grundle

You younger people might not believe this, but this entire thing, even the HBO logo at the end, is all done with models and miniatures. There is absolutely no CGI whatsoever:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdI90Rtzu1s

Mopower

Because it was 20 years old?

grundle

But it's way cool!

Here's a documentary on how they made it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Et_LsxlX8Y

wishbone

HBO went to a shortened version of that intro after awhile. Now they just preview show clips and play Coldplay's "Clocks" with the breathy voice stating, "Next... on HBO..."

clemente

Maybe its not cause I'm not that young....but its pretty obvious, I do believe it.

bluetoast

I want to know how they animated that HBO logo so well. I'll check out the making of.

Geofferson

I've probably seen that intro over 1000 times in my lifetime...

Glad to see it lives on on YouTube...!

sjrab16

I totally forgot about that, I love the theme song too.

SexualPudding

I love the theme song. It used to scare me a little bit as a real young kid, though. The beginning of it is kind of ominous sounding.

UAIOE

I love that intro.

I'm pretty sure that intro was used even in the 90's because I remember seeing it and thinking about how I saw it as a kid.

ultimaton

Wow that brings back a lot of memories.

JayDerek

I LOVED that opening and music.

I have good memories of those times watching flicks w/ my family. Those were the days before cable channels and VHS hadn't taken off quite yet. It made movies more of an event on TV

CreamyGoodness

Actually, if memory serves.... Wasn't this around 1982-ish? I remeber when they first created this and we had full cable with HBO, Showtime, MTV and on and on. That was also around the same time that we got our first Beta VCR. (Boy, got that one wrong, but it DID have a better picture than VHS.)

I found this one from 1981 -

<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SybFyfzCWHE&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SybFyfzCWHE&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

I like the "Home Box Office will show this feature only at night".

Part of the animation reminded me of ABC's Movie of the Week intro from the late '60s/early '70s. (Hello, stargate from 2001...) I was born in '65, so this really brings back memories - ABC produced some great films, like The Night Stalker and Trilogy of Terror...

<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/rM-Vkd7On2Q&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rM-Vkd7On2Q&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

TheNightFlier

Wow, that does bring back memories. I always liked the opening and the music.

Timber

I remember that intro very well. I used to love seeing it before a movie. Didn't they go to a similar intro a few years ago?

rennervision

Thanks for sharing. That opening always gave me a "Superman: The Movie" vibe when the big HBO logo appeared in the sky. The model city probably looks too dated to use now, but that was just a fantastic way to always start off a movie back in the day.

Brack

I like the new intro, but this one is still awesome.

rfduncan

HBO and AOL co-sponsor "Screen on the Green" on the Mall in Washington DC and in Bryant Park in NYC in the summer. They show that sequence before every movie. Here in DC it is funny because people in the crowd jump up and start a little dance with the music.

Snowmaker

I remember the intro and even seeing the making of it when I was a kid. I can still hum the whole theme song too.

SexualPudding

They stopped using it for a while in the late 80's, but then they did re-introduce it in the early 90's for a few years.

Merkin Muffley

Anyone remember Braingames? That was some quality filler, right there.

"Briangames are now........over."

grundle

I guess they thought today's modern audience with its MTV attention span couldn't handle the model city thingee anymore!

grundle

It says they used two plastic sheets!

grundle

I love the music too!

Rockmjd23

That was my favorite intro growing up. My second favorite was of course, this:

<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dDHJBbm9ZEs&"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dDHJBbm9ZEs&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

God bless you, John Tesh.