Why We All Loved Alice
The 1975 movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore was a big hit, so it was no surprise when the television show Alice aired in 1976. However, no one could have predicted the show’s success or the fact that the show would successfully air until 1985, when the final season ran. The show revolved around a character named Alice (played by Linda Lavin), whose husband had died in an accident. Alice and her son Tommy leave New York and head to...
Corey Feldman Voted Favorite 80s Corey
In a yearlong online poll at liketotally80s.com, Corey Feldman is the runaway winner of the Favorite Corey poll. The poll asks site visitors to choose their favorite Corey among 80s greats Corey Haim, Corey Hart, and Corey Feldman. Over 4,800 80s fans voted, with Feldman garnering 56% of the total votes. He was followed by Corey Haim with 25% of the votes. Corey Hart brings up the rear with 20%. Feldman and Haim achieved early stardom...
80s-Style TV Romance – Beauty & the Beast
The 80s brought us some great television, but one of the best shows of all time was definitely Beauty and the Beast. No, not quite Disney’s 1991 animated version – but a grown up take on this classic story starring Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman. The show debuted on September 5, 1987. The storyline of this grown-up tale revolves around Vincent (Ron Perlman) and Catherine (Linda Hamilton). Catherine plays a New York district...
MacGyver – 80s TV (1985-1992)
If I say “shoe string, bubble gum, house key and hair spray equals powerful door-blasting bomb” what comes to mind? If you said MacGyver, you survived the 80s. If you had no idea, it’s time to get a clue, McFly. MacGyver ran for seven fun-filled, nail-biting seasons from September 29, 1985, to May 21, 1992 on ABC. And, while he spilled over into the 90s, we at Like Totally 80s will claim him as our own. The show centered...
One Day at a Time
Wasn’t TV so much better in the 80s? It definitely showcased more talent. I mean, anyone can get up in front of a camera on reality television and make a fool of himself. The TV shows of the 80s actually had scripts and plots! One of the best of these 80s TV shows was One Day at a Time. Arguably, this show was as much 70s and it was 80s (it ran from 1975 – 1984), but we’ll claim it here at Like Totally 80s. It hit its height in...
Better Off Dead, 1985
Let us start by just saying the obvious – John Cusack is awesome. He was awesome in the 80s, and he is awesome now. It is hard to say how I would feel about Better Off Dead had it not starred John Cusack, but I am pretty sure I would still love it. It is hilarious. It has so many great elements and characters. Some classic lines that remain in general usage (ok, at least among the folks I know) such as “I want my TWO DOLLARS!” serve...
Say Anything, 1989
The year was 1989. We were getting ready to say goodbye to one of the most memorable (and lovable) decades in history. It was also the year we were introduced to one of the best films of all time. Enter John Cusack – boom box held high above his head (donning that typical 80s trench-coat-as-fashion-statement) with Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” blasting – hoping desperately to overcome love’s obstacles. Some...
Diff’rent Strokes, 1978 – 1986
If forced to pick five favorites from among the great TV shows of the 80s, Diff’rent Strokes would definitely make the cut. The show wasn’t just about laughs, it was about breaking social and cultural barriers while learning about the important things in life – and, of course, it had Arnold’s catch phrase, “Whatchou talkin’ bout Willis?” (see video below). Diff’rent Strokes first aired in 1978 and...
80s Nostalgia Question Solved: The Hugga Bunch
We regularly get questions about a toy, song, movie, video, etc from the 80s; the reader will remember some details, but can’t figure it out. We are happy to help! With crowd-sourcing on our Facebook page, there are few 80s questions that can’t be answered! This reader’s question and the answer are shown below. Original Question: I recently bought the phantom tollbooth on eBay and even though it was from the...
The Lost Boys, 1987
by Jeffrey A. Garoutte Corey Haim and Corey Feldman worked together for the first time in one of the greatest modern day teenage vampire movies of all time . . . The Lost Boys. These were the days before vampires could leave the lair during the day, and they certainly didn’t sparkle in the sunlight. Instead, they were scary, motorcycle-riding, night-terrorizing, day-sleeping-upside-down-by-horrific-toenails gangs of very bad...
80s TV – Nielsen Ratings Top Shows by Year
We were clearly obsessed with the Ewing and Huxtable families in the 80s; of the eleven years shown below (stretching slightly back into 1979 and forward into 1990 to account for the span of a television season), “Dallas” and “The Cosby Show” took the top spot a whopping eight times! Top 80s TV Show by Year 1979–1980: 60 Minutes (CBS) 1980–1981: Dallas (CBS) 1981–1982: Dallas (CBS) 1982–1983: 60 Minutes (CBS)...
80s TV – Then and Now . . .
Whoever said “What comes around, goes around” can “KISS MY GRITS!” Most of today’s popular TV shows are clearly attempting replication of the glory days of television – the 1980s. But in the end, they are simply poor substitutes for the veritable feast of legendary television we enjoyed 20 years ago. CSI? Give me Crockett and Tubbs any day . . . everyone knows that real men wear hot pink blazers and white pants. X-Files was clearly a...
Big Red Commercials
Kiss a little longer, hold tight a little longer . . . with Big Red. Check out these great 80s Big Red commercials. Grab a pack and kiss your main squeeze a longer today!...
Bartles and Jaymes Wine Coolers
04.27.07: New commercials submitted by site user, Patrick. Thanks, Patrick! Topping for Ice: Baseball-ese: Ed Knows...
Valley Girl, 1983
This is THE teen movie of the 80s and it stands firmly in the #1 slot at Like Totally 80s. It stands out in part because it was not done by John Hughes and therefore has a completely different feel and a refreshingly different cast from the other brat pack movies of the time. In fact, Valley Girl is the first starring role for Nicolas Cage (Randy) (reason enough to watch and enjoy this movie). His co-star, Deborah Foreman, plays Julie...
