«« Mini-Rewind ««

• Escape from New York starring Kurt Russell debuted in theaters July 9, 1981.

• Former Van Halen front man David Lee Roth released his debut studio album “Eat ‘Em and Smile” on July 7, 1986.

• The teen comedy License to Drive starring the two Corey’s - Haim & Feldman hit the big screen on July 6, 1988. The movie also stars Heather Graham and features Richard Masur (you know, the dad from Mr. Boogedy!).

• “The Magnificent” Don Muraco won the WWF’s first ever “King of the Ring” tournament by defeating The Iron Sheik at Sullivan Stadium in Foxboro, MA on July 9, 1985.

• “Super Freak”, the Grammy nominated single by Rick James was released on July 10, 1981. Since becoming a hit, the single has been sampled by big time acts including MC Hammer, Jay-Z and Nicki Minaj.

• Riggs & Murtaugh returned for the second installment of the Lethal Weapon movie series on July 7, 1989. Did you know it was the highest grossing R-rated film of the year?

• The Phil Collins album No Jacket Required was released July 6, 1985. The album is filled with hits including “Sussudio”, “One More Night” and “Don’t Lose My Number”.

• After their epic blunder or genius marketing ploy, Coca-Cola re-introduced their original formula on July 10, 1985.

Beauty and the Beat, released July 8, 1981 is the groundbreaking debut album by The Go-Go’s, marking the first time an all-female band who wrote their own songs and played their own instruments topped the Billboard charts. Fueled by infectious tracks like “We Got the Beat” and “Our Lips Are Sealed,” the album blended punk energy with pop hooks. Its success helped redefine women’s roles in rock and remains a defining sound of early ’80s new wave. The album stayed at the top of the charts for six consecutive weeks, and ranked second in Billboard’s year-end Top 100 of 1982.

Donkey Kong from 1981 is a pioneering arcade game that introduced the world to both Mario (then known as Jumpman) and his nemesis, Donkey Kong. Players guide Mario up ladders and across platforms to rescue a damsel in distress while dodging barrels and fireballs. Created by Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto, it was a major breakthrough in game design and storytelling. Donkey Kong became a massive hit and helped launch Nintendo as a dominant force in the gaming industry. Could it be considered one of the most influential video games of all-time considering it introduced us to Mario???

Tron (July 9, 1982) is a groundbreaking sci-fi film that brought audiences inside the digital world like never before. Starring Jeff Bridges as a computer programmer who gets digitized into a computer system, the film dazzled with revolutionary visual effects and a futuristic vision of cyberspace. Though not a box office smash initially, Tron gained cult status over time, influencing video games, CGI in film, and pop culture. Its innovative style made it a true '80s sci-fi classic.

🎧 Retro Picks of the Week

📺 T.V. Show: Some unknown show called Seinfeld debuted on NBC July 5, 1989. Who knew the sitcom would become one of the biggest in t.v. history running 9 seasons and airing 180 episodes?

📼 Movie: Kurt Russell had a good week, albeit in different years when Used Cars debuted on July 11, 1980.

🎵 Song: Wild, Wild West, the second album by The Escape Club was released on July 11, 1988. The album featured the bands biggest hit “Wild, Wild West”, which hit #1 on the Billboard chart.

🕹️ Video Game: Paperboy (1985) by Atari games puts you in the shoes of a paperboy who cruises along on his bike throughout the neighborhood delivering The Daily Sun newspaper.

👾 Cartoon: Inspector Gadget, one of my favorites growing up debuted in 1982 with a pilot episode before hitting the airwaves fulltime in 1983. Did we ever see the evil Dr. Claw???