1979
Events[edit]
- May: Fotomat begins signing with Paramount to rent and sell 43 feature films on videocassette.
- June:
- Time-Life Video was established to rent videocassettes.
- VidAmerica sets up operations.
- September: The Laurel Group announces its exclusive claim as the sole licensor for official releases of public domain feature Night of the Living Dead; excepting pre-existing licenses from original U.S. theatrical distributor The Walter Reade Organization and co-producer Image Ten, all releases from this point on are to be considered unofficial unless officially licensed by the Laurel Group, regardless of quality.
- November: Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment starts up home video operations, with a deal at Time-Life.
VHS and Beta[edit]
January[edit]
| Title | Label | Distributor | Released | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alice's Adventures in Wonderland | Video Communications, Inc. | United Entertainment | January 1979 | |
| And Then There Were None | Video Communications, Inc. | United Entertainment | January 1979 | |
| The Beatles Show | Video Communications, Inc. | United Entertainment | January 1979 | |
| Bigfoot: Man or Beast? | Video Communications, Inc. | United Entertainment | January 1979 | |
| The Big Land | Video Communications, Inc. | United Entertainment | January 1979 | |
| Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Captain Kidd | Video Communications, Inc. | United Entertainment | January 1979 | |
| The Bullwinkle Show | Video Communications, Inc. | United Entertainment | January 1979 | |
| Chariots of the Gods | Video Communications, Inc. | United Entertainment | January 1979 | |
| Don't Look in the Basement | Video Communications, Inc. | United Entertainment | January 1979 | |
| The Family | Video Communications, Inc. | United Entertainment | January 1979 | |
| Jack and the Beanstalk | Video Communications, Inc. | United Entertainment | January 1979 | |
| The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams | Video Communications, Inc. | United Entertainment | January 1979 | |
| Overlords of the U.F.O. | Video Communications, Inc. | United Entertainment | January 1979 | |
| Pinocchio | Video Communications, Inc. | United Entertainment | January 1979 | |
| Sasquatch | Video Communications, Inc. | United Entertainment | January 1979 | |
| Son of Sinbad | Video Communications, Inc. | United Entertainment | January 1979 | |
| The Wild Geese | Allied Artists Video | Allied Artists Video | January 12, 1979 |
February[edit]
| Title | Label | Distributor | Released | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Sound of Music | Magnetic Video Corporation | Magnetic Video Corporation | February 1979 |
March[edit]
April[edit]
May[edit]
| Title | Label | Marketer | Distributor | Released | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Hot Wax | Paramount Home Video | Fotomat Video | Fotomat Video | May 1979 | |
| Fraternity Row | Paramount Home Video | Fotomat Video | Fotomat Video | May 1979 | |
| The Godfather | Paramount Home Video | Fotomat Video | Fotomat Video | May 1979 | |
| The Godfather Part II | Paramount Home Video | Fotomat Video | Fotomat Video | May 1979 | |
| Saturday Night Fever | Paramount Home Video | Fotomat Video | Fotomat Video | May 1979 | |
| Shane | Paramount Home Video | Fotomat Video | Fotomat Video | May 1979 | |
| Three Days of the Condor | Paramount Home Video | Fotomat Video | Fotomat Video | May 1979 |
June[edit]
| Title | Label | Distributor | Released | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| And God Created Woman | Time-Life Video | Time-Life Video | June 1979 | |
| Foreign Correspondent | Time-Life Video | Time-Life Video | June 1979 | |
| Go Tell the Spartans | Time-Life Video | Time-Life Video | June 1979 | |
| HBO On Location: An Evening with Redd Foxx | Time-Life Video | Time-Life Video | June 1979 | |
| HBO On Location: Young Comedians Jamboree | Time-Life Video | Time-Life Video | June 1979 | |
| The Hound of the Baskervilles | Allied Artists Video | Allied Artists Video | June 1979 | |
| The Long Voyage Home | Time-Life Video | Time-Life Video | June 1979 | |
| The Making of Star Wars | Magnetic Video Corporation | Magnetic Video Corporation | June 1979 | |
| Slightly Honorable | Time-Life Video | Time-Life Video | June 1979 | |
| Stagecoach | Time-Life Video | Time-Life Video | June 1979 | |
| Sundown | Time-Life Video | Time-Life Video | June 1979 | |
| Trade Winds | Time-Life Video | Time-Life Video | June 1979 | |
| The Woman of the Town | Time-Life Video | Time-Life Video | June 1979 |
July[edit]
August[edit]
September[edit]
| Title | Label | Distributor | Released | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Bad News Bears | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| Barbarella: Queen of the Galaxy | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| Breakfast at Tiffany's | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid | Magnetic Video Corporation | Magnetic Video Corporation | September 1979 | |
| Charlotte's Web | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| Chinatown | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| Days of Heaven | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| Death Wish | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox | Magnetic Video Corporation | Magnetic Video Corporation | September 1979 | |
| The Godfather | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| The Godfather Part II | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| Goin' South | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| Gunfight at the O.K. Corral | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| Harold and Maude | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| In Praise of Older Women | Magnetic Video Corporation | Magnetic Video Corporation | September 1979 | |
| Islands in the Stream | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| King Kong | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| Lady Sings the Blues | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| The Little Prince | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| The Longest Yard | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| Looking for Mr. Goodbar | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| Love Story | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| Marathon Man | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| Murder on the Orient Express | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| Nashville | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| The Odd Couple | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| Paper Moon | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| Play It Again, Sam | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| Pretty Baby | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| Romeo and Juliet | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| Saturday Night Fever | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| Shane | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| The Shootist | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| Sunset Boulevard | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| The Ten Commandments | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| Three Days of the Condor | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| True Grit | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 | |
| The War of the Worlds | Paramount Home Video | Paramount Home Video | September 1979 |
October[edit]
| Title | Label | Distributor | Released | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conversation Piece | Magnetic Video Corporation | Magnetic Video Corporation | October 1979 | |
| Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry | Magnetic Video Corporation | Magnetic Video Corporation | October 1979 | |
| Drum Beat | Fotomat Video | Fotomat Video | October 1979 | |
| The Poseidon Adventure | Magnetic Video Corporation | Magnetic Video Corporation | October 1979 | |
| Serpico | Paramount Home Video | Fotomat Video | October 1979 | |
| The Servant | EMI Videogram | Fotomat Video | October 1979 | |
| Sympathy for the Devil | Magnetic Video Corporation | Magnetic Video Corporation | October 1979 | |
| Watch Your Step: Program I | Magnetic Video Corporation | Magnetic Video Corporation | October 1979 | |
| Watch Your Step: Program II | Magnetic Video Corporation | Magnetic Video Corporation | October 1979 | |
| Watch Your Step: Program III | Magnetic Video Corporation | Magnetic Video Corporation | October 1979 |
November[edit]
| Title | Label | Distributor | Released | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 Preview Tape | Media Home Entertainment | Media Home Entertainment | November 1979 | |
| The Anderson Tapes | Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment | Time-Life Video | November 1979 | |
| Assault on Precinct 13 | Media Home Entertainment | Media Home Entertainment | November 1979 | |
| Attack of the Killer Tomatoes | Media Home Entertainment | Media Home Entertainment | November 1979 | |
| The Blue Max | Magnetic Video Corporation | Magnetic Video Corporation | November 1979 | |
| Born Free | Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment | Time-Life Video | November 1979 | |
| Born Yesterday | Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment | Time-Life Video | November 1979 | |
| A Boy and His Dog | Media Home Entertainment | Media Home Entertainment | November 1979 | |
| Breakout | Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment | Time-Life Video | November 1979 | |
| Bye Bye Birdie | Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment | Time-Life Video | November 1979 | |
| Cocaine Cowboys | Media Home Entertainment | Media Home Entertainment | November 1979 | |
| The Day Time Ended | Media Home Entertainment | Media Home Entertainment | November 1979 | |
| The Deep | Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment | Time-Life Video | November 1979 | |
| Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River | Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment | Time-Life Video | November 1979 | |
| End of the World | Media Home Entertainment | Media Home Entertainment | November 1979 | |
| Fun with Dick and Jane | Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment | Time-Life Video | November 1979 | |
| Fyre | Media Home Entertainment | Media Home Entertainment | November 1979 | |
| Gilda | Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment | Time-Life Video | November 1979 | |
| Halloween | Media Home Entertainment | Media Home Entertainment | November 1979 | |
| The Harder They Fall | Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment | Time-Life Video | November 1979 | |
| Harry and Walter Go to New York | Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment | Time-Life Video | November 1979 | |
| Here Comes Mr. Jordan | Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment | Time-Life Video | November 1979 | |
| Laserblast | Media Home Entertainment | Media Home Entertainment | November 1979 | |
| A Man for All Seasons | Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment | Time-Life Video | November 1979 | |
| Mr. Smith Goes to Washington | Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment | Time-Life Video | November 1979 | |
| Mysterious Island | Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment | Time-Life Video | November 1979 | |
| The New Centurions | Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment | Time-Life Video | November 1979 | |
| Nocturna | Media Home Entertainment | Media Home Entertainment | November 1979 | |
| Planet of the Apes | Magnetic Video Corporation | Magnetic Video Corporation | November 1979 | |
| Shame of the Jungle | Media Home Entertainment | Media Home Entertainment | November 1979 | |
| Shamus | Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment | Time-Life Video | November 1979 | |
| Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger | Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment | Time-Life Video | November 1979 | |
| Slithis | Media Home Entertainment | Media Home Entertainment | November 1979 | |
| The Taming of the Shrew | Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment | Time-Life Video | November 1979 | |
| Tourist Trap | Media Home Entertainment | Media Home Entertainment | November 1979 | |
| The Towering Inferno | Magnetic Video Corporation | Magnetic Video Corporation | November 1979 | |
| You Light Up My Life | Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment | Time-Life Video | November 1979 |
December[edit]
TBD[edit]
| Title | Label | Marketer | Distributor | Released | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseball: Fun & Games | Video Corporation of America | Video Corporation of America | Video Corporation of America | 1979 | |
| Casablanca | Video Corporation of America | Video Corporation of America | Video Corporation of America | 1979 | |
| Dark Star | Video Communications Inc. | Video Communications Inc. | United Entertainment, Inc. | 1979 | |
| Debbie Does Dallas | Video Cassette X-Rated | Video Cassette X-Rated | Video Cassette X-Rated | 1979 | |
| The Devil in Miss Jones | Video Cassette X-Rated | Video Cassette X-Rated | Video Cassette X-Rated | 1979 | |
| His Girl Friday | Discount Video Tapes | Discount Video Tapes | Discount Video Tapes | 1979 | |
| Hitler's Children | The Nostalgia Merchant | The Nostalgia Merchant | The Nostalgia Merchant | 1979 | |
| Last Tango in Paris | Video Corporation of America | Video Corporation of America | Video Corporation of America | 1979 | |
| The Outer Space Connection | Video Communications Inc. | Video Communications Inc. | United Entertainment, Inc. | 1979 | |
| Pack Up Your Troubles | The Nostalgia Merchant | The Nostalgia Merchant | The Nostalgia Merchant | 1979 | |
| Semi-Tough | Video Corporation of America | Video Corporation of America | Video Corporation of America | 1979 | |
| World Series Highlights | Video Corporation of America | Video Corporation of America | Video Corporation of America | 1979 | |
| The Year of the Great Comeback | Video Corporation of America | Video Corporation of America | Video Corporation of America | 1979 |
Laser videodisc[edit]
January[edit]
February[edit]
March[edit]
April[edit]
May[edit]
June[edit]
July[edit]
August[edit]
September[edit]
October[edit]
November[edit]
December[edit]
TBD[edit]
| Title | Label | Distributor | Released | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kidnapped | MCA DiscoVision | MCA Distributing Corporation | 1979 | |
| Kids is Kids | MCA DiscoVision | MCA Distributing Corporation | 1979 | |
| Looking for Mr. Goodbar | MCA DiscoVision | MCA Distributing Corporation | 1979 | |
| Love Story | MCA DiscoVision | MCA Distributing Corporation | 1979 | |
| The Marcus-Nelson Murders | MCA DiscoVision | MCA Distributing Corporation | 1979 | |
| National Lampoon's Animal House | MCA DiscoVision | MCA Distributing Corporation | 1979 | |
| On Vacation with Mickey Mouse and Friends | MCA DiscoVision | MCA Distributing Corporation | 1979 | |
| Saturday Night Fever | MCA DiscoVision | MCA Distributing Corporation | 1979 | |
| Three Days of the Condor | MCA DiscoVision | MCA Distributing Corporation | 1979 | |
| Tom Sawyer | MCA DiscoVision | MCA Distributing Corporation | 1979 |
Operating VHS and Beta duplicators[edit]
- Bell & Howell (serving Allied Artists Video, Fotomat Video, and Paramount Home Video)
- Columbia Pictures Videocassette Services
- Magnetic Video Corporation (also serving Paramount Home Video)
- Media Home Entertainment
- The Nostalgia Merchant
- VCA-Teletronics (also serving Time-Life Video)