Do you remember hanging out at the mall in the ’80s?
Fast Times At Ridgemont High made mall culture mainstream.
The opening scene of Fast Times at Ridgemont High gives us a snapshot of what malls were like during the ’80s. Before we get started, let’s look at where it all began.
The Sherman Oaks Galleria was the one mall to rule them all.
The Sherman Oaks Galleria was a shopping mall located in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.
The mall became famous in the early 1980s as being a well-known teenage hangout.
The mall has also been a shooting location for many films, most notably the seminal 1982 film Fast Times at Ridgemont High as well as the 1983 film Valley Girl, both of which focused on the early 1980s.
The Sherman Oaks Galleria was featured in scenes in several films including Commando, Chopping Mall and Night of The Comet.
Fast Times was the most popular movie filmed at the Sherman Oaks Galleria.
Released in the summer of 1982, this hugely popular comedy film was based on the book with same name.
It starred big names like Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Forest Whitaker, Phoebe Cates and Judge Reinhold.
The soundtrack reached #54 on the Billboard chart. It featured We Got The Beat by The Go-Go’s, which was its opening theme.
Other popular songs in the film were American Girl by Tom Petty, Somebody’s Baby by Jackson Browne, I Don’t Know by Jimmy Buffett, Kashmir by Led Zeppelin and Love Rules by Don Henley.
The movie depicted the life of some high school students living on the edge. Described as funny and immensely quotable, this comedy offers a glimpse of the ’80s.
Fast Times ranks at number eight on our Top 10 Greatest Movies Of The ’80s.
These candid, old photos of malls below capture a very specific time in America, where the mall was the place to be.
If you grew up in the ’80s, then you’ll remember these retail stores which are now CLOSED.
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Photo Credit: Michael Galinsky: Malls Across America
