Mel Brooks hadn’t directed a movie in six years when he committed to 1987’s 'Spaceballs,' a joke-saturated spoof of 'Star Wars' and other popular genre films of the era.

THE '80S
In the face of a looming mid-1980s writers strike, John Hughes presented Paramount executive Ned Tanen with a one-sentence pitch: "I want to do this movie about a kid who takes a day off from school and ... that's all I know so far."
Bill Clinton declared an official "BOOK IT! Day" in Arkansas. Here are some other facts about Pizza Hut's BOOK IT! program.
Former 'Laverne & Shirley' and 'Diff’rent Strokes' writers Michael G. Moye and Ron Leavitt were tired of the saccharine family sitcoms of the '80s. Clearly!
The 1980s were a magical time that gave birth to so many things that have become commonplace in our lives, including personal computers, 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' movies, and two-pound cell phones.
Many of the Wakefield twins' adventures are typical teenage stuff. Sometimes, though, the plotlines of the Sweet Valley High books were, in a word, bizarre.
A staple of 1990s pop culture, the billowy, harem-style pants have roots in Switzerland sanitariums.
In one of Die Hard's most memorable scenes, John McClane stumbles upon criminal mastermind Hans Gruber, who puts on a pretty good American accent and pretends to be a hostage. McClane realizes Gruber is up to no good, though—but how?
On the surface, it seemed like an impossible task. Take an $8800, NASA-approved interface glove running on $250,000 worth of computer hardware, then replicate the performance in a consumer-grade toy with parts costing less than $26.
It's hard to imagine that a movie as well known and dissected as 'Ghostbusters' can show us anything new, but according to the film's production company, some previously unreleased footage from the original 1984 film has just been found.
At the time of its release, the CD was an enormous step forward in home recording technology—and nerds were excited.
The inside story of the commercial that changed advertising, even though Apple's Board of Directors didn't want to run it at all.
Tom Cruise admitted that the film was not a "crowning jewel" in his career, but—nearly 20 years later—it's still a beloved guilty pleasure.
For those of you who were too young to watch the show when it first aired, many of the topical references might be ancient history.
In 1983, a producer's "bootleg Bond" promised mechanical sharks, Orson Welles, and the return of Sean Connery.
'Ghostbusters' is a perfect idea for a movie, but what about its viability as a business? Are Venkman and Ray able to make ends meet by catching ghosts in New York City, or is the whole operation just one slow month away from closing up shop?
The show that set the standard for Nickelodeon's kid-friendly comedies has some fascinating behind-the-scenes stories.
Opening on May 22, 1985, 'Rambo: First Blood Part II' was a fantasy fever dream of jingoism, Sylvester Stallone’s titular character a monosyllabic redeemer of an America that had failed itself in Vietnam.
Every so often, a scene that is essential to a full understanding of a movie's plot ends up on the cutting room floor.
The 1980s were the heyday of daytime game shows, and CBS’ Press Your Luck was a proto-game, ahead of its time—even being compared to the 'Titanic.'
He was invited to the White House. He sold $250 million in merchandise. And he nearly caused an actor to have a nervous breakdown on set.
Great Scott! Millions of moviegoers consider 'Back to the Future' to be one of the most entertaining film trilogies of all time.