Groovy Photos Still Discussed Decades Later
By | June 18, 2018
Brooke Shields playing pinball, 1978.
This collection of unedited photos will bring an eerie feeling of nostalgia down your spine...viewer discretion is advised.
Photographs give us a glimpse into the past. The serve as a reminder of days gone by and as a window into bygone days. This collection of photos from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s demonstrate the vide of the groovy era. What it shows is time of change when old traditions were going by the wayside and new societal norms were being established. What these photos show us is that the groovy era was filled with beautiful babes, hunky men, and talented celebrities. Let’s see how many you recognize.
Some of the photos may be too inappropriate for sensitive viewers...now that you have been warned, please take a closer look.
In this photo of Brooke Shields, taken in 1978, we see a wholesome young girl enjoying her childhood. But 1978 was the same year that Brooke Shields starred in her most controversial film, Pretty Baby. The movie caused quite a stir for several reasons. First was the subject matter of the movie. It dealt with child prostitution in New Orleans’s famous Red Light District in the early 1900s. Second, Shields, who was only 12 years old when the movie was filmed, went nude in several scenes. Pretty Baby sparked a debate over art versus pornography and the rights of juveniles to have a voice in the manner in which they were filmed.
Heres a behind the scenes look at Shirley Eaton on the set of Goldfinger being painted gold for the “gold corpse” scene, 1964.
English actress Shirley Eaton’s biggest role was playing Jill Masterson in Goldfinger, a 1964 James Bond film. You probably remember her as the “Golden Girl”. In the film, Eaton’s character died after being painted from top to bottom with gold paint. It was explained that she died of skin suffocation. This sparked a rumor that Eaton herself had been killed during the filming of Goldfinger. This became a widely believed urban myth. It didn’t fade away after Eaton posed for the cover of Life magazine in her Goldfinger gold costume and gold paint. Eaton retired from acting in 1969 but released an aptly named autobiography in 1999, titled Golden Girl.
President Ronald Reagan wearing a pair of sweatpants a la Fred Mertz aboard Air Force One in 1984.
We get it … you want to be comfortable while traveling. Business pants can be binding so it is not uncommon for people to wear comfy sweatpants on planes. We just hope they don’t wear them was pulled up as Ronald Reagan wore his in this 1984 photo that was taken aboard Air Force One. Reagan, who was normally a pretty cool dude, has his sweats hiked up as far as Fred Mertz, the curmudgeonly neighbor on TV’s I Love Lucy. It wasn’t a good look for Fred Mertz and it certainly wasn’t a good look for the President of the United States. But, hey … as long as he’s comfortable.
Sherry Jackson as Andrea in episode 7 (What Are Little Girls Made Of) in "Star Trek", 1966.
The television science fiction series, Star Trek, was known for pushing the envelope and the October 20, 1966, episode, titled “What Are Little Girls Made Of” certainly lived up to that. Written by Robert Bloch, the storyline follows a rogue scientist who is secretly planning to create an army of sophisticated androids to take over the galaxy. Gorgeous actress Sherry Jackson was cast as Andrea, a scantily clad android. Jackson’s costume was so precarious that the producer had a censor on set to make sure her costume didn’t slip and expose her breasts and to make sure that Jackson was filmed at the right angle so that too much side boob wasn’t visible.
Linda Ronstadt in the studio recording an album, 1973.
Did you know that Linda Ronstadt released three studio albums between 1970s and 1973? In this photo, we see her working on one of them, most likely the 1973 release, Don’t Cry Now, the follow-up to her 1970 album Silk Purse and her 1971 self-titled album. Some of the songs on the Don’t Cry Now album were composed by J.D. Souther, a singer and songwriter with whom Ronstadt had a romantic relationship. It also included a cover of the the Don Henley/Glenn Frey classic “Desperado”, a cover of Neil Young’s “I Believe in You”, and a tune written by Randy Newman titled “Sail Away.”
Tina Louise looking sexy in 1958.
Long before she was the glamorous Ginger Grant on the TV sitcom, Gilligan’s Island, Tina Louise was a Hollywood starlet. Her breakthrough role came in 1858, the same year this photo was taken, when she was cast in the drama God’s Little Acre. The film was based on a novel of the same name by Erskine Caldwell. The novel was quite controversial, as was the film. Critics complained about the marital infidelities in the movie. Tina Louise earned a Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year for her role in God’s Little Acre.
Sean Penn and Madonna on their wedding day, 1985.
Even though it has been 37 years since actor Sean Penn and singer Madonna said “I do” and 33 years since they said “I don’t”, the two have remained friends and claim to still be in love with each other. Penn and Madonna met in 1985 on the set of the music video for “Material Girl”. Penn’s former assistant was working on the set and invited Penn to come for a visit. He and Madonna hit it off right away, began dating, and were married that same year. They divorced in 1989. Although they both remarried and later divorced their spouses, they maintained their mutual love and respect for each other.
Dallas beauty Charlene Tilton in 1980.
At only 4-feet, 11-inches, spunky Charlene Tilton is a big talent, but it wasn’t apparent right away. As a young teen, Tilton met and befriended actor Larry Hagman, J.R. Ewing on the hit TV series, Dallas. In fact, Tilton later said that Hagman became like a second father to her. A few years later, when she was just 17 years old, Tilton audition for the role of Lucy Ewing, J.R.’s niece on Dallas. She was a hit with fans of the show. After eight seasons on Dallas, Hagman said to her, “You’re certainly a good actress, we never realized.”
Willie Nelson and John Belushi hanging out while John is pinky swearing with a Hells Angel at the Lone Star Cafe in NYC, 1980.
In the 1970s, Studio 54 wasn’t the only New York City club where top musicians hung out. There was also the Lone Star Café, located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 13th Street. The Texas-themed café was the premier country music venue from 1976 to 1989. Many notable country music performers, including Willie Nelson, rubbed elbows at the Lone Star Café with celebrities such as John Belushi. The Lone Star Café was the scene of performance by George Strait, Roy Orbison, Freddy Fender, Ernest Tubb, and many more. When this photo was taken, the Blues Brothers were slated to perform.
Ouch. It sure takes courage to do tricks like this on a skateboard while wearing a bikini, but that was typical of the early days of the skateboard craze. Skateboarding rose in popularity in California in the mid-1960s and was viewed as a branch of surfing. Skateboarding, however, came with its own unique dangers. After several years of injuries – broken wrists, skinned knees, concussions – the skateboarding community took notice. The push for appropriate safety equipment, like knee and elbow pads and helmets, coincided with the transition from hobby to actual competitive sport.
Raquel Welch, entertaining the GIs in 1967, during one of Bob Hope's Christmas shows.
Sexy Raquel Welsh brought a smile to the faces of thousands of American servicemen stationed in Vietnam when she joined Bob Hope on a USO Tour in 1967. The troops loved to be entertained by funnyman Bob Hope, but it was Raquel Welsh’s dance moves, knit dress, and go-go boots that really lifted their spirits. This marked Welsh’s first and only USO tour. Bob Hope, however, did nine tours.
Will Ferrell was named Winter Ball Prince when he was a Senior at University High School in 1986.
This looks like it could be a still shot from an SNL skit, but it is a legit photo of Will Ferrell as a high school student when he was named the Senior Prince at the 1986 Winter Ball at University High School in Irvine, California. At University High School, Ferrell played on the varsity football team, soccer team, and the basketball team where he was the team captain. He was also a member of the student council. Naturally funny, he and a buddy, with the approval of the school’s principal, did short, comic skits of the school’s PA system. He also performed in school talent shows.
Jessica Lange in short shorts, 1976.
Jessica Lange was living a nomadic bohemian lifestyle when she was discovered by a fashion photographer in Paris. That led her to a modeling contract with the prestigious Wilhelmina modeling agency in New York City. She was working as a waitress and part-time model in Greenwich Village when Hollywood producer, Dino De Laurentis, noticed her. He felt she had the look he was looking for for his next big project, a remake of the 1933 classic, King Kong. Without any previous acting experience, Lange landed the most coveted movie role of the 1970s.
Young female trying to get a reaction from a Royal Guard in Sweden, 1970.
Like the royal guard of England, the Royal Guard of Sweden has a reputation for being unflappable. No one can break their concentration or distract the from their royal duties. But this flirty girl is trying her hardest to get a rise out of one of the guards by seductively licking her ice cream cone while stroking the barrel of the guard’s gun. We got to give the guard credit. As much as we can see for this photograph, he is not caving to her overtly sexual activities.
Claudine Auger in the James Bond movie Thunderball, 1965.
Pretty French actress Claudine Auger won the title of Miss France Monde and went on to win the first runner-up at the 1958 Miss World beauty pageant. She studied acting at the Conservatoire de Paris and made her film debut while she was still a student. At the age of 18, she married a 430year-old movie director who cast his hot young wife in several roles. It was her portrayal of Domino Derval in the 1965 James Bond movie, Thunderball, that garnered her worldwide attention. True to her character’s name, Auger only wore black and white in Thunderball.
A wild aerial shot of just how big the Woodstock crowd really was, 1969.
Photographer Barry Z. Levine took this photograph of the Woodstock stage and the massive crowd of concert goers at the iconic Woodstock Music and Art Fair in upstate New York in August of 1969. At the time, Levine was working as a writer for Columbia Records in NYC. He heard about a but music festival, with acts like The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jefferson Airplane, that was being held outside the town of Bethel, New York. He drove there to see what the excitement was all about. There, he hooked up with the crew shooting a documentary, Woodstock, who hired him on as a still photographer. He was tasked with shooting the festival from all angles and they even supplied him with a helicopter, allowing him to snap this aerial view of the event the symbolized the groovy era.
Joan Jett rocking out in 1976!
The Queen of Rock n Roll, Joan Jett was the frontwoman for Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. As a singer, songwriter, musician, composer, and producer, her song “I Love Rock n Roll” spent seven weeks at the number one spot on the Billboard chart in 1982. She also found success with “I Hate Myself for Loving You,” “Crimson and Clover”, “Bad Reputation”, “Do You Wanna Touch Me”, and “Light of Day.” Joan Jett and the Blackhearts were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.
Caroline Munro in The Spy Who Loved Me 1977.
When the casting director for the James Bond action thriller saw Caroline Munro in an advertising campaign, he knew he found the next Bond Girl. Munro was cast as Naomi, a pilot, spy, and would-be assassin in the 1977 film, The Spy Who Loved Me, the tenth movie in the James Bond franchise and the third one to feature Roger Moore as the legendary title character. Lucky Munro got to film the underwater scenes for the movie in beautiful Nassau in the Bahamas.
Bruce Lee hurting Jackie Chan in the movie Enter the Dragon 1973
Did you know that Jackie Chan had an uncredited cameo appearance in the 1973 martial arts action movie, Enter the Dragon? Enter the Dragon was Bruce Lee’s last film, and it was released in the U.S. about a month after the Honk Kong-American actor, director, producer, martial artist, and instructor died suddenly at the age of 32. It is one of the most well-known martial arts movies of all time and one of the most profitable films in industry history. Adjusted for inflation, the film grossed roughly $2 billion. It has been selected for preservation by the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry because of its cultural significance.
Carrie Fisher - Princess Leia - Star Wars - Return of the Jedi, 1983.
Princess Leia’s character did a drastic about-face from the first Star Wars movie to the second. In Return of the Jedi, she famously shed her floor-length, high-neck cloak for a revealing metal bikini. Why the big change? Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia, had this insight: “Let’s not forget that these movies are basically boys’ fantasies. So the way they made her (Leia) more female is this one was to have her take off her clothes.” Yep, the Star Wars movies were initially marketed toward teenage boys and there is one thing teenage boys like more than light sabers and intergalactic wars.
Johnny and June Carter Cash’s wedding day in 1968.
Johnny Cash and June Carter were both married to other people when they met backstage at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville in 1956. They didn’t marry each other until 1968, but they became the relationship goals for country music. Deeply and passionately in love, Johnny and June’s marriage lasted 35 years and, although there were certainly ups and downs, they remained devoted to each other for the rest of their lives. They died within four months of each other in 2003/
The sexy Sophia Loren in fishnet stockings, 1962.
When this photo of sexy Sophia Loren was taken in 1962, the actress was having a history-making year. At the 1962 Academy Award presentation, Loren made history by being the first actress to win an Oscar for a foreign-language film when she took home the Best Actress Academy Award for her role in the Italian World War II drama, Two Women, which was directed by Vittorio DeSica. Loren also starred in the epic El Cid, with Charlton Heston, in the winter of 1962. In all, it was momentous year for Sophia Loren.
Sam Elliott without a mustache in 1970.
Admit it, Sam Elliott’s mustache game is strong. In many of his films, such as Mask, Prancer, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, he is sporting his trademark – and insured – mustache. But in some of his earlier works, Elliott is clean-shaven. In the TV miniseries, Once an Eagle, which aired in 1976 and 1977, Elliott is not rocking a mustache when he played the lead character, Sam Damon. Even though he looks great without his mustache, Elliott quickly returned to full mustache status.
A groovy couple of New York Cosmos fans hanging out in the parking lot before a soccer match in 1977.
These groovy fans are doing a bit of tailgating before a New York Cosmos game. Between 1970 and 1985, the New York Cosmos were part of the North American Soccer League and were poised to help make soccer as big a sport in the U.S. as it is in other countries. The team was founded by music execs, Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegun and was purchased early on by Warner Communications. They had all the ingredients for greatness, especially after they signed Pele, the greatest soccer player of all time, to the team in 1975. But the team was mismanaged. Formulas for success that worked for American football teams did not work for the Cosmos. By 1984, attendance had plummeted, and the fan base was drying up. The team folded in 1985.
Beautiful actress Linda Harrison in 1967.
It might seem strange, but Linda Harrison is best remembered for a movie role in which she had no lines. The pretty actress was cast as Nova, the love interest of Charlton Heston’s character in the science fiction classic, The Planet of the Apes. In the 1968 movie, Heston, an astronaut, returns to Earth after several thousand years to find that apes have evolved to be superior to humans and that humans have digressed. In fact, humans could no longer speak. Linda Harrison, therefore, must make her character’s thoughts and motivations understood without speaking a word.
David Bowie looking cool for his journey on a train, 1973.
Aladdin Sane, David Bowie’s sixth studio album, was written almost entirely by Bowie while he was on the road touring the United States. It was released in April of 1973. Perhaps Bowie was pondering his next lyrics over dinner on the day this this photo was taken. Aladdin Sane, which was his follow-up to his groundbreaking 1972 album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. There were high expectations for the album, in part because Bowie had established himself as a star.
Who remembers Raquel Welch as The Nun in the movie Bluebeard in 1972
Who would believe that sultry Raquel Welsh could be a nun? That’s the role she played in the 1972 movie, Bluebeard. The film starred Richard Burton as the title character, a French baron with a dark secret he is hiding. Welsh plays a nun and Sybil Danning plays a prostitute. Joey Heatherton, Virna Lisi, and Nathalie Delon also appear in the film. Bluebeard was inspired by a popular French folktale about a nobleman whose wife becomes curious when she is told she can go into any room in the castle except one.
David Lee Roth, Sean Penn and The Beastie Boys pose for the camera. (1986)
The Beastie Boys were at the height of their popularity when they mugged for this pic with David Lee Roth and Sean Penn in 1986. The band formed in 1981 and were originally an experimental punk band. But at this time, punk music was being surpassed by a new genre, hip hop. In 1983, the Beastie Boys found success with a comedy hip hop song, "Cooky Puss", and transitioned to hip hop music. It was a good move for them. In 1985, they toured with Madonna and released their debut album, Licensed to Ill. This was the first hip hop album to reach the top of the Billboard 200 chart.
Debbie Harry rockin her King Kong t-shirt, 1970s.
The remake of the classic American monster movie, King Kong, in 1976 was big news in the entertainment industry and beyond. Word on the street was that the film’s producer, Dino De Laurentis, and director, John Guillermin, were on the lookout for a new young blonde to reprise the role made famous by Fay Wray in the 1933 version of the film. Perhaps Debbie Harry, the lead singer of Blondie hoped to be in the running for the role. Or perhaps she was simply a fan of the giant ape. Although Debbie Harry may have rocked the role, it was awarded to another blonde, a newcomer named Jessica Lange.
California Girls having fun at the beach, 1970.
Fun in the California sun … the warm sands, salty air, and ocean waves have called people to the beaches of California since long before it became a state. It doesn’t matter what decade it is, there were beautiful girls spending time at the beach. Perhaps the only thing that has changed about this over the decade is the amount of skin the girls show off. Looking at these bikini-clad beach babes in 1970s, you might thing that swimsuits couldn’t get much smaller. But along came the 2020s to prove that theory wrong.
Marilyn Monroe and her Pulitzer Prize playwright husband Arthur Miller on their honeymoon in Jamaica, 1957.
Playwright Arthur Miller was a decade older, a Pulitzer Prize winner, and much more famous when he met Marilyn Monroe. We should also add that he was married when he met the young starlet on the set of the 1951 film, As Young As You Feel. Their romance picked up in earnest after Miller divorced his wife. Then the couple married in 1957, most of Hollywood raised an eyebrow at this unlikely union. Marilyn was a curvy sex symbol that epitomized the dumb blonde persona. Miller was a brainy, reserved intellectual. The newspapers called them ‘the hourglass and the egghead’. Still, the union lasted for five years, the longest of Monroe’s three marriages.
An ad in the 1960s for Wrangler Jeans.
These lovely ladies are rocking their Wrangler jeans. The jean company has enjoyed a long business history since in was founded in 1904 as a manufacturer of coveralls. Because the brand used only the toughest denim fabric and strong stitching, the Wrangler brand has been a favorite among cowboys, farmers, and outdoorsmen. In 1947, the Wrangler blue jeans, designed and endorsed by Rodeo Ben, a professional rodeo cowboy, were introduced. Although the jeans are the first and only western wear brand to by officially endorsed by Pro Rodeo Cowboy Association, that doesn’t mean that the brand is off limits to non-cowboys. Wrangler jeans are a mainstream fashion brand as well.
Director Sergio Leone talking to Clint Eastwood during the filming of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" in 1965.
In case you were wondering, Clint Eastwood was “The Good” in the 1966 spaghetti western, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Lee Van Cleef was cast as “The Bad” and Eli Wallach was “The Ugly”. In this photo, we see directory Sergio Leone discussing a scene with Eastwood. Leone had a vision for his movie. He helped to bring that vision to life with creative cinematography that included highly choreographed gunfights, close-up shots, and long shots. As the title suggests, the action centers on three gunslingers in their quest for hidden Confederate gold.
Take the Money and Run! Catherine Bach rocking her Daisy Dukes in 1979.
Gorgeous Catherine Bach is 5-feet, 8-inches tall but those long, long legs make her appear so much taller. It could be because we see all of her legs, from bottom to top, in her short, bum-hugging Daisy Duke cut-offs, the denim mini-shorts that she made famous in the hit television, The Dukes of Hazzard, that ran from 1979 to 1985. Bach’s tanned and toned legs were so popular that the network took out a $1 million insurance policy on her legs. Just her legs … not the rest of Bach. Money well spent.
Elvira (Cassandra Peterson) and her 1958 T-Bird, customized by George Barris into The Macabre Mobile.
Natalie Wood on a cool bike with a sissy bar in the 70s.
Youthful Natalie Wood looks like she’s having fun in this photo from the 1970s. She had enjoyed a long and successful acting career that began when she was 8 years old and co-starred in the 1947 film, Miracle of 34th Street. In the 1950s and 1960s, she appeared in Rebel Without a Cause, The Searchers, West Side Story, Splendor in the Grass, Sex and the Single Girl, and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice. In the 1970s, however, she took a step back from acting to raise her two daughters, one she had with Richard Gregson and the other with Robert Wagner. She returned to acting in the late 1970s.
Gomez and Morticia Addams expressing their love for each other on The Addams Family in 1965.
Can you believe that relationship experts have dissected the marriage of Gomez and Morticia Addams, two characters in the 1960s TV sitcom The Addams Family, and point to their relationship as a model of a healthy marriage? It is true. In the series, which aired from September 18, 1964, to April 8, 1966, Gomez and Morticia demonstrate excellent communication skills, show gratitude and appreciation for each other, work well as partners, are playful with each other, and do a great job expressing their love for each other.
A young fresh-face Michelle Pfeiffer, 1970s.
In the mid-1970s, pretty Michelle Pfeiffer worked as a court stenographer, but she knew that wasn’t the career for her. She was crown Miss Orange County in 1978 and placed sixth in the Miss California pageant. She used her beauty pageant success to get an agent to help her find auditions for movie and TV roles. She had only moderate success in the latter half of the 1970s, appearing in guest roles on TV shows like Fantasy Island, CHiPs, and Delta House. Her greatest successes came in the 1980s. In fact, by the end of the 1980s, Michelle Pfeiffer was one of the most prolific actresses of the decade.
A young Linda Evans as Audra Barkley in The Big Valley television series that ran from 1965 to 1969.
Long before she was the beautiful trophy wife, Krystal Carrington, duking it out with Joan Collins’s character on the nighttime soap opera Dynasty, which dominated the ratings from 1981 to 1989, Linda Evans was best known from her role in the TV western series, The Big Valley. In The Big Valley, which ran from 1965 to 1969, Evans played Audra Barkley, the daughter of Barbara Stanwyck’s character, Victoria Barkley. Evans name was listed in the credited of The Big Valley until the end of the series in 1969, but in the last to years of its run, she only appeared in a semiregular basis.
Actress Susan Harrison from the film, Sweet Smell of Success in 1957
Bo Derek in Bolero, 1984.
After her 1979 movie role, 10, made actress Bo Derek a household name, she and her husband, director John Derek, co-wrote Bolero, a romantic drama in which Bo Derek’s character seeks the perfect lover. The 1984 movie, however, was a total flop. It ranks as one of the worst films of all time. It was nominated for nine Golden Raspberry Awards and won six of the categories, including Worst Picture. In that year’s CVF Awards, Bolero earned the Worst Picture Award, while Bo Derek won for Worst Actress and John Derek won for Worst Screenplay and Worst Director. Yikes!
Catherine Bach as Daisy Duke in 1979.
This image of Daisy Duke is quite different that the one the creators of The Dukes of Hazzard envisioned. They were looking for a buxom blonde because the role was written for a Dolly Parton lookalike. But sexy Catherine Bach wowed them at her audition with her girl-next-door charm and her bedroom fantasy good looks. Bach turned her nose up at the costume she was initially given to wear as Daisy Duke … a clingy turtleneck sweater, a poodle skirt, and a pair of go-go boots. Instead, she asked if she could create her own style. When she returned the next day in a pair of short cut-off jeans, a basic t-shirt, and a pair of high heels, the show’s producers knew she found a winning look.
Dancer actress Cyd Charisse in the early 1950s.
Cyd Charisse was more of a dancer than an actress, but she used her dancing skills to land numerous roles in Hollywood films. She danced with Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Van Johnson and many others. Many of the films she starred in were written and created just for her and incorporated her dancing abilities into the scripts. Cyd Charisse started dancing when she was a child recovering from polio. Her parents wanted to find a way to keep her muscles loose and active so she wouldn’t experience any paralysis.
Darren McGavin in Kolchak The Night Stalker in 1974.
In the 1974 made-for-TV movie The Night Stalker, based on The Kolchak Papers, an unfinished novel by Jeff Rice, Darren McGavin plays an investigative journalist covering a slew of mysterious killings in Las Vegas. During his investigation, he comes to realize that the serial killer was a vampire. Rice’s novel was unfinished when an agent read it and thought it would be a great movie. The book was fin. ally published after the TV movie came out. Darren McGavin was no stranger to television. He played the main role in Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer in the late 1950s and Murphy Brown in the 1980s.
Debbie Harry rocking her short shorts in New York, 1977.
Debbie Harry was enjoying worldwide success in 1977 when this photo was taken. It was snapped after the release of Blondie’s second album, Plastic Letters, and before the release of the band’s third and most successful album, Parallel Lines. It was Parallel Lines, which spawned the hit “Heart of Glass” that really pushed Blondie to global fame and helped them dominate the disco punk scene. As the lead singer of Blondie, Debbie Harry brought a lot to the table. She was a mega-musical talent, but she was also beautiful and was known for her cutting-edge style.
Diane Lane as Cherry Valance in the film, The Outsiders (1983)
Based on the 1967 novel of the same name by S.E. Hinton, The Outsiders, which was released in 1983, was one of the films that gave rise to the “Brat Pack” movie genre that was prevalent in the 1980s. It featured a cast of young actors who all became notable Hollywood celebrities. Of course, pretty Diane Lane was cast as Cherry. Joining her in the film was Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, and C. Thomas Howell. Howell’s performance in The Outsiders earned him a Young Artist Award.
Lynyrd Skynyrd back in 1976.
Lynyrd Skynyrd was one of the innovators of the Southern rock genre of music that rose to prominence in the mid-1970s, yet it took time for the band’s sound to catch on. The members formed a band in Jacksonville, Florida in 1964. They played mostly small venues and tours across the South, using various band names. In 1969, they finally settled on Lynyard Skynyrd and concentrated on developing their unique sound. At the peak of their popularity, they had hits with “Free Bird” and “Sweet Home Alabama”. It all came to a screeching halt on October 20, 1977, when a charter plane crash killed lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and backup singer Cassie Gaines.
Michael J. Fox and Huey Lewis on the set of Back to the Future in 1985.
Huey Lewis penned a song for the soundtrack of Back to the Future, “Back in Time”, and the producers of the 1985 film were so pleased that they offered Lewis a cameo in the movie. Watch closely or you might miss it. During the scene when Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox, and his band, The Pinheads, participate in a Battle of the Bands, Lewis is one of the judges. The Pinheads play a hard rock version of another Huey Lewis and the news song, “Power of Love”. Ironically, it is the judge played by Lewis who rejects The Pinheads and Marty McFly, telling them that they cannot play for the school dance.
Mike Nesmith playing Frank Zappa and Zappa playing Nesmith on a Monkees episode, 1967.
One of the stranger moments in the history of 1960s television … in a December 1967 episode of The Monkees, Frank Zappa appeared as a guest star. That wasn’t the weird part. The weird part was that Zappa dressed up as and impersonated Monkee Michael Nesmith and Nesmith, in turn, dressed up as and impersonated Zappa. The two, playing each other, banter back and forth, discussing music. It was Nesmith as Zappa who called the Monkees music “banal and insipid”. In reality, Zappa was a fan of the Monkees. Nesmith later recalled, “When people hated us more than anything, he said kind things about us.”
Photo of model and actress Veronica Hamel of TV series, Hill Street Blues in 1980.
Did you know that pretty actress Veronica Hamel was once considered for the role of Kelly Garrett on Charlie’s Angels? When she turned down the part, producer Aaron Spelling offered it to Jaclyn Smith instead. Hamel may not have been a television sex symbol, but she did rise to fame playing the smart, dedicated public defender, Joyce Davenport, on TV’s long-running drama, Hill Street Blues. In fact, she was nominated five times for an Emmy for her portrayal of the passionate lawyer and the love interest of police captain, Frank Furillo on Hill Street Blues, which aired from 1981 to 1987.
Sonny and Cher always looked so groovy singing together, 1970s.
Although “I Got You Babe” was the biggest and most memorable hit by Sonny and Cher, the single “When You Say Love” was one of the last big hits before the musical power couple divorced and ended their musical partnership. It was released in the summer of 1972 and reached the number 32 spot on the Billboard Top 100 charts. The single appeared on Sonny and Cher’s Greatest Hits album of 1972. The couple separated a little more than a year later and divorced in 1975.
Stevie Nicks on stage during a Fleetwood Mac concert, with Christine McVie in the background, at JFK Stadium in 1978.
Did you know that Stevie Nicks was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice? Nicks was induced into the Hall of Fame for the first time in 1998 as a member of Fleetwood Mac. She was inducted for the second time in 2019 as a solo artist. With Fleetwood Mac, Nicks had hits with songs like “Go Your Own Way,” “Landslide”, and “Sara”. As a solo artist, she found success with “Leather and Lace,” “Stop Dragging my Heart Around”, “Gypsy”, and “Edge of Seventeen.”
Susan Sarandon and David Bowie enjoying a night out.
David Bowie and Susan Sarandon starred together, along with Catherine Deneuve, in the 1983 erotic horror movie, The Hunger. The film was a story of a love triangle between a doctor specializing in aging and two vampires. It was during this time that Bowie and Sarandon enjoyed some romantic tristes. Sarandon was quite young when she married Chris Sarandon, a college classmate, in 1967. They divorced in 1979. After her divorce, she was romantically linked to director Louis Malle, actor Sean Penn, Italian filmmaker Franco Amurri, and David Bowie before settling down with actor Tim Robbins.
Teens with groovy patterned tights on with their mini-dresses back in 1969.
Mod fashion arose from London in the early 1960s and spread across the pond to infiltrate the United States. By the mid to late-1960s, the ‘London look” of the Mod influence was clearly distinguishable from the hippie styles of the counterculture movement. The Mod look was bold with creative styles, bright colors, and loud patterns. As these ladies are demonstrating, one of the hallmark looks of the Mod styles was wildly patterned tights worn under mini skirts and mini dresses.
The groovy Goldie Hawn, 1970s.
Goldie Hawn proved she was more than just a goofy, giggly, dancing girl with an infectious smile when she appeared in a string of popular films in the late 1960s and early 1970s – Cactus Flower, There’s a Girl in My Soup, and Butterflies Are Free. She won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Cactus Flower. That opened the door for her burgeoning movie career. In the early 1970s, she appeared in The Girl from Petrovka, The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox, Shampoo, and The Sugarland Express.
The original kids who were the voice actors of the Peanuts gang in the 1960s.
Charles Schultz’s gang of loveable characters known as The Peanuts were so popular as comic strip characters that they were brought to the small screen via a series of television specials. Perhaps the most memorable of these was the 1966 animated special, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” Vince Guaraldi composed the theme song for the special. “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1966. In 2005, for the 40th anniversary of the Peanuts’ special, a retrospective book was published that included never-before-seen photos from the making of the special, as well as interviews with al the child actors, shown here, who voiced the Peanuts gang.
The pretty Ursula Andress in the 60s, holding a kitten.
Beautiful and exotic, the Swiss actress Ursula Andress was at a party when she was approached by an Italian movie producer who promised to make her a star. He gave her a screen test that turned into a walk-on role in the 1954 film, An American in Paris. A few more Italian films later, and Andress was encouraged to move to the U.S. to make her mark on Hollywood. She was signed to a seven-year contract with Paramount Pictures but she had trouble learning English. Her breakthrough role came in 1962 when she was cast as Bond girl, Honey Ryder, in the James Bond movie, Dr. No.
Tom Petty in the early 70s, when he was lead singer of the band Mudcrutch.
The Southern rock band, Mudcrutch, formed in 1970 in Gainesville, Florida. One of the founding members of the band was rocker Tom Petty. Mudcrutch had moderate success across Florida which was enough for the band to get the attention of a record company. They moved to California in 1974 and signed a contract with Shelter Records. The only single they released was poorly received and Mudcrutch broke up. The next year, Tom Petty and two other former members of Mudcrutch formed a new band, the Heartbreakers.
Who remembers watching this dastardly duo growing up
Remember Dick Dastardly and Muttley? They pair of antiheroes appeared in a series of animated shows by Hanna-Barbera. Introduced in 1968, the fictional pair debuted in Wacky Races before starring in their own spin-off show. Early on, Dick Dastardly was voiced by Paul Winchell, who voiced Tigger in Winnie the Pooh cartoons, as well as Gargamel in the Smurfs. In later episodes, Dick Dastardly was voiced by Rob Paulsen and, later, Jim Cummings.
Meet a fine group of young men known as ‘The Deltas’ from Animal House in 1978.
Even though the 1978 movie Animal House was filmed at a university in Oregon, the storyline was based on the infamous fat culture at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. One of the movie’s three screenwriters, Chris Miller, drew heavily on his own experience as a student at Dartmouth in the 1960s and the raucous frat culture he witnessed as a member of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity. Things have changed at the prestigious school since the 1960s. In fact, Dartmouth officially derecognized the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity in 2015. So if you think enrolling at this school will give you a taste of the wild frat lifestyle from Animal House, you would be a few decades too late.
