7/26 - What '90s Movie Was 1st Pitched as a Sports Game Show?
Plus trivia on Enter Sandman, Kingpin, Howard the Duck, the 1984 Olympics, and more
The ‘80s & ‘90s pop culture you loved, forgot, or never knew existed
July 26th, 2024 • Issue 214
Be Kind, Rewind
What happened on this day in the ‘80s and ‘90s — plus lots of bonus trivia
July 26th
1986 - Peter Gabriel’s song Sledgehammer hit number one.
1989 - Alannah Myles’s single Black Velvet was released.
1990 - The Americans with Disabilities Act became a law.
1991 - Paul “Pee-Wee Herman” Reubens was arrested for self-fornication in an adult movie theater.
1994 - Boyz II Men’s single I’ll Make Love to You was released.
1996 - Kingpin hit theaters.
Bill Murray actually bowled three straight strikes while filming the movie’s climactic turkey.
Apparently Murray was a better bowler than Woody Harrelson; Harrelson was so bad that coaches had to teach him how to make his bowling look somewhat believable.
1997 - OMC’s How Bizarre peaked at number 4.
1997 - Shawn Colvin’s Sunny Came Home peaked at number 7.
1999 - MTV’s serial soap Undressed premiered.
July 27th
1981 - Stevie Nicks’s first solo album, Bella Donna, was released.
1984 - Purple Rain hit theaters.
1984 - Metallica’s Ride the Lightning was released.
1985 - Paul Young’s single Everytime You Go Away hit number one.
1990 - Dr. Mario was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
1990 - Problem Child hit theaters.
1991 - Bryan Adams’s single (Everything I Do) I Do It For You hit number one.
1993 - Mariah Carey’s single Dreamlover was released.
1993 - Boston Celtics star Reggie Lewis suddenly died on the court.
1996 - A bomb exploded outside the Olympics in Atlanta.
1996 - The Butthole Surfers’ only hit, Pepper, peaked at number 26.
Pepper was written to make fun of Beck.
The only hit from Butthole Surfers — which came when they were already 15 years into their mega-alternative career — was a send-up of Beck’s style and seemingly random lyrics.
1999 - Destiny’s Child’s album The Writing’s on the Wall was released.
July 28th
1978 - Animal House hit theaters.
1981 - IBM released its first desktop computer.
1984 - The summer Olympics kicked off in Los Angeles.
The women’s marathon was not added to the Olympics until 1984.
Though the men’s marathon debuted at the first modern Olympics, in 1896, it took nearly nine decades before the women’s marathon came to be.
The 1984 Summer Olympics also saw debuts of other women’s events including cycling, rhythmic gymnastics, and synchronized swimming.
1989 - Turner and Hooch hit theaters.
1989 - Gloria Estefan’s debut solo album, Cuts Both Ways, was released.
1992 - Bobby Brown’s single Humpin’ Around was released.
1992 - Mary J. Blige’s debut album, What’s the 411?, was released.
1993 - Robin Hood: Men in Tights hit theaters.
1995 - Waterworld hit theaters.
1995 - The Net and Operation: Dumbo Drop hit theaters.
1999 - Barry Sanders retired from the NFL.
2000 - Kathie Lee Gifford left Live with Regis and Kathie Lee.
July 29th
1981 - Prince Charles and Princess Diana were married.
1982 - Jerry “The King” Lawler slapped Andy Kaufman on Late Night with David Letterman.
1987 - Ben & Jerry’s reached a deal with Jerry Garcia to create the Cherry Garcia ice cream flavor.
1988 - Cocktail hit theaters.
1991 - Metallica’s single Enter Sandman was released.
Enter Sandman was originally about a baby dying from SIDS.
The lyrics to Enter Sandman was originally dark in a really different way than they ended up. The song was about SIDS and the line that became “off to never never land” was “disrupt the perfect family.”
But as Metallica set their sights on becoming the biggest rock band in the world, they realized they needed to make their music more “fun horror” than “realistic, heartbreaking horror.” So singer James Hetfield changed the song to make it about children’s nightmares instead.
1992 - Captain Hollywood Project’s single More and More was released.
1993 - Toni Braxton’s debut single, Another Sad Love Song, was released.
1994 - The Mask hit theaters.
1994 - It Could Happen to You hit theaters.
1994 - Models Inc. premiered on FOX.
1996 - Carl Lewis won gold in the fourth straight Olympics.
1997 - 98 Degrees’ self-titled debut album was released.
1998 - The Negotiator hit theaters.
2000 - BBMak’s one hit, Back Here, peaked at number 13.
2000 - NSYNC’s single It’s Gonna Be Me hit number one.
2000 - Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston got married.
July 30th
1979 - Apple began working on Lisa, the first computer with a graphical user interface.
1986 - Flight of the Navigator hit theaters.
1988 - Steve Winwood’s single Roll with It hit number one.
1990 - George Steinbrenner was forced to resign by MLB.
1990 - The first Saturn automobiles were produced.
1990 - The MovieTime cable network rebranded as E!
1999 - Runaway Bride hit theaters.
July 31st
1980 - Harry Potter was born (canonically).
1984 - The U.S. men’s gymnastics team won gold at the Olympics.
1987 - The Lost Boys hit theaters.
1988 - The last Playboy Club closed.
1991 - Hot Shots! hit theaters.
1992 - Buffy the Vampire Slayer hit theaters.
1993 - Whoomp! There It Is by Tag Team peaked at #2.
1995 - Disney announced it would be acquiring ABC and ESPN.
1995 - Selena’s album Dreaming of You debuted at number one.
1998 - Baseketball hit theaters.
The original plan for the “sport” of baseketball was to turn it into a game show.
David Zucker, who made up the game with friends a few decades earlier, first tried pitching it as a game show. When no networks were interested, he tried pitching it as a scripted series to HBO. And when they passed, he turned it into a movie.
1998 - Ever After hit theaters.
1999 - Christina Aguilera’s single Genie in a Bottle hit number one.
August 1st
1980 - Cinemax debuted.
1981 - MTV debuted.
1981 - Rich Springfield’s single Jessie’s Girl hit number one.
1981 - Diana Ross and Lionel Richie’s single Endless Love was released.
1986 - Howard the Duck hit theaters.
Howard the Duck is the first Marvel movie.
Howard the Duck was the first Marvel comic book character to get a feature film. And… the movie was famously a huge bomb.
1987 - Mike Tyson became undisputed heavyweight boxing champion for the first time.
1987 - Bob Seger’s single Shakedown hit number one.
1987 - Denver defeated Pittsburgh in the first-ever ArenaBowl.
1988 - The Last Temptation of Christ hit theaters.
1988 - Altered Beast was released by Sega.
1990 - Deee-Lite’s single Groove Is in the Heart was released.
1996 - MTV2 launched.
1997 - The first Air Bud movie was released.
1999 - The Petronas Towers opened in Malaysia to become the world’s tallest building.
What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?
A look at the reboots, revivals, throwbacks, retro insights, and nostalgia in the news
Sorry, news is off this week due to me being knocked out with Covid.
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Have a great week!
-Sam