memories of the ’80s – Simon and Simon

Private detective shows never go out of style, and in this decade two brothers were the focus of finding out what really happened in the series Simon & Simon.

The brothers were portrayed by Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker and were polar opposite. Rick was a Marine, a Vietnam War veteran, and was laid-back make your own rules kind of guy. AJ was the college educated, flashy, gentleman, who liked order.

AJ lives in a small house that is also their office for the private investigation company, while Rick lives on a boat in the front yard. Mary Carver played Cecelia their secretary, while Tim Reid played their police buddy Lt. Brown.

Created by Philip DeGuere, the series debuted on CBS in November 1981, loosely based on the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. But the first year had very low ratings and was in danger of being cancelled by the network.

The producers asked for a reprieve and the network moved the series to Thursday nights, after their successful show Magnum PI, and the series took off, finding viewers and fans.

Although the pilot was set in Florida, the series was moved to San Diego, where the brothers took on cases, although they had very differing styles and were often clashing over their methods of finding out information.

Each episode showed the different traits of each brother, figured out a case and threw in some humour as well as action scenes for good measure.

The series did a crossover episode with Magnum PI to drive ratings for both shows, and until 1988 kept pace. In 1989, the series was moved to Saturday nights, and with low ratings, was cancelled at the end of its eighth season.

The buddy genre is a popular theme in television and toss in the private detectives, crazy clients, a brotherly affection and regular disputes, this series was an easy to watch one hour of drama each week.

memories of the ’70s – The Streets of San Francisco

These partners focused on keeping the Bay City safe with the police drama The Streets of San Francisco.

Starring Karl Malden and Michael Douglas, the Quinn Martin produced series was focused on the relationship between the two cops, Stone and Keller, the veteran and the newbie.

Each episode focused on a homicide, and the two unravelling the information, clues and tips to find out who was the main suspect. Stone was a 20 year veteran, a widower and becomes a mentor to the young Keller, an inexperienced and brash 28 year old, newly promoted to detective.

Both actors spent a lot of time with the local San Francisco Police Department, hoping to make the show as realistic as possible, and since it was filmed on location, it showcased the unique aspects of the Bay City.

As well Malden and Douglas became close friends, and their relationship made the difference on the small screen.

ABC TV was happy with the show, and its ratings, showcasing it on Thursday nights, and the duo were a popular choice for five seasons. From 1972 until 1977, the series was all about Malden and Douglas, who were both nominated for  Golden Globes and Emmys for their roles.

But in 1977, Douglas produced the successful film One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest and wanted to pursue his film career and left the series, with a new character to replace him – Richard Hatch as Insp. Dan Robbins.

But viewers like the Malden-Douglas combo and the series was cancelled by ABC TV at the end of the season due to low ratings.

I saw this show in re-runs several years later, and liked the duo as much as the views of San Francisco, a city I would only see many decades later, but  when I saw the cable cars, I was reminded of this tv series, a fave from my childhood.

memories of the ’80s – Mask

In the mid 1980s, Director Peter Bogdonavich brought us the tender true story of a mother and son, played by Cher and Eric Stoltz in the film Mask.

Cher plays Florence aka Rusty, a drug-addicted biker mama who dutifully dotes on her son Rocky (Stoltz) who has a rare disease that has caused his head to be in the shape of a lion.

Based on the real story of Rocky Dennis, Bogdonavich wanted to show the young man’s spirit in the face of his deformities.

Rocky is happily accepted by his Mum’s biker family, but at school he is treated with ignorance and fear. But its his intelligence and charm wins over his fellow students and he becomes a tutor, gaining friends and acceptance.

The school principal encourages Rocky to take a summer job as a counsellor, thinking it will be good for younger kids to be around him as well as to gain him so independence from his biker home life.

At camp, he meets Diana (Laura Dern), a blind girl who we falls in love with, but is blocked from maintaining a relationship due to her parents’ overprotective ways. Meanwhile his best buddy decides to move, ending their dream of biking across Europe.

Rocky’s journey seems to teach everyone more about themselves, sharing those gains and losses of getting older and becoming responsible. The touching revelations of stereotypes are broken down such as viewers being taught about acceptance by bikers.

Both Cher and Stoltz were nominated for Golden Globe Awards for best acting for this film, and when released in 1985, the film easily kept people in seats, earning almost $50 million at the box office.

And for viewers, this film showed us our vulnerabilities, and how we all create a mask around us, sometime revealed. For a decade known for its exuberant over the top excess, this film was a quiet reminder of what life really means.

memories of the ’70s – Paper Moon

Father and daughter lit up the screen in the 1973 film Paper Moon, starring Ryan O’Neal and his daughter Tatum O’Neal.

Directed by Peter Bogdonavitch, this black and white film set during the American Depression tells the story of Moses Pray and nine year old Addie Loggins, who may or may not be his daughter.

Deciding to take care of Addie, the duo are heading to Missouri to deliver her to her Aunt.

On the road, Addie realizes that Moses is not a Bible saleman, but a con man, who visits recent widows, telling them to pay what is owed for the personalized Bibles that were ordered by their late husbands.

Addie demands her money, and Moses promises to pay her off, but as the two continue to travel and make money, they become a team, not interested in doing anything but keeping the con going.

Moses becomes enamored of a carnival dancer Miss Trixie (Madeleine Kahn), who captures his attention away from young Addie. She schemes and plots to get rid of Miss Trixie by revealing she is unfaithful and helps her downtrodden maid Imogene break free of Miss Trixie.

Meanwhile the duo get arrested in a bootlegging scheme, but Addie’s smarts insures their money is kept hidden from the angry sherriff. The two escape again, but are followed by the angry bootleggers who beat Moses, who as a result takes Addie to her Aunt’s house to be safe. But will she stay put?

Initially this film was to star Paul Newman and his daughter Nell, but they dropped out of the project and Bogdonavich was convinced to hire O’Neal and his daughter, despite Tatum’s lack of acting experience. Reviews were mixed with some critics not liking the sweet story on top of the bleakness of the visually-depicted Depression.

Released in May 1973, Paper Moon was a success, and led to Kahn and Tatum O’Neal to be both nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1974, which was won by O’Neal, the youngest actress to ever be nominated and win.

Seeing the film years later, I was impressed by the spunky O’Neal duo – and became a fan of both father and daughter, as they continued their acting careers.

memories of the ’80s – The Year of Living Dangerously

In 1982, a film about the 1960s in Indonesia broadened the career of actor Mel Gibson and became a fave of movie goers: The Year of Living Dangerously.

Based on the 1978 Christopher Koch book, which had been an award-winning novel in Australia, the film was successfully optioned by Peter Weir, and with David Williamson adapted for the big screen.

The first co-production between an Australian film company and a Hollywood studio, the film is set in Indonesia in 1965, when the possibility of the overthrow of President Sukarno could happen, thanks to the machinations of the PKI, the Communist Party of Indonesia.

Guy Hamilton (Gibson) is a neophyte Aussie journalist, sent to Jakarta to cover the politics, but left without resources from his predecessor. He becomes part of the journalist community, but struggles to get any stories until he becomes friends with Billy Kwan (Linda Hunt), a Chinese Australian camera man and informant.

Kwan helps Hamilton make the right contacts and eventually introduces him to British Embassy attache Jill Bryant (Sigourney Weaver). Hamilton and Bryant are soon in a relationship, as Hamilton and Kwan find out more information about the connection of the Communist Chinese and the PKI, the threesome are in conflict.

Bryant and Kwan abandon Hamilton to his dogged pursuit of information about the Communists, and as the overthrow of the Sukarno government occurs, the threesome all fight to survive and flee Indonesia.

Although initially to be film in Indonesia, permission was denied, so the film was mainly filmed in The Phillipines, but after numerous death threats against Weir and Gibson, the production was moved to Australia. When the film was released in December 1982, it was banned by Indonesia.

Made for AUD $6 million, the MGM film debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in 1983, and was praised for its unique story, and the acting of Linda Hunt and Mel Gibson.

The film was successful at the box office, making almost $3 million in Australia and $10 million plus in the United States. Hunt was nominated and won the Best Supporting Actress award at the Academy Awards for her role as Billy Kwan.

I remember seeing the film and loved the dangerous backdrop to the romance, as well as seeing the culture of Indonesia and its history.

After Gibson’s turn in Mad Max, this role firmly made Mel Gibson an international star.

memories of the ’70s – Mad Max

With a planet on the brink, and the access to oil only for the few, the futuristic film Mad Max was a view of the possible future.

Produced in 1979, Mad Max was written and directed by George Miller, and was set in Australia, and starred then unknown actor Mel Gibson.

The film’s storyline is based on how society breaks down because of oil shortages. Max Rockatansky (Gibson) is an MFP, a Main Force Patrol, trying to enforce the law and chase down the gang members who are causing havoc, like the Beserk Motorcycle Gang and the Nightrider Gang.

But the ruthless and violent pursuit of the gangs makes Rockatansky question his need to be on the MFP and he decides to resign. His boss, Chief Macaffee convinces him to take a holiday instead.

The Nightrider Gang goes after Rockatansky’s wife Jessie and now the game has changed. Rockatansky takes his anger out on the gang, hunting down those who came after his family and showing them the true meaning of rage.

Miller’s ideas came out of his work as a doctor, seeing injuries from a variety of accidents and crimes. He believed viewers would find it easier to watch the violence if it was set in the future, and he was inspired by the gas shortages that had occurred in Australia in the early 1970s.

Made for $400,000 (AUD), the film was completed in and around Melbourne and featured several unique vehicles, including souped up versions of a 1974 yellow Ford Falcon, 1973 black XB Ford Falcon, a 1972 Holden Monaro coupe and 14 KZ1000 Kawasaki motorcycles.

Released in Australia in 1979, the film was dubbed for North America to mask the Australian slang and accent and released in 1980. Although in limited release, it was a success making US$8 million.

Initially banned in New Zealand and Sweden due to a couple of extremely violent scenes, the film did very well internationally, making an estimated $100,000,000 worldwide.

This film became a cult favourite and led to two sequels released in the 1980s, as well as a favourite of the video generation for its brash view and extreme violence of a future world that is fighting for every bit of power, as well as making Mel Gibson well known around the world.

memories of the ’70s – Masterpiece Theatre

In January 1971, PBS debuted one of its long-lasting programs – Masterpiece Theatre.

Hosted by Alistair Cook, the series was focused on tv adaptations of classic novels and biographies, and collaborating with productions from England to bring them to North American audiences.

The first production aired was The First Churchills, about the relationship of the first Duke of Marlborough and his wife in the 17th century.

This program has brought many well-known series to this side of the pond, including I, Claudius, Upstairs Downstairs, The Jewel in the Crown, and The Forsyte Saga.

Thanks to the pursuit of Stanford Calderwood, president of WGBH, the Boston affiliate of PBS to see if British networks would allow them to buy their programs for airing in the United States, discussions began and then were supported thanks to the patronage of Mobile Corporation.

Masterpiece Theatre’s success definitely was confirmed with the airing of Upstairs Downstairs, originally created by London Weekend Television and then picked up by the BBC in the early 1970s, but aired on PBS starting in 1974, gaining the program several Emmy Awards.

For those of us who grew up with Masterpiece Theatre, we knew Sunday night would feature a period drama, old-fashioned relationships, a bit of scandal and definitely a slice of the past we didn’t see anywhere else on television.

Now the longest running prime time drama series on television, its success continues with modern day Brit series like Prime Suspect, North and South and the current obsession, Downton Abbey.

memories of the ’80s – Foxes

This 1980 film avoided the cliches and stereotypes and show what it was like to be an American teen girl in the film Foxes.

Deidre (Kandice Stroh)  is boy crazy and all about disco, Madge (Marilyn Kagan) is unhappy with her weight and still being a virgin, Annie (Cherie Currie) is a runaway and takes pills while Jeannie (Jodie Foster) acts like the Mum to the other three, while trying to get closer to her father, a rock band manager.

The first film of director Adrian Lyne, it focuses on four teen girls growing up in the San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles.

Roseanna Arquette, Kristy McNichol, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Diane Lane all auditioned for this film, to play the character Annie. A young Demi Moore also tried to gain a part in the film.

The film shows how the girls deal with stress and the ups and downs of being teenage girls, almost adults and lured by the many temptations of the late 1970s.

The film shows the girls easily getting into the world of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, avoiding school and that the few adults in their world are just as enamoured of the party scene too.

Originally the plot was an all girl band, and the effects of the adult lifestyles, but the story was rewritten multiple times and eventually became about four friends instead.

Although  given great reviews by many critics, including Roger Ebert, the film didn’t do big business at the box office. The film’s depiction of the binds of friendship is the key to its unique view – and how the girls eventually grow up – getting serious and considering the future. Randy Quaid plays the eventual boyfriend of Madge, while Scott Baio is Brad, who is in love with Jeannie.

The soundtrack was more popular than the film, scored by Giorgio Moroder, and featured the songs Fly Too High, Shake It, Bad Love, Ship of Fools and More than a Feeling.

This was Jodie Foster’s last role before she took a four year break from acting to pursue college, while this was Cherie Currie’s first role, as she was primarily known as the singer from The Runaways.

I saw the film many years after release and was fascinated with the depiction of the girls of the San Fernando Valley – who were exposed to much more adult lives than I ever was. If I had seen it when I was younger, I probably would have understood the girls, as opposed to seeing it later in life when I pitied them.

A film that has faded from pop culture, Lyne’s view of young friendships were an interesting commentary of the late 1970s.

memories of the ’80s – Scarface

For fans of Al Pacino, especially the guys, this film is the consumate gangster movie: Scarface.

Based on a 1932 film of the same name, the 1980s version was directed by Brian de Palma, with the screenplay written by Oliver Stone and the title character of Tony Montana portrayed by Al Pacino.

Set in Miami, Montana and his entourage of Cuban pals, Manny, Angel and Chi-Chi are part of the Mariel Boatlift and brought to the United States from Cuba.

Montana and friends are sent to a refugee camp called Freedomtown and then earn their green cards by killing a former Cuban official for a local drug dealer Frank Lopez. His henchman Omar (played by F. Murray Abraham) is their go-between and although Montana knows he’s being set up, he continues the contact, becoming Lopez’s other man.

Montana walks a fine line, attracted to Lopez’s girlfriend Elvira (played my Michelle Pfeiffer), knowing he can’t trust Omar and wanting more power for himself as well as constantly using the cocaine he’s being paid to distribute.

When Lopez tries to get rid of Montana, he survives the attack and with his buddy Manny, take over Lopez’s drug dealing empire as well as makes Elvira his girlfriend and then wife. Tony’s Mother wants nothing to do with him and tells him to stay away from her and his young sister Gina.

Montana’s continued drug use as well as Elvira’s causes many confused perceptions of his drug-addled world, and the climax of the film shows Montana trying to keep his world together despite his drug addiction, distrust, anger and failure to finish an assassination to keep himself out of jail and escape criminal charges of money laundering and tax evasion.

Brian de Palma had to lobby to change the initial rating of the film from X to Restricted, due to the extreme violent depicted. It was released December 9, 1983.

With an extensive budget of $25 million, this lavish film showed the high life of the cocaine world of Miami, although many detractors disliked the stereotypical portrayal of Cubans as well as the graphic violence. The film grossed over $65 million at the box office, and produced one of film’s favourite quotes from Tony Montana: Say hello to my little friend.

I remember seeing the film a few years after release on videotape and was stunned at the graphic violence and endless cursing – it certainly wasn’t an easy film to watch, but for men, its over the top physical conflicts was a raw depiction of the underworld of cocaine distribution.

Pacino’s stylized character of Tony Montana became the stuff of legends and has become one of the favourite gangster films of all time for 20th and 21st century men, despite the initial reviews which were all negative, its now one of the most beloved films of the 1980s.

memories of the ’80s – Beauty and the Beast

In the late 1980s, this classic French fairytale was shown in a new way with the television series Beauty and the Beast.

Starring Ron Perlman and Linda Hamilton, the series was set in New York City.

Hamilton played Catherine Chandler, a NY district attorney who finds out she has a guardian angel in the form of Ron Perlman, who plays Vincent, a man/creature of the underground in this hour long drama.

Chandler’s character is beaten and left for dead in Central Park and found by Vincent, a man who resembles a lion.

Through their relationship, Chandler learns of about a whole other level of her city, where a underground group of people live in tunnels and survive on the streets. She promises to keep the secrets of Vincent and his friends in Tunnel World, and find out why she was attacked.

The first season focused on unveiling why Catherine had been a victim of this crime and the relationship between her and Vincent, who lives in the shadows. Unlike the traditional storyline, Vincent as the beast, doesn’t transform into a human ideal of male beauty, but continues to be the beast, showing his inner strength and qualities.

In season two, the side character of Tunnel World are shown more – to see how they ended up in this community and by season three,  because Linda Hamilton was pregnant and wanted to leave the series, the show creators developed a major change in the storyline. Catherine is kidnapped by the head of an evil crime syndicate, gives birth to Vincent’s son, dies and Vincent is left to search for his missing child.

The drama of this series led it to become a cult favourite – and when the relationship of Catherine and Vincent was ended on screen, it soon lost ratings and was cancelled by CBS.

But as a series, its fairytale romance became a favourite of viewers, and in 2012, is being resurrected for the small screen once more.