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1970s TV and movies - and home computers?

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leno...@yahoo.com

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Dec 27, 2019, 3:13:09 PM12/27/19
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Of course, everyone knows the more famous movies about super-computers - even those older than the 1970s, such as "2001."

But I wondered just when we started seeing ordinary PCs in realistic TV shows and movies. (In theory, there MAY have been "home computers" even in the 1960s - at least one semi-famous kids' book from 1968 refers to a "homemade computer." With a printer. Another juvenile book, from 1981 - a bit more realistic, maybe - had a physicist in Los Alamos who had a home computer. That scene may have been written in 1980.)

Does anyone know? Thanks.

Also, from something I posted elsewhere in 2012:

I was amazed, last night, while watching "Batman" (it was "The Wail of
the Siren," 1967) to see that Barbara Gordon has an answering machine!
(Pity it wasn't quite in focus so I could see it in detail.)...I suppose I
can barely imagine that Commissioner Gordon would easily be able to
get one for his daughter - and would want her to have one, since she
was kidnapped once!



Lenona.



Your Name

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Dec 27, 2019, 3:45:47 PM12/27/19
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On 2019-12-27 20:13:07 +0000, leno...@yahoo.com said:

> Of course, everyone knows the more famous movies about super-computers
> - even those older than the 1970s, such as "2001."
>
> But I wondered just when we started seeing ordinary PCs in realistic TV
> shows and movies. (In theory, there MAY have been "home computers" even
> in the 1960s - at least one semi-famous kids' book from 1968 refers to
> a "homemade computer." With a printer. Another juvenile book, from 1981
> - a bit more realistic, maybe - had a physicist in Los Alamos who had a
> home computer. That scene may have been written in 1980.)
>
> Does anyone know? Thanks.
>
> Also, from something I posted elsewhere in 2012:
>
> I was amazed, last night, while watching "Batman" (it was "The Wail
> ofthe Siren," 1967) to see that Barbara Gordon has an answering
> machine!(Pity it wasn't quite in focus so I could see it in
> detail.)...I suppose Ican barely imagine that Commissioner Gordon would
> easily be able toget one for his daughter - and would want her to have
> one, since shewas kidnapped once!
>
>
> Lenona.

Probably the best known TV show was 'Whiz Kids', but that was in 1983
and I don't know I'd fully call it "realistic".
<https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085110/>

You might want to explore the website 'Starring The Computer'.
<http://www.starringthecomputer.com>
It lists a lot of TV shows and movies with computers in them.

JTEM

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Dec 27, 2019, 8:29:18 PM12/27/19
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leno...@yahoo.com wrote:

> But I wondered just when we started seeing ordinary PCs in realistic TV shows and movies. (In theory, there MAY have been "home computers" even in the 1960s - at least one semi-famous kids' book from 1968 refers to a "homemade computer." With a printer. Another juvenile book, from 1981 - a bit more realistic, maybe - had a physicist in Los Alamos who had a home computer. That scene may have been written in 1980.)

IMB released the PC in 1981. Prior to that there were tons of companies
and machines but little or no standardization. Simply put:

Before IBM got into the game we had the computer, afterwards we had
the PC.

Radio Shack TRS 80 came out in 1977, same year as the Commodore PET
and the Apple II.

(The Apple I would probably not count for you)

https://www.applefritter.com/node/23136





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