About This Quiz
The year 1980 was a notable one in pop-culture history: The iconic video game "Pac-Man" hit arcades across the country. The first 24-hour cable news network (a.k.a. CNN) was officially launched. A toy called the Rubik's Cube made its worldwide debut, the New York Islanders won their first Stanley Cup and America waited with bated breath to learn who shot “Dallas†patriarch J.R.Â
In the world of movies, some of the decade's most popular flicks were hitting the big screen. From horror classics such as "The Shining" and "Friday the 13th" to classic comedies like "9 to 5," "Airplane!" and "Caddyshack," 1980 saw the release of many memorable movies that are still beloved to this day. It's hard to believe these films are now 40 years old! It's official; they're over the hill.
How well do you remember the movies that made their debut in the year 1980? This quiz will take you back to simpler times, when telephones featured rotary dials and TV sets had no flat screens. We'll show you screenshots from 40 movies that were released in 1980, and your job is to identify each one correctly. So pop some popcorn, throw on your favorite crop top and get started — we're dying to see how you do!
Starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as their "SNL" alter-egos Jake and Elwood Blues, "The Blues Brothers" was packed with notable cameos from big-time musicians such as Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Cab Calloway and James Brown.
Based on the creepy Stephen King novel of the same name, "The Shining" stars Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall. In 2019, a sequel starring Ewan McGregor was released. Called "Doctor Sleep," it was based on a follow-up novel King wrote in 2013.
"Private Benjamin" was the sixth highest-grossing film of 1980. The comedy was also nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Actress (for Hawn) and Best Supporting Actress (for Eileen Brennan).
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Dolly Parton made her feature-film debut in this comedy, which also stars Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dabney Coleman. Parton also wrote and performed the theme song and won Grammy Awards for Best Country Song of the Year and Best Female Country Vocal of the Year.
Star John Travolta reportedly had a mechanical bull installed in his home to practice riding before filming began. The story goes that he became so good that he ended up dismissing the stunt double and performing the moves himself.
Sissy Spacek won both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her role as the country singer in this film. The movie's soundtrack was also popular and won the Country Music Association Award for Album of the Year.
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This historical drama follows the story of a deformed man in 18th-century London. The movie was nominated for eight Oscar Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor.
Starring Robin Williams in the title role, this comedy was highly anticipated and is remembered by most as a box-office bomb. However, this isn't true — while it wasn't the huge hit the studio had hoped for, the movie earned more than double its original budget.
Starring a young Brooke Shields, "The Blue Lagoon" was panned by critics when it was first released. Nevertheless, it quickly became a hit went on to become the ninth highest-grossing film of 1980.
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This iconic sports comedy features an all-star ensemble cast that includes Chevy Chase, Ted Knight, Rodney Dangerfield and Brian Doyle-Murray. A sequel, "Caddyshack II," was released in 1988, though only Chase returned for the film.
Based on the Flash Gordon comic strip serial from the 1930s, this movie has become a cult classic with science fiction and fantasy fans. The film is also well-known for its popular soundtrack, which was produced and performed by the rock band Queen.
Starring Tatum O'Neal and Kristy McNichol, this film also features early performances by actors Matt Dillon and Cynthia Nixon. While the movie was not a big success, it had a popular soundtrack with songs by Blondie, Rickie Lee Jones, Supertramp and The Cars.
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Featuring Hollywood legend Gene Kelly in his final film role, this movie also stars Olivia Newton-John. Though it was a box-office bomb, the soundtrack album was a commercial success and certified double platinum in the U.S.
Directed by David Zucker, Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams, this satirical, oft-quoted hit was the fourth highest-grossing film of 1980. Fun fact: The role of Ted Striker was originally written for a young, pre-talk-show David Letterman.
The first in a long string of films featuring the hockey-mask-wearing murderer Jason, "Friday the 13th" was a big box-office hit, earning nearly $60 million worldwide. The movie features actor Kevin Bacon in an early role.
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Directed by English filmmaker Alan Parker, "Fame" follows a group of talented students attending the High School of Performing Arts in New York City. The film won two Academy Awards for Best Original Song and Best Original Score.
Adapted from boxer Jake LaMotta's memoir, "Raging Bull: My Story," this movie stars Robert De Niro in the lead role. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards (and managed to win two, for Best Film Editing and Best Actor).
Directed by Sidney Poitier, this movie co-starred Gene Wilder, who had previously appeared with Pryor in the hit 1977 film "Silver Streak.'" "Stir Crazy" was a box office smash and became the third-highest-grossing film of 1980.
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This film helped launch the career of Richard Gere, who plays Julian Kaye, a male escort involved with upper-class clientele. The movie's soundtrack features the hit song "Call Me" by Blondie, which was written for the film.
Starring actors George C. Scott, Trish Van Devere and Melvyn Douglas, this creepy movie set in Seattle is based on events that one of the film's screenwriters claimed he experienced while living in a mansion in Denver in the late 1960s.
This cheesy disco film features the music group the Village People. Fun fact: The movie was directed by actress Nancy Walker, best known for her role as Rhoda Morgenstern's mother on the sitcom "Rhoda."
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This movie, featuring Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson and Nancy Allen, was one of 1980's biggest summer hits. It grossed a total of $31.9 million in the U.S. and was positively reviewed by critics.
This highly anticipated sequel to the 1977 hit "Star Wars: A New Hope" made $181.4 million during its original run in the United States and Canada. When the film was re-released in theaters in 1997, it grossed $22 million during its first weekend.
Starring Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch and Timothy Hutton, "Ordinary People" won four Oscar Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (for Moore) and Best Supporting Actor (for Hutton).
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Set in Botswana, this independent, locally financed film is still the biggest commercial success in the history of South African film. A sequel followed it in 1989 called "The Gods Must Be Crazy II."
This time-travel film stars Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour and Christopher Plummer. It's based on a 1975 novel called "Bid Time Return" and was filmed on location at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan.
The sequel to the 1978 classic "Superman" actually has two cuts. One is by the film's credited director, Richard Lester, which was the version released in theaters, and one is by Richard Donner, the movie's original director, who was replaced halfway through the making of the film.
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"Motel Hell" has acquired a cult following over the years due to its mix of humor and horror. It's about a murderous hotel manager who traps unsuspecting guests and uses them to make human sausages.
Starring actresses Adrienne Barbeau and Jamie Lee Curtis, "The Fog" has become a cult classic horror flick. A remake was released in 2005, though it failed to enthrall audiences like the original film.
Fun fact: Tom Hanks makes his feature film debut in this silly horror flick, which is about an engaged woman who is mercilessly stalked by a crazy killer the weekend before her wedding.
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The all-star cast featured in this action film includes Paul Newman, Jacqueline Bisset, William Holden and Ernest Borgnine. Newman and Borgnine previously starred together in the 1974 hit disaster flick, "The Towering Inferno."
This movie features early performances by Jodie Foster and Scott Baio. It was directed by Adrian Lyne, who went on to direct hit films such as "Flashdance," "9½ Weeks" and "Fatal Attraction."
A follow-up to the 1978 comedy "Up in Smoke," this movie was written by and starred comedians Tommy Chong and Cheech Marin. It also features Paul Reubens in one of his first appearances as Pee-Wee Herman.
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This movie stars Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn, who previously worked together in the 1978 hit comedy "Foul Play." "Seems Like Old Times" was a modest success, receiving mixed reviews and decent box-office earnings.
This hit action-comedy starring Burt Reynolds and Sally Field became the eighth highest-grossing film of 1980. It's a sequel to the 1977 movie "Smokey and the Bandit," which was the second highest-grossing film of 1977, behind "Star Wars: The Last Hope."
This movie is a sequel to the 1978 hit "Every Which Way but Loose." Like the original film, it was a box-office smash. It earned more than $70 million and became the fifth-highest-grossing movie of 1980.
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Based on the life of the well-known rock promoter Bob Marcucci, "The Idolmaker" stars Ray Sharkey, Peter Gallagher and Joe Pantoliano. It was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and won one for Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy (for Sharkey).
The fourth and final installment of Disney's original Herbie movie franchise, this film is considered to be the weakest — and least profitable — of the series. A reboot, "Herbie: Fully Loaded," was released in 2005.
Based on Christie's Miss Marple novel "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side," this mystery features an all-star cast including Angela Lansbury, Elizabeth Taylor, Kim Novak and Rock Hudson.
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In the 40 years since its original release, this movie has become a horror cult classic. It spawned four sequels — none featuring Curtis — and a 2008 remake starring Brittany Snow.