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2022-04-24 14:38 Terminated again

We already had the iconic appearance of the Atari Portfolio in Terminator 2: Judgement Day, but here are a few more machines from the film. There are IBM PC ATs and two other machines making their Starring-the-Computer debut: the IBM System/38 and the Mindset computer.

2022-04-18 17:21 More Big Iron

Here's a bunch more big iron. We start with a machine making its Starring-the-Computer debut: the Bull Gamma 60 plays a crucial role in Alphaville. Next is a trio of machines that have made many appearances: the IBM AN/FSQ-7 in Orgazmo, the Burroughs B205 in an episode of The Green Hornet and the ICT 1301 in the "Doctor Who" story Warriors of the Deep. There's a more rare appearance for an ICL 2900 in The Playbirds. And finally a couple of machines I'd missed on the first watch through: a LEO Computers LEO II in The Man with the Golden Gun and a Honeywell 6000 in 2010: The Year We Made Contact.

2022-04-10 15:56 The Computers and Loves of a She-Devil

Here are the computers that appear in the 1986 mini-series "The Life and Loves of a She-Devil". Episode 1 has the Apple Macintosh and, making its debut appearance, the Sinclair ZX Spectrum 128. Episode 3 has a Compaq Portable and some IBM PC XTs.

2022-04-03 21:27 April Apples and Assorted Additions

Loads of Apple machines here with a few others here and there. Season 1 of The Sleepover Club has the Clamshell iBook G3 and iMac G3. The "Don't Blame the Koalas" episode Guru Mark has a Powerbook 5300, and the "Home Improvement" episode Burnin' Love has a Powerbook 180. Catch That Kid has an iBook G4 and an iMac G4, along with an IBM Thinkpad T20. There is a Macbook Air along with Macbook Pros and Unibody iMacs in The Intern. The Macbook Air also appears in Fifty Shades of Grey. The Challenger Disaster has a IIe, a Macintosh and a Macintosh Classic (with the Tandy TRS-80 Model 4 thrown in for good measure). And finally, National Treasure: Book of Secrets as a Macbook and a Sony Vaio UX.

2022-03-16 00:33 Three more PCs

A Compaq Portable II plays an important role in the "Matlock" episode The Thief: Part 1. The first episode of Pugwall has a brief shot of an Olivetti M24. And finally, the Vendex Headstart Explorer makes its Starring-the-Computer debut in Guns.

2022-03-06 17:11 Cruella

It's always good to see another appearance of Starring the Computer's mascot - the Acorn Electron. It's latest outing is a brief appearance in the 2021 film Cruella.

2022-02-20 15:53 Three more computers

Three more machines make their debut appearance on the site. The Toshiba Pasopia 16 appears in Sotto il vestito niente, The Steal offers a Compaq LTE Lite (along with an Amstrad PCW 9512 and an Apple Macintosh Quadra 700) and Stranger in the House gives us our first Tandy TRS-80 Color Computer 3 (along with the more mundane Apple Macintosh Classic).

2022-02-13 16:31 Magnetic Monster Computers

There are not very many movies from the 1950s that feature computers, and this is the first here with two! The Magnetic Monster has some stock footage of the GE Differential Analyzer and the first appearance of the National Bureau of Standards SWAC both playing the part of the MANIAC computer.

2022-02-05 22:00 Doctor Who

There have been rather a lot of computers in Doctor Who over the years and here is a selection of those appearances. The ICT 1301 appears time and again in stories including The Claws of Axos, The Mind of Evil, The Sea Devils, The Time Warrior, Terminus and The Twin Dilemma. Honeywell machines make appearances in Logopolis (the 6000) and Planet of Fire (the H200). Then there are a couple of debutantes: the LEO II in The Hand of Fear, and the Olivetti M24SP in Mindwarp (along with its sibling Olivetti M24). Silver Nemesis gives us an Acorn Archimedes and, bringing us right up to date, The Halloween Apocalypse has brief glimpses of a Commodore 64 and Sinclair ZX Spectrum+.

2022-01-23 18:14 A few Apples

Here are a few more Apple appearances to add to the many already here. Funny People has the Aluminum iMac, iMac G3, Macbook, Macbook Pro and Power Mac G5. Boyhood has the Aluminum iMac, iMac G3, Powerbook G3 and Powerbook G4. The Lizzie McGuire Movie has a couple of iBook G3s. The Last Kiss has some office-bound iMac G5s. And finally, there is a Powerbook G4 in the "Friends" episode The One in Barbados.

2022-01-16 17:15 Fast and Rhythmic

Fast & Furious 9 has roles for the Commodore 64C, Dell Latitude 7202 Rugged Extreme and IBM PS/2 Model 30/55 along with the Dell Latitude 7214 Rugged Extreme making its debut appearance. There is a Microsoft Surface Book in The Rhythm Section.

2022-01-08 15:19 1980s Australia

Here are a couple Australian films from the 1980s. The Coolangatta Gold has a small role for an Hitachi MB-6891. Dark Age also some brief glimpses of a DEC Rainbow 100 and an ICL One Per Desk.

2022-01-02 12:01 Ferranti Menace

Menace Unseen has roles for the Compaq Portable III and IBM PS/2 but also offers Starring the Computer its first sighting of a Ferranti PC31.

2021-12-23 16:27 Last update of 2021

Here's a random collection to round out the year. Can You Ever Forgive Me? features the Apple Macintosh SE and IBM PS/2 Model 50/70. The Specialist offer two Starring-the-Computer debutantes: the IBM ThinkPad 750 and the Sharp Wizard OZ-9600. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (the American version) offers another debutante, the Sony Vaio P as well as the Apple Macbook Pro and the Nokia 770. And the third episode of The Unlikely Murderer has a role for an Atari ST.

2021-12-12 22:22 An A-Team Trio

Here are three episodes of "The A-Team" that feature computers. The very first episode Mexican Slayride has shots of the Tandy TRS-80 Model III. Then there are two season two episodes with The Battle of Bel Air having GE 635 panels and Harder Than It Looks having a small role for a Commodore PET 2001 keyboard.

2021-12-05 11:21 An Acorn Cornucopia

Here's another little batch of Acorn machines. There's a BBC Micro in the "Dempsey and Makepeace" episode Silver Dollar and Out of This World, Episode 5 (which also has a glimpse of the Amstrad PC 1512). There's an Acorn Archimedes in the "Minder" episode How to Succeed in Business Without Really Retiring and finally the Gameboys episode of "A Mind to Kill" sees the Acorn A5000 making its Starring-the-Computer debut.