Forty years ago, “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” became a cultural phenomenon when an alien stranded on Earth met a boy named Elliott, played by Henry Thomas, Jr. Also starring a 6-year-old Drew Barrymore, the film was the highest-grossing movie of all time until “Jurassic Park” in 1993. Bust out some Reese’s Pieces and your old Speak & Spell, and be mesmerized again by one of the greatest films of the ’80s. | AARP

#OTD 1982: E.T. was just days away from a UK cinema release - six long months after it opened in the US. Film 82's Iain Johnstone gave it the once-over. | BBC Archive