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There wasn't much time left...Underwater explorer Robert Ballard was busy with a top-secret, underwater mission. But his real sights were set on finding the wreck of the most famous ship of them all...This is the story of the discovery of Titanic, an event many thought would never happen. But in September 1985, in the very early morning came the discovery of the mythical ship. Not only is this a l...

As a kid, Flight of the Navigator was one of my all-time favorite movies. I can't tell you how many times I watched it. But I had no idea how groundbreaking it was from a technical standpoint, and how it seems to have influenced the future of CGI (including influencing a certain blockbuster filmmaker from the 90s)This is a look back on the movie that is a bit of an underrated science-fiction gem....

Fraggle Rock was a lot of things; entertaining, funny, musical, insightful, and imaginative. But it was also an instrumental part of the growth of HBO. It was the show that kids loved and parents were ok with us watching. And this was the case worldwide as Fraggle Rock spread to many, MANY countries. It was so big in some countries, that it even changed how the show was produced. And Fraggle Rock...

This is a show I've been wanting to make for a while. But it's one that took a ton of research because it went so much deeper than I ever knew. And, for most of us, it's something we probably had no idea was even happening back in the early 80s. This is the story of the Betamax Case and how, if Universal Studios could have their way, the VCR would have been made illegal. It's a story that goes bac...

Last year, I covered a dozen or so albums from 1983 that are now over 40 years old. Today, it's a trip back to 1984 and a new crop of albums that are now over the hill. But these are no ordinary albums as it's a year with some of the most monumental records ever released. And back when people still bought physical music--they hit sales numbers that will never be seen again.1984 gave us a great mix...

If you have some downtime this Easter Weekend, I've got you covered with a brand new edition of the Everything 80s Movie Review Podcast: The Last StarfighterThis is just for members of the Boba Fett level and above, and today we travel back to 1984 to revisit a movie that was quite ahead of its time. It was hard for The Last Starfighter not to be compared to Star Wars. Still, it was able to go in...

The 1980s really did start with a bang...Just a few months into a new decade, we got one of the biggest cliffhangers in television history: The Who Shot JR episode of Dallas. Depending on how old you are, you may remember what a massive TV event this was, and everyone had to spend more than 7 agonizing months speculating over who did it. The question dominated popular culture and when the big nigh...

It's amazing how one decade had so many distinctive looks. From bright neon to Run-DMC's street fashion and from Madonna to the Yuppies on Wall Street, there might not be another decade with such a variety of distinctive fashions and styles. Today, it's a look back on the items, styles, and personalities that made the 1980s the bold and bright decade it was. Besides some of the influential celebri...

If you know what follows the words, "I don't know..." it means you grew up with one of the most creative, bizarre, and beloved kids' shows of all time. You Can't Do That On Television started out as a low-budget program on CJOH-TV in Ottawa, Canada. And it quickly drew in a lot of kids intrigued by the name of the show--and then by what they saw. Meanwhile, a new kid-only cable channel in the US w...

I looked back at the year 1982 a few years ago, but this is an all-new version of what may be the standout year of the early 80s--especially when it comes to all things pop culture. It's the year that gave us the biggest movie of the decade (along with another that became one of the most influential ever made)It was an astounding year for video games--both at home and in the arcades. And even thou...

Back in the early 80s, I don't remember anyone with a computer. By the end of the decade, they started to become as common in households as a TV or microwave. And a big part of this was all thanks to the IBM PC 5150, a machine created for the masses. This is a look back on the remarkable computer that changed the course of tech and computers forever (not to mention a certain software company that...

It can't miss...These were the fateful words applied to the live-action version of He-Man set to hit theatres in the summer of 1987.But the movie wasn't a hit, and actually--more of a financial disaster. But it still had some cool elements and eventually developed a cult following. Welcome to the Patreon-only, Everything 80s Movie Review Podcast. This is just for members of the Boba Fett level and...

Going into the early 80s, hip hop was growing by leaps and bounds, but that was nothing until a group from Hollis, Queens arrived on the scene...This is the story of Run-DMC, the rap group that took the genre to levels never imagined. They not only changed hip-hop and music--but all of pop culture. From their unique fashion to one of the all-time great brand deals with Adidas, Run-DMC broke down w...

It was the movie no one believed in--but it became a massive box office hit and a pop culture phenomenon. Starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, Dirty Dancing was the perfect combination of music, dance, and 1960s nostalgia. Today, it's become a nostalgic favorite in its own right. This is a look back on the movie that had everything going against it, but somehow, managed to become one of the...

I love a deep cut, and this episode has a bunch of them. It also features some shows that I now remember, but had completely forgotten about. This is a look back at 10 forgotten TV shows from the 80s (plus a few bonus ones).Some of these shows were bizarre (a Medieval character that lives in modern-day San Francisco) while some of them should have been the next big thing (a show about a pretty bad...

What started out as a brief segment during the Muppets Take Manhattan quickly turned into one of the most beloved children's shows of the entire 1980s. Today, it's the history of the Muppet Babies, which was not only a uniquely creative cartoon but one that took a different path from many of the other cartoons at the time. It also looked a lot different--thanks to help from George Lucas and Steven...

This is one of my favorite deep cuts in a long time. What do you get when you combine Star Wars, rock music, Disney, Disneyland, Wookies, and Guardians of the Galaxy? You get Halyx, a real-life, science-fiction rock band launched by Disney in the summer of 1981.The project was created to capitalize on the immense popularity of Star Wars, offer a new attraction at the park, and hopefully lead to so...

Despite being a simple meat sandwich, the hamburger found itself right in the middle of a multi, multi-billion dollar battle during the 1980s. This is a look back on the cutthroat fast food industry of the 1980s--all centered around who had the best burger. We look at McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's, A&W, and White Castle as they battled it out for burger supremacy--and in the process, also ch...

Welcome to the Patreon-only Everything 80s Year in Review Special! This Patreon-exclusive episode is a look back on the Podcast over the last 12 months; which shows were the most popular, where you're all listening from, and a bunch of other stats related to the show. I also begin by looking at how 1980s culture is as big as ever in 2023 and the 80s-related TV shows and movies that continue to dri...

What began as an underground art form in the Bronx, soon spread through the five boroughs of New York, across the country, and then worldwide. This is the history of breaking and how it, and hip-hop, both came up at the same time and couldn't exist without one another. We'll look back at the early days, the pioneers, the first big B-boy crews, and how this style of dance went from the streets and...

Despite having a relatively short run, My Pet Monster was able to carve out its own little piece of 1980s pop culture nostaliga. And it took a different route to do so...My Pet Monster came out of an intersting time; it was an era with a shift back to more traditional toys like dolls and stuffed animals, but also a period where gross-out humor was a big seller. All of these things set the stage fo...

1981 sure was a doozy...From the astounding technoligcal advancements, to a few near tragedies, and then one of the biggest events of the entire decade--this year had it all. Welcome to rewind and an all-new version of my look back at 1981. The decade had only just begun, but there was plenty happening--especially in the world of pop culure, including something new that forever changed the way we...

Welcome to The Everything 80s Holiday Special and a look back at the holiday season during the 80s. In this episode, we travel back to revisit some of the lesser-known TV specials, the biggest holiday movies of the decade, and what it was like heading out to the mall during the holiday season in the 80s. We also flip through some pages of the beloved Sears Wishbook. And then we finish by hearing f...

The title of this podcast may sound like I've gone a bit nuts...Putting together a list of the best movies of the 1980s is not only incredibly hard--it's entirely subjective. But this isn't my list. Today, I'm looking at the movies from the 80s that made the American Film Institute's Top 100 movies of all time. Around 25 years ago, The AFI assembled hundreds of movie experts, insiders, and film pr...

Welcome to the Patreon-only, Everything 80s Movie Review Podcast. This is just for members of the Boba Fett level and above, and today, we travel back to the Holidays of 1988 to revisit Ernest Saves Christmas. To me, it's an underrated Christmas classic and the very best of the Ernest movies. We'll do a full plot recap, then look at what went into making the movie that wasn't a critical hit, but a...