Sudden Impact was the fourth film (of five) in the Dirty Harry series where Eastwood plays San Francisco police inspector "Harry Callahan." The character received his nickname because he gets stuck with "every dirty job that comes along" and believes in his own vision of justice. The character ranks #17 on AFI's list of greatest movie heroes. A quote from the original 1971 film Dirty Harry ("...you've got to ask yourself one question...") ranks at #51 on AFI's list of greatest movie quotes, but there is another quote from 1983's Sudden Impact that ranks in the top 10.

In 2005, the American Film Institute polled a cross-section of 1500 film artists, critics and historians. The result was the AFI's list of the top 100 most memorable movie quotes. There were only 5 quotes from 80s Movies in the entire top 50. Coming in at #39 is "If you build it, he will come" from 1989's Field of Dreams. Coming in at #37 is "I'll be back" from 1984's The Terminator. Coming in at #33 is "I'll have what she's having" from 1989's When Harry Met Sally. Coming in at #15 is "E.T. phone home" from 1982's E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. Here's a link if you want to see the rest.

Then coming in impressively at #6 is the memorable line from Sudden Impact, "Go ahead, make my day." It was written by screenwriter Joseph C. Stinson, delivered by Clint Eastwood in a way only he could. Dirty Harry goes into a diner for his usual morning cup of coffee. When he discovers a robbery in the diner, Harry kills the robbers in a shootout. However, a surviving robber holds a waitress hostage at gunpoint threatening to shoot her. Instead of backing off, Harry points his .44 Magnum revolver into the man's face at point-blank range and dares him to shoot, saying the famous line with clenched teeth and in his characteristic rough grumble. Here is the entire scene to watch yourself...

So on Clint Eastwood's 80^th birthday, I thought it only appropriate to celebrate one of his greatest contributions to pop culture history which just happens to come from my favorite decade.

That'll do it for another issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks as always for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on the "Like" button. Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". I am sending daily 80s tweets, so sign up to get those. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.

Check this out: Today is also Memorial Day, so I thought it would be appropriate to share some pointed cartoons about this special holiday...

Quote of the day: "It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived." -General George S. Patton

Gary Coleman passed away today (May 28, 2010) at the age of 42. Coleman was hospitalized this week after falling and suffering a head injury at his home south of Salt Lake City, according to family members. Coleman was best known as the lovable character "Arnold Jackson" from the television series Diff'rent Strokes (1978-1986). Through that role, he became an 80s icon and ranks on my Favorite 80s TV Characters list. Coleman's pudgy cheeks and flawless comic timing made him the break-out star of the popular series and his signature line, "What you talkin' about, Willis?" became a national catchphrase.

Here's a short video tribute to that catchphrase:

He was on top of the world in the early 80s (winning four consecutive People's Choice Awards as Favorite Young TV Performer), but in the years after Diff'rent Strokes, Coleman was in the headlines more often for his off-screen troubles than for his acting. That is all beside the point now because he will be remembered best as "Arnold" and will be missed. Here's one more short tribute video...

Rest in peace, Gary Coleman. Thank you for hours of entertainment and your contribution to the 80s. That's all for this short tribute issue. Peace and much love.

P.S. Here's a picture that just purely represents the 80s. You have Gary Coleman and David Hasselfoff in front of the Knight Rider car KITT. A lasting image of the 80s for me...

Today (May 25, 2010) is the 79^th birthday of producer/director Irwin Winkler. First in partnership with Robert Chartoff and then later solo, Winkler has produced 33 films dating back to 1967. Chartoff and Winkler really gained notoriety with Sylvester Stallone's Rocky in 1976, which earned the Academy Award for Best Picture. Subsequently, the producing duo picked up Best Picture Oscar nominations for Raging Bull (1980) and The Right Stuff (1983), their last project together before Winkler launched his solo career.

Winkler would re-team with director Martin Scorsese to get another Best Picture nomination for 1990's GoodFellas. It's a different re-teaming that gets Irwin Winkler to appear in this issue and that is with Sylvester Stallone for the Rocky sequels. The two that were released during the 80s are Rocky III (1982) and Rocky IV (1985). Rocky III was written and directed by Stallone himself. It follows "Rocky" as he surprisingly loses both his title and trainer. "Apollo Creed" offers to help him rediscover "the eye of the tiger" and get back to the basics in order to regain his reputation and title. Here's the original trailer for Rocky III...

The film enjoys cult status thanks in part to its cultural introduction of both Hulk Hogan in a cameo role as "Thunderlips" and Mr. T as the fearsome "Clubber Lang", both whom would go on to become major pop culture icons of the 80s. Mr. T's role in Rocky III led directly to his role in The A-Team television series. The film's theme song "Eye of the Tiger", was written by the group Survivor at the request of Stallone, and became a smash hit single, topping the US Billboard music charts, receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song and ranks on my Top Songs from 80s Movies list.

I consider 1985's Rocky IV a guilty pleasure movie that I have seen a countless number of times and will watch it every time I come across it. It was again written and directed by Stallone himself. In the film, "Rocky Balboa" plans to retire from boxing after regaining his title at the end of Rocky III. An unknown amateur boxer from the Soviet Union, "Ivan Drago" played impressively by Dolph Lundgren, makes a bid to enter the U.S. boxing ranks. After "Apollo Creed" dies in an exhibition match, Rocky steps into the ring to defend his country and fight Drago. Rocky IV made $128 million in U.S. ticket sales and grossed over $300 million worldwide, the most of any Rocky film. It is the highest-grossing sports film of all time. Here is the original trailer for Rocky IV...

Though set over a Cold War background, Rocky IV has been interpreted more as a commentary on the power struggle between technology and humans. This is illustrated subtly by Paulie's Robot (who I mentioned in my Top 80s Robots issue) and more obviously by the technology utilized by Drago for training. Like Rocky III, this sequel has another Survivor song ("Burning Heart") on my Top Songs from 80s Movies list. According to singer Peter Cetera, he originally wrote his best-selling solo single "Glory of Love" as the end title for Rocky IV, but it was passed over by United Artists, and instead used as the theme for The Karate Kid Part II. Rocky IV also ranks on my Top Inspirational Speeches from 80s Movies and Top Montage Scenes from 80s Movies lists.

My favorite montage scene is when Rocky goes to frigid Russia to train for his big match. None of the movie was actually filmed in Russia. Wyoming doubled for the frozen expanse of the Soviet Union. The small farm where Rocky lived and trained was in Jackson Hole, and the Grand Teton National Park was used for filming many of the outdoor sequences in Russia. Canada's PNE Agrodome at Hastings Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, served as the location of Rocky's Soviet bout against Drago. It was believable enough to me and the USA vs. Russia made for a perfect setting especially when Rocky wins the crowd (and the world) over at the end. Though not a cinematic masterpiece in most regards, Rocky IV is one of my very favorite 80s movies.

That'll wrap up another issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks as always for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. If you want to see the past issues of Preview Review, just type that into the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column and it should give you a list of all of them. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on the "Like" button. Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". I am sending daily 80s tweets, so sign up to get those. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.

Today (May 22, 2010) is the 55^th birthday of Iva Davies, the frontman for the band Icehouse. The Australian band formed in 1977 and adopted the name Icehouse in 1981. Icehouse has been quite successful in Australia producing eight Top 10 albums and twenty Top 40 singles there. The biggest success was 1987's album Man of Colours which was #1 on the Australian album charts for 11 weeks and even cracked the U.S. album charts.

Man of Colours included the single "Crazy" which would reach #14 on the Billboard Hot 100, but also included their biggest U.S. hit, "Electric Blue" which would peak at #7 on the chart. The song was actually co-written by Davies with John Oates (from Hall & Oates). Oates became involved with Davies after contacting him to state he was a fan. The resulting collaboration produced "Electric Blue" and Oates has stated that if Davies had not released the song with Icehouse that it would have been a Hall & Oates track. If that had been the case, I am sure the song would have made my Top Hall & Oates Songs list which you can check out with that link. I remember the song being played to death on the radio back in 1987, so this week's Flashback Video is "Electric Blue" by Icehouse...

Their last studio album was released in 1995. Icehouse is still performing and, though his band-mates around him have changed over the years, Iva Davies has been the one constant. In 2006, the band was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame and described as "one of the most successful Australian bands of the eighties and nineties." And back in 1987 they saw some of that success in the Unites States, too.

That's all for another issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. If you want to see the past issues of Flashback Videos, just type that into the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column and it should give you a list of all of them. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use that Google Search Box to find any past issues or topics you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on the "Like" button. Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". Even though the blog only updates a couple times a week, I try to send out daily 80s tweets. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.

Today (May 14, 2010) is the 58^th birthday of director Robert Zemeckis. As for the 80s, he is best known for classics like the Back to the Future trilogy and 1988's Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Later on he would make blockbusters like Forrest Gump (1994), Cast Away (2000) and The Polar Express (2004). But it was really 1984's Romancing the Stone which gave him the clout enough to allow all the rest to happen.

Romancing the Stone is about a romance novelist, "Joan Wilder" played by Kathleen Turner, who has to bring a package to Columbia as ransom to save her kidnapped sister. In the process, "Joan Wilder" basically becomes like a character from one of her novels. When she arrives in South America, she gets into trouble and is saved by "Jack Colton," played by Michael Douglas. It also stars Danny DeVito as "Ralph," a crook who helps keep them on their toes. Here's the original trailer for Romancing the Stone:

Many comparisons were made to 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark, but the screenplay for Romancing the Stone had actually been written five years earlier. Critic Roger Ebert also says, "After all the Raiders rip-offs, it's fun to find an adventure film that deserves the comparison, that has the same spirit and sense of humor." The film would go on to win the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy and Kathleen Turner would win for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy.

Romancing the Stone served to launch Turner to stardom, reintroduced Douglas to the public as a capable leading man, and gave Zemeckis his first box-office success. It was considered by many critics to be one of the best films of 1984, it respectably grossed over $86 million at the box office and led to a sequel with 1985's Jewel of the Nile (though Zemeckis would not direct it). This success was a surprise to many. Studio insiders expected Romancing the Stone to flop to the point that, after viewing a rough cut of the film, the producers of the then-in-the-works Cocoon fired Zemeckis as director of that film. Those producers were wrong about Zemeckis and the success of Romancing the Stone allowed him to make his own little screenplay about a time-traveling teenager. We have Romancing the Stone to thank for Back to the Future! And Back to the Future allowed all the rest to happen.

Here are some other interesting facts about Romancing the Stone:

- It was written by a Malibu waitress named Diane Thomas in what would end up being her only screenplay; she died in a car crash shortly after the film's release. Though Thomas received solo writing credit, several uncredited script doctors helped to refine the film's screenplay.

- It is reported that both Sylvester Stallone and Christopher Reeve turned down the role of Jack Colton before Michael Douglas accepted it. Douglas would also end up being Producer for the film and was the one who decided to hire Zemeckis as director.

- While in a cave, Danny DeVito's character makes a joke about Batman showing up. DeVito would go on to play Batman's nemesis The Penguin in the 1992 film, Batman Returns.

- The scene in which Joan Wilder offers to pay Jack Colton in traveler's checks and he asks if they are American Express is a reference to the American Express commercials featuring Karl Malden, who previously co-starred with Michael Douglas in The Streets of San Francisco (1972).

- Due to threats of real kidnapping in Columbia, location filming was done mostly in Mexico and a little in the Philippines.

- Douglas, Turner and DeVito would not only reunite for the 1985 sequel, Jewel of the Nile, but also for the 1989 film The War of the Roses.

That'll wrap up another issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks as always for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. If you want to see the past issues of Preview Review, just type that into the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column and it should give you a list of all of them. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on the "Like" button. Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". I am sending daily 80s tweets, so sign up to get those. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.

I use birthdays as inspiration for many of my issues. In the past, I have celebrated artists' 50^th birthdays with Top 10 lists of their 80s work. These have included greats like Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, Simon LeBon (Duran Duran) and Bryan Adams. Bono certainly deserves to be in that company, so in this issue I will publish my Top 10 U2 songs from the 80s. It is difficult to limit a U2 list to just the 80s since they have continued to make great music after with such great albums as Achtung Baby (1991), All That You Can't Leave Behind (2001) and How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004). In fact, my favorite U2 song of all time has to be "One" from Achtung Baby.

U2 has appeared in many past Kickin' it Old School issues including Top 80s Music Videos, Most Heartbreaking 80s Songs, Top Songs from 90s Movies and even one where I take exception to a couple other Top 10 lists. Now I can add to it OLD SCHOOL'S TOP U2 SONG FROM THE 80s:

Honorable Mention: "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)" from A Very Special Christmas (1987) - This cover of the 1963 song by Darlene Love appears on the inaugural charity album for Special Olympics. You can find out more about this holiday classic and see the video in my special issue on the original A Very Special Christmas album.

10. "One Tree Hill" from The Joshua Tree (1987) [link to video] - It is about Bono's long time assistant Greg Carroll who tragically died in a car crash running an errand for Bono. My good friend recommended this to me saying you can hear the pain and guilt in this song, but the highlight is the happy ending that we should all remember when Bono sings "I'll see you again, when the stars fall from the sky, and the moon has turned red, over one tree hill, we'll run like a river, runs to the sea." This is a Bible passage from the Book of Revelations which reminds us that we are not long for this world, but we can see each other again in paradise.

9. "Desire" from Rattle and Hum (1988) [link to video] - Ranks on my Top 80s Songs with One-Word Titles list.

8. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" from War (1983) [link to video] - One of the band's most overtly political songs, its lyrics describe the horror felt by an observer of The Troubles in Northern Ireland, mainly focusing on the Bloody Sunday incident in Derry where British troops shot and killed civil rights marchers. It was named the 268^th greatest song on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

7. "All I Want Is You" from Rattle and Hum (1988) [link to video of live performance] - It is the closing song from the film Rattle and Hum and would also later appear in the 1994 film Reality Bites and then re-released as a single that year.

6. "Angel of Harlem" from Rattle and Hum (1988) [link to video] - An homage to Billie Holiday, the lyrical content of the song refers to various New York City-area landmarks, including JFK airport, WBLS radio and Harlem. It also refers to jazz-related history including John Coltrane and A Love Supreme, Birdland club, Miles Davis and Holiday herself ("Lady Day").

5. "Sweetest Thing" from The Joshua Tree (1987) [link to video] - It was written by Bono as an apology to his wife for forgetting her birthday. Was the B-side to "Where the Streets Have No Name" and then later re-released with some lyrical alterations on the 1998 compilation Best of 1980-1990.

4. "Where the Streets Have No Name" from The Joshua Tree (1987) [link to video] - The video was filmed on the rooftop of a liquor store in Los Angeles and includes footage of the police shutting the production down due to safety and traffic concerns. A backup generator was put on the roof in the event that the authorities shut off power, so they were able to continue on at least for a little while. It ranks on my Top 80s Music Videos list.

3. "Pride (In the Name of Love)" from The Unforgettable Fire (1984) [link to video] - This powerful song is written about Martin Luther King Jr and was named the 378^th greatest song on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders actually sings backing vocals on the track. The song contains the erroneous reference to King's shooting as "Early morning, April 4", when it actually occurred after 6 p.m. Bono acknowledges the error and in live performances he occasionally changes the lyric to "Early evening." There is a fantastic cover version by John Legend that I really enjoy.

2. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" from The Joshua Tree (1987) [link to video] - This anthem would reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August of 1987 and was named the 93^rd greatest song on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". The music video for the song was filmed on Fremont Street in Las Vegas.

1. "With or Without You" from The Joshua Tree (1987) [link to video] - It was the band's first #1 single reaching the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in May of 1987 and staying there for 3 weeks. This one ranks number 131 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" (not coincidentally, making it the fourth song on this list to be included by Rolling Stone).

There's my list (with video links next to each one). I have a best friend who is obsessed with U2, so I know that a true U2 lover would probably have several less obvious choices on their list. Let me know if there are any songs you would include or how you would rank them differently.

I wanted to take this chance to wish Bono a very happy 50^th birthday and thank him and his mates for all of the amazing music they have made over the years. Their contributions to the 80s are impressive, but even more impressive is the staying power they have demonstrated and the positive impact made out of their celebrity. Rolling Stone magazine listed U2 at #22 in its list of the 100 greatest artists of all time, but that might not be high enough.

That will do it for this issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks so much for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. If you are interested in reading more of my Top 10 lists, please click there for a summary. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on the "Like" button. Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". Have been sending daily 80s tweets out via Twitter, so be sure to follow me there. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.

Check this out: If you are in a book store and cannot find the book for which you search, then you're obviously in the...

Quote of the day: "To be one, to be united is a great thing. But to respect the right to be different is maybe even greater." -Bono

+ one more bonus quote: "Music can change the world because it can change people." -Bono

The first one that had me singing was Honeycombs. I saw the box and right away started, "Honeycomb's BIG, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's not small, no, no, no." I admit I did get some strange looks from other shoppers including my young daughter (who doesn't get to see nearly the amount of commercials I did as a kid due to the channels she watches and the DVR). When we returned home from the store, I had to find a Honeycombs commercial from when I was a kid to show her. Here's the one I found...

Then I started reminiscing about some of the other cereal commercials that were memorable to me. Of course there the ones with memorable characters like Count Chocula & Franken Berry, the Flintstones with Fruit Pebbles & Cocoa Pebbles, Tony the Tiger and his "grrreat" Frosted Flakes, Cap'n Crunch, Dig'em Smacks and the toucan with Fruit Loops. There was Cookie Crisp which took one of most kids' favorite things and shrunk it down into bite size cereal. And who could forget that frosted Lucky Charms are "magically delicious." Watching Saturday morning cartoons would bombard you with cereal commercials.

I loved Saturday morning cartoons, so maybe these cereal commercials feel good because they remind me of that. I wanted to share commercials for a couple other cereals that seem to be most memorable to me. I still find myself using the phrase "cuckoo for cocoa puffs" and that is directly due to the hundreds of times I have seen the Cocoa Puffs commercials with Sonny trying to avoid that very fate. Here's one of those commercials...

Then there was a healthier cereal trying to use a cartoon bee to seem more fun like other sugar cereals. The bee was there to "tempt your tummy with taste of nuts and honey." I still remember, "it's a honey of an O, it's Honey Nut Cheerios." That's an impressive tag line that can stick with you 20+ years later. Here's a Honey Nut Cheerios commercial to remind you...

Then lastly is that "silly rabbit" trying to get some Trix. The poor rabbit would get so close in each commercial to only have his cover blown at the last second and have them snatched before he could taste them. The tagline even showed up in a favorite R&B classic by Oran "Juice" Jones called "The Rain" which he reminds his cheating girl "silly rabbit, Trix are for kids." He also tells her she's "just a squirrel trying to find a nut" but that is totally unrelated and beside the point. Here's a Trix commercial from back in the day...

This is fun and I could go on sharing dozens more cereal commercial, but I am going to stop there for now. Maybe I will do a part 2 to this issue some time down the line. Let me know in the comments section which 80s cereal commercials you remember most fondly. Commercials are a big part of 80s pop culture and nostalgic memories for me. Nowadays, the nutritional value of cereal seems to be much more important to the average person. Walk down the cereal aisle yourself, you will still see some of those boxes and just try not humming those commercial jingles from the 80s.

That'll do it for this issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks as always for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on "Like" button. Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". I am sending daily 80s tweets, so sign up to get those. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.

Check this out: It's amazing what people can do with LEGOs nowadays. One thing that must take incredible amounts of time and patience are the stop-action videos you see out there using LEGOs. Here are a couple of those that recreate some of my favorite video games. To see my issue on my Top Classic Arcade Games from the 80s click on that link here. Then enjoy these LEGO versions of some of them...

Quote of the day: "Ability is of little account without opportunity." -Napoleon Bonaparte

Today (May 1, 2010) is the 56^th birthday of singer & songwriter Ray Parker Jr. Parker is best-known for the song "Ghostbusters" from the 1984 smash hit movie. That song was as big of a hit as the movie reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August of that year staying there for three weeks. Though it is catchy and helped develop the tagline, "Who you gonna call?" I am not a big fan of the song. In fact, it ranks on my Worst #1 Songs of the 80s list. It also ranks on my Top 80s Songs with One-Word Titles and Top Songs from 80s Movies lists. If you are unfamiliar with those lists or want to see the "Ghostbusters" video, visit one of those links above. Iinstead of the most obvious choice or the controversy surrounding it, I am going to focus this issue on another song by Parker.

My favorite songs by Ray Parker Jr. are 1983's "I Still Can't Get Over Loving You" from the album Woman Out of Control and 1982's "The Other Woman." The latter was from his debut solo album on the same name and would reach #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Parker made two videos for that song. The first was Halloween-themed and centered around a haunted castle with dancing corpses and vampires. This week's Flashback Video is "The Other Woman" by Ray Parker Jr...

It is reported that MTV refused to play that version of the video due to its depiction of an interracial relationship. Can you believe that (just 28 years ago)? So a second version was made which featured Parker performing the song against an outer space background with backup singers. This boring version is probably more remembered if you even remember one at all, so here is that version of "The Other Woman" by Ray Parker Jr...

Early in his career, Parker worked with Barry White and also wrote songs and did session work for The Carpenters, Rufus & Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Deniece Williams, The Temptations, The Spinners, Boz Scaggs, David Foster, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Herbie Hancock and Diana Ross among others. He also wrote and produced the 1984 hit song by New Edition "Mr. Telephone Man."

Ray Parker Jr. would not have another hit song after 1984's "Ghostbusters" but his last album was released as recently as 2006. He married his wife in 1994 and is raising four sons. If you want to find out more, you can visit his official website. Though he is likely best known for his one big hit, Ray Parker Jr's contributions to the 80s were obviously much more.

That'll finish up another issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. If you want to see the past issues of Flashback Videos, just type that into the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column and it should give you a list of all of them. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use that Google Search Box to find any past issues or topics you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on "Become a Fan". Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". Even though the blog only updates a couple times a week, I try to send out daily 80s tweets. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.