[Nerdspresso] ‘Night Shift’ and the Joy of HBO After Bedtime

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By Jeff Stanford, Special to Southpoint Access

Does anyone else remember the magnificent movie madness that was HBO in the early ‘80s? For this nascent cinema nerd, this pay cable channel was a game changer. It helped me see all the movies that my mom wouldn’t let me check out in the theater. You know, because it was “intended for mature audiences.” Mom thought I was a lot of things, but mature was not one of them. She was very cautious of anything that wasn’t PG or didn’t star Dolly Parton. 

But by the time we got HBO, I had figured out some stuff. HBO broadcast 24/7, and Mom had to sleep sometime! I watched my share of R-rated movies in the living room after midnight with the lights off and the volume turned way down. There are movies from this time period that hold a special place in my heart because of these memories. I consumed them like forbidden fruit. They’re not all classics. In fact, most of them are mediocre comedies or forgettable thrillers. 

Can anyone else recall Young Doctors in Love or Blame It on Rio? How about Nighthawks or Wolfen?

HBO was like my best friend and mentor. It introduced me to all kinds of flicks (and a few late-night TV shows that I can’t talk about in mixed company). If you weren’t there, you can’t understand the magic. HBO was how I discovered Night Shift, Ron Howard’s second gig as a filmmaker. He was famous for playing everyone’s favorite son on The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days, but what he really wanted to do was direct.