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Fame

FOLLOWING ALAN PARKER’S shouty 1980 big screen sweatband-and-leggings bonanza, here came more high-kicking high-falutin’ histrionics from life at New York’s School For The Performing Arts, “where fame costs and right here’s where you start paying.” All your cliches were here: enthused wannabes to prima donna drama toffs, more popular students comprising sullen street dancer Leroy, synth-playing nerd Bruno, aspiring singer/comedienne Doris and studiously boring cellist Julie. Always way more popular in Britain than in the US, ‘Kids From Fame’ franchise milked the lucrative cow of transatlantic success with such hits as Hi-Fidelity and Starmaker. Fostered a ludicrous desire on the part of revolting stage school brats to take the showbiz glitterati by storm. DANI BEHR, JENNY POWELL: remember their name, remember, remember…

6 Comments

6 Comments

  1. Glenn Aylett

    May 5, 2018 at 1:22 pm

    Wasn’t the cellist from Grand Rapids( everyone thinks we’re squares in Grand Rapids) called Lori?
    Also remember Doris appearing in an advert for Please Double Cheese cheeseburgers and after the ninth take, bringing up the lot, causing considerable mirth among my younger siblings. Then there was the nerd Bruno annoying the rather stern Austrian classical music teacher, Mr Sherovsky, with a song called Shooo Shooo Sherovsky.

  2. George White

    May 6, 2018 at 8:35 am

    Despite being more popular in the UK, the last two series AFAIK were never shown here, despite the BBC having had a stake in the series.

    • Glenn Aylett

      May 7, 2018 at 3:31 pm

      The BBC scheduled the last series against Coronation St in 1985, a sure sign a show was on its last legs. Yet in its heyday 12 million people watched, mostly inheriting its audience from Top of the Pops.

      • Richard1631978

        May 7, 2018 at 5:33 pm

        I remember it was one of those shows I mostly remember for the opening titles as I a bit too young to watch it.

        It seemed to capture that cheerleader trend of dancing that was the flavour of 1982 – so no wonder it was struggling by 1982 when trends had moved on as they did a lot in the 80s.

        • Glenn Aylett

          May 7, 2018 at 7:32 pm

          It was massive for the first series, but by 1983, Fame’s popularity was wearing off and by the last series, it was playing to a handful of viewers opposite Coronation St. It was good first time round and the second series featured some dream sequence where one of the student’s parents is driving a taxi and feeling totally bored with his life and becomes a successful singer.

  3. Richard16378

    May 7, 2018 at 11:58 am

    One of the many things Janet Jackson was in before her singing career took off.

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