1980 Offered Filmgoers “Ordinary People,” an “Urban Cowboy,” “The Elephant Man” And More.
By Meredith Ennis, ReMIND Magazine
Looking back, 1980 offered movie fans a wide array of films from which to choose, ranging from the scary to the silly, the controversial to the soon-to-be-classic. 1980 gave audiences a number of “firsts,” including the initial onscreen appearance of Jason (Friday the 13th), Robin Williams’ first big movie role and Robert Redford’s directorial debut.
Compared to the big budget, special effects-laden films like The Empire Strikes Back, Flash Gordon was positively lo-fi. But its campy charms and soundtrack from Queen have made this space opera starring Sam J. Jones and Melody Anderson into a cult favorite.
The Friday the 13th franchise (now totaling 12 films) centered on the murderous impulses of hockey mask-wearing Jason Voorhees. After her turn in Halloween a few years before, Jamie Lee Curtis reunited with director John Carpenter for The Fog. Curtis also starred in Prom Night, which came out in the summer of 1980.
The Elephant Man, directed by David Lynch and starring John Hurt, Anthony Hopkins, Anne Bancroft and John Gielgud, earned eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay. A public outcry ensued when the film, which tells the story of a severely deformed man living in late 19th century London, was not honored with an award nomination for its makeup effects, prompting the Academy to create a category for Best Makeup the next year.
Ordinary People marked Robert Redford’s first directorial foray. The heartbreaking and award-winning film starred Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Timothy Hutton and Judd Hirsch.
Leaving disco behind after his turn in Saturday Night Fever, John Travolta teamed up with Debra Winger for Urban Cowboy, a film that capitalized on the era’s love for “lite” country artists, ala the likes of Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Mickey Gilley and others.
Comedy wasn’t absent from the list of 1980 releases. Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn were paired in Seems Like Old Times. Kristy McNichol and Tatum O’Neal played the female leads in the teen sex comedy Little Darlings. Perhaps more notably, Robin Williams made his first big-screen appearance alongside Shelley Duvall in Robert Altman’s musical comedy Popeye.
Sidney Poitier directed Stir Crazy, starring Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor — reuniting the two after 1976’s Silver Streak. The film eventually became the third highest-grossing film of the year in America (behind The Empire Strikes Back and 9 to 5).
It’s fair to say 1980 had something for every movie fan to enjoy, and many of these titles have stood the test of time and are enjoyed still today.
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