I happened to see a list of celebrity birthdays last week and noticed that Ally Sheedy turned 46 (on June 13^th). It made me stop and think for a moment. Can this member of the 80s "Brat Pack" really be 46 years old already?

Ally Sheedy is the actress who starred in such 80s classics as The Breakfast Club, St. Elmo's Fire, Short Circuit and WarGames. She was considered a member of the "Brat Pack" which was a group of young actors who appeared in many of the teen-oriented coming-of-age films during the mid-80s. This made me curious to check out the rest of the actors who were generally considered members of this club.

In addition to Sheedy, Emilio Esteves recently turned 46 and both Demi Moore and Andrew McCarthy will turn 46 later this year. Rob Lowe just turned 45. Judd Nelson is the oldest and will surprisingly be 49 in November. The two youngest are Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall who both just turned 40 earlier this year. There are other actors associated with the "Brat Pack," but those are considered the official members. It is astonishing to me when I recognize (or admit) that those "Brat Pack" movies are all now 20-25 years old.

Many of the movies that these actors starred in are some of my favorite and most memorable especially since they were released during my most formative years. I thought this would be a proper opportunity to publish my Top 10 movies from the 80s starring members of the "Brat Pack." For this list, I considered any movie from that decade which starred even one of the actors that I mentioned earlier even though many star multiple members. Without further ado, here is OLD SCHOOL'S TOP 10 MOVIES FROM THE 80s STARRING ANY MEMBERS OF THE "BRAT PACK":

10. About Last Night... (1986) - Rob Lowe as "Danny Martin" and Demi Moore as "Debbie Sullivan"

9. The Pick-Up Artist (1987) - Molly Ringwald as "Randy Jensen"

8. Weekend at Bernie's (1989) - Andrew McCarthy as "Larry Wilson"

7. Pretty in Pink (1986) - Molly Ringwald as "Andie Walsh" and Andrew McCarthy as "Blane McDonnagh"

6. St. Elmo's Fire (1985) - Emilio Esteves as "Kirby Keger," Rob Lowe as "Billy Hicks," Andrew McCarthy as "Kevin Dolenz," Demi Moore as "Jules Jacoby," Judd Nelson as "Alec Newbary" and Ally Sheedy as "Leslie Hunter"

5. National Lampoon's Vacation (1983) - Anthony Michael Hall as "Rusty Griswold"

4. Sixteen Candles (1984) - Molly Ringwald as "Samantha Baker" and Anthony Michael Hall as "Farmer Ted ‘The Geek'" - Ranked #5 on my Top 10 Teen Comedies of the 80s

3. Weird Science (1985) - Anthony Michael Hall as "Gary Wallace" - Ranked #4 on my Top 10 Teen Comedies of the 80s

2. The Outsiders (1983) - Emilio Esteves as "Two-Bit Matthews" and Rob Lowe as "Soda Pop Curtis"

1. The Breakfast Club (1985) - Emilio Esteves as "Andrew Clark," Judd Nelson as "John Bender," Molly Ringwald as "Claire Standish," Anthony Michael Hall as "Brian Johnson" and Ally Sheedy as "Allison Reynolds" - Ranked #7 on my Top 10 Teen Comedies of the 80s because it is not quite as funny as other teen comedies, but to me deals with much more relevant subject matter which is why it makes it to the top of this list. Back in 2005, it was honored at the MTV Movie Awards and here is a link to watch that portion of the ceremony which I feel is pretty cool.

There's my list. Please let me know if there are any that you feel were missed. Many of these films have songs that ranked on my Top Songs from 80s Movies list including Pretty in Pink, St. Elmo's Fire, Vacation, Sixteen Candles, Weird Science and The Breakfast Club. Many of the songs on that list have links to the videos, so please check that out if you have not already done so.

I still think of those brat-packers frozen in time as teens back in the 80s, so it boggles my mind that some of them are heading into their late forties. I sometimes forget that the mid-80s were 25 years ago now. That concept is difficult for me to grasp, but helps put things in perspective for me. If you are a regular reader of Kickin' it Old School, you know I hold the 80s decade in high esteem especially when it concerns pop culture. Here is a link to a summary of all my past 80s related articles.

That will wrap up another issue of Kickin' it. Thanks, as always, for reading. Peace and much love.

Check this out: I thought this was a heart-warming story that someone sent me...
"In 1986, Peter Davies was on holiday in Kenya after graduating from Northwestern University. On a hike through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing with one leg raised in the air. The elephant seemed distressed, so Peter approached it very carefully.
He got down on one knee and inspected the elephant's foot and found a large piece of wood deeply embedded in it. As carefully and as gently as he could, Peter worked the wood out with his hunting knife, after which the elephant gingerly put down its foot. The elephant turned to face the man, and with a rather curious look on its face, stared at him for several tense moments. Peter stood frozen, thinking of nothing else but being trampled. Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly, turned, and walked away. Peter never forgot that elephant or the events of that day.
Twenty years later, Peter was walking through the Chicago Zoo with his teen aged son. As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned and walked over to near where Peter and his son Cameron were standing. The large bull elephant stared at Peter, lifted its front foot off the ground, then put it down. The elephant did that several times then trumpeted loudly, all the while staring at the man.
Remembering the encounter in 1986, Peter couldn't help wondering if this was the same elephant. Peter summoned up his courage, climbed over the railing and made his way into the enclosure. He walked right up to the elephant and stared back in wonder. The elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one of Peter legs and slammed his stupid a$$ against the railing, killing him instantly.
Probably wasn't the same elephant." I thought it was an interesting plot twist...

Quote of the day: "Good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgment." -Barry LePatner

Download this: "True" by Spandau Ballet - A classic from 1983 with a solid cover issued by the Cary Brothers in 2005