Nov 12: Elmo, We Built This City, Mickey Mouse Club All-Stars
Plus The Jetsons, The Heights, arcade gaming records, and more
The Retro by 11 Points
Modern perspectives on ‘80s and ‘90s nostalgia
November 12th, 2021 • Issue 73
This week in nostalgic history
November 12th
34 years ago, on November 12th, 1987 - The Jetsons series finale aired.
The Jetsons had one of the strangest three-season TV runs imaginable, especially for the very un-strange, traditional era of TV in which it aired.
The Jetsons debuted as a prime time cartoon on ABC in 1962. It flopped hard and, after 24 episodes, was canceled in early 1963.
Then those same 24 episodes were aired over and over as a Saturday morning cartoon for *23* consecutive TV seasons.
Finally, in 1985, Hanna-Barbera decided maybe, just maybe, it was time to produce some new episodes. They created a 41-episode syndicated season for 1985-86, then popped off a 10-episode season which ran for one month in 1987 before it ended on this day.
Not one episode of The Jetsons has been produced since, leaving the show’s entire run at a total of 75 half-hour episodes in 25 years.
While that then-non-traditional cycle of show airs → show flops → show finds new life in reruns → show returns was essentially a first, following The Jetsons, it has occurred more often in recent years with Family Guy, Arrested Development, Veronica Mars, and a handful of others.
So I guess maybe you could say The Jetsons did accurately (in a meta way) predict the TV scheduling… of the future.
Also on November 12th: Lionel Richie’s single All Night Long (All Night) hit number one (1983)… Madonna’s album Like a Virgin was released (1984)… the Philadelphia Eagles defeated Washington in the “body bag” game (1990)… the episode of Full House where Becky and Jesse’s twins were born aired (1991)… Michael Jackson canceled his world tour, citing a painkiller addiction (1993)… The Escape Club’s single Wild, Wild West hit number one (1988)… Jewel’s debut single You Were Meant for Me was released, as was Duncan Sheik’s single Barely Breathing and Eminem’s first album, Infinite (1996)… the first Ultimate Fighting Championship event was held (1996)… Dogma hit theaters (1999)… the Casa Bonita episode of South Park premiered (2003)
November 13th
39 years ago, on November 13th, 1982 - An arcade player set a record score on Asteroids that stood for 27 years, longer than any other record in video game history.
The world of video game records is weirdly, and frankly unnecessarily, controversial. The documentary The King of Kong traces the bitter battle and cheating scandal surrounding the Donkey Kong world record, and even the organization that tracks records has repeatedly been under fire for alleged improprieties.
The Asteroids world record is a standout in the world of video game records because, despite all of the insanity surrounding the battles for score supremacy, the Asteroids record was virtually untouchable.
On this day in 1982, a 15-year-old kid named Scott Safran from New Jersey set the Asteroids world record at a charity event. He scored 41.3 million points. And the record stood for decades, until it was broken in 2010 during an online livestream.
Part of the reason the record stood for that long — a world record length of time in and of itself — was the sheer amount of consecutive playing it would take to break it. Safran had to stay awake for two and a half days in setting his 1982 record. Indeed, the cap on this record might not be skill but, instead, the ability to maintain precision coordination while going through extreme sleep deprivation.
But of course, as a video game record, there has to be some controversy. Again — it’s an unnecessarily controversial world. For the entire duration of Safran’s world record of a world record reign, some claimed the true Asteroids high score was 48 million, set at a laundromat in upstate New York a few months prior.
Also on November 13th: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C. (1982)… Sonny and Cher performed together for the final time, singing I Got You Babe on Late Night with David Letterman (1987)… Tesla’s single Sings was released (1990)… Aladdin and Bram Stoker’s Dracula both hit theaters (1992)… Riddick Bowe defeated Evander Holyfield to become boxing’s undisputed heavyweight champion (1992)… the Lisa on Ice episode of The Simpsons aired on FOX (1994)… The Lion King musical opened on Broadway (1997)… I Still Know What You Did Last Summer hit theaters (1998)… Len’s Steal My Sunshine peaked at number 9 and BG’s Bling Bling peaked at number 36 (1999)… Lou Bega’s Mambo No. 5 peaked at number 3 on the Billboard charts (1999)… the Beatles compilation album 1 was released (2000)… Shakira’s first English album, Laundry Service, was released (2001)
November 14th
29 years ago, on November 14th, 1992 - The single from the TV show The Heights, How Do You Talk to an Angel, hit number one.
The Heights was a FOX show that flamed out fast despite getting the coveted timeslot (for a show targeted at a certain demographic) after 90210. It could’ve and would’ve faded into the obscurity shared by so many other short-lived FOX shows of the ‘90s — if not for one thing.
The show was about a fictional band of sexy but complicated young adults, and their signature song was called How Do You Talk to an Angel. That song became far more popular than the show, even hitting number one on Billboard.
There was no transitive property glow to be had for The Heights TV series, however. FOX canceled it before all 13 of its episodes even aired — with the cancelation coming less than one week after the song dropped out of the top spot on Billboard.
The Heights wasn’t the first fictional TV music group to have a real life hit (The Monkees, Alvin and the Chipmunks, The Archies, The Partridge Family, and more blazed the trail) but would be the last for a while — at least until Glee came along and had more 51 top 40 hits, one more than the Beatles.
Also on November 14th: Hoosiers hit theaters (1986)… Murphy Brown premiered on CBS (1988)… James Worthy was arrested on solicitation charges (1990)… Michael Jackson’s video for Black or White premiered on FOX after an episode of The Simpsons (1991)… Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s single One Sweet Day was released, as was Collective Soul’s The World I Know (1995)… the series finale aired of Ren and Stimpy (1996)… Michael Jackson and Debbie Rowe were married (1996)… Anastasia hit theaters (1997)… the series finales aired of Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain (1998)… Carmen Electra and Dennis Rodman were married (1998)… Lauryn Hill’s single Doo Wop (That Thing) hit number one (1998)… Marilyn Manson’s album Holy Wood, featuring album art of him on a crucifix, was released but banned by several chains (2000)… Love Actually hit theaters (2003)
November 15th
28 years ago, on November 15th, 1993 - Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Christina Aguilera joined the Mickey Mouse Club.
The Mickey Mouse Club ran on and off for more than 40 years (not quite as erratic as The Jetsons, but still erratic) but never did it have its eye for talent tuned like it did during the 1989 to 1994 iteration.
In particular, the casting in 1993 was about as, well, good as any show ever. On this day, three future musical superstars would join the show in Christina, Justin, and Britney. Ryan Gosling also started on this day in 1993 to add another future huge star to the pack.
I’m hard pressed to think of any talent show since that’s assembled a lineup with so much future success. No season of peak American Idol would do it. Maybe a few SNL seasons would qualify and that’s about it.
Also on November 15th: Kenny Rogers’s single Lady hit number one, and Devo’s Whip It peaked at number 14 (1980)… the Beastie Boys released their debut album and the first rap album to hit number one on Billboard, License to Ill (1986)… Milli Vanilli admitted to lip syncing all their songs (1990)… Cape Fear and Beauty and the Beast hit theaters (1991)… a 72-year-old man broke the world record for consecutive free throws made at 2,750 (1993)… TLC’s album CrazySexyCool was released, as was Soul for Real’s single Candy Rain (1994)… the series finale aired of Mr. Bean (1995)… Space Jam and The English Patient hit theaters (1996)… the Xbox went on sale in North America (2001)
November 16th
36 years ago, on November 16th, 1985 - Starship’s single We Built This City hit number one.
Usually it’s pretty easy to tell which ‘80s hits were considered musical accomplishments and which were considered corny or novelty songs. We Built This City breaks that mold.
We Built This City was the debut single off the debut album for Starship (after they broke off and reworked things from Jefferson Starship).
Hearing We Built This City for the first time many years later, not knowing who Jefferson Airplane or Jefferson Starship or Starship was (and I kinda still don’t fully understand), I assumed it was a popular song because it was catchy and by a respected band.
It turns out We Built This City was not that — it’s more of the “bad good” songs of the ‘80s. It’s Eye of the Tiger, not Modern Love.
My confusion here makes me wonder what ‘90s songs might currently be confusing the younger millennials. Like, do kids born in 1992 hear Closing Time or Summer Girls or Mambo No. 5 and think, “Great song, clearly a classic because it was deeply respected in its time”?
Also on November 16th: Home Alone and Rocky V hit theaters (1990)… Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, and Sting released their single All for Love (1993)… Domino’s single Ghetto Jam was released (1993)… Major League Soccer announced it would debut in 1996 (1994)… the SNL skit Delicious Dish debuted (1996)… Jingle All the Way hit theaters (1996)… Dr. Dre’s album The Chronic 2001 was released (1999)… the first Harry Potter movie hit theaters (2001)… the first case of SARS was discovered (2002)
November 17th
23 years ago, on November 17th, 1998 - Three, count ‘em three, soundtracks were released for the movie The Prince of Egypt.
The Prince of Egypt was conceptualized and produced with the intention of creating a monster hit. The movie was Dreamworks’ first traditional animated film and their huge shot across the bow of Disney. It tackled one of the most epic stories of all time, the Biblical exodus story. The logic made sense (at least sense to the future creators of Quibi): The Ten Commandments film was one of the biggest blockbuster epics ever; this modern animated version would be even bigger.
One of the clearest signs of the astronomical expectations for the movie? It received three full, unique soundtracks, which was rare then and remains just as rare now. The movie had its main soundtrack, a country soundtrack, and a Christian gospel soundtrack. All three came out on this day in 1998.
The albums did… ok, but mostly seemed to confuse a marketplace that wasn't ready to snatch up every Prince of Egypt item in sight. Two of the three albums made the top 10 on the Billboard Contemporary Christian album chart — with the actual Christian music album being the one that didn’t. The three choices might’ve also eaten into album popularity and prevented a Billboard-topping sales bump, as the primary soundtrack featuring a ton of huge artists (Whitney, Mariah, K-Ci and JoJo, Boyz II Men, Amy Grant) and the legitimately excellent single When You Believe, peaked at number 25.
Also on November 17th: Wham!’s single Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go hit number one (1984)… The Little Mermaid and Harlem Nights hit theaters (1989)… Deee-Lite’s one hit, Groove Is in the Heart, peaked at number four (1990)… the first-ever condom TV ad aired on FOX (1991)… The Bodyguard soundtrack was released (1992)… Dateline NBC aired footage of a GM truck blowing up in a crash test, but it was later found they rigged the test (1992)… GoldenEye, The American President, and the Olsen Twins’ movie It Takes Two hit theaters (1995)… the Rodney Dangerfield episode of The Simpsons premiered (1996)… the All Saints single Never Ever was released (1997)… Whitney Houston’s single My Love Is Your Love was released (1998)
November 18th
36 years ago, on November 18th, 1985 - The modern version of Elmo debuted on Sesame Street.
Elmo is about as ubiquitous as any children’s character today and has been for some time; if you're ready for a "wow I'm old" moment, the Tickle Me Elmo frenzy of was in 1996. It’s been 25 years.
And that Tickle Me Elmo frenzy may have seemed strange to many readers of this newsletter because Elmo wasn’t a lead character in our Sesame Street.
It turns out he was there, but as the puppet version of an extra. Elmo debuted in the ‘70s as a background puppet. Over time he got a few lines but it wasn’t until this day in 1985, when puppeteer Kevin Clash took over his character, that he developed his puppetality and began his rise to megastardom.
According to a 2019 aggregation of surveys on the most popular Sesame Street characters, Elmo now ranks third behind Cookie Monster and Oscar the Grouch. But the surveys had an age limit cutoff of, say, 30, I suspect Elmo would win in a landslide. (Plus, based on current events, Big Bird would dominate the popular vote but have trouble winning the electoral college.)
Also on November 18th: A Christmas Story hit theaters (1983)… Joe Theismann’s leg was gruesomely broken during a game (1985)… Voltron aired its series finale (1985)… The Land Before Time hit theaters (1988)… C&C Music Factory’s single Gonna Make You Sweat was released (1990)… U2’s album Achtung Baby was released (1991)… the Contest episode of Seinfeld was released (1992)… the Malcolm X film hit theaters (1992)… the WWF’s Vince McMahon was charged with steroid distribution (1993)… Eddie Vedder was arrested for public drunkenness (1993)… the Miracle on 34th Street remake hit theaters (1994)… the Rolling Stones became the first major musical act to livestream a concert on the internet (1995)… the Titanic soundtrack was released (1997)… The Powerpuff Girls premiered (1998)… Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas were married (2000)… Destiny’s Child’s single Independent Women hit number one (2000)… the Nintendo GameCube was released in North America (2001)
Everything old is new again
A look at the reboots, revivals, throwbacks, retro insights, and nostalgia in the news.
It looks like we might really be getting a Road House reboot. Jake Gyllenhaal is in talks to be the star.
Emilio Estevez has left the Mighty Ducks reboot on Disney+. The initial rumors were it was because he was anti-vaxx but he says it was "a good old fashioned contract dispute."
ABC is turning Alanis Morissette's life into a sitcom called Relatable. Also, here's the trailer for the Alanis HBO documentary Jagged which she has since disavowed.
Paramount+ is rebooting Fatal Attraction as a TV series, with Lizzy Caplan as the star.
Last Sunday's episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm featured the 1996 song Peaches, which Larry David called "idiotic"; the lead singer of the Presidents of the United States of America was thrilled, quote, "I am complete now that I have received Larry David's scorn."
Jennifer Grey says she was "terrified" to do the Dirty Dancing leap with Patrick Swayze.
Sylvester Stallone says he almost died during the making of Rocky IV when he told Dolph Lundgren to punch him for real and he was rushed to the hospital with a swollen heart.
Tara Reid says "on record" no one from American Pie "hooked up with anyone else in the cast... it's, like, you wouldn't date your brother."
Shaq says he turned down the Michael Clarke Duncan role in The Green Mile because "I didn't want to play the down-south African-American guy during slavery."
Shigeru Miyamoto, the legendary creator of Mario, has suggested there might be a Nintendo cinematic universe to come. So their Avengers: Endgame is really just a Smash Bros. movie then?
Dean Stockwell of Quantum Leap passed away at age 85.
Throwbacks and recommendations
Here's a graphical representation of just how popular Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas has been over the years — and how people begin listening to it earlier and earlier.
Mashable has an article on the end of the laugh track — the 2021 fall TV season is the first-ever with no laugh track shows on network TV.
A functional Apple-1 computer sold at auction on Tuesday for $400,000.
Here's the definition of a "mildly interesting" article: Why old TVs didn't have a channel 37.
Thanks for reading!
-Sam