Pop Culture in the 20th Century (Part 7)

[tv star collector]

The Eighties

Well, here we are at the dawn of another decade. Which one was it? Oh yeah ... the eighties.

Well, for me personally, the eighties was a period of transition and adjustment. I had moved with
my dad to Florida (in 1981, two years after my mom died). Having no driver's license, I had no luck
finding employment. So I had a lot of spare time on my hands, between 1981 and 1983 (when my
dad died and I moved back to South Carolina to live with my half-sister). I struck up a friendship
with a young man named Joe Whitehurst, while in Florida. We shared a fondness for comic books,
sci-fi, and animation. But after I left Florida, we lost touch. He was very interested in art, and his
ambition was to become a teacher. I hope that he found success and happiness.

Movies

Comedy

In 1984, Touchstone Pictures was formed, as a separate division of Walt Disney Productions,
for the purpose of releasing more adult movie fare and attracting major Hollywood talent. Their
first release was a delightful comedy about a mermaid, "Splash," starring Daryl Hannah and
Tom Hanks (and directed by former child star Ron Howard).


The Westerns

By the '80s, the western (alas!) was all but dead ... at least the pickin's were slim. Clint Eastwood
starred in "Bronco Billy." Klinton Spilsbury was so bad in the starring role of "The Legend of the
Lone Ranger" that his lines had to be dubbed by another actor.

Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Naturally, the success of "Star Wars" led to more forays into the sci-fi/fantasy realm: "Flash
Gordon" (1980), starring Sam J. Jones and Melody Anderson; "Heavy Metal" (1981; which proved
that you can't make a good movie out of a bad magazine); "Blade Runner" (1982; starring Harrison
Ford as Ridley Scott's futuristic hero); Steven Spielberg's classic "E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial";
Disney's "Tron" (a groundbreaking foray into computer-generated special FX; it would've been nice
if they'd had a decent story to go with it); and Robert Zemeckis's "Back to the Future" trilogy.

Not to mention: "Popeye" (Robin Williams, Shelley Duvall, and some awful songs by Harry
Nillson), "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980; the second "Star Wars" film); "Clash of the Titans"
(1981; Ray Harrhausen's last film); "Superman II" (in which Christopher Reeve returned to brawl
with renegade Kryptonians); "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" (1981; one of the better Star Trek
movies); Joe Dante's frighteningly funny "Gremlins"; "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom";
"Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" (Leonard Nimoy proves again that, in science-fiction, no one
ever really dies); "Ghostbusters" (with Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson,
Rick Moranis, Annie Potts, and Sigourney Weaver in a comedy classic that topped the movie
and music charts and also led to a hit animated TV series and, eventually, a film sequel);
"Supergirl" (Helen Slater in a film that many comics buffs still hate); "Star Trek IV: The Voyage
Home" (1986; a favorite among Star Trek fans, myself included); "Howard the Duck" (which
proved that even George Lucas could (dare I say it?) lay an egg); "The Little Shop of Horrors"
(with Rick Moranis in one of his best roles); "Beetlejuice" (1988; starring Michael Keaton and
directed by Tim Burton); Burton's "Batman" (1989; with Michael Keaton and Jack NIcholson);
and "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (possibly the most enjoyable Indy film, because it
paired Harrison Ford with Sean Connery (as his father)).

Animation

Disney's "The Fox and the Hound" (1981) starred the voices of Mickey Rooney and Kurt Russell,
as fox Tod and hound dog Cooper, respectively. Other voices were supplied by Pearl Bailey,
Sandy Duncan, Jack Albertson, Pat Buttram and Jeanette Nolan. It was during the production
of this picture that Don Bluth's unit left to set up their own studio. The animation is fine, but the
major problem is the slow pacing of the story.

Speaking of Don Bluth, his first feature film, "The Secret of NIMH," was released in 1982. The
former Disney artists' first independent effort is an admirable one. But, again the pacing suffers.
Still, it is a well-animated adaptation of the Newberry Award-winning book, "Mrs. Frisby and the
Rats of NIMH." When her family homestead is threatened, a young widowed mouse seeks help
and comes upon a secret society of superintelligent rats. (By the way, "NIMH" stands for the
National Institute for Mental Health.)

In 1986, Don Bluth's very successful "An American Tail" was released. This engaging film tells
the heart-warming story of Fievel Mousekewitz, a young mouse who flees Russia for America,
where the streets are paved with cheese. The movie teamed the creative talents of Bluth and
blockbuster producer Steven Spielberg. Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram sang the hit song
"Somewhere Out There."

In 1989, Touchstone -- in conjunction with Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment Company --
released the landmark film, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," a mind-boggling, Oscar-winning blend
of live-action and animation. (For many years, this was my favorite movie. One reason is that
almost every great cartoon star is in it: Donald Duck, Daffy Duck, Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny,
Betty Boop, Woody Woodpecker, Droopy, etc. Where else can you see so many characters,
from different studios, in the same picture?)

The film deservedly won a Special Achievement Oscar and three other Academy Awards. It
starred Bob Hoskins, Stubby Kaye, Joanna Cassidy and Christopher Lloyd and featured the
voices of Charles Fleischer (Roger) and Kathleen Turner (as Jessica Rabbit, surely the sexiest
pen-and-ink character since Tex Avery's Red Hot Riding Hood). Industrial Light & Magic (the
studio involved in "Star Wars") provided the incredible special FX, at a cost of $45 million. In
"Roger Rabbit," toon characters drive real cars and use real props, whereas humans handle
toon props. This was brilliantly achieved by combining the art of puppetry and animation
techniques. The screenplay was based on Gary K. Wolf's novel, "Who Censored Roger
Rabbit?" Every frame presented a new challenge. In the end, "Roger Rabbit" combined 1,035
optical illusions -- or (as supervisor Ken Ralston put it) "the equivalent of ten special effects
feature films." The opening four-minute sequence alone took nearly nine months to animate,
shoot and print. The entire movie took over three years and required 24 drawings per second.

Disney's "The Little Mermaid" (1989), the studio's 28th animated feature, is important because
it was the first of a long string of first-rate cartoon features that continues to this day. A musical
based loosely on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale, it performed swimmingly at the box office
and on Oscar night. It's the story of a sweet-voiced, headstrong teenage mermaid, Ariel (voiced
by Jodi Benson), who falls in love with a human prince (Christopher Daniel Barnes). Other voices
included Samuel E. Wright, Pat Carroll, Kenneth Mars, and Buddy Hackett. The film won Oscars
for Alan Menken's score and for Best Song ("Under the Sea").

Television

O.K. Here's a pop (culture) quiz for you, about TV in the 1980's. 1. What was the name of the
car that Michael Knight drove? 2. Gordon Chumway was the real name of what furry alien life
form? 3. Catherine Chandler and Vincent were the principal characters in what strange love
story? 4. Krusty the Clown, Itchy and Scratchy, and Santa's Little Helper were characters on
what long-running animated sitcom? 5. Finally, what is Buffy Summers' unsual occupation?

Answers: 1. KITT (Knight Industries Two Thousand), a futuristic car (actually a modified Trans Am)
driven by David Hasselhoff on Knight Rider. 2. ALF (voiced by producer Paul Fusco). 3. Beauty and the Beast, which starred Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman. 4. The Simpsons. 5. She's a vampire slayer (of course). Give yourself 20 pts. for each correct answer. 100 = You watch too
much TV. Read a book. 80 = Not bad. 60 = You read too much. Watch some TV. 20-40 = Don't you know that radio is dead? Buy a television set.

But seriously, let's look at some of the hits (and misses) from two decades ago ...
1980: Flo (a short-lived Alice spin-off starring Polly Holliday), Lobo (a short-lived BJ and the Bear spin-off starring Claude Akins), Enos (a short-lived Dukes of Hazzard spin-off starring Sonny Shroyer; I think I'm detecting a pattern here!).
1981: Gimme a Break, The Greatest American Hero.
1982: Newhart, Tales of the Gold Monkey (with Stephen Collins; a personal favorite; loved the Jack Russell terrier named (what else?) Jack), Family Ties (the series that made Michael J. Fox a star).
1983: The A-Team, Fall Guy, TJ Hooker, and The Rousters (another favorite of mine; set in a carnival; with Chad Everett, Jim Varney and Hoyt Axton).
1984: Highway to Heaven (Michael Landon and Victor French in what can be best desribed as a precursor to Touched by an Angel), The Cosby Show (Bill Cosby in the long-running sitcom that saved the genre and boosted NBC to the top of the ratings heap), and a show that--if looks could kill--would've been a sure-fire hit: Partners in Crime (starring Loni Anderson and Lynda Carter).
1985: Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories, Golden Girls and 227.
1986: Designing Women, ALF, Matlock (Andy Griffith in his second long-running series), Perfect Strangers (another favorite), Sledge Hammer! (a great show, evocative of the old Get Smart series).
1987: Werewolf (a Fox series that, regrettably, didn't last long), The
Charmings (an updating of
Snow White; funny show), Max Headroom, Beauty and the Beast, and A Different World.
1988: Just the Ten of Us, Empty Nest.
1989: Quantum Leap (great sci-fi series starring Scott Bakula) and Baywatch (with David Hasselhoff and a bevy of beauties; this show only lasted one season on NBC but ran for nearly a decade in syndication; critics mercilessly labeled it "Babewatch" but it had enough soap opera elements to earn a loyal following).

TV Animation

September, 1986, marked 17 seasons of continuous new production for Hanna-Barbera's Scooby-Doo, which premiered in 1969. Pee-Wee's Playhouse debuted, revitalizing live-action programming for kids with an entertaining mix of clay, stop motion and "strata-cut" animation.

Hanna-Barbera's Greatest Adventure: Stories from The Bible, a direct-to-video series (that also later aired in syndication) garnered numerous religious awards and was soon certified as the most successful original animated videocassette series for children.

In 1987, Steven Spielberg's "The Family Dog" made its debut as an episode of his Amazing Stories. The enthusiastic response led to a prime-time series commitment on CBS. Due to production complications, the series finally aired five years later and failed to measure up to the high quality of the pilot episode. James Brooks and Matt Groening recruited Klasky Csupo, Inc.
to produce the bumpers for The Tracey Ullman Show, which introduced the Simpson family. Two years later, the cartoon family got their own TV series. On Saturday morning, Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures, produced by Ralph Bakshi and directed by John Kricfalusi, was at first applauded by critics for its biting, adult humor. But controversy nearly negated the show's appeal when a watchdog group claimed the hero was seen sniffing a powdery white substance like cocaine, thereby setting a bad example for young people. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles premiered in syndication and became a huge international franchise grossing over a billion dollars in merchandise.

Pop Music

Beginning in the late '70s, the line between pop and country music was becoming blurred. More country acts were going pop, while at the same time rock acts were going country. Even former Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr both recorded songs in Nashville. Later on, Ringo would even record a hit duet with Buck Owens ("Act Naturally," which had earlier been recorded by first Buck Owens and, later, by The Beatles). In the years since, the distinction has become even less defined, with Garth Brooks singing a Billy Joel tune, Alabama and N'Sync recording a duet, etc. The Eagles were one of the first (and best) "crossover" bands.

In 1985, Rick Nelson died in a plane crash.

Country Music

In 1980, comedian George Burns made the country charts with "I Wish I Was Eighteen Again." The veteran performer quipped: "Why shouldn't I be a country singer? I'm older than most countries."

The movie "Coal Miner's Daughter," based on the life of Loretta Lynn and starring Sissy Spacek, premiered in Nashville. Spacek recorded all the vocals in the film.

In 1981, the Oak Ridge Boys' "Elvira" crossed over to the pop charts.

In 1983, the Nashville Network aired its first broadcast.

******************

Summing up: politically, we watched the terms of two U.S. Presidents (Ronald Reagan and George Bush) unfold. On the entertainment front, with increasing competition from cable and satellite TV, broadcast networks became more daring (bordering on "lewd," however that term is defined nowadays). But, while morals declined, technology improved. The Internet came along and -- like radio, television, and the printing press or any other tool -- it can be used for either good or evil.

Next time: we take a last look at the Twentieth Century as we reflect on the '90s.

[Chocoholic]

The 80's also had a lot of great Saturday morning cartoons for kids. Nickelodeon also had a lot of fun shows, like You Can't Do That on TV, Double Dare, Salute Your Shorts, Clarissa Explains it All, and other shows that slip my mind right now. I also loved 80's music. I remember Care Bears and Cabbage Patch dolls and Teddy Ruxpin and Lite Brite and so many other fun toys. My friends and I could also play outside all day without worrying that one of us might be shot or kidnapped or abducted by aliens or something. We also <gasp!> played games like Tag, sandlot baseball, and sang Christmas carols at Christmastime.

<sigh> I miss those carefree days of my childhood sometimes...