman reached out to me. I had not reached out to him. I was not asking him to take me back. He was asking me to come back. On top of that, it would mean a steady income. However, I wondered if things had changed at the Ward’s Outlet store. Would it be same? After all, it was two years since I had been there. I was going to wait and see. Finally, I decided to go back to Wards. I think that I decided that I would start at the beginning of the next month. I told the people at Prudential. They all said that I had not given it enough time. I would be fine. Richard Van Dyke was one of the few who said that it would be good idea to do something else. A couple of other people wished me well. I cleaned out my office and left. Have you ever switched jobs?
The plan
Dale Hoffman then had a plan for me. He was going to take early retirement in a couple of years and sail around the world on his boat. He could make sure that I would be the new store manager of this store in Franklin Park. He wanted it to be in good hands. Now this was more interesting. There was no guarantee, but a strong suggestion. Bill Gardner was having a hard time as the appliance manager. He was going to retire in the next couple of years. I could become the appliance manager until Hoffman retired. This was a plan that made some sense. In the meantime, I would be an appliance salesman since I already knew enough about furniture. I went from this lunch feeling that things had turned around for me. Somebody wanted me, even if it was back at Montgomery Ward. At least, I would have a steady income. Still, there was the problem that Hoffman might not be able to deliver on any of these promises. It was ten years since I first showed up at the Franklin Park Ward’s store to discuss my future with Dale Hoffman. Now I was doing it again. It all seemed strange. Have you ever considered going back to the place where you once worked?
Gene Finnegan Remembers Living Eighty Wonderful Years 