1980s Movie Mt. Rushmore Part II: The Brat Pack
By Michael Nazarewycz This is the second of a 4-part series that will look at those people most influential on movies in the 1980s. Click here to read Part I: John Hughes. I wanted a tidy list. I wanted four individual people. I wanted a nice Mt. Rushmore graphic. But how could I? Mention 1980s movies to most people – 80s devotees or not – and a high percentage of them surely will think of the Brat Pack. And that’s why I couldn’t pick...
Little Professor
How a Generation Learned Their Multiplication Tables Those of us who came of age in the 80s were little kids in the 70s; and one of the coolest toys of the late 70s was the Little Professor handheld reverse calculator. It was the first electronic educational toy developed by Texas Instruments (which later went on to develop the immensely popular Speak & Spell series). Little Professor was first introduced in 1976, and kids were so...
Whitney Houston: In Memoriam
By Michael Nazarewycz When someone famous passes, particularly when it happens at an age that is decades before we might be less surprised by it, we are often left to ask “What if …?” The question wonders what other works the artist would have created if he/she had lived. The names of the people about whom we have asked this question – even if we limit the list only to those who left their fingerprints in the 1980s –...
1980s Movie Mt. Rushmore Part I: John Hughes
By Michael Nazarewycz This is the first of a 4-part series that will look at those people most influential on movies in the 1980s. In the eight-year span between 1982 and 1989, John Hughes wrote, directed, and/or produced 16 movies. Of those, the titles of 14 are still easily recognizable today, even by casual fans of ‘80s films. And of those 14, at least three (The Breakfast Club; Ferris Bueller’s Day Off; Christmas Vacation) are...
Coca-Cola Rugbys
By Julie Anderson Coca-Cola rugby shirts were SOOO cool in the mid-eighties. With bold primary (or sometimes pastel) wide stripes and that famous cursive logo, we thought they were totally radical. My best friend had one and wore it, like, EVERYWHERE with her pinstriped pleated jeans. Coke rugby shirts were so cheerful! So colorful! So sporty! Heavy D & The Boyz performing “Mr. Big Stuff” in 1986 certainly gave the trend a nice...
