Remember This Commercial from 1984?

Perhaps you remember the year, 1984. George Orwell fictionalized it in his 1949 dystopian tale about Big Brother, and when the year finally rolled around Apple used the book’s theme for its commercial introducing the world to the company’s new personal computer.

What might be interesting to Magic Valley folks, however, is that the commercial, directed by Ridley Scott, debuted in only 10 U.S. cities with Twin Falls being one of them. It aired at the tail end of 1983 on KMVT, right before the clock turned to a new year. It aired nationally a few weeks later during 1984's Super Bowl.

The commercial depicts Orwell’s disturbing vision, with industrial workers watching a televised speech by a dystopic leader who is telling his dupes that they are celebrating the “first glorious anniversary of the Information Purification Directives.”

In another scene, a woman runs from police. In her arms she carries a sledgehammer. Eventually, the woman gets close enough to the screen to throw the sledgehammer at it, disrupting the televised speech and prompting the narrator to finish the 63-second television ad.

“On January 24, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh,” he says. So there’s no mistaking the words, they are printed on the screen for all to see. “And you’ll see why 1984 won’t be like’1984’.”

The year 1984 didn’t turn out like Orwell’s unnerving tale, but some conspiracy theorists might argue it was a turning point to more Big Brother problems with the new technology.

And for those who remember, 1984 also was the year gas prices were around $1.22 a gallon, India's Prime Minister Indira Gandhi (not Mahatma) was assassinated, the eight-season TV show Three's Company ended, and the classic rock film Purple Rain starring Prince was released, as were the now iconic films Ghostbusters and The Karate Kid.

What do you remember about 1984?