Sorry if this has been done before, but I just thought it would be fun:)

One of the many things I love about UM is that it combines mysteries, the paranormal, true crime, and 80s/90s nostalgia!

Now, I'm sure that when watching in recent years, we've all had a "whoa, retro" moment when watching UM...what are your favorites? (These, of course, could involve clothing, hairstyles, references to then-current events, technology, etc.)

My favorite is in the Crystal Spencer segment...the neighbors' hairstyles are just sooooooo awesome eighties!

In the Tracy Wofford-Bunn segment, her car is a Ford Fiesta! Not too many of those left nowadays (and it really was the kind of car she had, because in a picture shown onscreen of Tracy standing outside her house, you can see a Fiesta in the background).

I always thought the eyeglasses were amazing, especially the women's. Some of the best ones were Anna Anton's neighbor, Red Dixon's ex-wife, Cheryl Holland; some great male examples include "Tyler", Dorothy Donovan's killer, and the mysterious driver in the Dick Hansen segment.

For some great retro UM, it's tough to beat Kevin Poulsen and his eighties computer technology.

Speaking of top notch 80s technology, whenever they show someone using one of those gigantic cell phones cracks me up. Segments with mullets, high tops, acid wash jeans, giant earrings, and mall bangs sure makes me glad that we finally got out of that decade.

Oh and anyone else notice Stack's fondness for Burberry plaid? He was cooler than the rest of us, even back then. lol

My IMMEDIATE knee jerk reaction upon seeing the title of this thread was to think of the story about the ersatz "Countess" con artist with her cellphone and the woman commenting how "it's not every day you see someone with a cellphone". :lol:

For some great retro UM, it's tough to beat Kevin Poulsen and his eighties computer technology.

Yes!! That's actually the segment I was thinking of when I decided to attempt this thread.:cool:

Whenever I see the Bonnie Wilder segment I always notice the long, dark painted nails of the PI working on the case which was sooo 80's, lol.

I always thought the eyeglasses were amazing, especially the women's. Some of the best ones were Anna Anton's neighbor, Red Dixon's ex-wife, Cheryl Holland; some great male examples include "Tyler", Dorothy Donovan's killer, and the mysterious driver in the Dick Hansen segment.

Agreed. The glasses and the mustaches!

Mikki Jo West's tinted 70's glasses used to freak me out as a kid.

I love the surfer 80's hairstyles and clothing in the Jennifer Pratt segment. Makes me giggle every time.

My IMMEDIATE knee jerk reaction upon seeing the title of this thread was to think of the story about the ersatz "Countess" con artist with her cellphone and the woman commenting how "it's not every day you see someone with a cellphone". :lol:

Bingo.

Rotary phones, typewriters, Jeep wagoneers, pay phones at every corner, enormous computers and cell phones, satanic panic, cheesy 'rocker' music, mullets, skullets, a couple of man-sweaters that looked like a rainbow puked on them.

I love alot of the examples mentioned. :) I think this is part of the reason it gives me such a warm, fuzzy feeling watching those classic episodes now.

One of the biggest retro moments to me are the teenage thrill killers. Not to poke fun at a tragic case, but they seemed like stereotypical 80s metal kids...in fact especially the neighbor John who one of them lent his skull earring to. On this same note of course, the Megadeth shirt guy in the Debra Poe segment, lol.

Crystal from the near death experiences segment screamed 80s kid too. They were such an influential time that it even rubbed off on alot of adults, albeit milder...you can tell it in the hairstyles and clothing. DJ Dean had that frizzy hair of the times, for instance...and she must've been around 50.

Obviously things don't change instantly, but I think 1993 and before definitely looks and feels like "another time" and that's reflected in the old classic UM. Like the fashion, technology or even just the way people act would look entirely out of place today or even just a few years later.

Part of that is because of the older things that were still around. Like those old rotary phones or manual tv's seemed like a joke even then, but they were a "recent enough older technology" for, say elderly people. I think this is part of the reason why I never thought of the 60s/70s as being that old when I was a kid... I was already used to it on the show. Plus they did so good with the reenactments that it felt like almost being there.

In the "Tom Johnson" case, the top-quality hi-tech computer that was stolen by the suspect was evaluated to be worth tens of thousands of dollars, when nowadays a XBOX 360 is much more powerful than that hound, for a few measly hundred bucks. :lol:

In the Gilbert Ortiz segment, the actress playing his sister Brendha is wearing a black denim overall shorts outfit over a pink T-shirt and what look like black Doc Martens, things no girl nowadays would ever be caught wearing.

Candy Atherton, the British researcher in the Dorothea Allen segment, is another "big glasses" candidate with her giant baby blue frames which matched her blue dress which, IIRC, had a big sailor collar on it. I'm positive she was wearing shoulder pads since they were pretty much a given in late
80s to early 90s women's fashions.

Jennifer Pratt's colorful vest in her sit-down interview with Robert Stack is another sign of the times. Do young girls (or women in general) even wear actual full vests anymore?

Retro UM? Anytime you see someone with a mustache. Don't see many of those anymore. UM might be the last great mustache show.

For some great retro UM, it's tough to beat Kevin Poulsen and his eighties computer technology.
Agreed. And yet, tacos have never gone out of style. :lol:

I love the surfer 80's hairstyles and clothing in the Jennifer Pratt segment. Makes me giggle every time.

Indeed. In the reenactment of Jenny walking out of her high school (the clothes, the hair, the rock music playing in the background) it really looks like the start of an 80's teen movie.

Indeed. In the reenactment of Jenny walking out of her high school (the clothes, the hair, the rock music playing in the background) it really looks like the start of an 80's teen movie.

Yes! Could totally be "Unsolved Times at Ridgemont High" or something...all that's missing is a young Sean Penn...

Yes! Could totally be "Unsolved Times at Ridgemont High" or something...all that's missing is a young Sean Penn...

He was the one holding the 2X4.

(boo hiss...I kid, I kid.)

Speaking of top notch 80s technology, whenever they show someone using one of those gigantic cell phones cracks me up. Segments with mullets, high tops, acid wash jeans, giant earrings, and mall bangs sure makes me glad that we finally got out of that decade.

Oh and anyone else notice Stack's fondness for Burberry plaid? He was cooler than the rest of us, even back then. lol

Nooooooooooooooooo I miss the 80s. sniff sniff :(

Yes! Could totally be "Unsolved Times at Ridgemont High" or something...all that's missing is a young Sean Penn...

No kidding! Everytime I hear Curtis Croft speak, I'm amazed by how much he sounds like Jeff Spicoli :lol:

I love the segments from the 90's where there are some teens dressed up in 90's stye clothing. The Chad Maurer case is a good example of this.

For pure 80's/early 90's glory, I enjoyed the Cary Ann Nixon update when the New Kids On The Block made a special appearance. They looked hilarious.

Just found another slightly retro moment...in the Bonnie Wilder segment, the owners of a big department store talk about how difficult it was to fill open jobs at the store, and how they were basically desperate to hire anyone who "wasn't on drugs," etc.

Man, how times have changed! Bonnie Wilder would probably never have found employment today...:(

In the "Tom Johnson" case, the top-quality hi-tech computer that was stolen by the suspect was evaluated to be worth tens of thousands of dollars, when nowadays a XBOX 360 is much more powerful than that hound, for a few measly hundred bucks. :lol:

This is exactly what I thought of when I started to read this thread.

The technology in the Kevin Poulson segment is funny. And the "video makeover" technology in that one con-man segment is laughable as well.

In the Christi Nichols segment, Mark drives by a gas station with gas for 99 cents a gallon. Now THAT'S retro.

Sorry if this has been done before, but I just thought it would be fun:)

One of the many things I love about UM is that it combines mysteries, the paranormal, true crime, and 80s/90s nostalgia!

Now, I'm sure that when watching in recent years, we've all had a "whoa, retro" moment when watching UM...what are your favorites? (These, of course, could involve clothing, hairstyles, references to then-current events, technology, etc.)

My favorite is in the Crystal Spencer segment...the neighbors' hairstyles are just sooooooo awesome eighties!


Definitely hairstyles. Also clothes, that were very big at early 90's.... women with XXXXXL sweaters... Those denim' skirts and jackets....

But talking only about hairstyles....Kevin Hughes mulet was funny... I don't know HOW could people cut hair like these...

I always think of the fact that Angela Hammond had to stop and use a pay phone...unlike today, where she'd just whip out her cell. Sad that this happened in the early '90s (when usually only the wealthy had cell phones).

The 80's clothing was pretty bad in a lot of segments. Even when I watch some of the segments set in the 90's especially when the lost loves reunite I even laugh at some of the 90's clothes. I remember Darlie Routier's husband awful mullet.

Two words: Little Caesar.

Some of the 70s pictures taken, hairstyles and the like (for older cases with such pictures used). The motorcycle gangs and their outfits :D The old computers in the telecenter. ^^

Two words: Little Caesar.

The pizza place? How is that "retro"? They're still around.

The pizza place? How is that "retro"? They're still around.


I was alluding to the tribute band in the Lee Selwyn segment.

Two words: Little Caesar.

YES.

Reviving an old thread...I just thought of several more examples:

-The HUGE oversized glasses in the Randall Utterback segment

-The images of 80s excess in the Tammy Leppert segment

-I believe there's some sort of oversized cell/cordless phone seen in the I-70 killer segment

the lady that lost her memory following brain surgery...I thought it was so funny when she was looking at the monte carlo and said it looked like something out of the space-age,or something to that effect..and putting her hands on it and was walking around it,like she just couldn't believe it.LOL.
then when she put on music and was dancing around the living room while cleaning..oh my...hilarious.she looked like a teenager.I'm so glad she came across the article about memory loss and figured out what happened,and admitted it to her family.her girls said they could tell when the bandages came off that she didn't recognize them.

Bingo.

Rotary phones, typewriters, Jeep wagoneers, pay phones at every corner, enormous computers and cell phones, satanic panic, cheesy 'rocker' music, mullets, skullets, a couple of man-sweaters that looked like a rainbow puked on them.


Dare I ask what a "Skullet" is? :eek: :eek: :eek:

Another one that comes to mind is that segment about the DEA operation in Miami where they set up the fake telecommunications shop to sell cell phones and pagers to drug runners. The phones and pagers were MASSIVE.

The whole concept of the cell phone store as a front is pretty retro too. I doubt such a sting could really be orchestrated today with disposable cell phones being so common and widely available.