In the land of celluloid, somewhere between all-singing, all-dancing musicals and teenage drama sits Fame. Remember my name. In 1980, anyone with a dream of performing had their eyes glued to the story of kids at New York City High School for the Performing Arts. They were pushing their talents to the limit to try and make a career in the spotlight. The road was bumpy, and the story was captivating.
Though there was an entire high school-worth of supporting characters, the movie focused on the lives of five students: brazen Coco (who sang the title track, and whose voice rings in our minds on the mere mention of “Fame”), shy, plain Doris, the macho and often abrasive Raul Garcia, who went by the name of Ralph Garcey, newly out-of-the-closet Montgomery and the talented-yet-shy musician Bruno. The film was segmented according to what year they were in, from their auditions to freshmen, sophomore, junior, and senior years, culminating in their graduation.
The drama unfolded as these high schoolers dealt with everyday teenage issues, like loneliness, insecurity and discovering themselves, all with the added pressures of finding stardom in the tough world of the performing arts. It was so much more colorful than the average high school experience, how could anyone not be intrigued? Many a girl and more than a handful of guys could only daydream of the successes they could find if they could go to a school like that. Maybe it was possible to live forever, if only your name could be in lights.
Fame became a superstar on the Hollywood scene and within a couple of years a television series was produced with much of the cast from the film in the roles that made them famous. For five years, the virtual unknowns that starred in the film were able to find the fame that the film and show glorified. The film also spawned a renewed interest in the Broadway scene, with more dramatic fetes - such as A Chorus Line - that followed. Fame… maybe it did live forever.
Though there was an entire high school-worth of supporting characters, the movie focused on the lives of five students: brazen Coco (who sang the title track, and whose voice rings in our minds on the mere mention of “Fame”), shy, plain Doris, the macho and often abrasive Raul Garcia, who went by the name of Ralph Garcey, newly out-of-the-closet Montgomery and the talented-yet-shy musician Bruno. The film was segmented according to what year they were in, from their auditions to freshmen, sophomore, junior, and senior years, culminating in their graduation.
The drama unfolded as these high schoolers dealt with everyday teenage issues, like loneliness, insecurity and discovering themselves, all with the added pressures of finding stardom in the tough world of the performing arts. It was so much more colorful than the average high school experience, how could anyone not be intrigued? Many a girl and more than a handful of guys could only daydream of the successes they could find if they could go to a school like that. Maybe it was possible to live forever, if only your name could be in lights.
Fame became a superstar on the Hollywood scene and within a couple of years a television series was produced with much of the cast from the film in the roles that made them famous. For five years, the virtual unknowns that starred in the film were able to find the fame that the film and show glorified. The film also spawned a renewed interest in the Broadway scene, with more dramatic fetes - such as A Chorus Line - that followed. Fame… maybe it did live forever.
