You Are What You Were. Celebrate Retro Pop Culture At Retroland.
The era of the modern summer blockbuster came riding in on the fins of a great white shark. Jaws was not only the most successful film of 1975, it was the most successful film the world had yet seen. With an unforgettable cast, a delightfully ominous musical score, and two hours of white-knuckled suspense, Jaws did for the beach what Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho had done for showers 15 years earlier.
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Bill Murray found success as one of the iconic “Not Ready For Prime Time Players” on Saturday Night Live in the 70s. And like his cohorts, Chevy Chase and John Belushi, his next career step was films. His first starring role was as out-of-control camp counselor Tripper Harrison in the comedy Meatballs. Released in 1979 and directed by Ivan Reitman, (who had just finished producing Animal House) Meatballs wasn’t exactly a children's film. It was a bit too risqué for that, garnering a PG rating - but it was still managed to be seen by a heck of a lot of kids who still fondly remember the summer-themed film to this day.
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For anyone, young or old, who ever doubted the existence of Santa Claus, those doubts were summarily laid to rest in the immortal 1947 holiday classic, Miracle on 34th Street. Only the most jaded scrooge could have a heart impervious to the charm that has made this a tradition holiday favorite ever since its original release.
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Cat abuse, snooty French guards, perilous virgins, animated monsters, killer rabbits, holy hand grenades, clacking coconuts, and Knights Who Say "Nee" were just a few of the zany contributions from the madcap Monty Python group to the Arthurian legend, in the 1975 film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
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With the popularity of films like Mary Poppins and Song of the South, Disney proved that they could successfully mix live-action and animation. For their next such endeavor, they would once again meld the two mediums in 1977 for Pete’s Dragon, a comedic film about a boy and his invisible, fire-breathing friend.
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One of the most successful science fiction franchises ever to emerge from Hollywood, Planet of the Apes (and the four sequels that followed) introduced film audiences to a world where apes ruled supreme, and with an iron fist. With Charlton Heston playing the lead human, and Roddy McDowell, Maurice Evans and Kim Hunter transformed into believable beasts (via loads of latex makeup), The Planet of the Apes continues to enthrall with its thought-provoking plot and colorful characters over four decades after its original release.
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The iconic collection of characters from Charles M. Shulz’s beloved comic strip, Peanuts, were certainly no strangers to the big screen. In 1969, they reckoned with a National Spelling Bee in A Boy Called Charlie Brown and in 1972, searched far and wide for everyone’s favorite pooch in Snoopy, Come Home. It was time for a new adventure in 1977 as the gang tackled the perils of summer camp in the feature film, Race For Your Life, Charlie Brown.
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Sly like a fox, that Robin Hood was. So, when Disney decided to bring the epic adventure to the big screen in animated form, they indeed gave the role to an anthropomorphic fox. And they found critters to play each of the famous roles. Marian was also a fox, Prince John and King Richard became lions. Little John was now a bear, Friar Tuck was a badger, and the sinister Sheriff of Nottingham was a wolf - in Walt Disney’s classic 1973 film, Robin Hood.
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The term “ground zero” describes a point where an explosion occurs. Concerning the explosion of the disco era, few would argue that the catalyst was the 1977 blockbuster film, Saturday Night Fever. Cross-marketed with a musical soundtrack that is still considered one of the most successful of all-time, the film managed to send a significant portion of the population to the nearest dance floor, to boogie the night away just like the film’s character, Tony Manero. It also marked the film debut of America’s favorite sweathog, John Travolta, whose slick dance moves were soon imitated in every disco in America. For better or worse, the disco era had arrived.
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Audiences in the mid-70s seemingly expected two things from their movie-going experiences - car chases and Burt Reynolds. So, just like the “you got your peanut butter in my chocolate” commercials, it only seemed natural to pair the two for a wild and crazy adventure involving CB radios, a black Trans-am, and a whole lotta Coors beer in the madcap cross-country adventure, Smokey and the Bandit.
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