Oh 1985, how I miss you. Has it really been 25 years? Well, you look great! Ha, yes I do remember that live episode of Gimme A Break. That Nell, so crazy! What about when Edna’s Edibles burned down on Facts of Life? Good times.
Oh, hello. I didn’t see you there. 1985 and I were just taking a little walk down memory lane. It’s hard to believe that 25 years have passed since a very memorable year in television. NBC was the first major network to broadcast its prime time shows in stereo back in 1985. Jon Lovitz and Dennis Miller were rookies on SNL while Courtney Cox was in a Tampax ad.
It was a year that gave us future TV stars like Amanda Seyfried (Big Love), Ashley Tisdale (Suite Life of Zack and Cody), Kaley Cuoco (Big Bang Theory) and Michelle Trachtenberg (Buffy). Like I said, it was a good year, but it also saw the cancellation of The Dukes of Hazzard and the passing of game show announcing legend Johnny Olson. Olson was the voice of The Price is Right and coined the phrase “come on down!” which is still used to this day.
Some shows that are celebrating their silver anniversary include:
- The Golden Girls
- MacGyver
- Growing Pains
- What’s Happening Now
- Jem
- Mr.
Belvedere
and - Moonlighting
While all those series eventually faded away, a couple of long running television icons began their 25 years way back then. From Great Britain, a land where most shows get two or three “series” as opposed to lengthly season runs, a little soap opera called Eastenders debuted in February 1985. This show about the daily lives of a fictional burough in the east end of London has become a cultural tent pole in the United Kingdom. Airing four new shows a week, Eastenders will crack the insane 4,000th episode mark this summer.
Stateside, it was the middle of the eighties that brought the premiere of Larry King Live on a then mostly over looked cable news network called CNN. While a broadcaster since the fifties with a successful radio show, it is King’s nightly interviews with the topical and entertaining that makes this stretch of show such an important hallmark of American TV.
The mini series of 1985 was North and South, a sweeping civil war story most notable for it’s lead actor, a young Patrick Swayze. What I consider my second favorite mini of all time (behind Shogun) also featured such star power as Robert Mitchum, Kirstie Alley, Gene Kelly, David Carradine, Elizabeth Taylor, Morgan Fairchild, and the man in black himself, Johnny Cash!
One beloved celebrity celebrating 25 years in 2010 is non other than Sesame Street‘s Elmo! Everyone’s favorite squeaky falsetto, third person speaking red monster is now old enough to rent a car in all 50 states, although he still claims to be only three and a half.
For you fans of obscurity, a quarter of a century ago Misfits of Science premiered. Yes, not only did Courtney Cox have that sweet Tampax money to spend, she was also a moody telekinetic teenager on Misfits, a show about superpowered humans that is way more fun than Heroes. Interesting footnote; Heroes creator Tim Kring also wrote an episode of Misfits of Science! Sadly, this show has no U.S. release outside some degrading VHS copies not worth buying on eBay. There is a DVD set from Germany, where the show was oddly very popular, but hopefully Universal will give this some home video treatment soon.
Wow, 1985 did you remember all that stuff happened to you? No, we’re not gonna tell them about the Copacabana musical with Estelle Getty. Sometimes you just need to leave things in the past! Now let’s go pop in those old tapes of 227 you were telling me about. I love me some Jackee!!
Comments
No comments.
Add your comment