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

40 years ago today, a very special visitor from beyond the stars first enchanted audiences around the world in E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL. Happy birthday, E.T. You've kept our heartlights full of love all these years. #ETTheExtraTerrestrial #HenryThomas Drew Barrymore Robert Macnaughton Dee Wallace #PeterCoyote #MelissaMathison #KathleenKennedy Frank Marshall #AllenDaviau #CarolLittleton #JohnWilliams Industrial Light & Magic #StevenSpielberg Universal Pictures | Amblin