The Greatest Story Ever Told on WCMH and Cinemax Movie Night

Craig’s notes

I thought this was going to be one of those movie tapes where somebody cut out every commercial. We had Jesus, but no ads. Then I spotted a WCMH Channel 4 ID and finally hit a break. An Easter miracle: commercials.

The Columbus spots were worth waiting for. Dick Masheter Ford had a 1989 Bull Pen Sale, Drug Emporium had a coloring contest, and Quinn's Sleep Centers put mattress salesmen in a classroom. I was hoping another JP's Barbecue ad might show up, but the tape went in a different direction: after The Greatest Story Ever Told, it jumped to Cinemax and The Last Temptation of Christ. Two Jesus movies on one cassette, and the second one didn't even have commercials.

After that came School Daze, Cinemax promos and Max Movie News. One Cinemax promo talks about October, which is a good reminder that the March clue from the WCMH ads doesn't date everything on this tape. The films are easy enough to name. It's the local breaks, plus all that Cinemax stuff between films, that I wanted to keep watching.

Content inventory

Shows and segments (playback order)

1. The Greatest Story Ever Told on WCMH-TV 4 Columbus: 1965 George Stevens film in a WCMH broadcast with commercial breaks. The stream fast-forwards through film passages; the exact broadcast day is unresolved.
2. The Last Temptation of Christ on Cinemax: Cinemax introduction followed by the film; Craig fast-forwards through the movie. Not dated by the earlier WCMH broadcast clue.
3. School Daze on Cinemax: The next Cinemax film after The Last Temptation of Christ; a series of channel spots and Max Movie News appears around this part of the recording.
4. Max Movie News: At the Box Office: Jimmy Fink hosts (confirmed in transcript); topics include Liza Minnelli, Old Gringo, the Kennedy family, Jane Fonda, An Innocent Man with Tom Selleck, and Matt Dillon in Drugstore Cowboy. Exact recording day unknown.

Commercial inventory

WCMH The Greatest Story Ever Told broadcast block

1. Blue Cross Blue Shield
2. Pepsi: "Simply Irresistible" ad
3. Origami Dollars: Transohio Banks
4. Big Sur Waterbeds: tax season
5. Schottenstein's: big sale on clothes
6. Chloraseptic; child performer (identification uncertain)
7. Germain Hyundai: "Reverse sticker shock": the teenie weenie price tag
8. Era laundry detergent
9. Quinn's Sleep Centers: mattress salesmen in a classroom
10. Twyford & Donahey
11. Women's Aglow
12. Bounty: "Moist tender coconut"
13. Dick Masheter: Bull Pen Sale! 1989! Factory Invoice Pricing
14. Breyers Light
15. Toyota Northeast / Suzuki Northeast / Nissan Northeast
16. Schottenstein's clothing sale, with chicks
17. Pepsi in the Soviet Union
18. Chrysler Plymouth East
19. Chloraseptic: a man with a cold
20. Jell-O with Bill Cosby and a girl
21. Toyota Northeast / Suzuki Northeast / Nissan Northeast: Performance Purchase Plan
22. Junior Achievement of Central Ohio, 1989 Business Hall of Fame
23. Schottenstein's: watch ad
24. Tombstone Double Top Pizza
25. Drug Emporium coupon book and children’s coloring contest
26. Prell shampoo and the driver’s license photo pitch
27. Post Bran Flakes with John Newsome (name as logged)
28. Post Bran Flakes with Lena Horne
29. Hamburger Italiano
30. Mountain Dew with mountain bikers
31. Lilt for hair
32. Shell gas credit card with mechanical imprinter
33. Spic and Span
34. Columbus Symphony Orchestra at the Huntington Center
35. Byers Jeep: "Has you covered" jingle
36. Pert Plus
37. Pella Windows versus WindowScaping at the Pella Window Store
38. Quality Lennox Dealers / Mullen Environmental
39. Secret Wide Solid
40. Phil Dirt and the Dozers at the Aladdin Shrine Temple; Goodwill Center benefit
41. White Cloud toilet paper: cloud on an airplane

Station and show promos

WCMH The Greatest Story Ever Told broadcast block

1. Adams' Odyssey, News Watch 4 coverage promo
2. Sally Jesse Raphael weekdays at 10 on Channel 4 promo
3. Win, Lose or Draw show promo

Cinemax film / continuity block; exact side of School Daze boundary not established

1. Cinemax New Wave Film introduction for The Last Temptation of Christ
2. Cinemax channel bumpers (number and placement not individually logged)
3. The Thin Blue Line promo
4. Cinemax Director’s Chair: Alfred Hitchcock promo
5. Military Max / Stripes promo
6. Cinemania bumper

Tape details

Archive ID

VHS-2025-020

Recording type

Home recording with WCMH and Cinemax material

Format

VHS

WCMH broadcast date

Before March 31, 1989, per the logged ad clue; exact day unconfirmed

Cinemax recording date

Unresolved; October programming promos appear in this separate block

Viewed

March 31, 2026

On the label

• Cassette spine: THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD: Title visible on the cassette spine; GE T-120 is printed on the sleeve. The cassette-shell/case brand does not identify the broadcaster.