CED Digest Vol. 8 No. 35

CED Digest Vol. 8 No. 35 • 8/30/2003
20 Years Ago In CED History:

August 31, 1983:
* The funeral procession for slain Philippine leader Benigno Aquino 
draws more than one million mourners.
* In Poland, tens of thousands demonstrate on the third anniversary 
of the accords that created Solidarity, the now-banned independent 
trade union.
* The orbiting space shuttle Challenger launches an Insat-1B 
satellite for India; it will be used to gather weather data and for 
telecommunications.

* RCA PRESS RELEASE:
'An Officer And A Gentleman' Paces Sales of RCA Video Discs So Far This Year

The motion picture, "An Officer And A Gentleman," which won an 
Academy Award for Lou Gossett, has been the fastest selling "CED" 
video disc in RCA's catalog this year, according to Thomas G. Kuhn, 
Division Vice President, RCA VideoDiscs.

It has been followed in the 1983 sales derby by "Rocky III," 
"Superman II," "Star Trek -- The Wrath of Khan," "Jane
Fonda's 
Workout," and "Annie."

Since introducing its "CED" video disc system to the public in March 
1981, RCA "CED" discs have chalked up sales of more than six million 
albums with a retail value of more than $160 million. "The Muppet 
Movie," which was in RCA's original catalog, is the overall best 
seller to date with factory sales in excess of 68,000 albums.

Mr. Kuhn said "An Officer And A Gentleman," which was issued on video 
disc in February 1983, already has achieved factory sales of more 
than 38,000 albums. "This amounts to more than $1 million at retail 
prices, qualifying the film for 'Gold' status," Mr. Kuhn added. RCA 
already has 18 other discs certified as "Gold."

He said the three motion pictures in the "Rocky" series have amassed 
combined factory sales of approximately 160,000 albums, attesting to 
the popularity of these films. They have generated almost $5 million 
in sales at retail prices, Mr. Kuhn added.

RCA has put all three of the "Rocky" movies in a single box and 
labeled it: "The Championship Collection."

September 1, 1983:
* A Korean Air Lines Boeing 747, flight 007 from New York to Seoul, 
is downed by a Soviet heat-seeking missile after crossing into Soviet 
airspace. All 240 passengers, including U.S. Rep. Larry McDonald 
(D-GA), and 29 crew members are killed.
* President Reagan orders 2,000 Marines into position off the coast 
of Lebanon to "assure the safety" of the 1,370 already in Beirut.
* Senator Henry M. Jackson (D-WA) dies of a heart attack at the age 
of 71. He was one of the nation's leading supporters of a strong 
national defense, and he fought for protection of the environment.

* RCA VideoDisc Releases for September 1983:

Adam and the Ants*
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The
Aerobicise: The Beginning Workout*
Air Force
Alone in the Dark
Avalanche
Blackstar
Bloody Mama
Born Losers
Bronco Billy
Deliverance
Dillinger
Doctor Detroit
Dracula
Falling In Love Again
Frankenstein
Friday the 13th, Part 2
Halloween II**
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Vol. 1
House on Sorority Row, The
I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang
King of Comedy, The
Lassie's Rescue Rangers
Lone Ranger, The
Mad Max
Main Event, The
Murder by Death
My Tutor
New Adventures of Zorro, The
Now and Forever***
Outsiders, The**
Pavarotti In London*
Phantasm
Playboy Video, Vol. 3*
Pride of the Yankees, The (2)
Prince of the City (2)
Quadrophenia**
Shazam!
Southern Comfort
Table For Five
Tentacles
They Call Me Mr. Tibbs!
Utopia
Vera Cruz
Warlords of the Twenty-First Century
Witness for the Prosecution
Zero To Sixty
Zombie

September 2, 1983:
* Israel's Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir is elected successor to 
Prime Minister Menahem Begin as leader of the governing Herut Party, 
likely making him the country's next premier.
* After two months of inordinately dry, hot weather, U.S. Secretary 
of Agriculture John Block begins declaring drought disaster areas 
throughout the nation.
* Future CED title in widespread theatrical release: Private School.

September 3, 1983:
* "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by The Eurythmics (CED) becomes 
the No. 1 U.S. single.
* In the culmination of one of the most unsavory events in the 
history of the corporation, ousted RCA President Maurice Valente 
commits suicide at the age of 54.

http://www.cedmagic.com/mem/whos-who/valente-maurice.html

September 4, 1983:
* Israel withdraws its troops from  central Lebanon, setting off 
fierce fighting between Christian and Druse militias struggling to 
control the area.

September 5, 1983:
* The space Shuttle Challenger, after a successful mission, lands at 
Edwards Air Force Base, California, in the first night landing for 
the shuttle program. The launch on August 30 was also the first ever 
done at night. Besides including Guion Bluford, the first African 
American in space, the flight also included 54-year-old physician 
William Thornton, the oldest person to date to fly in space.

September 6, 1983:
* Meadow mice living near the Love Canal toxic dump site in Niagara 
Falls, New York, are reported to suffer shortened life spans and 
organ damage similar to what would be expected reactions to the kinds 
of toxic chemicals that were dumped there.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fwd: digest@cedmagic.com
From: Amishman35 (amishman35)
Subject: Do you smell something fishy?
Newsgroups: alt.video

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3344156310&category=
41596

$5000 for a selectavision VideoDisc player???

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fwd: digest@cedmagic.com
From: The Poodlebutt (paul_matthew_evans)
Subject: FREE Videodisc CED Player & small stash
Newsgroups: austin.forsale

You pick up, in Central Austin (near 51st & Lamar).

An RCA Videodisc player and about 10-15 CED Videodiscs. This is the
format which basically works like an LP record, with each movie coming
in a large, slim, square-shaped plastic shell.

The player works fine but could use a new belt for better performance.

Pick it up free before it hits the curb. Email me.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 31 Aug 2003 19:22:13 -0800
To: digest@cedmagic.com
From: Tom Howe <tom@cedmagic.com>
Subject: Charles Bronson CED Desktop Pictures

Hello All:

I made a few Charles Bronson desktop tribute pictures which can be 
downloaded from the links below. The first is for Apple's 8:5 Cinema 
display line, while the remainder are for 4:3 PC displays. Download 
the one that corresponds to the pixel width of your display.

http://www.cedmagic.com/home/bronson-ced-1920.jpg

http://www.cedmagic.com/home/bronson-ced-1600.jpg

http://www.cedmagic.com/home/bronson-ced-1280.jpg

http://www.cedmagic.com/home/bronson-ced-1152.jpg

http://www.cedmagic.com/home/bronson-ced-1024.jpg

http://www.cedmagic.com/home/bronson-ced-800.jpg

These images each include eighteen CED titles, as the peak popularity 
of Charles Bronson's career (mid 70's to mid 80's) corresponds to the 
years for which there are the greatest density of CED releases.

I was watching his movie "Breakheart Pass" while putting this caddy 
composite together, as I think that's his best movie on CED, and it's 
also a great Alistair MacLean novel. The movie has an interesting 
cast of supporting characters, including Jill Ireland, Bronson's 
real-life wife at the time, and boxing champion Archie Moore as 
Carlos the Chef. I did notice one loose end, former pro football 
quarterback Joe Kapp (Henry the Steward) simply disappears near the 
end of the movie. If anyone remembers if he was in the book and what 
happened to him, please let me know.

--Tom
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