High School U.S.A.

High School U.S.A.

DVD Cover
Genre Comedy
Written by Alan Eisenstock
Larry Mintz
Directed by Rodney Amateau
Starring Michael J. Fox
Crispin Glover
Nancy McKeon
Todd Bridges
Dana Plato
Angela Cartwright
Anthony Edwards
Bob Denver
Tony Dow
Crystal Bernard
Dwayne Hickman
Lauri Hendler
Theme music composer Tony Berg
Miles Goodman
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
Production
Executive producer(s) Leonard Hill
Philip Mandelker
Producer(s) Alan Eisenstock
Larry Mintz
Robin S. Clark (co-producer)
Richard Freiman (associate producer)
Wolfgang Glattes (co-producer)
Dori Weiss (supervising producer)
Location(s) Covina, California
Excelsior High School - 15711 Pioneer Boulevard, Norwalk, California, USA
Cinematography Jack Whitman (director of photography)
Hal Trussell (uncredited)
Editor(s) John Cortland
Running time 100 mins.
Production company(s) Hill-Mandelker Films
Distributor NBC
Release
Original network NBC
Original release October 16, 1983

High School U.S.A. is a 1983 American made-for-television comedy film starring Michael J. Fox, Nancy McKeon, Anthony Edwards, and Crispin Glover, directed by Rodney Amateau. The film originally aired on NBC on October 16, 1983.

Several of the key actors appeared in sitcoms that were popular at the time. These include Todd Bridges and Dana Plato from Diff'rent Strokes, Nancy McKeon from The Facts of Life, and Michael J. Fox from Family Ties, as well as a number of former 1950s and 1960s sitcom stars including Tony Dow, Frank Bank, and Ken Osmond from Leave It to Beaver.[1][2][3]

Plot

The film focuses on the intrigue inside Excelsior Union High School. Michael J. Fox plays J.J. Manners, who becomes enamored with Beth Franklin (Nancy McKeon), the girlfriend of Beau Middleton (Edwards), the class president and quarterback. Middleton is also the richest student and drives around in a brand-new convertible.

The core story involves Manners and Middleton competing for the affections of Beth. Ultimately this rivalry culminates in a drag race between the two. The result of the race tips the balance and changes the face of the dynamics within the school irrevocably.

Other storylines include Todd Bridges as a genius who has created a robot that he believes to be capable of going into space. Crispin Glover plays Archie Feld, a socially-impaired boy nervous interacting with the opposite sex. Also, Beau Middleton's father has created an incentive for the teachers by offering a sizable reward for the best teacher. Subsequently, the teachers focus extra effort on impressing Beau with their worthiness of the reward.

Cast

History

A one-hour pilot was created due to the success of the original movie, but no longer featuring the star teen actors. It was not picked up by the network, and was aired on May 26, 1984 (the Saturday evening of Memorial Day weekend).[4][5]

According to stand-up comedian and future Mystery Science Theater 3000 star Joel Hodgson, he was asked to be one of the stars of the proposed series. Hodgson turned the offer down after telling the network he didn't think the material was good. The network raised their offer, thinking it was a bargaining ploy. Because of this, Hodgson felt Hollywood was shallow and quit the industry until 1987,[6] when he created MST3K.

References

  1. ↑ Jerry Buck (October 16, 1983). "Stars of Yesterday Team With Those of Today". The Spokesman-Review (Associated Press). Retrieved February 15, 2010.
  2. ↑ Jay Bobbin (October 16, 1983). "Michael Fox Enrolls in High School U.S.A.". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Retrieved February 15, 2010.
  3. ↑ Scott, Vernon (9 July 1983). Hickman Back in Television, Albany Herald (UPI copy)
  4. ↑ Terrace, Vincent (1985). Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials, Volume 2. New York Zoetrope. p. 193.
  5. ↑ Sherwood, Rick (26 May 1984). TV Weekend, Spokane Chronicle
  6. ↑ Kaplan, Steven (August 6, 1989). "Sunday Magazine". Star Tribune. pp. 4–6.
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