Blue Skies in Camelot (Continued): An Alternate 80s and Beyond
- Thread starter President_Lincoln
- Start date
Exactly genius! Guess I was right all along on matching RFK and Audie Murphy for 1980. Let's keep this up geniuses, we're going to need them to win the 1980 US Presidential Election against Reagan and the Republicans. Say with me geniuses, Kennedy-Murphy 1980 - The New Frontiers!
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Just imagine the look on Reagan's face and all those other's If RFK announced Murphy as he running mate they'll probably feel like they got hit at truck
More like they just got hit by the brick wall already genius! Don't you dare on finding dirt on Sen. Murphy, Reagan! You're already looking to the most-decorated soldier who served in the Second World War. With Kennedy having Murphy as his running-mate, they're unstoppable on getting their way to The White House. Better think before you speak Reagan, you too Nixon, you can't handle this force already because their too powerful than you could ever imagine. It's over Reagan and Nixon, they have the high ground now! Don't try it, because you're all defeated already!
I can think of one person who probably won't be able to hold his tongue.
Good question. In short, not exactly. Soldiers coming back from Cambodia, including John Kerry who swiftly became a Congressman ITTL, have been advocating for Cambodian War vets to be treated with respect and dignity. Even if you disagreed with the politics of the war, blaming the men who fought in it is highly misguided.
1979 in Pop Culture
Keep Believing, Keep Pretending - 1979 in Pop Culture
Above: One of the highest grossing films of the year, The Muppet Movie proved that a feel-good comedy could still prove a smash hit at the box office in the downer late 70s.
Billboard’s Year-End Hot 100 Singles of 1979 (Top Ten):
- “My Sharona” by the Knack
- “Bad Girls” by Donna Summer
- “Le Freak” by Chic
- “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” by Rod Stewart
- “Reunited” by Peaches & Herb
- “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor
- “Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer
- “Y.M.C.A.” by The Village People
- “Ring My Bell” by Anita Ward
- “My Life” by Billy Joel
News in Music
January 1st - During a New Year’s Eve concert, Bruce Springsteen is injured when a fan throws a firecracker onto the stage during his set.
January 6th - ABC’s American Bandstand featured the debut of the famous “Y.M.C.A.” dance, using the hand gestures to form the letters during a broadcast with the Village People.
February 7th - The Clash kick off their first-ever American tour with a show in San Francisco. Bo Diddley serves as opening act.
February 11th - Kurt Russell stars in Elvis!, a made-for-tv biopic about the King of Rock N Roll on ABC. According to Nielsen, some 43 million Americans tune in to watch.
March 10th - James Brown performs at the Grand Ole Opry.
March 31st - For the first time, the Eurovision Song Contest - the biggest music festival in the world - is held in a country outside of Europe - Israel. The show is broadcast live from Jerusalem to Europe and a few countries in Asia. The big winner for the night is Israel for the second year in a row. Their group, Milk & Honey, won with the song, “Hallelujah”.
April 27th - Ozzy Osbourne is fired as the lead singer of Black Sabbath. He is soon replaced by Ronnie James Dio.
May 1st - Elton John becomes the first major pop music star to perform in Israel.
May 8th - English band The Cure release their debut album, Boys Don’t Cry.
June 30th - Donna Summer becomes the first female artist to have 2 of the top 3 songs (“Hot Stuff” at #1 and “Bad Girls” at #3) on the Billboard hot 100.
July 1st - The Sony Walkman, which will become an icon of the 1980s, is first released in Japan.
July 12th - “Disco Demolition Night”, an anti-disco promotional event, held by a Chicago rock station at Comiskey Park involving exploding disco records with a bomb, causes a near-riot between games during a baseball major league doubleheader, forcing the cancellation of the second game. Though disco will continue its decline, it is more gradual, as many average Americans are appalled by the chaos they see in Chicago.
July 31st - 250,000 people turn out in Central Park, New York City, to see James Taylor and the Beatles perform a benefit concert in a campaign to restore Sheep Meadow. The show becomes symbolic of Baby Boomers’ continued commitment to community involvement and progress.
August 6th - English rock band Bauhaus release “Bela Lugosi’s Dead”, widely considered to be the first Gothic Rock single. The “Goth” subculture is born.
August 24th - Prince releases his first single, “I Wanna Be Your Lover” in the US. It reaches #1 on the R&B chart and cracks the top ten on the Hot 100, foreshadowing a long and fruitful career.
August 25th - “My Sharona” by the Knack hits #1, the first non-disco or ballad song to do so in more than a year. Critics begin predicting a “Rock comeback”.
September 2nd - Irish band The Hype, consisting of Bono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, and Larry Mullin, record their first single in Dublin.
September 16th - The Sugarhill Gang release Rapper’s Delight, the first Hip-Hop song to crack the US top 40.
September 19th - 23rd - Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE) stages a series of five No Nukes concerts at Madison Square Garden. Jackson Browne, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Petty, James Taylor, and Carly Simon are among the participants.
October 10th - Guitarist Joe Perry officially leaves Aerosmith, citing “creative differences” with lead singer Steven Tyler.
November 30th - Pink Floyd releases The Wall. It became one of Rock’s best-known concept albums and a major hit for the band, though it also marked the final album recorded with Roger Waters as the band’s frontman.
December 31 – The eighth annual New Year's Rockin' Eve special airs on ABC, with appearances by The Oak Ridge Boys, Village People, Chic, Blondie and Barry Manilow.
1979 in Film - The Year’s Biggest
Kramer vs. Kramer - Legal Drama. Starring Dustin Hoffman and Kate Jackson. Directed by Robert Benton. It tells the story of a couple's divorce, its impact on their young son, and the subsequent evolution of their relationship and views on parenting. The film also explores the psychology and fallout of divorce and touches upon prevailing or emerging social issues such as gender roles, fathers' rights, work-life balance, and single parents. Though the film would prove controversial at times, especially thanks to Dustin Hoffman’s commitment to “method acting”, it was also a tremendous success.
The Amityville Horror - Supernatural Horror. Starring James Brolin, Margot Kidder, and Rod Steiger. Directed by Stuart Rosenberg. The film follows a young couple who purchase a home haunted by combative supernatural forces. It is based on Jay Anson's 1977 book of the same name, which documented the alleged paranormal experiences of the Lutz family who briefly resided in the Amityville, New York home where convicted killer Ronald DeFeo Jr. committed the mass murder of his family in 1974. While met with largely unfavorable reviews at the time, the film has since come to be seen as something of a classic in the horror genre. It was also a massive financial success, grossing over $80 million. In his 1983 non-fiction book, Danse Macabre, horror author Stephen King interpreted the film as a parable on the anxieties of homeownership and financial ruin, citing the economic crisis of the 1970s and the film's frequent references to financial matters, a reading which has been similarly assessed by other film scholars. Perhaps that explains its resonance with audiences at the time.
Heart of Darkness - Historical Fiction Epic. United Artists. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Starring Jack Nicholson as Charles Marlow and Marlon Brando as Mr. Kurtz. Though screenwriter John Milius was originally interested in making a film about the War in Cambodia, he eventually grew more attached to the original text of Joseph Conrad’s novella, Heart of Darkness, which had intended to adapt. In place of the contemporary, wartime setting, he wrote a more or less faithful adaptation of Conrad’s work, making protagonist Marlow an American sailor working for a European ivory company in late 19th century Africa. The resulting film, helmed by master of “New Hollywood” Coppola, is a stirring critique of European rule of Africa and the disastrous effects of colonization. The film also served as a star vehicle for Nicholson, who desperately needed the good press after his involvement (or lack thereof) in the infamous arrest of his friend, director Roman Polanski.
Alien - Science-Fiction/Horror. Fox. Directed by Ridley Scott. Starring Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, and John Hurt. The film follows the crew of the commercial space tug Nostromo, who, after coming across a mysterious derelict spaceship on an uncharted planetoid, find themselves up against an aggressive and deadly extraterrestrial set loose on the Nostromo. Another horror classic, Alien was also revolutionary for its portrayal of female characters in Sci-Fi, as well as its nuanced and positive representation of LGBT+ people, with several members of the crew being fairly open about the fact that they have sex and are in relationships with each other, regardless of gender. Definitely one for the history books.
The 52nd Academy Awards - April 14th, 1980 - Hosted by Johnny Carson
Best Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
Best Director: Robert Benson, Kramer vs. Kramer
Best Actor: Peters Sellers, Being There as Chance
Best Actress: Sally Field, Norma Rae as Norma Rae Webster
Best Supporting Actor: Melvyn Douglas, Being There as Ben Rand
Best Supporting Actress: Kate Jackson, Kramer vs. Kramer as Joanna Kramer
Best Original Screenplay: Breaking Away by Steve Tesich
Best Adapted Screenplay: Heart of Darkness by John Milius
Other Films of Note
The Jerk - Comedy. Directed by Carl Reiner and starring Steve Martin. Universal Pictures. The film became a major financial success and helped prove that Martin could make for a compelling crossover star.
The Muppet Movie - Musical road-trip comedy. Directed by James Frawley and starring Jim Henson (who also produced), Frank Oz, and, of course, the Muppets, the film was a hilarious, well-received send-up and love letter to classic Hollywood that employed plenty of meta-humor and a myriad of celebrity cameos. These cameos included:
- Dom DeLuise as Bernie, a Hollywood agent and talent scout (whose name is a reference to Bernie Brillstein, talent agent and producer of the original Muppet Show).
- James Coburn
- Madeline Kahn
- Carol Kane
- Paul Williams
- Milton Berle
- Elliott Gould
- Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy
- Bob Hope
- Richard Pryor
- Steve Martin
- Mel Brooks
- Judy Garland, who commiserates with Kermit the Frog about the difficulty in finding “the Rainbow Connection”.
- Orson Welles
Initially distributed by AFD, the rights to the Muppet Movie would be scooped up by Disney in 1981, the beginning of a close partnership between Disney and Henson and his properties.
News in Television & Film Throughout the Year
January 3rd - The USA Network is founded.
February 14th - The Daytona 500 is broadcast live from start to finish, in its entirety for the very first time by CBS. It was won by Richard Petty.
March 5th - Production begins on the much-anticipated sequel to Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back. Irvin Kershner is hired to direct. The screenplay, by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, is based on a story by George Lucas. Gary Kurtz returns as producer.
March 19th - C-SPAN, an American television channel focusing on government and public affairs, is launched.
April 1st - Nickelodeon debuts on cable television, playing children's television shows 24 hours a day. Pinwheel, which first premiered on the channel C-3 in 1977, was one of the first shows to be broadcast on the channel.
April 23rd - The Price Is Right, on CBS, moves to 11:00 A.M. EST, the time slot that it holds to this day.
September 19th - Don Bluth and a group of fellow animators resign from The Walt Disney Company's animation department to set up a rival studio, Don Bluth Productions.
November 1st - Production begins on Raiders of the Lost Ark.
November 25th - Pat Summerall calls his first NFL telecast (Minnesota Vikings–Tampa Bay Buccaneers) with John Madden.
1979 in Sports
Super Bowl XIII - The Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC) won 34 - 31 over the Dallas Cowboys (NFC). Pittsburgh quarterback Archie Manning is declared MVP.
Baseball:
January 23 – Willie Mays receives 409 of 432 votes in the BBWAA election to earn enshrinement in the Hall of Fame.
August 2nd - Yankees catcher Thurman Munson avoids a near-scrape with death when a plane he is on crashes.
World Series - Pittsburgh Pirates won 4 games to 3 over the Baltimore Orioles. The Series MVP was Willie Stargell of Pittsburgh. The Pirates became the only team in sports history to come back from a three games to one deficit in a championship series twice, having also achieved the comeback in the 1925 World Series. Pittsburgh celebrates having won both the Super Bowl and the World Series for 1979.
NBA Finals - The Washington Bullets defeat the Seattle SuperSonics, 4 games to 3.
Boxing - World Champion Muhammad Ali retired in October, of 1979. He was succeeded as world champion by John Tate, who defeated Gerrie Coetzee for the title.
The Stanley Cup - Montreal Canadiens win 4 games to 0 over the New York Rangers.
Professional Wrestling:
(Author’s Note: I will provide a more thorough update on professional wrestling in the world of Blue Skies in Camelot when I feel the time is right. For now, please feel free to make suggestions.)
List of NWA World Champions (1962 - 1979):
- Buddy Rogers (June 1961 - January 24th, 1963)
- Lou Thesz (Jan. 24th, 1963 - Jan. 7th, 1966)
- Gene Kiniski (Jan. 7th, 1966 - Feb. 11th, 1969)
- Dory Funk, Jr. (Feb. 11th, 1969 - May 24th, 1973)
- Harley Race (May 24th, 1973 - July 20th, 1973)
- Jack Brisco (July 20th, 1973 - Dec. 2nd, 1974)
- Giant Baba (Dec. 2nd, 1974 - Dec. 9th, 1974)
- Jack Brisco (Dec. 9th, 1974 - Dec. 10th, 1975)
- Terry Funk (Dec. 10th, 1975 - Feb. 6th, 1977)
- Harley Race (Feb. 6th, 1977 - Aug. 21st, 1979)
- Dusty Rhodes (Aug. 21st, 1979 - Aug. 26th, 1979)
- Harley Race (Aug. 26th, 1979 - Oct. 31st, 1979)
- Giant Baba (Oct. 31st, 1979 - Nov. 7th, 1979)
- Harley Race (Nov. 7th, 1979 - Present [Jan. 1st, 1980])
List of WWWF/WWF World Champions (1963 - 1979):
- Bruno Sammartino (April 11th, 1963 - Jan. 18th, 1971)
- Ivan Koloff (Jan. 18th, 1971 - Feb. 8th, 1971)
- Pedro Morales (Feb. 8th, 1971 - Dec. 1st, 1973)
- Stan Stasiak (Dec. 1st, 1973 - Dec. 10th, 1973)
- Bruno Sammartino (Dec. 10th, 1973 - April 30th, 1977)
- “Superstar” Billy Graham (April 30th, 1977 - Feb. 20th, 1978)
- Bob Backlund (Feb. 20th, 1978 - Nov. 30th, 1979)
- Antonio Inoki (Nov. 30th, 1979 - Dec. 17th, 1979)
- Bob Backlund (Dec. 17th, 1979 - Present [Jan. 1st, 1980])
Time Magazine’s Person of the Year: Mehdi Bazargan, Prime Minister of the newly founded Democratic Republic of Iran. For shepherding a post-Shah Iran carefully into the Non-Aligned Movement.
Next Time on Blue Skies in Camelot: TV in the 1970s - A Retrospective
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Nice chapter good look at pop culture can't wait for moreKeep Believing, Keep Pretending - 1979 in Pop CultureAbove: One of the highest grossing films of the year, The Muppet Movie proved that a feel-good comedy could still prove a smash hit at the box office in the downer late 70s.
Billboard’s Year-End Hot 100 Singles of 1979 (Top Ten):
- “My Sharona” by the Knack
- “Bad Girls” by Donna Summer
- “Le Freak” by Chic
- “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” by Rod Stewart
- “Reunited” by Peaches & Herb
- “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor
- “Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer
- “Y.M.C.A.” by The Village People
- “Ring My Bell” by Anita Ward
- “My Life” by Billy Joel
News in Music
January 1st - During a New Year’s Eve concert, Bruce Springsteen is injured when a fan throws a firecracker onto the stage during his set.
January 6th - ABC’s American Bandstand featured the debut of the famous “Y.M.C.A.” dance, using the hand gestures to form the letters during a broadcast with the Village People.
February 7th - The Clash kick off their first-ever American tour with a show in San Francisco. Bo Diddley serves as opening act.
February 11th - Kurt Russell stars in Elvis!, a made-for-tv biopic about the King of Rock N Roll on ABC. According to Nielsen, some 43 million Americans tune in to watch.
March 10th - James Brown performs at the Grand Ole Opry.
March 31st - For the first time, the Eurovision Song Contest - the biggest music festival in the world - is held in a country outside of Europe - Israel. The show is broadcast live from Jerusalem to Europe and a few countries in Asia. The big winner for the night is Israel for the second year in a row. Their group, Milk & Honey, won with the song, “Hallelujah”.
April 7th - 110,000 people attend the California Music Festival at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. Performers include Aerosmith, Cheap Trick, and Van Halen.
April 27th - Ozzy Osbourne is fired as the lead singer of Black Sabbath. He is soon replaced by Ronnie James Dio.
May 1st - Elton John becomes the first major pop music star to perform in Israel.
May 8th - English band The Cure release their debut album, Boys Don’t Cry.
June 30th - Donna Summer becomes the first female artist to have 2 of the top 3 songs (“Hot Stuff” at #1 and “Bad Girls” at #3) on the Billboard hot 100.
July 1st - The Sony Walkman, which will become an icon of the 1980s, is first released in Japan.
July 12th - “Disco Demolition Night”, an anti-disco promotional event, held by a Chicago rock station at Comiskey Park involving exploding disco records with a bomb, causes a near-riot between games during a baseball major league doubleheader, forcing the cancellation of the second game. Though disco will continue its decline, it is more gradual, as many average Americans are appalled by the chaos they see in Chicago.
July 31st - 250,000 people turn out in Central Park, New York City, to see James Taylor and the Beatles perform a benefit concert in a campaign to restore Sheep Meadow. The show becomes symbolic of Baby Boomers’ continued commitment to community involvement and progress.
August 6th - English rock band Bauhaus release “Bela Lugosi’s Dead”, widely considered to be the first Gothic Rock single. The “Goth” subculture is born.
August 24th - Prince releases his first single, “I Wanna Be Your Lover” in the US. It reaches #1 on the R&B chart and cracks the top ten on the Hot 100, foreshadowing a long and fruitful career.
August 25th - “My Sharona” by the Knack hits #1, the first non-disco or ballad song to do so in more than a year. Critics begin predicting a “Rock comeback”.
September 2nd - Irish band The Hype, consisting of Bono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, and Larry Mullin, record their first single in Dublin.
September 16th - The Sugarhill Gang release Rapper’s Delight, the first Hip-Hop song to crack the US top 40.
September 19th - 23rd - Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE) stages a series of five No Nukes concerts at Madison Square Garden. Jackson Browne, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Petty, James Taylor, and Carly Simon are among the participants.
October 10th - Guitarist Joe Perry officially leaves Aerosmith, citing “creative differences” with lead singer Steven Tyler.
November 30th - Pink Floyd releases The Wall. It became one of Rock’s best-known concept albums and a major hit for the band, though it also marked the final album recorded with Roger Waters as the band’s frontman.
December 31 – The eighth annual New Year's Rockin' Eve special airs on ABC, with appearances by The Oak Ridge Boys, Village People, Chic, Blondie and Barry Manilow.
1979 in Film - The Year’s Biggest
Kramer vs. Kramer - Legal Drama. Starring Dustin Hoffman and Kate Jackson. Directed by Robert Benton. It tells the story of a couple's divorce, its impact on their young son, and the subsequent evolution of their relationship and views on parenting. The film also explores the psychology and fallout of divorce and touches upon prevailing or emerging social issues such as gender roles, fathers' rights, work-life balance, and single parents. Though the film would prove controversial at times, especially thanks to Dustin Hoffman’s commitment to “method acting”, it was also a tremendous success.
The Amityville Horror - Supernatural Horror. Starring James Brolin, Margot Kidder, and Rod Steiger. Directed by Stuart Rosenberg. The film follows a young couple who purchase a home haunted by combative supernatural forces. It is based on Jay Anson's 1977 book of the same name, which documented the alleged paranormal experiences of the Lutz family who briefly resided in the Amityville, New York home where convicted killer Ronald DeFeo Jr. committed the mass murder of his family in 1974. While met with largely unfavorable reviews at the time, the film has since come to be seen as something of a classic in the horror genre. It was also a massive financial success, grossing over $80 million. In his 1983 non-fiction book, Danse Macabre, horror author Stephen King interpreted the film as a parable on the anxieties of homeownership and financial ruin, citing the economic crisis of the 1970s and the film's frequent references to financial matters, a reading which has been similarly assessed by other film scholars. Perhaps that explains its resonance with audiences at the time.
Heart of Darkness - Historical Fiction Epic. United Artists. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Starring Jack Nicholson as Charles Marlow and Marlon Brando as Mr. Kurtz. Though screenwriter John Milius was originally interested in making a film about the War in Cambodia, he eventually grew more attached to the original text of Joseph Conrad’s novella, Heart of Darkness, which had intended to adapt. In place of the contemporary, wartime setting, he wrote a more or less faithful adaptation of Conrad’s work, making protagonist Marlow an American sailor working for a European ivory company in late 19th century Africa. The resulting film, helmed by master of “New Hollywood” Coppola, is a stirring critique of European rule of Africa and the disastrous effects of colonization. The film also served as a star vehicle for Nicholson, who desperately needed the good press after his involvement (or lack thereof) in the infamous arrest of his friend, director Roman Polanski.
Alien - Science-Fiction/Horror. Fox. Directed by Ridley Scott. Starring Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, and John Hurt. The film follows the crew of the commercial space tug Nostromo, who, after coming across a mysterious derelict spaceship on an uncharted planetoid, find themselves up against an aggressive and deadly extraterrestrial set loose on the Nostromo. Another horror classic, Alien was also revolutionary for its portrayal of female characters in Sci-Fi. Definitely one for the history books.
The 52nd Academy Awards - April 14th, 1980 - Hosted by Johnny CarsonBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
Best Director: Robert Benson, Kramer vs. Kramer
Best Actor: Peters Sellers, Being There as Chance
Best Actress: Sally Field, Norma Rae as Norma Rae Webster
Best Supporting Actor: Melvyn Douglas, Being There as Ben Rand
Best Supporting Actress: Kate Jackson, Kramer vs. Kramer as Joanna Kramer
Best Original Screenplay: Breaking Away by Steve Tesich
Best Adapted Screenplay: Heart of Darkness by John Milius
Other Films of Note
The Jerk - Comedy. Directed by Carl Reiner and starring Steve Martin. Universal Pictures. The film became a major financial success and helped prove that Martin could make for a compelling crossover star.
The Muppet Movie - Musical road-trip comedy. Directed by James Frawley and starring Jim Henson (who also produced), Frank Oz, and, of course, the Muppets, the film was a hilarious, well-received send-up and love letter to classic Hollywood that employed plenty of meta-humor and a myriad of celebrity cameos. These cameos included:
- Dom DeLuise as Bernie, a Hollywood agent and talent scout (whose name is a reference to Bernie Brillstein, talent agent and producer of the original Muppet Show).
- James Coburn
- Madeline Kahn
- Carol Kane
- Paul Williams
- Milton Berle
- Elliott Gould
- Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy
- Bob Hope
- Richard Pryor
- Steve Martin
- Mel Brooks
- Judy Garland, who commiserates with Kermit the Frog about the difficulty in finding “the Rainbow Connection”.
- Orson Welles
Initially distributed by AFD, the rights to the Muppet Movie would be scooped up by Disney in 1981, the beginning of a close partnership between Disney and Henson and his properties.
News in Television & Film Throughout the Year
January 3rd - The USA Network is founded.
February 14th - The Daytona 500 is broadcast live from start to finish, in its entirety for the very first time by CBS. It was won by Richard Petty.
March 5th - Production begins on the much-anticipated sequel to Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back. Irvin Kershner is hired to direct. The screenplay, by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, is based on a story by George Lucas. Gary Kurtz returns as producer.
March 19th - C-SPAN, an American television channel focusing on government and public affairs, is launched.
April 1st - Nickelodeon debuts on cable television, playing children's television shows 24 hours a day. Pinwheel, which first premiered on the channel C-3 in 1977, was one of the first shows to be broadcast on the channel.
April 23rd - The Price Is Right, on CBS, moves to 11:00 A.M. EST, the time slot that it holds to this day.
September 19th - Don Bluth and a group of fellow animators resign from The Walt Disney Company's animation department to set up a rival studio, Don Bluth Productions.
November 1st - Production begins on Raiders of the Lost Ark.
November 25th - Pat Summerall calls his first NFL telecast (Minnesota Vikings–Tampa Bay Buccaneers) with John Madden.
1979 in Sports
Super Bowl XIII - The Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC) won 34 - 31 over the Dallas Cowboys (NFC). Pittsburgh quarterback Archie Manning is declared MVP.
Baseball:
January 23 – Willie Mays receives 409 of 432 votes in the BBWAA election to earn enshrinement in the Hall of Fame.
August 2nd - Yankees catcher Thurman Munson avoids a near-scrape with death when a plane he is on crashes.
World Series - Pittsburgh Pirates won 4 games to 3 over the Baltimore Orioles. The Series MVP was Willie Stargell of Pittsburgh. The Pirates became the only team in sports history to come back from a three games to one deficit in a championship series twice, having also achieved the comeback in the 1925 World Series. Pittsburgh celebrates having won both the Super Bowl and the World Series for 1979.
NBA Finals - The Washington Bullets defeat the Seattle SuperSonics, 4 games to 3.
Boxing - World Champion Muhammad Ali retired in October, of 1979. He was succeeded as world champion by John Tate, who defeated Gerrie Coetzee for the title.
The Stanley Cup - Montreal Canadiens win 4 games to 0 over the New York Rangers.
Professional Wrestling:
(Author’s Note: I will provide a more thorough update on professional wrestling in the world of Blue Skies in Camelot when I feel the time is right. For now, please feel free to make suggestions.)
List of NWA World Champions (1962 - 1979):
- Buddy Rogers (June 1961 - January 24th, 1963)
- Lou Thesz (Jan. 24th, 1963 - Jan. 7th, 1966)
- Gene Kiniski (Jan. 7th, 1966 - Feb. 11th, 1969)
- Dory Funk, Jr. (Feb. 11th, 1969 - May 24th, 1973)
- Harley Race (May 24th, 1973 - July 20th, 1973)
- Jack Brisco (July 20th, 1973 - Dec. 2nd, 1974)
- Giant Baba (Dec. 2nd, 1974 - Dec. 9th, 1974)
- Jack Brisco (Dec. 9th, 1974 - Dec. 10th, 1975)
- Terry Funk (Dec. 10th, 1975 - Feb. 6th, 1977)
- Harley Race (Feb. 6th, 1977 - Aug. 21st, 1979)
- Dusty Rhodes (Aug. 21st, 1979 - Aug. 26th, 1979)
- Harley Race (Aug. 26th, 1979 - Oct. 31st, 1979)
- Giant Baba (Oct. 31st, 1979 - Nov. 7th, 1979)
- Harley Race (Nov. 7th, 1979 - Present [Jan. 1st, 1980])
List of WWWF/WWF World Champions (1963 - 1979):
- Bruno Sammartino (April 11th, 1963 - Jan. 18th, 1971)
- Ivan Koloff (Jan. 18th, 1971 - Feb. 8th, 1971)
- Pedro Morales (Feb. 8th, 1971 - Dec. 1st, 1973)
- Stan Stasiak (Dec. 1st, 1973 - Dec. 10th, 1973)
- Bruno Sammartino (Dec. 10th, 1973 - April 30th, 1977)
- “Superstar” Billy Graham (April 30th, 1977 - Feb. 20th, 1978)
- Bob Backlund (Feb. 20th, 1978 - Nov. 30th, 1979)
- Antonio Inoki (Nov. 30th, 1979 - Dec. 17th, 1979)
- Bob Backlund (Dec. 17th, 1979 - Present [Jan. 1st, 1980])
Time Magazine’s Person of the Year: Mehdi Bazargan, Prime Minister of the newly founded Democratic Republic of Iran. For shepherding a post-Shah Iran carefully into the Non-Aligned Movement.
Next Time on Blue Skies in Camelot: TV in the 1970s - A Retrospective
WOOOOOOOOO
fucjing love the muppets movie, original and the 2010s one
Regarding Cambodia vets- America more or less got the W ITTL, (I’m fairly sure) it’s a lot harder to appeal the cruel consciousness of people when, ya know, we WON. They should get treated better
This Pop Culture update of 1979 really took me much of a surprise genius. You still forgot Music for UNICEF that the Bee Gees did in doing their advocacy for children around the world in need of help. The TV Movie Biopic Elvis is going to be a lot different this time and I wonder how would Elvis Presley himself would react to depicted his life ITTL? Please excuse my language on The Disco Demolition Night, but what they did to destroy those disco albums were fucking insane! They could've just enjoy the music they like and let them be as it is, but they didn't and it's like burning books in Germany during the Nazi's Regime of Hitler. No matter what happens, it's still going to happen as it is now that the Bee Gees and Andy Gibb are out of the picture in the 1980s. I just hope that the 80's been kinder to them and prevent the death of Andy Gibb on 1988. I'm one of those who would you called sympathizers to their music careers, and I'm proud of it. The Walkman is here geniuses, Pink Floyd's The Wall really became one of their iconic albums they ever made, and Prince is on the rise of music career. The movies ITTL really brought me a new perspective here geniuses. With Meryl Streep being with The Shining, Kate Jackson became her replacement in Kramer vs. Kramer and got The Academy Award? You know what, I'll allow it genius! Heart of Darkness was now the replacement of Apocalypse Now, but now it's about European Colonialism in Africa? All right, I'll give it a new perspective! So this is a comeback film for Jack Nicholson after what happened to The Polanski Trial? Fine, why not? So when exactly are we going to see Farrah Fawcett, Bruce Lee, Sharon Tate Kennedy, and Elvis Presley coming back to making movies in the new decade? I strongly hope for their best ITTL. The Jerk was now Steve Martin's debut film ITTL instead of the Sgt. Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band with the Bee Gees and Peter Frampton IOTL. I hope they didn't make that movie ITTL now that Peter Frampton is dead ITTL and that movie almost ruined the reputation of the Bee Gees after the film's release. The Muppets Movie is here and later owned by Disney in 1981 ITTL, hope they got better relationship with each other and hope for their best. Pittsburgh both won NFL and The World Series, a rare in sports history indeed. Muhammad Ali finally retired Boxing earlier ITTL because I know he's having signs now of Parkinson's Disease for the remaining of his life until his death in 2016. Professional Wrestling is now in the picture geniuses, this is going to be exciting for all of those fans out here. So the Olympic Boycott in Moscow 1980 is still going to happen or not because I want the NBA Players of 1979-1980 Season to join the games by allowing FIBA to lift the ban on professional players in NBA to be allowed to play in the Olympics by 1979 as well. It's like earlier version The Dream Team ITTL. I also add to allowed the PBA Players of 1979-1980 Season to play in the Olympics from my country, The Philippines. The Best American and Filipino Basketball Players are going to be play with each other in the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics, this is going to be a big news in sports history ITTL from both of our countries. Mehdi Bazargan was now Time Magazine's Person of the Year for 1979, Impressive genius! Well kids, were going to have a retrospective of television in the 1970s. I wonder what big change has gone to aside from Star Trek: Phase II. Is Farrah Fawcett still on Charlie's Angels with Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith until the end of the show? That would be its best before she fully transition to making movies in the new decade. We don't want her to see her die like IOTL, and we want her to live up to Present ITTL and get her a career that she finally deserves.
So, the Disco Demolition Night is partially averted; I wonder if this means that US disco will follow a similar trajectory to European disco, subtly influencing barely related genres in the 1980s and then coming back in the 1990s as dance music genres directly influenced by it take the charts by storm. While homophobia and racism were a factor in its decline, that's a minor factor IMO, along the lines of 2000s emo being stereotyped as music for effeminate and/or mentally ill men - just as emo faded away because its audience aged out of it, disco had to decline because, honestly, it was oversaturating the airwaves.
For every Gerard Way and Donna Summer, you get a thousand Stick Stickly or A Fifth of Beethoven - the latter committing the crime of not being ridiculous enough to loop back from being just plain bad to being enjoyable trash, unlike Attack Attack!'s dumpster fires.
For every Gerard Way and Donna Summer, you get a thousand Stick Stickly or A Fifth of Beethoven - the latter committing the crime of not being ridiculous enough to loop back from being just plain bad to being enjoyable trash, unlike Attack Attack!'s dumpster fires.
Does the film have LGBT representation ITTL?
Heck yeah!Time Magazine’s Person of the Year: Mehdi Bazargan, Prime Minister of the newly founded Democratic Republic of Iran. For shepherding a post-Shah Iran carefully into the Non-Aligned Movement.
I can’t wait to read it.
A bit sad that TTL no one is going to know the awesomeness of strapping an audio recorder on a UH-1 loudly playing "Ride of the Valkyries"
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Great update on pop culture in 1979! Interesting that Heart of Darkness resembles the actual novel rather than the Vietnam war story it was IOTL. I liked Aliens is largely the same. Can't wait for how the sequel goes.
Taking a peak over here from the geronimo timeline (the no 9/11 AU)
you know for more research on a modern utopia im planning on making for my game/series im making
(on top of trying to reality shift here of course)
hopefully if atari doesn't end up going under i pray that nintendo is still a thing in TTL (even with consoles like the atari jaguar not failing)
there are a few things that are my lifeblood and that is
furries
anime
the internet
and of course both nintendo and sega
maybe nintendo ends up releasing the snes cd similar to player two start/massively multiplayer/ohga shrugs etc
idk, unlike 9/11 and the events following it where that was my childhood/teenhood right up until covid
like most people that are between 18-35 in 2023 i was never alive in the 70s or 80s
so seeing this TL is kinda new but also very alien to me (even more so than geronimo which im starting to feel right at home at
as they are almost in 2007-2008 which was when my dad was sick from cancer which both the 2008 recession and michael jacksons death (both of which may not happen in geronimo) hit even harder for me when my dad passed as in winter 2008-2009 i was going through puberty and entering middle school as the weird kid, just because i have autism)
sorry if i got off topic, just giving you guys my introduction to this timeline from where im currently at in the other TL im reading
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Thank you both! Glad you enjoyed.
A good question regarding Alien featuring LGBT+ representation ITTL. I'm going to say that yes, this idea made it into the final film, but was probably not overly emphasized. It would still lead to the film being pilloried by the conservative outrage machine, but what else can you expect? On the bright side, this would also be an early example of positive representation of LGBT+ people in Horror films, specifically.