July 9: American Pie, Mario Bros., Home Run Derby
Plus Juvenile's pro-vax self-parody is postmodern perfection
The Retro
by 11 Points
Modern perspectives on ‘80s and ‘90s nostalgia
July 9th, 2021 • Issue 55
This week in nostalgic history
July 9th
22 years ago, on July 9th, 1999 - American Pie hit theaters.
The teen sex comedy genre didn’t just peak in the 1980s, it, um, hit its climax — at times, teen sex comedies were so prevalent there were multiple options in theaters simultaneously.
Then the genre slammed to a damn near cold turkey stop in the 1990s. There was Ski School in 1990s, an ‘80s carryover which I’ve previously called (potentially) the ‘90s movie that holds up the worst in a modern context. A few teen movies touched on the teen sex comedy genre (one of the major storylines in Can’t Hardly Wait, for example). But an all out horny teenager romp? Nonexistent.
That changed with American Pie. Not only was it the signature unabashed teen sex comedy of the ‘90s (and the one that introduced the “teen sex comedy with a heart of gold”), it brought the genre roaring back for the 2000s. Suddenly, we were inundated with movies like Van Wilder, Road Trip, Superbad, and, yes, the American Pie franchise itself.
American Pie, as poorly as some scenes hold up today, still had three proper sequels as well as five spinoffs which allowed, mostly, Eugene Levy to swallow his pride and cash those pre-Schitt’s Creek checks.
Also on July 9th: Donkey Kong was released at arcades in Japan (1981)… TRON hit theaters (1982)... Irene Cara’s single Flashdance… What a Feeling hit number one (1983)… Bill Clinton announced Al Gore as his running mate (1992)... Rookie of the Year and Weekend at Bernie's II hit theaters (1993)... the series finale aired of A Different World (1993)… The Grateful Dead played their final show with Jerry Garcia (1995)… Prince’s album Chaos and Disorder was released (1996)… LeAnn Rimes’s debut album, Blue, was released (1996)… Married with Children aired its series finale (1997)... The Office (U.K.) premiered (2001)
July 10th
22 years ago, on July 10th, 1999 - The U.S. women’s soccer team won the World Cup and Brandi Chastain famously celebrated her winning goal.
The 1999 Women’s World Cup was a major turning point for women’s soccer in the U.S. — not only was the event held here, but the U.S. women actually won the whole damn thing. While the U.S. men’s teams routinely struggled in international competition, that wasn’t the case for the women. They’d win here and two more times over the next two decades, most recently in 2019.
One signature image of the 1999 victory was the final goal, with Brandi Chastain winning the World Cup for the U.S. by scoring on a penalty shootout, then celebrating by tearing off her jersey. While the “rip off the jersey and twirl it over your head” celebration was common for men, that was not the case for women. The image of Chastain in her black sports bra with her jersey aloft was semi-controversial at the time (you could imagine the more outsized reaction it would get today and just how many weeks of the outrage cycle Fox News might squeeze out of it); however, it marked perhaps a more symbolic moment than people realized. It was, in its primal authenticity and patriarchical defiance, a statement moment for women’s sports and female athletes — your expectations of women’s sports to play second fiddle and of the athletes to meet antiquated societal standards of demureness and timidness were no longer accepted nor acceptable.
Also on July 10th: Disney’s “The Fox and the Hound” was released (1981)… Escape from New York hit theaters (1981)… Coca-Cola relented on its New Coke experiment and announced Coke Classic would return (1985)… Prince’s single Poplife was released (1985)… Revenge of the Nerds 2 premiered (1987)… the Chicago Bulls hired Phil Jackson as head coach (1989)… legendary voice actor Mel Blanc passed away (1989)… Andrew Dice Clay cried on the Arsenio Hall Show (1990)… Duice’s one hit, Dazzey Duks, peaked at number 12 on the Billboard charts (1993)… SWV’s single Weak hit number one (1993)… Hugh Grant appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to address his prostitution scandal and shifted the power balance in the late night wars for good (1995)… Real World: Miami premiered on MTV (1996)… the Harriet the Spy movie hit theaters (1996)… Lethal Weapon 4 hit theaters (1998)… Coldplay’s debut album, Parachutes, was released (2000)
July 11th
24 years ago, on July 11th, 1997 - Timbaland and Magoo’s debut single, Up Jumps Da Boogie, was released.
There’s a go-to list of the Garfunkels, the Oateses, the Jazzy Jeffs, and the Bonos (Sonny, not the other Bono who would murder someone for putting him on such a list) of music history. An oft-forgotten but certainly qualified addition to the list is Magoo. A childhood friend of Timbaland in Norfolk, Va., the two formed a rap duo which put out three studio albums starting in 1997. Their debut single, Up Jumps Da Boogie, was the most commercially successful. And then, Timbaland’s star continued to rise as arguably the go-to music producer of the 2000s while Magoo just sort of… didn’t get invited along for the ride. He’d make occasional guest appearances on tracks from time to time, but never had any solo albums or notable moments.
Today, it’s damn near impossible to find info on him (I tried); his Wikipedia page just redirects to “Timbaland & Magoo.”
Also on July 11th: Bo Jackson became a two-sport professional athlete by signing with the L.A. Raiders (1987)… Heart’s single Alone hit number one (1987)… Bo Jackson won the MVP of MLB’s All-Star Game (1989)… Mega Man 2 for the Nintendo Entertainment System was released in North America (1989)… Blood Feud, the season two finale of The Simpsons, aired on FOX… Shaggy’s album Boombastic was released (1995)… Notorious B.I.G.’s single Mo Money, Mo Problems was released (1997)… Contact hit theaters (1997)… South Park’s seminal Scott Tenorman episode premiered (2001)
July 12th
42 years ago, on July 12th, 1979 - The Chicago White Sox held the infamous Disco Demolition Night.
There have been a handful of pro sports promotions that have gone really poorly over the years (10-cent Beer Night, Dodgers Ball Night, et. al.), but Disco Demolition Night in Chicago remains one of the all-time worst. A Chicago shock jock teamed up with the struggling and attendance-challenged White Sox to offer discounted admission to fans who brought a disco record — which would all be detonated on the field in between games of a doubleheader.
There were two problems. One, nearly 50,000 people showed up for the event, more than double the expected number, causing major crowd control issues. And two, many stormed the field during the detonation and it took a riot squad to break things up. The White Sox ended up forfeiting the second game of the doubleheader as a result.
There’s also been a secondary interpretation of the events of the night, and a far more insidious one at that. The hate of “disco” wasn’t just about music; “disco” was a genre dominated by minorities (both in race and sexual orientation). A political journalist in Chicago who attended the event at age 15 wrote many years later: “The chance to yell ‘disco sucks’ meant more than simply a musical style choice… it was a chance for a whole lot of people to say they didn’t like the way the world was changing around them, or who they saw as the potential victors in a cultural and demographic war.” Considering some of the things we’ve seen since and especially of late, that interpretation doesn’t seem like such a reach.
Also on July 12th: Geraldine Ferraro became the first major vice presidential candidate (1984)… Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome hit theaters (1985)… Simply Red’s single Holding Back the Years hit number one (1986)… the series premiere of Northern Exposure aired (1990)… Final Fantasy was released for NES (1990)… both Boyz n the Hood and Point Break hit theaters nationwide (1991)… Enrique Iglesias’s debut album was released (1995)… Kirby Puckett retired from MLB due to going blind in one eye (1996)… the series premiere of Oz aired on HBO (1997)… Meredith Brooks’s one hit, B****, peaked at number two (1997).. France won the men’s World Cup (1998)… Walt Disney announced it was going all-in on Go.com (1999)
July 13th
37 years ago, on July 13th, 1984 - The Muppets Take Manhattan hit theaters.
The Muppets Take Manhattan was the third of the original and unofficial trilogy of Muppet movies, and the final Muppet movie before Jim Henson’s death. The movie is a little bit all over the place (it’s a “we just need to put on one great show” movie mixed with an “character’s amnesia leads to true self-actualization” movie), but still as charming and feel-good as ever.
Unfortunately, because the movie rights are really screwy, this is one of the few pieces of Muppet history that isn’t available to stream right now on Disney+. It was, however, once released on CED Videodisc if you’re down with that format.
Also on July 13th: Live Aid benefit concerts were held in the U.K. and U.S. (1985)… Duran Duran’s single A View to a Kill hit number one (1985)… Kylie Minogue’s debut single, Locomotion, was released (1987)… Ghost hit theaters (1990)… Randy Johnson and John Kruk did some shtick during the MLB All-Star Game (1993)… Legally Blonde hit theaters (2001)
July 14th
38 years ago, on July 14th, 1983 - The Mario Bros. arcade game was released in Japan.
Mario Bros. is a significant piece of video game history for many reasons. It was the first spinoff of the “Jumpman” character from Donkey Kong. It was the game that turned that character into a plumber, mainly because the gameplay involved lots of pipes so the plumbing occupation was logical. It was the debut of the “Mario” name for the character. It was the debut of Mario’s brother, Luigi. It even introduced turtles as an eternal nemesis to Mario.
And with all of that… the game was not a runaway arcade hit.
Fortunately, Nintendo still realized they had something there. Two years later, Super Mario Bros. marked the second Mario title and, well, there’s no real need to re-litigate how that went.
Also on July 14th: The final USFL game ever was pleased (1985)… When Harry Met Sally hit theaters (1989)… License to Kill marked Timothy Dalton’s second and final appearance as James Bond (1989)… Super Mario All-Stars for Super Nintendo was released in Japan (1993)… Nine Months hit theaters (1995)… The Blair Witch Project opened in limited released (1999)… X-Men hit theaters (2000)
July 15th
36 years ago, on July 15th, 1985 - MLB held its first Home Run Derby.
All Star games aren’t great. In fact, most of the time, they’re pretty bad. The players don’t give a full effort and just have fun which, paradoxically, makes them less fun to watch than normal games. The low quality of games is why the major sports leagues figured out they needed players to participate in other events to make their All Star presentations more exciting and worthy of eyeballs and dollars. The NBA has its three-point shootout and dunk contest (plus other random competitions that come and go). The NFL has (or maybe had?) its Pro Bowl skills challenges. The NHL offers things like speed skating and power shooting.
And MLB has its Home Run Derby. This is the only secondary event during the All Star stretch for baseball and it’s a big one: the Home Run Derby is usually a stadium sellout and a TV hit.
And it all started on this day in 1985, the day before the MLB All Star Game in Minneapolis. The winner was Dave Parker of the Cincinnati Reds, who hit six home runs to claim the title. The rules have changed somewhat since then because people love more dingers; in the most recent contest, in 2019, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit 91 home runs. And lost.
Also on July 15th: Die Hard hit theaters (1988)… A Fish Called Wanda hit theaters (1988)… Simply Red’s single If You Don’t Know Me By Now hit number one (1989)… Right Said Fred’s single I’m Too Sexy was released (1991)… Bill Clinton received the presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention (1992)… Hulk Hogan admitted to taking steroids during the WWF’s steroid trial (1994)… True Lies and Angels in the Outfield hit theaters (1994)… Sarah McLaughlin’s album Surfacing was released (1997)… Gianni Versace was shot (1997)… Real World: Boston premiered on MTV (1997)… There’s Something About Mary hit theaters (1998)
Everything old is new again
A look at the reboots, revivals, throwbacks, retro insights, and nostalgia in the news.
The trainer for Marcel the Monkey on Friends says David Schwimmer was jealous of the monkey.
Nick and AJ from Backstreet Boys, Joey from NSYNC, and Wanya from Boyz II Men are teaming up to play some shows in Las Vegas this summer.
The Field of Dreams-inspired baseball field in Iowa will host its first MLB game next month.
Jada Pinkett Smith says she passed out on the set of The Nutty Professor when she went to work high on a “bad batch of ecstasy.”
Lea Thompson, who starred in 1986’s Howard the Duck, has offered to direct a reboot.
Richard Donner, the director of Lethal Weapon and Goonies, among many others, passed away at age 91.
Throwbacks and recommendations
What. Juvenile has released a pro-vaccine parody of his own classic track… this is a 1:48 gem called Vax That Thang Up. It also features Manie Fresh and Mia X and lines like “Yous a decent lookin’ brother, won’t you vax that thang up?” and “If you wanna smash some dude named Scott, go go go go get the shot.” At one point in the video, Juvenile makes it rain with CDC vaccine cards. It’s postmodern perfection.
The first trailer of Netflix’s new Masters of the Universe cartoon was released.
The trailer is out for HBO’s documentary on the chaos of Woodstock 99.
Thanks for reading!
-Sam