Take off to NIGHT FLIGHT

My whole life may very well owe a psychic debt to the USA network, Stuart Shapiro and their late night creation NIGHT FLIGHT. This late night counter culture program that aired on Friday and Saturday nights starting at 11:00 pm until 3:00 am and then repeated again for the next four hours was a touchstone in my youth. Through this show I discovered things that I would have never seen any other way. Things that I love to this day.

NIGHT FLIGHT was cutting edge TV that is still unparalleled on today's television. The only show that ever came close was not ironically USA Networks Reel Wild Cinema in the late 90's and it only lasted a few shows.

NIGHT FLIGHT consisted of Alternative music videos before they were considered that, cult movies, performer profiles, experimental video, and short films all hosted by the sexy disembodied voice of Pat Prescot . In one evening you might see a concert from Kate Bush, a video profile of Duran Duran, a video collage about Atomic war, and some short experimental animations. They were the first place to air things like the Firesign Theater's overdubed film experiments, or Lenny Bruce's animated sicko film "Thank You Masked Man". They aired old 40's sci-fi adventure serials and 70's avant garde gor comedies such as "Andy Warhol's Frankenstein or Dracula" (though highly edited for television). In fact this was the place I first saw these epic bloodbaths. The Beatles "Magical Mystery Tour" even played at one point. One of the mainstays of NIGHT FLIGHT was New Wave Theater where the most outrageous punk and no wave bands played live. This show hosted by Peter Ivers broke many a young act such as The Circle Jerks.

NIGHT FLIGHT lasted from 1981 to 1988 and bent many a head in the process. In 1988 USA Network replaced it with USA UP! ALL NIGHT a show that was at first hosted by the cute Carolyn Schlitt, then was taken over by Gilbert Godfried and Rhonda Shear and her boobs. Though up all night was often great fun, and played some awesome films such as Basket Case, they were no replacement for NIGHT FLIGHT.

NIGHT FLIGHT was ressurected in Syndication in 1990 with an on screen host named Tom Juarez but it was basically just a best of show of moments from the previous years. It lasted on and off on various cable systems until as late as 1996.

In 2007 creator Stuart Shapiro announced he had finally obtained the rights to the show and planned to revive it somehow, either on satalite or on the web. Lets hope...