80s Flick Flashback

80s Flick Flashback

By Timothy WilliamsTV & FilmSociety & CultureFilm Reviews
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80s Flick Flashback episodes

  • #7 - “Summer School” (1987) with Laramy Wells
    The 1980's in Hollywood was filled with more high school movies about slackers and smart-alecks than anyone actually needed, especially when it came to featuring students who looked like they were older than the teachers. Summer School was always perhaps the most underrated of the decade’s tributes to academic slackers because what it lacked in the typical star power of, say, a John Hughes film, it more than made up for in creating arguably one of the most creative collection of “teenage” misfits than any film of the genre. At the same time, it showed that Mark Harmon, who was probably best known at the time for his role as the HIV-positive Dr. Robert Caldwell on St. Elsewhere, had a strong sense of comedy, while also confirming (along with her debut on Cheers that same year) that Kirstie Alley was much, much more than just a really attractive Vulcan. 
    On this episode, Tim Williams and guest co-host Laramy Wells, share their memories (from Tim) and first-time reactions (from Laramy) of this 80's Summer comedy classic. 
    Here are additional behind the scenes trivia that we were not able to cover on this episode: Carl Reiner was 65 years old when he directed Summer School, an odd choice for a film about youth. But, that might explain why Summer School is a somewhat more innocent teen film than those of the ‘80s – while some of the ‘80s high school tropes are in the film (like Chainsaw and Dave’s obsession with Anna-Maria’s figure), it’s really kind of a sweet film about the kids who get lost in the system and a gym teacher who realizes he’s the only one who cares about them. 
    If Courtney Thorne-Smith looks just a little irritated when she’s dreamily looking out the window, it’s because she was. While filming Pam's window gazing scene, Dean Cameron got a case of the giggles that spread to Harmon, and then to the rest of the class. Thorne-Smith had to do several  takes. Cameron says she was not amused and as soon as Reiner said, "cut!" they all scurried to their trailers to save them from her wrath. As they ran, Reiner could be heard saying to the guys, "You've been naughty boys! Naughty, naughty boys!" 
    The last actor to be cast was Richard Steven Horvitz, who played nerd Alan Eakian. Dean Cameron and Horvitz say the delay was because the character was supposed to be Jewish, originally had the last name Goldbergian and that the script was full of “Jew jokes.” Horvitz says he’s only half-Jewish, so they revised the script including changing his last name to Eakian, which is Armenian.  Alan wasn’t the only character to change based on casting. Anna-Maria was originally written to be Danish, rather than Italian. 
    Richard Steven Horvitz says he freaked out the first time he saw Patrick Labyorteaux. Special effects makeup artist Rick Baker was making a mask of his face for the horror scene but could see just a tad out of the eyeholes. When Labyorteaux walked in, Horvitz says he pointed at him (while his face was covered in plaster) and shouted, “Andy Garvey!,” the name of Labyorteaux’ character on the TV series “Little House on the Prairie.” From that point on, Horvitz – who says he was a huge “Little House on the Prairie” fan, said he’d quote lines to him from the show and constantly ask questions about filming it. The two grew to be great friends. 
    Sources: 80smovieguide.com, uproxx.com, and boxofficemojo.com 
    Send us an email or reach out to us on social media to let us know what you liked, what you loved, what we may have missed, or what 80's movie we should watch next! 
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    59 min
  • Mini-Episode: Teaser of Episode 7
    On this mini-episode, Tim Williams shares some good and bad reviews of last week’s movie, “National Lampoon’s Vacation” during the “Unpopular Opinion” segment, he discusses what TV shows and movies he’s seen recently during “Currently Watching”, and also previews the next 80's Flick he will be re-watching and discussing in the next full episode.
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    19 min
  • #6 - “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (1983) with Chris McMichen

    In July of 1983, director Harold Ramis took us on a cross-country comedic adventure with one of the most well-known, and often most beloved families in pop culture today - The Griswolds. The Griswold’s first cinematic adventure takes us from Chicago to California as the good-hearted, but dimwitted patriarch, Clark W. Griswold, attempts to drive his family to “Wally World” for a good, old fashioned family Vacation.

    • On this episode, Tim Williams and guest co-host, Chris McMichen, share their memories of this 80's classic, tell a few of their own family vacation stories, and give some behind the scenes trivia along the way.
    • There are no additional trivia notes for this episode.
    • Sources: Wikipedia, Imdb, Rotten Tomatoes, and Today.com

      • Send us an email or reach out to us on social media to let us know what you liked, what you loved, what we may have missed, or what 80's movie we should watch next!

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        • 41 min
      • Mini-Episode: Teaser of Episode #6
        On this mini-episode, Tim Williams shares some good and bad reviews of last week’s movie, “The Shining” during the “Unpopular Opinion” segment, he discusses what TV shows and movies he’s seen recently during “Currently Watching”, and also previews the next 80's Flick he will be re-watching and discussing in the next full episode.
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        22 min
      • #5 - “The Shining” (1980) with Laramy Wells

        In 1980, director Stanley Kubrick, released a film that would haunt and terrify audiences for years to come.  His own adaptation of a best-selling Steven King novel has split audiences and critics, some calling it an “overreaching, multi-leveled botch” while others hail it as a “masterpiece of modern horror.”  No matter where you stand, there is no escaping the tension and madness that fills nearly every frame of…”The Shining”. 

        • On this episode, Tim Williams and guest co-host Laramy Wells discuss their first times watching "The Shining", how much it differs from the book, and some of the behind the scenes stories and conspiracy theories. 
        • Here are some additional behind the scenes trivia we didn't get to talk about during the episode: 
        • To get Jack Nicholson in the right agitated mood, he was fed only cheese sandwiches for two weeks, which he hates. Stanley Kubrick originally wanted Slim Pickens to play the part of Hallorann, but Pickens wanted nothing to do with Kubrick, following his experiences working with him on Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb 
        • Jack Nicholson claimed that the scene where Jack snaps at Wendy for interrupting his writing was the most difficult for him, as he was a writer himself and had gotten into similar arguments with his girlfriend. Being a method actor, he drew on his memories of those arguments and added the line "Or if you come in here and you DON'T hear me typing, if I'm in here that means I'm working!" 
        • According to Vivian Kubrick in her "making of", Stanley Kubrick's secretary spent weeks, if not months, typing dozens of pages "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" for the scene where Wendy discovers those pages that Jack has been typing. 
        • During an interview for Britain's The 100 Greatest Scary Moments (2003), Shelley Duvall revealed that due to her role requiring her to be in an almost constant state of hysteria, she eventually ran out of tears from crying so hard. To overcome this, she kept bottles of water with her at all times on-set to remain hydrated. 
        • The MPAA did not allow blood to be shown in any trailers that would be seen by all ages. Kubrick persuaded them that the blood was rusty water and got the trailer passed. 

          • Sources : Wikipedia, Imdb, MentalFloss.com, and Rotten Tomatoes 

          • Send us an email or reach out to us on social media to let us know what you liked, what you loved, what we may have missed, or what 80's flick we should watch next! 
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            • 1 hr 13 min
          • Mini-Episode: Teaser of Episode 5
            On this mini-episode, Tim Williams talks about movies and TV shows he is “Currently Watching" and also previews the next 80's Flick he will be re-watching and discussing in the next full episode.
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            16 min
          • #4 - “War Games” (1983) with Chris McMichen

            Released in June of 1983, “War Games” made young Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy movie stars while it irrevocably changed our views of how computers could work and what dangers “hacking” those computers could do to the national safety of our country.  A razor sharp script, stand out performances, and what was considered cutting edge technology at the time, “War Games” changed the way political thrillers have been made since. “Would you like to play a game?”

            • On this episode, Tim Williams and guest co-host, Chris McMichen, share their memories of this 80's classic, what they picked up on after re-watching it, and how hard it would be to reboot it with today's techonology.
            • Here are some additional behind the scenes stories we didn't get to talk about during the episode:
            • According to John Badham, the scene of the jeep trying to crash through the gate at NORAD and turning over was an actual accident. The jeep was supposed to continue through the gate. They added the scene of the characters running from the jeep and down the tunnel and used the botched jeep stunt.
            • When David makes a joke directed at his teacher about asexual reproduction the laughter heard afterwards is considered to be the rest of the kids in the classroom. But John Badham (director) said that some of the crew didn't know the punch line and laughed out loud during the scene. That laughter was left in the sound track, and if you listen closely you will hear what is clearly adults laughing out loud, rather than classroom sniggering.
            • In the original script NORAD ends up giving David a part-time job, and he works as McKittrick's assistant; just as McKittrick said he started out as Falken's assistant.
            • Sources: Wikipedia, Imdb, and MentalFloss.com

              • Send us an email or reach out to us on social media to let us know what you liked, what you loved, what we may have missed, or what 80's movie we should watch next! 

              • Facebook - Moviviews News & Reviews (Group Page) 
              • InstaGram - Moviviews


                • 50 min
              • Mini-Episode - Teaser of Episode 4
                On this mini-episode, Tim Williams introduces 2 new segments called "Unpopular Opinion" and "Currently Watching".  He also previews the next 80's Flick he will be re-watching and discussing in the next full episode.
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                23 min
              • #3 - “Stand By Me” (1986) with Laramy Wells

                A tender and poignant story of four friends who spend the last weekend of the Summer of 1959 looking for the body of a missing local boy, “Stand By Me” won the hearts of critics and audiences in the Fall of 1986.  Starring Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, and newcomer Jerry O’Connell, the movie still stands as one of the most influential and also most beloved coming-of-age films of the 1980’s. 

                • On this episode, Tim Williams and guest co-host, Laramy Wells, share their memories of this 80's classic, what they picked up on after rewatching it, and the differences between the film and Stephen King's "The Body" which it is based on. 
                • Here are some additional behind the scene stories we didn't get to talk about during the episode. Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix and Jerry O'Connell soaked Corey Feldman's clothes in beer, then dried them so he smelled like a wino. 
                • Rob Reiner "agonized" over the pie-eating scene because he was having trouble trying to envision what kind of writer Gordie would become and how that would play out as a 12-year-old. "Ultimately, in my mind, he became Stephen King," Reiner said. "And Stephen King is a great story teller and most of the stories he tells are supernatural or there's horror involved." He decided to go over the top with it and make it rather cartoonish, the way it would appear in a young boy's mind. According to Reiner, the audience went crazy for it, justifying his decision to leave it in. 
                • The lead actors weren't allowed to see the body of Ray Brower (played by Kent W. Luttrell) until they unveil him on camera; this method was used to unsettle the four boys and gain the best reaction possible. 
                • Sources - Imdb and Wikipedia 
                • Send us an email or reach out to us on social media to let us know what you liked, what you loved, what we may have missed, or what 80's movie we should watch next!  
                • Facebook - Moviviews News & Reviews (Group Page) 
                • InstaGram - Moviviews
                  • 1 hr 2 min
                • Mini-Episode - Teaser of Episode 3
                  Get a sneak peak of next week’s episode!
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                  10 min

                About 80s Flick Flashback

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                The 80s Flick Flashback Podcast is a nostalgic journey for anyone who grew up watching movies in the 80s or discovered the joy of these cinematic gems. Each episode features creator and host Tim…