*MISS SPELLING SEZ:
I love it Tori! You and Molly should work together. And I really think neccessary should have two "c"s. Sorry, but I insist!
And speaking of teenagers...
So, Mr. McCarthy was saying, during the opening moments of Brats, that the 80's was when Hollywood discovered the youth market. The teens. And then all of a sudden, there was an explosion of teen themed movies that burst off of silver screens across the United States. And that it true. But it certainly wasn't the first time. I would argue that it was the first time that teens and SEX were combined and caught fire. But actually, that's not quite true either. Let's go back to the 50's. The post-World War II era, when I think we can argue that "teen-ager" culture first came into full flower. That is, American teens, as a group, were large enough to be considered a market. A demographic. A money generating demographic at that; perhaps the frist large group with "disposable income." In other words: The Boomers. There's a quote out there, perhaps from a LIFE magazine circa 1954 that went something like: "...never before has there been so much, for so few." And the Boomers are still sort of living that quote, aren't they? But that's for another blog. In any event, Hollywood started tailoring material specifically for teens. Melodramatically, at first. A Summer Place comes to mind:
And then, stupidity set in pretty fast. Teenagers in the 50's were portrayed in the movies in the most absurd ways. Teenage monsters, gang members, juvenile delinquents. Apparently, they had everything but weren't particularly happy with it.
I didn't go to high school in the early 70's. I went in the early 80's. And, I went to an all boys school. But something tells me that for all its earnestness, Room 222 was about as realistic as Welcome Back, Kotter. Or the Brady Kids. But that was at night. During the day, there were some shows that probably came closer to teen reality and teen problems in a realistic way. That would've been The ABC After School Special. And another show called Insight which aired, what I thought, was a particularly excellent story about a girl using sex to get what she wanted. Here's Marcia Brady herself giving, IMHO, an amazing performance:
So, where were we? Oh yeah. 1980. This was the year that numerous and sundry movies featuring teen-agers being played by teen-agers were released. Like a lot. And it presented them as real, flesh and blood people. Emphasis on the flesh. Or, the pleasures of the flesh, if you will. Yes, these teens were having sex. And if they weren't having it, they were trying to have it. Trying really hard. Some were more serious examinations of this literal coming of age; and some were more light-hearted. One of the first was from February of that year: Foxes. It starred Jodie Foster and the ever intense Sally Kellerman as her mom. It was decidedly in the former category.
Yes, there was decidedly a trend in these movies. A rather disturbing trend. That is, underage kids--well, let's not mince words--having sex with adults. Now, I woud perhaps trace this to Brooke Shields and her Calvins in Pretty Baby; but, no. I think we have to go back to Jodie in Taxi Driver. I think that's when the trend started. And it wasn't just girls. It was most decidedly and perhaps more often boys; as Mr. McCarthy can attest to; as his first feature was about this very thing. Let's consult the poster for his first movie:
ART DIRECTOR: Okay Andrew...pretend a beautiful and voluptuous older woman is, oh, I don't know...playing footsie with you...
ANDREW: What's footsie?
ART DIRECTOR: You know, when someone takes their shoes off, in say, a restaurant and rubs their bare feet on you...
ANDREW: Why would someone take their shoes off in a restaurant?
ART DIRECTOR: A waiting room.
ANDREW: That's makes even less sense.
ART DIRECTOR: Okay, you took your shoes off.
ANDREW: Why? Are we in a doctor's office?
ART DIRECTOR: Sure.
ANDREW: Is she a doctor?
ART DIRECTOR: She's your roommate's mother.
ANDREW: Is she seeing the doctor? Is she a patient?
ART DIRECTOR: Just stick your tongue out and cross your eyes.
But really, she should have been a patient. If my recollection of the film is correct, she was like a clinical nymphomaniac or something and this was actually kind of played for laughs.
3 Degrees of Reidyation Aside:
Andrew, we have ZERO degrees of separation! One time in the early 90's I was at this store called EREWHON (or was it Nowhere? Or was Nowhere across the street from Erewhon. And was it on Beverly? Or Melrose? I forget). It was this huge, like "health food" grocery store and there was this section to the left that had a counter, like a deli and it was where you could get, I think it was smoothies. It was super-dupe trendy at the time. And like, they had little shots of wheat grass juice, which they cut fresh and squeezed (mashed?) right before your eyes. I must've been getting a smoothie, because I know I wouldn't have been getting wheat grass juice because that stuff tasted like kissing a cow. In any event, when I was waiting for my smoothie, I turned around and you were behind me! You ordered and then we were both standing there waiting and I, of course, having recognized you, continued to turn and glance, not so subtly. And then you realized that I'd realized who you were and sort of had this non-plussed, bemused, kind of like when a dog tilts it's head and you can tell it's thinking but you're not sure what it's thinking about. But then again, maybe you didn't realize that I realized who you were and you were simply wondering if you should get a shot of wheat grass juice, even though I'm guessing you probably think it tastes like kissing a cow too. And then my drink was ready and I left you standing there because it would've been highly awkward for me to have loitered, particularly when I never would've spoken first, 'cuz that's just me. Or that was just me then. But now, I'd probably say: "Hi Mr. McCarthy! I love your work. Also, did you actually play footsie with Jacqueline Bisset while Rob Lowe sat nearby and pretended not to notice?" Who knows what sort of conversation might've transpired!
Ciao!
CFR 6/21/24