Pop Culture Happenings: February

A kidnapping, a hit movie about the power of dancing and a documentary series about an infamous chef grace television screens 50, 40 and 25 years ago.

__1974__

50 years ago

On Feb. 4, 1974, the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) kidnapped Patty Hearst. Hearst, the granddaughter of American publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst, was found and arrested 19 months later. Prosecutors asserted Hearst had joined the SLA, a small, American militant far-left organization, and participated in a bank robbery of her own volition. Hearst’s defense maintained she had been raped and threatened with death while held captive and brainwashed into cooperating with the SLA. Hearst was sentenced to 35 years in prison; however, President Jimmy Carter commuted her sentence, and President Bill Clinton later pardoned her.

__1984__

40 years ago

On Feb. 17, 1984, “Footloose,” starring Kevin Bacon, was released. Bacon played a teenager from Chicago who moves to a small town, where he attempts to overturn the ban on dancing instituted by the efforts of a local minister, played by John Lithgow. The film had poor reviews, but quickly became an audience favorite. Even more popular was the film’s soundtrack, which included “Footloose,” by Kenny Loggins, and “Let’s Hear it for the Boy,” by Deniece Williams. Both were nominated for Academy Awards. The soundtrack also included “Holding Out for a Hero,” sung by Bonnie Tyler, and “Almost Paradise,” sung by Mike Reno and Ann Wilson.

__1999__

25 years ago

On Feb. 25, 1999, “Boiling Point,” a documentary series detailing the opening of Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, premiered on British television. The show closely followed Chef Ramsay during eight months, as he opened his first restaurant in Chelsea. The establishment would ultimately earn him the highly-prestigious three Michelin Stars, making Ramsay the first Scottish-born chef to achieve that feat. “Boiling Point” was the first mass exposure of Ramsay to television audiences, revealing his highly-driven, fiery temper, and frequent use of profanity while making blunt, critical, and controversial comments, including insults and sardonic wisecracks about contestants and their cooking abilities. Ramsay’s other shows include “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares.”