7/28 - What Classic '90s Movie Twist Wasn't Originally in the Script?
Plus dueling Full House rewatch podcasts just launched.
The ‘80s & ‘90s pop culture you loved, forgot, or never knew existed
July 28th, 2023 • Issue 162
This week in the ‘80s and ‘90s
July 28th
1978 - Animal House hit theaters.
1981 - IBM released its first desktop computer.
1984 - The summer Olympics kicked off in Los Angeles.
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.
Despite its reputation, Waterworld actually was NOT a huge bomb — in fact, it turned a profit.
Waterworld, with a $175 million budget, was the most expensive movie ever made at the time of its release. And since it grossed just $88 million at the U.S. box office (and received middling-at-best reviews), it’s remembered as a bomb.
But that’s not really the case. The movie made $176 million in foreign box office. It also did a solid VHS sales business. And after expenses and other costs, it made a profit: $12.5 million.
While that’s not amazing, it’s far from a bomb. (For instance, The Adventures of Pluto Nash cost $100 million and did less than $7 million box office combined between U.S. and foreign.)
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.
The Beach Boys wrote Kokomo specifically for Cocktail — and it gave them their first number one hit in more than two decades.
The Beach Boys (minus Brian Wilson, who was working on his solo album) wrote Kokomo specifically for the Cocktail soundtrack.
It became their first number one hit since Good Vibrations in 1966 — 22 years earlier. It was also their final hit song, number one or otherwise.
That was the longest gap between number ones until Cher had Believe in 1999, which hit number one nearly 25 years after Dark Lady.
1991 - Metallica’s single Enter Sandman was released.
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!
1993 - So I Married an Axe Murderer hit theaters.
In the first version of the So I Married an Axe Murderer script, the main character really did marry an axe murderer.
Spoiler alert if you haven’t seen this 30-year-old movie: There is an axe murderer in the produced version of the script, but in a twist it’s not the woman Mike Myers marries.
However, according to the screenwriter, in his original version of the script, there was no such twist. In that version, the Nancy Travis character was the titular axe murderer, twists be damned.
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.
The last of the original Playboy Clubs to survive was the one in Lansing, Michigan.
The Playboy Clubs in major cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago all shut down in 1986. The only three cities whose clubs hung on until 1988 were Des Moines, Iowa; Omaha, Nebraska; and finally Lansing, Michigan.
However, much like minor football leagues, the Playboy Club brand has never stayed dead for that long. It’s reopened in various forms over the years, though never like it was in its glory days.
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.
1998 - Ever After hit theaters.
1999 - Christina Aguilera’s single Genie in a Bottle hit number one.
August 1st
1980 - Cinemax debuted.
Cinemax began as HBO’s prestige movie channel brand; it didn’t get into the softcore business until 1984.
HBO launched Cinemax in 1980 to show nothing but movies (a contrast to HBO’s TV and sports programs) — and mainly classic and prestige movies at that.
But as more movie channels entered the cable landscape fast, Cinemax needed an edge. So in 1984, they started showing R-rated movies during the daytime hours (which others weren’t doing) — along with a Friday night block of softcore movies. For which, of course, Cinemax would one day become almost exclusively known.
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.
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.
August 2nd
1985 - Weird Science hit theaters.
1987 - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was re-released in theaters.
1989 - Parenthood hit theaters.
1990 - A revised version of Punch-Out!!, with the titular Mike Tyson replaced by Mr. Dream, was released for NES.
1996 - Matilda hit theaters.
1996 - The Dream Team III won the gold medal at the Olympics in Atlanta.
Only 5 of the 12 players from the original Dream Team played in the Olympics four years later.
Dream Team III (Dream Team II competed at the 1994 World Championships) had just five of the players from the original Dream Team: Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Scottie Pippen, John Stockton, and David Robinson.
The other seven didn’t participate for various reasons. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were both retired; Patrick Ewing and Clyde Drexler said the Olympics took too much of a physical toll; Chris Mullin was dealing with injuries and was out of his prime; Christian Laettner probably wasn’t asked; and Michael Jordan said it was time for others to have a turn.
1998 - Lamb Chop’s Shari Lewis died.
August 3rd
1977 - Tandy and RadioShack announced their first personal computer.
1984 - Mary Lou Retton became the first American woman to win the all-around gymnastics gold medal.
1985 - Tears for Fears’ single Shout hit number one.
1987 - Def Leppard’s album Hysteria was released.
1990 - Young Guns II hit theaters.
1990 - Mo Better Blues hit theaters.
1990 - DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp hit theaters.
DuckTales the Movie was the first Disney animated movie that came from one of their television series.
Others that followed included A Goofy Movie, Doug’s 1st Movie, and many more
DuckTails was also the first Disney theatrical release from its Television Animation division — which is why it was noticeably lower quality than the other Disney movies of the era.
1996 - Los Del Rio’s Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix) hit number one.
1999 - Iron Giant hit theaters.
Everything old is new again
A look at the reboots, revivals, throwbacks, retro insights, and nostalgia in the news
TWO dueling Full House rewatch podcasts just launched. One with Dave Coulier and one with Jodie Sweetin and Andrea Barber. They say it’s not a competition, it just so happens both launched at the same time.
Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty says he thought the use of their song Push in the Barbie movie was “hilarious.”
Ryan Reynolds brought back ALF to shill for various brands.
A pair of Apple sneakers from the ‘90s are on sale at Sotheby’s for a flat price of $50,000.
Chuck Norris and CBS have settled his lawsuit over Walker, Texas Ranger profits.
Sinead O’Connor passed away this week at age 56.
Recommendations of the week
The ‘80s & ‘90s pop culture you loved
Check out 10 of the most valuable cassette tapes from the ‘80s and ‘90s, in case you have any of these sealed in a box somewhere.
The ‘80s & ‘90s pop culture you forgot
Here’s an ode to the see-through telephones of the ‘90s.
The ‘80s & ‘90s pop culture you never knew existed
When Saturday Night Live was far more of a variety show than it is today…here’s a clip from 1986 of Penn & Teller performing a series of live magic tricks on the show. The YouTube description gives away the big surprise twist at the end but if you can avoid reading it, it perfectly reframes the entire act.
Correction from last week: The link to the Cameron Crowe article on Singles was missing. Here it is.
Have a great week!
-Sam