Tootsie Premiered in Theaters
1981 - American Brigadier General James L. Dozier Was Abducted in Verona, Italy by an Italian Terrorist Group Known as The Red Brigades
* Rescued by Italian Special Forces 42 Days Later
#1 Songs in America
(December 17th)
1980 - "Lady"
Kenny Rogers
11/15 - 12/26
1981 - "Physical"
Olivia Newton-John
11/21 - 1/29
1982 - "Mickey"
Toni Basil
12/11 - 12/17
1983 - "Say Say Say"
Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson
12/10 - 1/20
1984 - "Out of Touch"
Daryl Hall and John Oates
12/8 - 12/21
1985 - "Broken Wings"
Mister Mister
12/7 - 12/20
1986 - "The Way It Is"
Bruce Hornsby & the Range
12/13 - 12/19
1987 - "Faith"
George Michael
12/12 - 1/8
1988 - "Look Away"
Chicago
12/10 - 12/23
1989 - "We Didn't Start the Fire"
Bill Joel
12/9 - 12/22
Click Here For More Music Fun Facts and Awards
December 17th in 80s History
Headlines
(December 17th)
1980 - Any Which Way You Can Premiered in Theaters
* Starring Clint Eastwood
_______________________________
On December 17, 1982 Best Friends Starring Burt Reynolds and Goldie Hawn Premiered in Theaters
Other Notable Dates
(On December 17th)
1892 - The First Issue of Vogue Was Published
1933 - The Chicago Bears Won the First NFL Championship
* Beat the New York Giants 23 - 21 at Wrigley Field in Chicago
Fun Fact!
The Chicago Bears Were Established in 1920
* The Halas Family Has Run the Bears Since 1921 (The A. E. Staley Food Starch Company Owned it the First Season)
_______________________________
_________________________
_________________________
_______________________________
Best Friends
_______________________________
Other Notable Birthdays
Cal Ripken Sr. (Baseball)
December 17, 1935 - March 25, 1999
Birthplace: Aberdeen, MD
Passed Away at Age 63 From Lung Cancer
In 1987 Became the First and Only Manager to Manage 2 Sons Simultaneously
_______________________________
Passed Away
(On This Day)
Alaina Reed Hall (Actress)
November 10, 1946 - December 17, 2009
Birthplace: Santa Monica, CA
Passed Away at Age 63 From Breast Cancer
Best Known For Her Roles on Sesame Street and 227
Henry Heimlich (American Surgeon)
February 3, 1920 - December 17, 2016
Birthplace: Wilmington, DE
Passed Away at Age 96 From a Heart Attack
Invented The Heimlich Maneuver
Fun Fact!
In 1976 Ronald Reagan Was Saved by the Heimlich Maneuver
* Reagan Was on a Plane Choking on Peanuts When Campaign Aide Mike Deaver Grabbed Him and Issued the Heimlich Maneuver
_______________________________
80s Movies
(Released On This Day)
1980 - Any Which Way You Can
Director: Buddy Van Horn
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Geoffrey Lewis, William Smith and Ruth Gordon
Budget: $15 Million
Box Office: $70.7 Million
1982 - Six Weeks
Director: Tony Bill
Starring: Dudley Moore, Mary Tyler Moore and Katherine Healy
Budget: N/A
Box Office: $6.7 Million
1982 - Tootsie
Director: Sydney Pollack
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, Bill Murray, Charles Durning, George Gaynes, Geena Davis, Doris Belack and Sydney Pollack
Budget: $21 Million
Box Office: $177.2 Million
Jessica Lange Won an Academy Award For Best Supporting Actress
1982 - Best Friends
Director: Norman Jewison
Starring: Burt Reynolds, Goldie Hawn, Audra Lindley and Jessica Tandy
Budget: $15 Million
Box Office: $36.8 Million
1982 - Trail of the Pink Panther
Director: Blake Edwards
Starring: Peter Sellers, David Niven, Herbert Lom, Richard Mulligan, Joanna Lumley, Capucine, Robert Loggia and Harvey Korman
Budget: $6 Million
Box Office: $9.1 Million
1982 - The Year of Living Dangerously
Director: Peter Weir
Starring: Mel Gibson, Sigourney Weaver and Linda Hunt
Budget: $6 Million
Box Office: $10.3 Million
1982 - The Dark Crystal’ (Animation)
Directors: Jim Henson and Frank Oz
Starring: Stephen Garlick, Lisa Maxwell, Billie Whitelaw, Percy Edwards and Barry Dennen
Budget: $25 Million
Box Office: $41.4 Million
_______________________________
80s Television
(On This Day)
1988 - Melanie Griffith Hosted Saturday Night Live
Musical Guest: Little Feat
1989 - The Simpsons Premiered on Fox
Episode: "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"
* Still on the Air
_______________________________
80s Music
(Albums Released On This Day)
No 80s Albums Released On This Day
_______________________________
80s Sports
(On This Day)
1983 - Wayne Gretzky Recorded his 800th Point and 500th Assist
1984 - ABC Purchased a Majority Stake in ESPN
1986 - Wayne Gretzky Scored a Hat Trick in the First Period Against the Quebec Nordiques
* The Oilers beat the Nordiques 5 - 3 at Northlands Coliseum
1987 - Mookie Blaylock (Oklahoma) Tied His Own NCAA Basketball Record With 13 Steals in a Game
* Broke the Record Only a Week Before
Did You Know?
In 2013 Blaylock Was Charged With Vehicular Homicide
* Killed Monica Murphy, a Mother of 5
Was Driving on a Suspended License and Had an Outstanding Warrant on DUI and Drug-Related Charges
7 Previous DUI's
Served 4 Years in Jail
_______________________________
<- December 16th December 18th ->
_______________________________
The Year of Living Dangerously
1989 - The Simpsons Premiered on Fox
* Still Airing
Titled "Simpsons Roasting On an Open Fire"
Fun Fact!
The Simpsons First Appeared as Short on the Tracy Ullman Show in 1987
On December 17, 1982 The Year of Living Dangerously Starring Mel Gibson, Sigourney Weaver and Linda Hunt Premiered in Theaters
1982 - Tootsie Premiered in Theaters
Starring Dustin Hoffman, Bill Murray, Teri Garr and Jessica Lange
Jessice Lange Won an Academy Award For Best Supporting Actress
Fun Fact!
Tootsie Was the 2nd Highest Grossing Movie From 1982
* E.T. Was #1
_________________________
_______________________________
Happy 80s Birthdays
1945 - Ernie Hudson (Actor) Ghostbusters
Birthplace: Benton Harbor, MI
1946 - Eugene Levy (Actor) Vacation (Car Salesman)
Birthplace: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
1948 - Jim Bonfanti (Drummer) Raspberries
Birthplace: Windber, PA
1949 - Paul Rodgers (Singer) Bad Company
Birthplace: Middlesbrough, England
1953 - Bill Pullman (Actor) Ruthless People
Birthplace: Hornell, NY
1957 - Bob Ojeda (Baseball)
Birthplace: Los Angeles, CA
1958 - Mike Mills (Musician) REM
Birthplace: Orange County, CA
1961 - Sara Dallin (English Singer) Bananarama
Birthplace: Bristol, England
1974 - Giovanni Ribisi (Actor) My Two Dads
Birthplace: Los Angeles, CA
Fun Fact!
Eugene Levy Won 2 Emmy Awards (2019, 2020) for Most Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series for His Role as Johnny Rose on Schitt’s Creek