Table of Contents

September 12, 1988Pages 2 - 3

Icons of the 80’sPage 4

Let’s Go to the MoviesPage 5

Fall of the Berlin WallPage 6

BibliographyPages 7 - 8

Allison Draper(All images from ABC-CLIO or Google Image Search)

In 1982, Michael Jackson released the album, Thriller, and earned the title The King of Pop. To many, “Michael Jackson was not just the king of pop, he was the essence of it” (Smith). The 80’s saw Jackson’s album spend 37 weeks at Number 1 and release seven Top 10 singles. Between 1983 and 1985 Jackson won 50 awards internationally for Thriller. He also garnered the praise of dance legends such as Bob Fosse, Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire and collaborated with Eddie Van Halen and Paul McCartney. After Jackson’s death in 2009, Thriller regained its Number 1 status, over twenty years later (Smith).

Starting out as a dancer from Michigan, Madonna

rose to fame in the early 80’s. Her success and the

creation of a new entertainment medium, the music

video, are closely linked, “Madonna and MTV have

been nearly synonymous—she was one of the first

artists to significantly capitalize on the new

medium, exploring its capabilities and pushing its

boundaries” (Havranek). Madonna’s distinct fashion

sense garnered her attention, as would her

tendency to radically change that style through the

years. To this day she remains one of the most

successful and influential artists of all time

(Havranek). Successful writer and director John Hughes shot to

fame in the 80’s with films such as Ferris Bueller’s Day

Off, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Pretty in

Pink. “His universe of nerds and jocks, socialites and

misfits, rockers and rebels – not to mention overbearing

principals, clueless teachers and absentee parents –

also influenced a generation of movie-goers and -

makers, versing them in a common language of pop

culture idioms that persists decades on,” Hughes’ films

are said to have given a voice to a generation that still

endures to today (Murphy).

(“Madonna 80’s”)

(“John Hughes”)

(“Michael Jackson 80’s”)

A staple among coming of age films, The Breakfast Club seeks to prove that, “each one of us is a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal,” over the course of a Saturday detention (Hughes). John Hughes has placed his five lead characters under the tyrannical rule of Principal Vernon to share their fears, stressors, familial problems and desperation to fit in (Bouchard). While each character represents a distinct social clique they come to discover over the course of the film that they do in fact have more than a few things in common (Bouchard).

Adapted by William Goldman from his 1973 novel of the same name, The Princess Bride is a classic fairy tale combined with humor, adventure and several quote worthy lines, most notablely, “My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die” (Reiner). While the love story is sweet, the movies stands out due to its wild cast of characters. The story unfolds as a giant, a miracle maker and a Spanish swordsman help reunite the couple as the evil Prince Humperdink seeks to keep them apart for his self-serving scheme. As viewers watch Wesley and Buttercup find their way back to each other they get to enjoy watching as the characters battle through a fantasy land of obstacles (Maslin).

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is another legendary John Hughes contribution to 80’s teen films. While the title character lies, manipulates and steals, he is found to be universally loved as he possesses, “that magic ability so prized in adolescence - he can get away with anything” (Darnton). Within his charmed life exists the quintessential antagonist of Principal Rooney, whose main goal is to bring down the most genuinely beloved boy in town. Ferris is living the fantasy life every teenager wants while his sullen best friend, Cameron, and frustrated sister, Jeanie, represent some of the more realistic versions of adolescence (Darnton).

(“Poster for The Breakfast Club (1985)”)

(“The Princess Bride”)

(Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”)

On November 10, 1989, the gates at the Berlin Wall were opened as crowds flowed through the once heavily guarded checkpoints. The wall had stood as a representation of the Cold War for 28 years. People from all over Eastern Europe were heading to Berlin to smash off pieces of the wall. Politicians from West Germany were looking forward to German unification while British prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, called it a “great day for freedom” (Seymour-Ure 394).

(“Fall of the Berlin Wall”)

Works Cited"Apple Computer." Image. UPI-Bettmann/Corbis. Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols, Ideas. ABC-CLIO, 2011.

Web. 6 Apr. 2011.

Batchelor, Bob. "Introduction to the 1980s (Overview)." Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols, Ideas. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 6 Apr. 2011.

Bouchard, Jen Westmoreland. "The Breakfast Club (Film, 1985)." Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols, Ideas. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 6 Apr. 2011.

“The Bourne Identity novel.” Image. Google Image Search. 5 April 2011.

"campaign rally (1984)." Image. Ronald Reagan Library. Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols, Ideas. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 6 Apr. 2011.

“The Color Purple novel.” Image. Google Image Search. 4 April 2011.

Darnton, Nina. “Screen: A Youth’s Day Off.” The New York Times. 11 June 1986. Web. 5 April 2011.

"Dirty Dancing: Movie Still." Image. Photofest. Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols, Ideas. ABC- CLIO, 2011. Web. 6 Apr. 2011.

“Elmo.” Image. Google Image Search. 4 April 2011.

“Fall of the Berlin Wall.” Image. Google Image Search. 5 April 2011.

“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Image. Google Image Search. 5 April 2011.

Havranek, Carrie. "Madonna." Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols, Ideas. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 6 Apr. 2011.

Hughes, John, dir. The Breakfast Club. A&M Productions. 1985. Film.

“John Hughes.” Image. Google Image Search. Web 4 April 2011.

“Madonna 80’s.” Image. Google Image Search. 4 April 2011.

Maslin, Janet. “Film: ‘Princess Bride’ Full-Length Fairy Tale.” The New York Times. 25 September 1987. Web. 4 April 2011.

“Michael Jackson 80’s.” Image. Google Image Search. 5 April 2011.

“MTV.” Image. Google Image Search. 4 April 2011.

Murphy, Mekado and Melena Ryzik. “John Hughes, Director of ‘The Breakfast Club’ and ‘Sixteen Candles,’ Dies at 59.” The New York Times. 6 August 2009. Web. 5 April 2009.

“Nintendo 80’s.” Image. Google Image Search. 5 April 2011.

"Poster for The Breakfast Club (1985)." Image. Photofest. Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols, Ideas. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 6 Apr. 2011.

“The Princess Bride.” Image. Google Image Search. 4 April 2011.

Reiner, Rob, dir. The Princess Bride. Act III Communications, 1987. Film.

Seymour-Ure, Kristy, ed. “”Berlin Rejoices as the Wall Comes Down.” Guiness Book of the 20th Century: Millenium Edition. London: Guiness World Records, Ltd, 2000. Print.

Smith, Chris. "Michael Jackson: Thriller (Album, 1982)." Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols, Ideas. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 6 Apr. 2011.