Burgers, Batman and Bedrock!: Summer Movie Fast Food Promotions of the 1990s

 

A Taco Bell "Batman" commercial from 1989

by Michael Lyons

 

Summer movies in the 1990s weren't just movies; they were events.

Some of the behemoth blockbusters that came out during the warm weather months of that decade were promoted to such an extent that they were everywhere, and you couldn't escape them.

And a big part of this hype was creative and unique promotions with the biggest names in fast food. After all, how many of us regularly make the quick trip to our neighborhood fast food franchise while rushing off to one of life's busy moments or just because the "crave" hits us? Knowing this, movie studios have cozied up to burgers, tacos, and fried chicken, to help promote their latest summer release.

The 1990s seem like it was a "golden age," of sorts for these summer movie fast food partnerships.

And the era of the summer event movies started in June of 1989 with Batman. Tim Burton's uber-blockbuster adaptation of DC's legendary superhero was inescapable that year. One of movie history's most giant marketing machines kicked into overdrive with toys, t-shirts, breakfast cereal, and a record album from Prince. By the end of its run, $750 million of Batman merchandise was sold.

Some of this was from the caped crusader's fast-food partnership with Taco Bell.  Heading to the border that summer of 89 meant you could get one of four different Batman cups, free with any soft drink. There were even cinnamon twists in a paper holder emblazoned with the Batman logo.

Taco Bell's "Batman" promotion.

In the television commercials promoting this, not only were scenes from the film intercut with images of the cups, but the Batsignal shone in the night sky above a Taco Bell franchise at the end.

The Dark Knight and his connection with affordable food delivered fast would continue with the Batman sequels released throughout the decade. However, Gotham's favorite son would transition over to McDonald's.

Batman Returns (1992) and Batman Forever (1995) found themselves at McDonald's.  Collector cups, with mini "Bat-disc" lids, were part of the promotion for Batman Returns, while things were "kicked up a notch" for Batman Forever, as McDonald's offered figural Batman glasses (for only 99 cents each). The two promos were also a part of TV ads featuring the Golden Arches which seemed to be in Gotham City.

McDonald's "Batman Returns" promotion from 1992.

However, it was back to Taco Bell for 97's Batman and Robin, where the franchises offered collector cups and a giveaway game.  Cups included a "pull off" game piece that invited burrito bingers to "Unmask Batman" for an opportunity to win one of the multiple prizes that summer, including the possibility of owning your own Batmobile.

In addition to Batman, another icon of 90s summer movies was Jurassic Park in 1993.

Much like Tim Burton's Batman that owned 1989, Steven Spielberg's dinosaurs were everywhere thirty summers ago. T-Rex, the Raptors, and the gang were not only on every product available but also took over McDonald's that summer.

"The Jurassic Park Extra Value Meal" not only featured a triple cheeseburger, fries (in a themed cardboard container), and a soft drink (in a Jurassic Park collectors cup), but the TV commercials featured the meals being lowered into a McDonad's deep in the jungle, in the same raptor container featured in the movie.

The "Jurassic Park" McDonald's meal from 1993.

McDonald's boasted that everything was "dino-sized," and the fast food franchise would return to prehistoric times the following summer of 1994 with another event movie, The Flintstones.

The live-action adaptation of Hanna-Barbera's iconic animated TV series came with a marketing campaign that moved swifter than Fred Flintstone leaving work for the day.

McDonald's was not only part of this with Happy Meal toys, themed meals, and a T-shirt offer, but was also featured in the film as one of the "prehysterical” sight gags, in the form of "Roc Donald's," which was also featured in the TV commercials.

"RocDonald's" from "The Flintstones," 1994.

 

That same summer of 1994 saw the release of Disney's biggest animated blockbuster of their Renaissance era, The Lion King. It was the first of several of the studio's animated films that swept across the movie field in a massive event style.

"The Lion King" toys at Burger King.

The studio's animated features debuted at Radio City Music Hall (The Lion King), Central Park (Pocahontas in 95), and the Louisiana Superdome (The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 96).

Each had a fast-food presence, first at Burger King, with LionKing toys, Pocahontas drinking glasses, and Hunchback puppets.

"Hunchback" hand puppets were

available at Burger King during the summer of 1996.

And then at McDonald's with 1997's Hercules, featuring a promotion that allowed customers to purchase plates with characters and scenes on them (to go along with the Grecian theme of the film).  Mulan, in 1998 brought not only toys but also Szechuan sauce for Chicken McNuggets (that came in a Chinese food-like container). And, Tarzan in 99 featured drinking straws that made sounds (including the "Tarzan yell").

"Hercules' plates were available at

McDonald's during the summer of 1997.

But, by far, the perfect example of a 90s event movie was 1998's Godzilla. Thanks to the creators of Independence Day, the legendary movie monster's return to the big screen had the tagline "Size Does Matter."

The "Godzilla" Taco Bell promotion.

Perfect for this film, as everything about Godzilla, particularly its promotion that summer, was not just big; it was over the top. 

This included a Taco Bell promotion, with ads featuring the restaurant's mascot, the Chihuahua, who was attempting to capture Godzilla with free tacos ("Here Lizard, Lizard!"), as well as not only cups but a figural Godzilla cup holder.

The "Godzilla" Taco Bell cups and cupholder.

The era of the summer event movie culminated in the last summer of the 90s and one of the most highly-anticipated movies of that, or any, decade: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. 

The Death Star-sized onslaught of merchandise that came with this film only added to the hype that started about a year prior (probably when some fans started lining up for Episode I!).

Joining in the "Phantom fanaticism" was Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and Kentucky Fried Chicken who joined "forces" to promote the film, with a "Defeat the Dark Side" game that offered customers a variety of prizes.

Also, the commercials featured the Taco Bell Chihuahua, Colonel Sanders, and a random Pizza Hut employee appearing in different scenes from the film (the sight of the Colonel wielding a lightsaber is one you won't soon forget).

Fast food forces come together for

"Star Wars: Episode I"

Additionally, the three restaurants offered Phantom Menace toys and posters.

It's fitting that such a big promotion and a movie like Episode I closed out the era of the summer event movies.

The "Defeat the Darl Side" promotion.

It was a time when it felt like movie fans everywhere could ride the wave of hype all summer long. While not all summer movies and fast-food promotions were successful (anyone want to buy Burger King Wild Wild West toys? Cheap?!?), it was still a time before home video, and now streaming, usurped so much that made heading out to a movie theater still felt like an event.

Let us raise our Batman, Flintstone, or Pocahontas glass in tribute to the summer movies of the '90s!

Happy Memorial Day weekend to all!

 

Looking for more of my articles, podcasts, and information on my book, Drawn to Greatness: Disney's Animation Renaissance? Head over to my website: Words From Lyons !

 

 

 

 

 

Matriarch Messages: Moments with Classic TV Sitcom Moms

 

by Michael Lyons

This Sunday is Mother's Day. But every day should be, shouldn't it?

Of all the gifts that moms give us throughout our lives, the greatest may be the gift of laughter. Some of television's best-loved sitcoms have recognized this through the years. Here are just some of the many moments with TV's memorable moms:

 

Leave it to Beaver:

 

June Cleaver (Barbara Billingsley): "Wally, where are you going?"

Wally Cleaver (Tony Dow): "I'm going over to slug Eddie."

June: "That's no way to talk. This is Sunday."

Wally: "You're right, I'll wait 'til tomorrow and slug him in the cafeteria." 

 

The Brady Bunch:

Carol Brady (Florence Henderson): "If you know what you did was wrong, that's more important than any punishment."

 

Happy Days:

Marion Cunningham (Marion Ross): "Your father once even sent me a five-pound box of candy on Valentine's Day. He was a devil."

Howard Cunningham (Tom Bosley): "I never sent you a five-pound box of candy."

Marion: "You didn't?"

Howard: "No, I didn't."

Marion: "Then I must have married the wrong man."

 

Family Ties:

 

Elyse Keaton (Meridith Baxter): "Alex was offended by our political magazines and ripped them up."

Alex P. Keaton (Michael J. Fox): "You have no proof."

Elyse: "Yes, we do. We found your rattle on the floor next to the evidence."

Alex: "It could have been Mallory's."

Elyse: "It was your Nixon rattle."

 

Everybody Loves Raymond

Marie Barone (Doris Roberts): "That's what parents do: they all lie to their kids for their own good."

 

Modern Family 

Claire Dunphy (Julie Bowen): "Your kids don't need to know who you were before you had them; they need to know who you wish you were and try to live up to that person. They're gonna fall short, but better they fall short of the fake you than the real you."

To all the moms out there, those fictional ones on TV, and those real ones in our lives and our memories. Thank you for the laughs and the love.

Happy Mother's Day!

Sources:

IMDb

ScreenRant

If you are looking for more of my articles, or podcast episodes, or for information on my book, Drawn to Greatness: Disney's Animation Renaissance, head over to my website: Words From Lyons

 

 

 

 

Now It All Doesn't Seem that "Far Far Away:" Remembering "Return of the Jedi" Summer, 40 Years Later

 

Fans, and Darth Vader, waiting in line to see

"Return of the Jedi," at the Loews Astor Plaza

Theater in New York City, in 1983.

by Michael Lyons

On the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend of 1983, my dad and I made plans to see Return of the Jedi.

The film, which celebrates its 40^th anniversary this month, had opened just the day before, and I wouldn't have to wait for the weekend. In New York, schools have "snow days" to use during the winter when weather forces the schools to close. If the schools didn't use them, students got the days off in May, tacked on to Memorial Day weekend.

Winter of 1983 must have been mild because Memorial Day weekend meant we would have off the Thursday and Friday before. And that was fine with me because the new Star Wars movie had opened, and now, I wouldn't have to wait until Friday night to see it.

The original "Return of the Jed" poster.

It was a very typical Long Island day in May (60-degree temperatures and rain), so my Dad and I set off to see the 12:30 show of Return of the Jedi on its second day in theaters.  As we walked up to the RKO Twin Movie Theater in Commack, NY, at about 12:15, we noticed only two other people in line.

Could we have been this lucky?  Are we number three and four in line for the new Star Wars film?

My dad asked one of the two guys waiting, "So, you guys are in line for the 12:30 show of Return of the Jedi?"

"12:30?" one of them answered, looking bewildered.  "No...we just bought tickets to the 3:30 show."

My dad and I returned the bewildered look as we slowly realized that the 12:30 show was sold out, so the theater began selling tickets to the next show.  I looked at my dad, and my dad looked back at me, and, being the best dad in the world, he said simply, "Well, I guess we are waiting."

He then walked over to the box office and bought two tickets to the 3:30 showing of Return of the Jedi.

And...we waited...

At first, we went to the Candlelight Diner located next door to grab lunch. But, as we sat there, enjoying the pinnacle of gastronomical cuisine, the diner burger, we watched the line of ticket holders next door at the RKO Twin grow, and grow, and grow, to the point that the line was now snaking around the corner and into the parking lot.

We joined them, and eventually, inside the theater, jammed, elbow to elbow with every other overly eager fan who had been waiting for this day since The Empire Strikes Back in the summer of 1980, we could sense anticipation, the likes of which hadn't been felt since...well...since The Empire Strikes Back in the summer of 1980.

Poor Blue Thunder with Roy Scheider was playing in the theater next door. No one was going in there.  That movie had a good few weeks, but the summer was about to belong to Jedi!

The lights in the theater dimmed, and the packed house audience applauded (oh, the days when a movie theater audience applauded when the lights went down). Then, everyone applauded again when the 20th-Century-Fox logo and fanfare appeared, again when the LucasFilm logo appeared, again when "A Long Time Ago..." appeared on screen, and finally when the title "Star Wars" exploded onto the screen with John Williams' music.

What followed was one of those communal, magical, moviegoing experiences. From Jabba the Hutt's lair, to the partially completed Death Star, and from Luke and Vader's duel to the Ewoks battling the Empire on the planet of Endor, the laughs, cheers, and applause rang out throughout.

As I left the theater, even then, I knew I had seen something special.  When I returned to school the following week and told friends (without spoilers), some responded, "How did you see it? I tried, and it was sold out!"  I simply said, "We waited."

A summer that seemed consumed (at least to me and my friends) by Return of the Jedi followed.  There were glasses at Burger King, Marvel Comics adaptations, covers of Starlog magazine, images of Carrie Fisher in that Leia Bikini and action figures, action figures, and more action figures.

The June 1983 issue of "Starlog" magazine.

I bought none of those action figures. I wish I had and simply just kept them in their packaging. A Gamorean Guard mint in the box could have helped finance my last car.

The Summer 1983 issue of "Rolling Stone."

But I was heading into my senior year of high school, and Star Wars, then, wasn't considered "cool." I had to stay in the "geek closet," hoping none of my friends spied me buying the movie poster at Spencer Gifts.

These were a hot commodity during the summer of '83!

As a fan, Return of the Jedi also had a sense of sadness. At the time, there was talk that this would be the last Star Wars film. Additionally, heading into my final year of high school and then off to college, I felt as if I was saying goodbye to a part of my childhood (I was 11 when I first saw Star Wars in 1977).

Oh, what a different world we live in today. Star Wars is omnipresent, and it seems everyone is a fan.

A similar sense of excitement that circled Return of the Jedi is ongoing in our current world.  It happened when The Force Awakens was released, "Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge" opened at Disney theme parks, and when The Mandalorian returned to Disney+.

Although, Return of the Jedi seemed like the end of an era. Sure, there were, and have been, plenty of summer blockbusters and movie franchises that have made it through to our pop culture zeitgeist since 1983. But, after Return of the Jedi, home video and cable became part of our worlds, changing the movie release landscape to this day.

Something about waiting in line on a rainy day and sitting in a crowded theater to visit that "galaxy far, far away" forty years ago this summer made everything just a little more exciting.

The RKO Twin movie theater in Commack, NY.

Sources: cinematreasures.org

Interested in reading more of my articles, listening to my podcasts, or purchasing my book, Drawn to Greatness: Disney's Animation Renaissance?" Head over to my website, Words From Lyons

 

 

 

Something Funny is Going on Here: TV's Strange Sitcoms

 by Michael Lyons

 

"High concept." Two words in Hollywood that have come to mean a unique concept with a story that's easy to pitch.

It can also mean, "How did this get made?" Some of the latest entries into our realm of televised entertainment, especially on streaming services, are simply carrying on a long history of some of the strangest, and most off-beat ideas that Hollywood has greenlit.

What follows are some of the "high concept" sitcoms from TV's past that also tank as some of the small screen's strangest outings.

My Mother The Car (1965)

This sitcom revolved around a man named Dave Crabtree (Jerry Van Dyke) whose mother is reincarnated as a car, a 1928 Porter to be exact (voiced by actress Ann Sothern).

Yup, you read that correctly. This show emerged in an era of television sitcoms when fantasy reigned supreme with shows like Bewitched and Mr. Ed.  My Mother the Car never reached the popularity of those and other popular outings and has been notoriously panned by critics as one of the medium's worst.

Lasting just one season, My Mother The Car has rightly gained a cult following as a high-concept curiosity.

 

It's About Time (1966)

Sherwood Schwartz, the man behind two of TV's most popular sitcoms, Gilligan's Island and The Brady Bunch, brought us this series about two astronauts (Frank Aletter and Jack Mullaney) who travel back in time to the prehistoric era.  Here, they find themselves living with cave people Gronk (Joe E. Ross) and Shad (Imogene Coca).

Like Gilligan's Island, this was all pure silly fantasy, assisted by a laugh track. And like Schwartz's other outings, this sitcom came with an earworm of a theme song.

 

Holmes & Yo-Yo (1976)

A detective named Holmes (Richard B. Shull) is partnered with an android, Gregory Yoyonovich, known as "Yoyo" (John Schuck), and wacky misadventures ensue.

Airing during the 70s, when television sitcoms shifted to deal with more realistic issues with shows like All in the Family, Holmes and Yoyo didn't endear itself to audiences (even with Yoyo's computer that popped out of his chest) and was canceled after only 11 episodes.

 

Mr. Smith, (1983)

Just before NBC became the king of 80s sitcoms with series like The Cosby Show and Family Ties, they had a swing and a miss with Mr. Smith.

The sitcom revolves around a talking orangutan who lives in Washington, DC, and is a political advisor.

Despite starring C.J. The orangutan, who had been a hit with audiences in the Clint Eastwood movies, Every Which Way But Loose and Any Which Way You Can, Mr. Smith only hung around for two months before being canceled.

 

Fish Police (1992)

When The Simpsons hit big in the 1990s, networks started jumping on the prime-time animation bandwagon. 

CBS partnered with Hanna-Barbera for this adult-skewed sitcom about cops with an all-fish cast.

Despite being based on a comic book and the talent of the Hanna-Barbera studio, along with an all-star voice cast, including John Ritter, Ed Asner, JoBeth Williams, and Buddy Hackett, Fish Police was given the hook after only three episodes.

 

These are just a few of the many high concept shows the television has given us but fear not, there will no doubt be more in the years and seasons to come! 

For more of my articles and podcasts and to order a signed and personalized copy of my book, Drawn to Greatness: Disney's Animation Renaissance, head over to my website: Words From Lyons!

 

 

Keeping the Faith: The 70th Anniversary of "The Robe"

 

by Michael Lyons

Many movies are considered "landmarks," but The Robe truly is.

Without it, big-screen movie spectacles may have never been.  Sure, biblical epics like this were a dime a dozen in the 50s (and all of them truly spectacular), but The Robe was the first film produced and released in Cinemascope.

This was the widescreen format from 20th Century Fox that was one of many used by studios in the 1950s as they attempted to battle the encroaching popularity of television and lure audiences back to movie theaters by creating spectacles.

Had it not been for Cinemascope and other widescreen presentations, audiences wouldn't have enjoyed everything from the 1970s disaster movies to 80s action movies like Die Hard and even last year's Avatar sequel. 

What's so unique about The Robe is how it paired its event-like status with such a powerful, emotional story, filled with faith and reverence from another area in filmmaking that's still impactful today.  Celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, The Robe fittingly finds itself in Easter season rotation, so it's the perfect time to look back and celebrate this special film.

Based on a novel by Lloyd C. Douglas, The Robe tells the story of Marcellus (played by Richard Burton), a Roman tribune charged with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  At the crucifixion, Marcellus wins Jesus' robe in a game of dice, and doing so, and being there at the moment Christ dies, changes Marcellus' life forever.  Emerging from his guilt, Marcellus embarks on a life of faith, becoming a follower of Jesus.

Also starring in The Robe: Victor Mature, as Demetrius, Marcellus' slave, who first opens his eyes to what he has done, Jean Simmons, as Marcellus' love, Diana, who stays by his side during his tumultuous journey; Jay Robinson, as the wicked emperor Caligula, and character actors Dean Jagger as Justus, Richard Boone as Pontius Pilate and Michael Ansara as Judas.

Director Henry Koster guides the cast of The Robe through some powerful performances (Burton received an Oscar nomination) and tactfully helms the more notable moments. The crucifixion scene is brutally impactful, especially considering that the sensitive nature of the film at the time required that most of it be implied or occur off-screen.

Koster remains an underrated director in Hollywood history.  In addition to The Robe, he directed classics such as The Bishop's Wife (1947) and Harvey (1950), consistently delivering a well-crafted story with cinematic flair.

As CinemaScope wasn't widely available in most theaters, The Robe was filmed using both the widescreen and the standard screen cameras to accommodate all theaters, which no doubt added to the film's production.

But the result is worth it. The Robe is a wonderful film.  Is it a tad melodramatic and "of another time?"  Sure, but in addition to its impactful story of faith, it also speaks to how, no matter where our life has taken us or how heavy a "weight" we may bear, we can always turn to a higher, greater power in our lives, and change our direction.

No wonder the film remains a staple for many at Easter time.  Released on September 16, 1953, The Robe remains a potent example of landmark Hollywood entertainment from another time that remains as entertaining as ever, seventy years later.

Happy Easter, everyone!

 

For more of my articles and podcasts and to order a signed and personalized copy of my book, Drawn to Greatness: Disney's Animation Renaissance, head over to my website, Words From Lyons !

 

 

Oh My Gods: The Offbeat and Forgotten Saturday Morning TV Show, "The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam!"

 

by Michael Lyons

 

Shazam! Fury of the Gods opened last weekend, and the eagerly awaited sequel to 2019's film starring DC's most lovable superhero was said to have a surprisingly lackluster performance at the box office, bringing in "only" $30 million.

Those who may feel this is disappointing and strange for such a popular part of DC's canon of characters have never seen The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam!

This short-lived Saturday morning TV show combined live-action and animated segments, along with a musical variety show vibe, providing Shazam! with a most offbeat backdrop.

While Shazam! Fury of the Gods continues its run in theaters; it seems the perfect time to re-visit the superhero's somewhat forgotten entry on Saturday mornings.

Produced by Filmatuion studios (who brought Shazam! to Saturday mornings in a live-action 1974 show and gave us such shows as Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids and He-Man) The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam! debuted in 1981.

The show centered on two animated segments; one was Hero High, which was about high school superheroes (who looked like Archie Andrews and the gang with capes), and the other was the adventures of Shazam! a/k/a Captain Marvel and his family (or "Shazamily") of superheroes, such as Mary Marvel and Uncle Marvel, as they square off against enemies, such as Black Adam.

What was unique about The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam! was that live-action segments introduced the animation. These resembled the Donny and Marie variety show, where live-action counterparts of the Hero High cast appeared on a stage (in front of an audience of cheering kids) like a rock band wearing superhero costumes, playing their latest tune.

And the superhero names? They all seem like something out of a DC brainstorming session: Captain California, Weatherman, Misty Magic, Glorious Gal, Punk Rock, Rex Ruthless, and even Dirty Trixie (!).

Thrown in for good measure were some groan-filled jokes:

Rex Ruthless: "What kind of job is easy to stick with?"

Weatherman: "What kind?"

Rex Ruthless: "Working in a glue factory!"

[Cut to the audience of kids laughing hysterically while a laugh track blares]

At least the Shazam! animated segments of the show feel more aligned with traditional superhero adventures. Oh sure, there's plenty of mildness to action (this was Saturday morning, after all) and cute "cartoony-ness" thrown in. But Filmation's animation, which always seemed a little "fuller" than other TV fare at the time, combined well with a traditional comic book feel.

Long before comics books meant movie franchises and mega-box-office, The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam!, even with all of its quirks, is a fun flashback to a comforting era when heroes had the power to make Saturday mornings super.

Looking for more of my articles and podcasts? Head over to my website: Words From Lyons !

My book, Drawn to Greatness: Disney's Animation Renaissance is now available at Amazon , with signed and personalized copies available at Words From Lyons !