May 27 - Sister Act, Dido, All Your Base, Rocky III
Plus a dip into the early '00s for The Wire and Finding Nemo
The ‘80s & ‘90s pop culture you loved, forgot, or never knew existed
May 27th, 2022 • Issue 101
This week in the ‘80s & ‘90s
May 27th
27 years ago, on May 27th, 1995 - Christopher Reeve was paralyzed after falling off a horse.
Christopher Reeve’s accident on this day in 1995 shined a light on a pretty nasty side of people — a side we saw less often en masse in the days before social media.
The irony of the accident — that Superman was now paralyzed — became low-hanging fruit for edgy jokes for people everywhere. Empathy for Christopher Reeve was nowhere to be found.
Social media, as noted, allows for these types of edgy jokes in real time. However, in an odd way, it’s made the pendulum swing enough to curb them as well. Not just out of fear of the imaginary boogeyman of “cancelation,” but also because social media has (in a surprising and unexpected way) humanized celebrities more than any medium of the ‘90s.
If the Christopher Reeve paralysis happened today, some people would obviously still go for the edgy joke — but the counterbalance would have far more of a presence.
Also on May 27th: Dragon Quest, the first notable RPG, was released in Japan (1986)…the series finale aired of Punky Brewster (1988)… the Chicago Bulls defeated the Detroit Pistons as Michael Jordan went to his first NBA Finals (1991)… The Flintstones movie hit theaters (1994)… the series finale aired of the Arsenio Hall Show (1994)… the 69 Boyz’s song Tootsee Roll was released (1994)… Savage Garden’s single I Want You was released (1996)… Scott Hall made a surprise appearance on WCW Monday Nitro to kick off the Monday Night Wars (1996)… Puff Daddy’s single I’ll Be Missing You, LeAnn Rimes’s single How Do I Live, and Matchbox 20’s single Push were released (1997)… Charlie Sheen was hospitalized after a drug overdose (1998)
May 28th
40 years ago, on May 28th, 1982 - Rocky III hit theaters.
Rocky III might just be the most entertaining of the five original Rocky movies. Unlike the previous two films, where Rocky’s “American dream” successes are mostly just the result of dumb luck, Rocky III is more self-aware about the realities behind Rocky’s rise.
Rocky Balboa is a good but not great boxer (at least at this point in the series, before the narrative changes to make him the best boxer in history). His fame was the result of luck followed by a match-up against a complacent and overconfident opponent.
In Rocky III, the movie acknowledges those facts, and leans into them — since becoming champ, Rocky’s team has fed him tomato can opponents (without his knowledge) so he can keep winning. Also, Rocky has become too comfortable with fame and wealth, and he lacks the hunger of a fighter who actually had to work his way up to the top level.
The franchise also goes all in on wrapping up its initial trilogy here. (The first three movies work well as a trilogy; subsequent movies operate in a different universe.) Mickey dies, a screenwriting staple but a huge card for the franchise to play if it thought many more movies were to come. Apollo Creed goes from Rocky’s legendary opponent to his friend and finally gets his due. Mr. T is the perfect new foil for Rocky. There’s a fun scene with Hulk Hogan where Rocky is in a boxing vs. wrestling exhibition match. The movie even introduces Eye of the Tiger as its new signature hit song.
It’s about as good as the Rocky franchise gets, even without the grittiness of the original film or the quotability of the fourth.
Also on May 28th: Irene Cara’s single Flashdance… What a Feeling hit number one (1983)… Whitney Houston’s album Whitney was released (1987)… CompuServe released the GIF image format (1987)… George Michael’s single One More Try hit number one (1988)… Jodeci’s album Forever My Lady and NWA’s album N***** 4 Life were both released (1991)… Cliffhanger and the Super Mario Bros. movie hit theaters (1993)… the series finale aired of Tiny Toon Adventures (1995)… Phil Hartman was murdered (1998)… Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper went on display in Italy after 22 years of restoration (1999)… Notting Hill hit theaters (1999)
May 29th
30 years ago, on May 29th, 1992 - Sister Act hit theaters.
One of the signatures of ‘90s movies: Many felt like they were created by studio execs spinning a random wheel of topics. Sister Act was one of those. A Reno lounge singer witnesses a mob hit, is placed in a convent for witness protection, and turns the ragtag church choir into an international sensation through jazzing up traditional religious songs.
And yet… Sister Act works so, so well from start to finish. Whoopi Goldberg is perfect for the role. The songs are endlessly catchy. Even as the ridiculousness of the premise ratchets up at the climax — at one point, there’s a whole group of nuns running through Reno trying to stop Whoopi from being killed — you’re willing to make the leap with the movie. And at the end, when the Pope comes to the church and gives the choir a standing ovation, you think, “Yeah, that tracks.”
Sister Act was a runaway box office success and has since continued to remain fresh in people’s minds. It’s sequel wasn’t quite as impactful — turns out it was more fun watching the witness protection/ragtag nun reform than watching the witness protection-free/high school kid reform plot we’d seen a million times — but the franchise persisted. A stage version ran from 2006 to 2012, there have been various reunions and celebrations, and a reboot is in the works at Disney+.
Also on May 29th: Larry Bird was named NBA Rookie of the Year, beating Magic Johnson (1980)… Survivor’s single Eye of the Tiger was released (1982)… George Michael’s single I Want Your Sex was released (1987)… Soul II Soul’s single Back to Live was released (1989)… Rickey Henderson set MLB’s all-time career stolen base record (1990)… the Apple Newton was announced (1992)… Jose Canseco was injured after convincing his manager on the Texas Rangers to let him pitch (1993)… TLC’s single Waterfalls was released (1995)… Jeff Buckley drowned while swimming (1998)… Hope Floats and Almost Heroes hit theaters (1998)
May 30th
19 years ago, on May 30th, 2003 - Finding Nemo hit theaters.
I had and have no interest in Finding Nemo. Never has one movie managed to hit so many of my “least favorite movie elements” in one:
I don’t generally enjoy animal movies.
I never like “lost kid looking for parents” movies.
By the transitive property, I really never like lost animals trying to get home(ward bound) movies.
I find characters whose memory loss only exists to prolong a plot to be maddening.
But there is one thing I like about Finding Nemo, and that’s a clever rule addition they made in their now-out-of-print Go Fish game (a very popular game for my kids). Rather than placing the go fish deck in the middle, stacked up, you’re encouraged to spread all the cards around “like the ocean.” It’s more kid-friendly, and the justification is organic and germane to the movie.
So cheers on your Go Fish rule adaptation, Finding Nemo. Jeers on everything else.
Also on May 30th: Cal Ripken’s record-breaking consecutive games streak began (1982)… Barry Bonds made his MLB debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1986)… the Rockers made their WWF debut (1987)… Bobby Brown’s single On Our Own was released (1989)… Paul Simon and Edie Brickell were married (1992)… Kim Jong-Il shot a 38 under par with 11 holes-in-one in a round of golf (1994)… Vanessa Williams’s single Colors of the Wind was released (1995)… INOJ’s single Love You Down was released (1997)… The Italian Job hit theaters (2003)
May 31st
31 years ago, on May 31st, 1991 - Sega’s Zero Wing, the game featuring the future meme All Your Base, was released in Europe for the debut of its poorly-translated cut scene.
Bad English translations of Japanese video games did not begin in 1991. There are plenty of Nintendo games from years prior with poor, rushed, broken English translations.
But “All your base are belong to us” did something none of those others did: It found its way into an early internet meme. In the late ‘90s, when memes took the form of things like the Dancing Baby, All Tour Base took off on the Something Awful forums and spread from there.
There’s nothing exceptional about this mistranslation; I’d argue many others of the era were way worse. But like any meme, this one caught the right wave at the right time. It may not have been the best or funniest but it was the most contagious — which is why it remains an internet catchphrase to this day.
Also on May 31st: Lipps Inc.’s single Funkytown hit number one (1980)… the Philadelphia 76ers swept the L.A. Lakers to win the NBA Championship (1983)… Fletch hit theaters (1985)… Night Court aired its series finale (1992)… the Beastie Boys album Ill Communication was released (1994)… Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson’s single Scream was released (1995)… Eddie hit theaters (1996)… the series finale aired of the Larry Sanders Show (1998)… Geri “Ginger Spice” Halliwell left the Spice Girls (1998)… VH1’s Behind the Music became a nightly show (1999)… Survivor premiered on CBS (2000)
June 1st
23 years ago, on June 1st, 1999 - Dido’s debut album, No Angel, was released in the U.S.
If you have distinct memories of listening to Dido in 2001 (and associate it with whatever life stage you were at right around that time), 1999 as the album release date seems premature. And it was.
Dido began recording her debut album in 1997 but, upon its completion in 1999, only had a deal in place for a U.S. release — not a release in her native U.K.
So on this day, No Angel came out in the U.S. (and nowhere else) with a minor promotional push. It cracked the Billboard Top 200 albums, but around 150.
Then it sat around for a while… until Eminem sampled a song from the album (Thank You) as a huge part of his new track, Stan. Stan blew up huge after it was released as a single in November 2000 — and drove tons of people to Dido.
So in early 2001, No Angel finally got its worldwide release and became a huge success in the U.S. and beyond. It was especially big in the U.K. — where it probably should’ve come out originally — it went on to become the second-best selling album in the 2000s in the U.K. and one of the top 30 bestselling of all time.
Lots of Dido stans over there, it seems.
Also on June 1st: CNN launched as the first all-news network (1980)… Star Trek III: The Search for Spock hit theaters (1984)… the first edition of the video game (then called) John Madden Football was released (1988)… Total Recall hit theaters (1990)… Comedy Central launched, replacing the Comedy Network (1991)… Sting’s single Fields of Gold was released (1993)… the Reggie Miller flashed a choke sign in a playoff win against the New York Knicks (1994)… the FX network launched as Fox’s first foray into cable TV (1994)… MLB debuted on Fox (1996)… the first episode of MTV’s Challenge aired (1998)… Napster launched (1999)… Jennifer Lopez’s album On the 6 was released (1999)… Fastball’s single Out of My Head was released (1999)… Moulin Rouge hit theaters (2001)
June 2nd
20 years ago, on June 2nd, 2002 - The Wire premiered on HBO.
The Wire is roundly regarded as one of the great TV series of all time.
Would it still receive those accolades today?
The answer is… I’m not sure. When The Wire debuted on this day 20 years ago, there were well under 200 original TV series. That number has nearly tripled. Not only is it easy for all of us to skip prestige TV shows — often, we won’t even know they exist.
The Wire today would still likely receive critical accolades. It would have an impassioned niche fan base begging their friends to watch it. It might win awards (though those are more arbitrary).
But it would also get far more lost in the sea of other high-quality shows. There are dozens of shows on my list to watch and dozens beyond that which people say are incredible and amazing and all that.
It’s no fault of The Wire that it likely couldn’t crack through the noise today — few shows can.
Also on June 2nd: Barbara Walters asked Katharine Hepburn what type of tree she would be (1981)… RJ Reynolds and Nabisco proposed their merger (1985)… Ken Griffey Jr. was the number one pick in the MLB Draft (1987)… No Holds Barred and Dead Poets Society hit theaters (1989)… Partners in Kryme’s one hit, Turtle Power, peaked at number 13 (1990)… Liquid Television premiered on MTV (1991)… Wilson Phillips’ album Shadows & Light was released (1992)… the Bridges of Madison County hit theaters (1995)… Nicole’s single Make It Hot was released (1998)… the series finale aired of Star Trek: Deep Space 9 (1999)… Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets was released in the U.S. (1999)… Big Momma’s House hit theaters (2000)… Christina Aguilera and co.’s Lady Marmalade hit number one (2001)… the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings in one of the all-time great playoff series (2002)
Everything old is new again
A look at the reboots, revivals, throwbacks, retro insights, and nostalgia in the news
Martin: The Reunion will be on BET+ on June 16th. It’s not a reboot; it’s like the Friends reunion where the original cast will get together.
Indiana Jones 5 has a release date: It will come out in June of next year.
Kurt Cobain’s guitar from the Smells Like Teen Spirit video sold at auction for $4.5 million to Jim Irsay, owner of the Indianapolis Colts.
Tommy Chong will be part of That ‘90s Show, like virtually all of the That ‘70s Show cast.
The Berenstain Bears came in first in a poll of Americans’ favorite picture books from childhood. The Giving Tree was second.
The Yo! MTV Raps reboot premiered on Paramount+ on Tuesday. And the Top Gun sequel comes out this weekend.
Throwbacks and recommendations
A limited-edition Seinfeld coffee collection is on sale.
There’s a new “Weird Al” Yankovic graphic novel featuring cartoon interpretations of 20 of his songs.
In honor of the 30th anniversary of Encino Man, here’s an interview with Pauly Shore talking about his career.
Here’s a Vanity Fair video of Mike Myers watching and discussing some of his classic movies.
The teaser trailer for the Willow reboot TV series on Disney+ is out. The show will premiere on November 30th.
Thanks for reading!
-Sam