How These Summer Movies Affected Us

06/17/19 • 77 min

As the summer solstice approaches in the northern hemisphere with the longest daylight hours reaching their zenith, shazbazzar and JediShua remember the summers of ’79, ’84, and ’89 with four movies that impacted them in their youth and beyond. Tune in for 77 minutes of retro joy and techno hope with your EarBuds this Monday morning and get your week off (and summer) off to a great start!

In the NEWS:

Get caffeinated drinking “Coke with Coffee”.
Play in the Upside Down with Stranger Things games.
Experience the return of great LucasArts games.
Dare to strategize in the new Nintendo Switch adaptation of The Dark Crystal Resistance.

We Love Our Cereal…

…but the Roving Spoonster (Shane in GR) may well have surpassed us this week as he chronicles his experience at the Battle Creek, Michigan Cereal Fest. PLUS: John Schepler gives us a sneak peek at some new cereals in supermarket aisles and the ‘Dads give their takes on cereals they’ve tasted so far this summer (Fillows, Drumsticks, and Sour Patch Kids).

Let’s All Go to the Movies: Summer Movie Extravaganza

Anniversaries abound this week with four flicks from our youth hitting 30, 35, and 40! JediShua and shazbazzar remember The Muppet Movie (1979), The Karate Kid (1984), Top Secret! (1984), and Batman (1989) with memories and interesting connections from actors and EarBuds in this banner week for fun summer movies.

Thanks for tuning in to TechnoRetro Dads, EarBuds! Go online for more TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, RetroZap.com, or TechnoRetroDads.libsyn.com. Pick up your TechnoRetro Dads merchandise at TeePublic. Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, get TechnoRetro merchandise at TeePublic, and join discussions on Discord about toys, cereal, games, movies and/or shows from the ‘70s and ‘80s by giving the ‘Dads your feedback via voice mail at (209) 878-7323 or sending us your mp3dback via electronic-M to [email protected].

In the NEWS:

Get caffeinated drinking “Coke with Coffee”.
Play in the Upside Down with Stranger Things games.
Experience the return of great LucasArts games.
Dare to strategize in the new Nintendo Switch adaptation of The Dark Crystal Resistance.

We Love Our Cereal…

Let’s All Go to the Movies: Summer Movie Extravaganza

Previous Episode

Father’s Day Is Almost Here!

Dads come in all shapes, sizes, and colors (even blue), so shazbazzar and JediShua take time for some Dad-discussions about fictional fathers from Saturday morning cartoons to movies on the big screen with an extended chat about the father who assumed the title of Mom… Mr. Mom, that is.

Saturday Mornings

For kids of the ‘70s and ‘80s, cartoon fathers were part of the cartoon watching experience. From shows that were #TechnoRetro in the ‘70s like The Flintstones and The Jetsons to The Smurfs, The Chipmunks, The Transformers, M.A.S.K., Dungeons & Dragons, and Ewoks, animated fathers and father-figures on Saturday mornings and weekday afternoons took charge and taught lessons to the TechnoRetro Dads of today.

Let’s Go to the Movies

With a bit more “techno” than there was in the Saturday Morning discussion, Father’s Day is a good time to look at memorable fathers on the big screen like cinema icons Mufasa and Darth Vader, respectable Henry Jones, Sr. and the President of the United States, heroic Chief Brody and Mr. Incredible, and homemakers like Mrs. Doubtfire. Dads can be funny and strong or scary and cuddly — in the end, these fathers are just like many dads today.

Mr. Mom

Before he took on the Joker in Batman (1989), Michael Keaton battled the stench of diapers, the temptations of neighborhood wives, the public address systems of supermarkets, and the comfort of the couch in Mr. Mom. After losing his job, Jack Butler earned the title of Mr. Mom in this riotous comedy from 1983 as he made grilled cheese sandwiches with an iron, fed chili to a baby, competed in office olympics, and won his wife’s heart (again). JediShua and shazbazzar have a blast reliving the laughs this Father’s Day with Mr. Mom. Who says Dad can’t cook?

Thanks for tuning in to TechnoRetro Dads, EarBuds! Beware of Gremlins online when logging on to your favorite TechnoRetro websites on iTunes, Apple Podcasts, RetroZap.com or TechnoRetroDads.libsyn.com. Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, get TechnoRetro merchandise at TeePublic, and join discussions on Discord about toys, cereal, games, movies and/or shows from the ‘70s and ‘80s by giving the ‘Dads your feedback via voice mail at (209) 878-7323 or sending us your mp3dback via electronic-M to [email protected].

Next Episode

Coke Is It! But Which Coke?

Whether you’re looking for sunny days or a funny joke, you can “Catch the Wave” with the old New Coke (and catch up on some exciting news, reviews, and stand-up comedy even if you’re lying down. Where else can you get 77 minutes of foolish futility to kickstart your work week for zero dollars? You’re sure to get what you pay for on TechnoRetro Dads this week!

In the NEWS:

New Arcade 1Up machines coming this year!
TRON action figures from Diamond Select.

Star Wars Scrapbook

Put down your Coca-Cola for a few minutes and listen to some EarBuds’ scrapbook entries as they go to Galaxy’s Edge (not as far, far away as you might have thought). Armando and Jack give their thoughts about Smuggler’s Run and more.

History Lesson: New Coke

In the late ’70s and early ’80s we experienced Star Wars, the Cold War, and the Cola Wars. The Pepsi Challenge had evidently increased Pepsi’s market share of carbonated beverage business and Coca-Cola was feeling it in their wallet. With the popularity of diet drinks rising, Coke needed to do something to bring more bucks home. Brilliant minds came up with a solution: cease production of their hundred year-old formula and release a new recipe for the Coke brand with much more sugar and BOOM! New Coke was born. But long-time Coca-Cola drinkers didn’t appreciate the change to a more Pepsi-like taste. They wanted the classic taste back. Seventy-nine days later, Coke announced the original formula would return under the name Coca-Cola Classic and would exist alongside the new Coke (which would carry the Coke name). Eventually, demand (?) for New Coke waned enough to stop making it altogether — until now.

With the highly anticipated release of Stranger Things 3 coming to Netflix on July 4th, The Coca-Cola Company decided to rerelease New Coke for a limited run to coincide with the new season’s setting in 1985. Coca-Cola produced 500,000 cans of New Coke which has been available for the past three weeks, and shazbazzar and JediShua have gotten their hands on some. It’s time for a taste test, EarBuds. Can you guess the results? (Video available on YouTube.)

Vinyl Scratchback

What did you do in the ‘80s when you had trouble going to sleep in a quiet room? Lie down and listen to stand-up comedy, of course! JediShua and shazbazzar (with input from EarBuds) remember some comedy albums they heard when they were younger. George Carlin, Robin Williams, Justin Wilson, Laurel & Hardy, Howie Mandel, Eddie Murphy, Sam Kinison, Gallagher, Cheech & Chong, and Steve Martin all make the list as we remember comedy on vinyl.