The Bailey Tapes, vol. 1
There are few physical possessions that I cherish more than my VHS collection. From Disney classics, in those big clamshell cases, to home movies that have a taped-on piece of paper as a label, my VHS collection brings me different levels of comfort and some peace of the familiar. Perhaps my favorite type of videotapes are those that were recorded off of the television. You know the ones... They might have a couple of movies on them, a random TV special or two, and plenty of retro commercials to enjoy. Such tapes that I grew up with were recorded in the late 80s, so I have this weird sense of nostalgia for the 1-6 years before my birth, but that's the way it goes when you fall in love with tapes. Here is just one of my favorite "mixtape" VHS. Check out the tracklisting on this bad boy.
Back Home (1989, dir. Piers Haggard) - This is one of my all-time favorite TV movies, and one that I'm almost certain I've seen more times than any other person on the planet. Hayley Carr stars as Rusty, an English girl who was sent to America at the start of WWII, who has returned to her family in England after five years, and must learn to adjust to a home that she barely remembers. It's so good. Watch it.
Followed by...
The Little Colonel (1935, dir. David Butler) - This classic Shirley Temple film, co-starring Lionel Barrymore, finds Temple's Lloyd reuniting her family that has been torn apart by the Civil War. Come for the kid, stay for the incomparable Bill Robinson. Yes, this is the movie with the iconic 'stair dance.'
Hot switch to...
Avonlea - "Proof of the Pudding" (S1E06, CBC, 1990) - Long before I learned of the wonder that is Anne Shirley, I was introduced to the King family in Kevin Sullivan's follow-up series to the Anne movies, Road to Avonlea (known as simply Avonlea in the U.S.). Fortunately for me, I grew up with the best episode of the entire seven-season series (seriously, everyone involved says so), in which all of the King children are left to fend for themselves on the farm. Hair is pulled. Poison is involved. Again, you must watch it. At the time that I first began watching the tape, I thought it was a lovely little TV movie, and I thought it was based on the American Girl Doll, Felicity (as that was the name of one of the characters). It wasn't until about a decade later that I discovered the connection between the series and Anne of Green Gables and delved into the rest of the series.
What could be next?...
House M.D. - "House's Head" and "Wilson's Heart" (S4E15/16, FOX, 2008) - So, the thing about these tapes is that they had this little tab on them. If you pulled the tab out, the VHS could no longer record, and the contents on the tape were preserved for eternity (or, you know, until the tape was completely degraded). If the tab remained in, however, the tape was still recordable, even a couple of decades later by a crazed, teenage Hugh Laurie fan. Any remaining amount of tape in my household was used to feed my obsession with House. Therefore, dozens of my tapes from the '80s often end with a harsh jump to House. But, I mean, this was one of the best season finales in the entire show, and during the writers' strike, at that! It's history!
But wait! There's more...
Blackadder - "Nob and Nobility" (1987, BBC, S3E3) - Hey, at least I finished it off back in the '80s! Boy, do I remember having to stay up until the wee hours of the morning to catch my favorite historical British comedy, Blackadder on the BBC America block of PBS. This particular episode was about that wild Scarlet Pimpernel craze that we all remember from Georgian England. Just kidding. We all know the novel wasn't written by Baroness Orczy until 1905! Bad, bad anachronistic show! But seriously, these final two recordings are forever associated with my high school years. In combination with the rest of the tape, which I grew up with from birth, it serves as a lovely encapsulation of my childhood, and I'm so glad that I finally decided to pop out that tab.
I need to know all about your VHS tape mixes! They are my favorite things, so please let me know about yours in the comments below, and stay tuned for the next installment of The Bailey Tapes.
Copyright © 2020 Bailey Lizotte
