TEN's SPOT: 7 great (?) 80's comedies (movies)

So tonight is the Oscars. I probably won't watch any of it but in honor of the wonderful art form of movies here are 7 of my favorite 80's comedies.
These movies never had a chance to win an Oscar.
Some of my opinions may have been influenced by alcohol back in the day when I saw them,but I can still occasionally watch all of these and still laugh and get a great feeling from

7."Doctor Detroit"- Dan Aykroyd. used to be a big star, believe or not kids. This movie is the nerdy guy goes wild and becomes a pimp. A common theme in 80's comedies believe or not! Also stars Fran Drescher (aka The Nanny) Howard Hesseman (aka Dr Johnny Fever), and Akroyd's future wife Donna Dixon. Has the requisite new wave song from Devo plus music from James Brown!
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6. "Trading Places"-1983- Eddie Murphy's 2nd hit movie.

A fun character study about money, privilege and whether everyone has the same potential given the chance.

Also starring, you guessed it, Dan Akroyd

and Jamie Lee Curtis( and her boobs. I know she's old now, but she was hot back then. This was pre-internet you couldn't just Google "boobs" and see them. It was a tough time to live!).

"I'm a karate man!"

                                                  with Bo Diddley at the Pawn Shop

IMDB

5." Bachelor Party "- 1984. Tom Hanks wasn't "TOM HANKS" yet. He was a likable comedic actor from "Bosom Buddies" and "Splash". Here he's kind of a Bill Murray wannabe, but still a fun movie. The female lead is Tawny Kitaen, who here is nice and sweet, she later went on to be on a Ratt album cover and of course those Whitesnake videos as well as various TV appearances (including Seinfeld) and unfortunately "Dr Drew's Celebrity rehab".

The plot? oh come on. Tom and Tawny are getting married. He's a school bus driver, her rich proper parents hate him, etc.

His buddies including Adrian Zmed, he of cop shows and 80's hair, throw him a Bachelor Party.

One last night of freedom, will he stay faithful?
Craziness ensues..of course prostitutes are involved because you had to have hookers in 80's comedies!!

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trailer

4. "Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again " 1982 - this was kinda of in that "Young Doctors in Love", "Airplane" vein of humor.

It starred Mark Blankfeld from the sketch show "Fridays" (where Larry David and Michael Richards also got their start) If you remember Blankfield was the pharmacy druggest who sampled all of the pills and would go nuts...

Blankfield stars as naive and repressed Dr. Daniel Jekyll. He invents a coke-like substance in his lab one night and snorts and turns into "Mr Hyde" who is a party animal.

   Full disclosure: my friends and I were drunk when we saw it in the theater.
Whenever I watch I always remember my one friend's laugh and that he laughed so hard he threw up in the theater!

                  Someone has actually posted the whole movie in pieces on youtube. lol

                                                  here is his transformation....

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3. "The Wild Life"- 1984- written by Cameron Crowe who wrote "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" and sorry, I like this movie better.

It stars the late Christopher Penn, Eric Stoltz, Lea Thompson, Randy Quaid, IIan Mitchell-Smith (who went on to star in "Weird Science") and the always great Rick Moranis. Crowe's wife Nancy Wilson of Heart has a small cameo as well.
Chris Penn takes over the wild man role in this one. He's more of a dumb jock partier than his brother's Spicoli character was in "Fast Times".

Eric Stoltz is the level headed just graduated high school guy who gets his own apartment and lets Penn move in with him. Of course there is trouble. It's not all goofy beer and boobs though. Quaid's character is a heroin addicted vet that Mitchell-Smith's character worships.

      It is a crime THIS IS STILL NOT OUT ON DVD!!!
                       ok it's not a crime, but it would be nice if it was out...


                                           trailer

Eddie Van Halen did the instrumental soundtrack music

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      2. "Stripes"- Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, John Candy, Warren Oates. What can you say.
   classic.. arguably Murray's best performance. I know everyone quotes him from "Caddyshack" but this is better.

"Lee Harvey.. you are a madman!

Dewey Oxberger

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1. "Night Shift" 1982- Michael Keaton and Henry Winkler star as night shift morgue employees who start to run a prostitution ring out of the morgue. (again with prostitutes! an 80's theme I tell ya)
Ron Howard's first directing job I believe.