E.T. and Friends: Magical Movie Visitors

Just when you thought you were the only one in the world who has a copy of an old TV show, someone else finds it! This old CBS special aired in 1982 just before E.T. was released. It's intention was to get you to see E.T. in theaters, but the special instead shows a look back at older Sci-Fi movies involving aliens.

This special is produced well, and although it sort of has something to do with E.T., watch it more for the old movie clips, not to mention Robin Williams.

This is just one of many TV specials from the 1980's (mainly CBS) that have been buried and forgotten about, seemingly never to return again. This really should have been included as an "easter egg" on the 2003 E.T. DVD release. Imagine my surprise when I actually found an IMDb listing...

A quasi documentary/comedy special which is actually a 45 minute long commercial for E. T. Robin Williams (with original SNL cast members helping out) does a great job walking us through the first 60 years of Sci-Fi cinema. Using some great old clips from the silent era, Universal in the 40's & 50's and grade "B" classics like Plan 9 From Outer Space through the 70's. We see Aliens, Ships, Creepy Kids, the dawn of man and early moon landing. All with comedy skits with Robin Williams and friends. What's really great about this is that the comedy is done with reverence to the material, never making fun of the subject matter.

This is a very rare documentary that includes scenes from classic sci-fi movies and series like Outer Limits and The Twilight Zone.

Robin Willams is the host who guide us from the first sci-fi movie and to E.T. and also plays Mork in one of the scenes. Also the Coneheads makes a visit. Williams stumble across a man eating pizza and tries to connect calls in a intergalactic telephone dispatch.

The Documentary is interesting and funny.

Some behind the scene footage from E.T. and a very young Drew Barrymore cries because the movie is so sad.

I did post this submission because I could not find any info about the show on the net.

Do not miss this documentary, if you can find it!

I taped this special long ago when it aired (or repeated) in the fall of 1982. It is a documentary featuring B movie sci-fi films very similar to It Came From Hollywood, also featuring Dan Aykroyd. The documentary hardly features E.T. at all, and was so titled to capitalize on the recent blockbuster sales of the movie. These are both very entertaining and should be released on DVD. Both documentaries feature some of the same sci-fi movies in their reviews. Too bad I no longer have that tape because it's been 22 years since I first saw it and I remember really liking it. If you can find it, watch it because it is simply great.

Maybe it was released in America before E.T. came out, i don't know. But what i do know is that i saw this show on Dutch television after E.T. was released and it blew me away. Not only is Robin very funny but my interest was drawn towards these old scifi movies which i now collect. To me it's a miracle that IMDb has a description of the one time only show that i have been looking for ever since i lost the videotape on which i recorded the original program. If you ever get to see it you'r e quite lucky. Watch for the scene where Robin demonstrates what aliens sound like. It's typical for him but never boring to me.