October 1: Double Dare, Power Glove, Weekend Update
Plus Sinead O'Connor, the start of Papa John's, UPN's notorious sitcom, and more
The Retro by 11 Points
Modern perspectives on ‘80s and ‘90s nostalgia
October 1st, 2021 • Issue 67
This week in nostalgic history
October 1st
32 years ago, on October 1st, 1989 - The Power Glove controller was released for NES.
The Power Glove is, perhaps, the most famous of all the third-party peripherals made for the original Nintendo. That fame was derived from two sources.
One, it looked incredibly cool and felt like it was legit future tech (literally) in the palm of your hand.
And two, the Power Glove made a prominent, product placed cameo in the Nintendo movie The Wizard, where the villain used the glove to dominate an early battle against the good guys. “It’s so bad,” the villain said of the Power Glove, with bad meaning good.
Unfortunately, in reality, the Power Glove was bad meaning bad. It made it far more difficult to play games with terrible lag and erratic functionality. Players hated it. But thanks to the strong marketing and positioning, it still sold approximately one million units.
Still, the Power Glove remains a standout pop culture icon today from the NES era. It’s also (I believe) the only NES peripheral to receive an official full-length documentary; you can watch 2017’s The Power of Glove on Amazon Prime.
Also on October 1st: The Mean Joe Greene Coke commercial aired for the first time (1979)… the first CD player went on sale (1982)… EPCOT Center opened on the 11th anniversary of Walt Disney World (1982)… Marvin Gaye’s final album, Midnight Love, was released (1982)… Bonnie Tyler’s single Total Eclipse of the Heart hit number one (1983)… the term “cyberspace” appeared for the first time in William Gibson’s novel Neuromancer (1984)… Mikhail Gorbachev became the head of the Soviet Union (1988)… America Online launched (1989)… Denmark became the first country to legalize same sex civil unions (1989)… Bette Midler’s single From a Distance was released (1990)… Cartoon Network premiered (1992)… Cool Runnings hit theaters (1993)… ESPN2 premiered (1993)… Crash Test Dummies’ single Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm was released (1993)… Clarissa Explains It All aired its series finale (1994)… the NHL’s 103-day lockout began (1994)… Candlebox’s one hit, Far Behind, peaked at number 18 (1994)… Matchbox 20’s album Yourself or Someone Like You was released (1996)… Animal Planet premiered (1996)… Three Kings and Drive Me Crazy hit theaters (1999)… the U.S. men’s basketball team won the Olympic gold medal and the U.S. locked up the most gold and total medals (2000)
October 2nd
37 years ago, on October 2nd, 1984 - Papa John’s Pizza was founded.
Papa John’s is probably overdue for a name change considering how they’ve tried to get as far away as possible from their past. Suggestion: Don’t go with Guardians Pizza.
On this day in 1984, John Schnatter founded his pizza restaurant, which he funded by selling his 1971 Camaro. (Naturally.) Since then, Papa John’s has expanded to be a top four pizza chain in the U.S.; innovated industry staples like pizza dipping sauces, heart-shaped Valentine’s Day pizzas, and online ordering; and, famously, bounced Schnatter after he kept digging a deeper hole in the land of “I’m not racist, but…”
But on the plus side for him, he did eventually track down his Camaro in 2009 to buy it back for $250,000.
Also on October 2nd: John Cougar’s single Jack and Diane hit number one (1982)… Mr. Baseball, Glengarry Glen Ross, and The Mighty Ducks hit theaters (1992)… Oasis’s album What’s the Story, Morning Glory was released (1995)… the Chicago Bulls traded for Dennis Rodman (1995)… the jurors in the O.J. Simpson trial reached a verdict (1995)… Antz and A Night at the Roxbury hit theaters (1998)… Radiohead’s album Kid A was released (2000)… Scrubs premiered on NBC (2001)
October 3rd
29 years ago, on October 3rd, 1992 - Sinead O’Connor ripped up a picture of the Pope on Saturday Night Live.
There have been lots of articles over the years about Sinead O’Connor ripping up a photo of the Pope live on SNL, but here’s a random trivia fact about the moment that has received limited publicity.
Sinead wanted to make a strong statement protesting the Catholic Church’s handling of child abuse. But why tear up a photo of the Pope?
According to her recent memoir, she was watching a British talk show in 1978 right after the Boomtown Rats song Rat Trap hit number one on the charts, dethroning Summer Nights from the Grease soundtrack. Bob Geldof of the Boomtown Rats appeared on the talk show and celebrated the victory by tearing up a photo of John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.
And somehow, that moment stuck with Sinead O’Connor’s to the point where she decided to borrow the move — only for something a full 180 degrees away on the lightheartedness scale.
Also on October 3rd: Charles in Charge premiered (1984)… the TNT network premiered (1988)… SimCity and Prince of Persia were both released (1989)… Art Shell of the Oakland Raiders became the first Black head coach in the NFL (1989)… Bill Gates topped the Forbes richest persons list for the first time (1992)… Mariah Carey’s album Daydream was released (1995)… the O.J. Simpson not guilty verdict was delivered (1995)… Monica’s single The First Night hit number one (1998)… eternal punchline According to Jim premiered (2001)… Roy of Siegfried & Roy was bitten by a tiger on stage (2003)
October 4th
25 years ago, on October 4th, 1996 - That Thing You Do hit theaters.
It’s remarkable just how by-the-numbers That Thing You Do was; as templated of a musical “rise then fall then find peace” story as you’ll ever come across.
Its standout differentiator, however, was its signature titular song, a solid earworm adding credibility and believability to the band’s rise in the story.
The song itself was a hit in real life, though not as big as it was on screen. In the movie, That Thing You Do was a top 10 hit; in reality, it peaked at number 41. It did receive both Oscar and Golden Globe nominations, losing to Madonna’s You Must Love Me from Evita at both.
The song led to bigger and better things, though, as it was written by the late Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne, and the exposure of the boosted his new band as well as his career-long role as a go-to Hollywood songwriter for hundreds of TV shows, stage musicals, and films.
Also on October 4th: Queen’s single Another One Bites the Dust hit number one (1980)… Heathcliff premiered on ABC’s Saturday morning cartoon lineup (1980)… Commando hit theaters (1985)… Dan Rather was attacked by someone yelling, “Kenneth, what is the frequency?” (1986)… the NFL featured replacement players during a strike (1987)… televangelist Jim Bakker was indicted for fraud (1988)… Beverly Hills 90210 premiered (1990)… Londonbeat’s single I’ve Been Thinking About You was released (1990)… Suburban Commando hit theaters (1991)… the 3DO was released (1993)… D3: Mighty Ducks 3 hit theaters (1996)… the Ladies Man debuted on SNL (1997)… Faith Hill’s single Breathe was released (1999)
October 5th
23 years ago, on October 5th, 1998 - The notorious sitcom The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer premiered on UPN.
Before I jumped into writing this, I only knew the elevator summary of The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer: It was a UPN sitcom set in the world of American slavery, a premise so ill-advised and controversial the show lasted mere weeks. As a result, the show is a staple of “worst sitcoms of all time” lists.
Yesterday, I watched the premiere episode and read through the loglines of the handful of other loglines that made air. It’s now evident to me what it was going for: a lightly-postmodern take on the sitcom which mashed up classic sitcom premises in an anachronistic fashion against one of the least humorous historical backdrops possible. Some episode descriptions include:
- Lincoln engages in “telegraph sex” with a woman he's never seen.
- President Lincoln must dress in drag to escape Confederate territory. Meanwhile, General Grant tries sobriety.
- When Lincoln falls ill before a meeting with Queen Elizabeth, Mary Todd decides to hire a body double to impersonate the president. Little does the body double know that she's got another use in mind for him.
The episode I watched also never mentioned slavery. It’s set in the White House where Desmond Pfeiffer is a Black British dignitary posted overseas. He has a manservant, who is white. And while the episode had zero references to slavery, it did have three references to the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal.
Ultimately, though, a sitcom that even hinted at the lightheartedness of the Civil War and slavery era was untenable, even if the sitcom was aiming to be subversive or satire or surreal or whatever. The show itself wasn’t funny or high-quality enough to compensate (like, say, a Hogan’s Heroes). Frankly, it’s crazy The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer made it on air — thinking of the number of people who have to say yes to TV show through the development process to arrive at this point is mind boggling.
So the show didn’t even make it to November of 1998 before cancellation and, essentially, has no legacy other than “hey remember when someone tried to do a sitcom about slavery?”
Also on October 5th: Lloyd Benson defeated Dan Quayle in a vice presidential debate (1988)… Henry and June, the first NC-17 movie, was released (1990)… PM Dawn’s single Set Adrift on Memory Bliss was released (1991)… the series finale aired for The Real Ghostbusters (1991)… Marky Mary & the Funky Bunch’s single Good Vibrations hit number one (1991)… the first version of Linux was released (1991)… the NBA shortened the three-point line (1994)… Angel premiered (1999)… Training Day hit theaters (2001)… Barry Bonds set a record with his 71st and 72nd home runs in one season (2001)… Kelly Clarkson’s single A Moment Like This hit number one (2002)
October 6th
35 years ago, on October 6th, 1986 - Double Dare premiered on Nickelodeon.
Double Dare was the right show at the right time. Nickelodeon, growing in reach in the mid ‘80s as cable adoption became more prevalent, wanted to diversify its programming away from cartoons. A game show for kids — the first for the network and one of the first ever in the U.S. — was a logical progression. The show itself was mix of trivia and big, messy stunts, capped off by a wild obstacle course that every kid wished they could try.
The show was a hit out of the gate for Nickelodeon. It became an even bigger hit less than a year-and-a-half later, when the show debuted in syndication; now on broadcast TV as an after school show, it became a true cultural phenomenon.
For the three decades that have followed, Double Dare has come repeatedly, though unfortunately with diminishing returns. The original run ended in 1993, but before that, there was Family Double Dare on FOX primetime in 1988. Double Dare 2000 came around in January 2000 and lasted just for the year. Another Double Dare revival popped up in June 2018 and only lasted through the end of 2019.
Still, despite the trail of failed reboots, it’s hard to imagine we’ve seen the last of Double Dare. If there were such a thing as betting on reboots, the odds of another Double Dare revival would pay at like -500. It’s definitely coming.
So train your kids now to locate a flag by picking a giant nose.
Also on October 6th: Jem and the Holograms premiered in syndication (1985)… George Michael’s single Faith was released (1987)… Maxi Priest’s single Close to You hit number one (1990)… Anita Hill accused Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment (1991)… Soul Asylum’s album Grave Dancers Union was released (1992)… Ross Perot aired his first presidential infomercial (1992)… Michael Jordan announced he was leaving the NBA to play baseball (1993)… Matchbox 20’s album Back 2 Good was released (1998)… Meet the Parents hit theaters (2000)… CSI premiered on CBS
October 7th
21 years ago, on October 7th, 2000 - Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon became anchors of SNL’s Weekend Update.
Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon were unexpected picks to take over Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update as the 2000 season started. The show employed dual anchors before, even having perhaps its most notable run to that point with Jane Curtin and Dan Aykroyd, but since 1985, had more leaned into its nightly news parody style.
That meant: A solo (sigh, yeah) white, male anchor who had a semblance of the traditional newsman presence. Jimmy Fallon was certainly not that; he was young and goofy, a mostly welcome energy on the show at large but not necessarily for this particular sketch. Tina Fey was an off-camera writer to that point, never having more than a tiny cameo on the show. While she had more of the classic news anchor presence than Fallon, she was an unknown; Weekend Update was the most coveted gig on the show (other than impersonating the president), so quite a “get” for a non-cast member.
The casting decisions here, then, could’ve gone two ways. One, Weekend Update would meld to Fey and Fallon’s personalities and style and evolve as a bit; or two, Weekend Update would swallow Fey and Fallon like it had done (and would do) to others and they would flame out fast as anchors and perhaps even on SNL.
The result was the former. Fey and Fallon had a natural chemistry and, beyond that, dropped the pretense of “parody of a serious news program.” Instead, they brought a winking looseness to Weekend Update — which also made it the one segment with chaotic and improvised energy on the increasingly over-scripted and prescriptive Saturday Night Live. The two probably could’ve kept the job for life had Fallon not left in 2004 for his film career and had Fey not left in 2006 for her sitcom.
Also on October 7th: Cats premiered on Broadway (1982)… Punchline hit theaters (1988)… American Bandstand’s series finale aired (1989)… Janet Jackson’s single Miss You Much hit number one (1989)… the bubble boy episode of Seinfeld aired (1992)… Toni Morrison won the Nobel Prize for Literature (1993)… the Saved by the Bell special with Zack and Kelly’s wedding in Las Vegas aired (1994)… the FOX News channel debuted (1996)… Eagle Eye Cherry’s single Save Tonight was released (1997)… Charmed premiered (1998)… Barry Bonds continued to extend his new record with his 73rd homer (2001)
Everything old is new again
A look at the reboots, revivals, throwbacks, retro insights, and nostalgia in the news.
MGM and the WWE have teamed up for another reboot of American Gladiators. If it gets made, WWE wrestlers will be the gladiators.
28 years after a Sonic the Hedgehog balloon injured two people at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the float will return in November.
The original house from Scream is listed on Airbnb for a special one-night stay on October 28th. You can try to be the one to book it on October 12th.
Nintendo is expanding its Super Nintendo World theme park in Japan to add a new Donkey Kong section. It will grow the park by 70%.
The writer working on the reboot of The Bodyguard says the lead female character will “be Latina.”
Jerry Seinfeld says there will not be a Seinfeld reunion because “I don’t know what we would do that would be good.”
A TV series spinoff of Trainspotting is in the works.
The Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark premiered early this morning on HBO Max.
Throwbacks and recommendations
Check out the 100 best Nintendo 64 games based on 250,000+ user ratings across multiple review websites. I have endless beef with the results, specifically how poorly the wrestling classics finished and how The New Tetris couldn’t even make the cut. Also Kart isn’t first.
Dunkaroos has released a new clothing line. Yes, that’s right.
Vanilla Ice and Samsung U.K. teamed up for a refrigerator commercial that parodies Ice, Ice Baby and it’s really something.
Here’s a video about a campground in the Netherlands that’s still being run off an Atari.
Thanks for reading!
-Sam