Over the years, I’ve received many e-mails from people desperate for the opportunity to view the opening credits to the NBC Saturday Night at the Movies. Specifically, the second version of the credits introduced in the mid-1960s and used until 1972. Audio of the opening credits has been available online for years but video has been elusive.
Until now, that is. In September, YouTube user Rick Thomas uploaded a video of the NBC Saturday Night at the Movies opening credits from October 1972. Here they are:
This particular opening credits sequence is for the 1967 movie The War Wagon starring John Wayne and Kirk Douglas.
(Thanks to Tom.)
I grew up in an area surrounded by hills, so the local NBC station was the only channel that came in at our house. Watching NBC Saturday Night at the Movies was a big part of my growing-up years. I didn’t realize how important it was until seeing and hearing this opening.
Thanks for posting this.
YES! THANK YOU!
Now I want to hear the timpani(?) roll that accompanied station breaks.
only thing.. this one may not have lasted in the big apple tv area very long….//- i dont recall the music cues-* but recall better ones that replaced it—pk the voice overs varied around the country THAT I CAN PROVE–….*
It was commonplace for local announcers to promote movies and shows for the station, at least during the day. Usually these announcers were the local station’s news reporters.It may be that some local stations replaced or re-recorded the intros.
Does anyone know when this particular movie originally aired on NBC?
Sometime in 1970.
I thought this opening went all the way back to 1961 with one exception: In the on-screen title, the network’s name originally wasn’t included, with the films simply broadcast as “Saturday Night At The Movies” and not “NBC Saturday Night At The Movies”.
The announcer is my father, Don Stanley. You can listen to more clips from other Saturday and Monday Night at the Movies broadcasts and read more about his career at NBC and in Old Time Radio on the Facebook page I created in his memory here: https://www.facebook.com/Don-Stanley-NBC-Announcer-682875788775162/?modal=admin_todo_tour
And this movie aired on NBC Saturday Night at the Movies in 1972.
Thanks for this. Really enjoyed the site, and the clips of your dad announcing on old time radio. What a wonderful time and what a life he lived! I lived in L.A. for 30+ years and remember that NBC radio building, I think it was on Sunset in Hollywood, right?