«« Mini-Rewind ««

• The biggest wrestling star of all-time, Hulk Hogan made his wrestling debut August 10, 1977 in the CWF vs Brian Blair (ya, the Killer Bee!)

• Winger, the debut album by the hair band Winger was released August 10, 1989. The album features their hit single Seventeen. Check out the video (above) of the band performing on The Arsenio Hall Show

• Team U.S.A., anchored by NBA stars Michael Jordan & Patrick Ewing won the gold medal at the Los Angeles Summer Olympics on August 10, 1984.

• If you are a sports fan, who could forget August 9, 1988 when the Edmonton Oilers did the unthinkable and traded Wayne Gretzky, the game’s greatest player to the Los Angeles Kings.

• One of the top western movies released, Young Guns was released in theaters August 12, 1988.

• IBM released the personal computer (PC) on August 12, 1981 for a bargain price of $1,565!

• The Fly starring Jeff Goldblum hit theaters August 15, 1986.

Summer Rental (1985) is one of those lighthearted John Candy comedies that feels like the perfect lazy-day watch. Candy plays Jack Chester, an overworked air traffic controller who’s ordered by his boss to take a family vacation after a stressful run at work. He packs up his wife and kids and heads to a quiet beach town in Florida, hoping for some much-needed relaxation. Of course, nothing goes smoothly.

From the start, Jack finds himself in one misadventure after another - sunburns, mix-ups with their rental house, and run-ins with locals who clearly aren’t thrilled about tourists. The big conflict comes when Jack crosses paths with Al Pellet, a wealthy, arrogant sailor who seems to take pleasure in making Jack’s vacation miserable. What follows is a series of comedic mishaps, building up to a sailboat race that Jack enters, even though he has zero sailing experience.

Like a lot of ’80s comedies, it mixes slapstick humor with a good-natured heart. Candy’s charm really carries the movie - you can’t help but root for him, even when he’s in way over his head. It’s not the most polished film of its era, but it’s funny, breezy, and captures that “family vacation gone wrong” vibe in a really relatable way.

The Moscow Music Peace Festival in 1989 was basically the “Woodstock of metal.” Held at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, it brought together huge rock and metal acts like Bon Jovi, Mötley Crüe, Skid Row, Ozzy Osbourne, and Scorpions. What made it historic was the timing - it happened during the final years of the Cold War, with thousands of Soviet fans getting their first real taste of Western rock music on such a massive scale. Beyond the loud guitars and wild performances, the event was meant to promote peace and raise awareness about drug and alcohol abuse. It was pure, electric history.

The Go-Go’s 1982 album Vacation is pure summer fun packed into vinyl. Coming off the success of their debut, the band leaned into their surfy, pop-rock sound with upbeat tracks that feel tailor-made for the beach. The title track, “Vacation,” became an instant anthem, capturing that carefree escape everyone dreams about. While it didn’t hit as big as Beauty and the Beat, the album kept their playful energy alive and cemented them as ’80s pop icons.

🎧 Retro Picks of the Week

📺 T.V. Show: One of my favorite Saturday Moring shows, Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1986–1991) was a wildly imaginative children’s show starring Paul Reubens as the eccentric Pee-wee Herman, surrounded by talking furniture, wacky puppets, and colorful characters. Blending surreal humor, creativity, and life lessons, it became a Saturday morning favorite and a cult classic.

📼 Movie: Red Dawn (1984) imagines a Cold War nightmare where Soviet and Cuban forces invade the United States, starting in a small Colorado town. A group of teenagers, calling themselves the Wolverines, band together to fight back in a mix of guerrilla warfare, survival, and patriotic defiance. To this day it is still one of my favorite watches.

🎵 Song: “Whip It” - Devo (1980). The single is a quirky, synth-driven new wave anthem that combines offbeat humor with a catchy hook, making it one of the band’s most iconic and enduring hits. And what about those red helmets???

🕹️ Video Game: The Sega Genesis launched in North America in 1989, bringing 16-bit graphics, fast gameplay, and arcade-quality titles into living rooms. It set the stage for the legendary “console wars” of the early ’90s, going head-to-head with Nintendo and capturing gamers with hits like Sonic the Hedgehog.

👾 Cartoon: In 1985 The Berenstain Bears cartoon hit the Saturday Morning cartoons lineup. Based on the beloved children’s books, over two seasons, the cartoon followed Mama, Papa, Brother, and Sister Bear as they navigated everyday family life in Bear Country. With gentle lessons about kindness, honesty, and responsibility, the show mixed warmth and humor, making it a favorite for kids and parents alike.