Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat (1988)

 

Debbie Gibson's debut album had a slew of hit songs, her fourth reaching the top spot on The Billboard Hot 100.  Foolish Beat hit number one in June 1988, making Debbie the youngest person to write, produce and sing a number one song, all at the edge, er, age of seventeen.  On the song, Debbie sings about the regret of breaking up with her beau, which is also depicted in the music video.  It was shot on St. Patrick's Day at South Street Seaport.  Debbie recalled being shouted at by a slew of drunk people (probably Tiffany fans).

Location: Debbie Strolls The Dock

Address: Pier 16 at South Street Seaport, New York, NY

Location Visited: December 2020

Locations Master List

Hangin' With Mr. Cooper (1992-1997)

Ex-basketball player turned high school teacher/coach Mark Cooper moves in with his childhood friend Robin and her best friend Vanessa to help pay the rent.  Robin eventually moved out and Mark's cousin Geneva moved in with her precocious daughter Nicole.  Mark and Vanessa developed a romance which resulted in an engagement.  

The pilot episode for Hangin' With Mr. Cooper used the set from the recently canceled Growing Pains (1985-1992).  It joined ABC's TGIF block for a few seasons and had several theme songs during its run.  I'm partial to the first season's, being a big En Vogue fan.  The series finale was mostly pre-empted on the West Coast due to Princess Diana's death and was not seen again until syndication.

Location: Mark, Vanessa & Robin's House

Address: 514 El Centro Street, South Pasadena, CA

Location Visited: June 2021

Locations Master List

 

Girls Just Want To Have Fun (1985)

Janey Glenn's favorite tv show is Dance TV, so when the opportunity to audition for a dance contest comes along, she high steps and two steps to the park and makes it all the way to the finals with her partner Jeff.  A budding romance ensues as Janey battles her rival Natalie, who she must face off against in the competition.  Natalie does everything in her power to make Janey lose, but she and Jeff win over the judges.

Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Want To Have Fun (1983) was the inspiration for this lighthearted teen movie.  While the production company purchased the rights to the song, Cyndi did not want her version to be used in the film, thus a cover version was recorded.  The movie bombed at the box office and was panned by critics,  It is often forgotten about among 80s teen movies, but I found it to be highly entertaining and a nice time capsule of the era. 

Girls Just Want To Have Fun was filmed in Studio City and Los Angeles, CA

Location: The High School

Address: 3939 Tracy Street, Los Angeles, CA 

John Marshall High School

John Marshall High School has been seen in numerous films and television shows including Grease (1978), Like Father Like Son (1987) and Boy Meets World (1993-2000).

Location: Walking Home 

Address: 201 S. Plymouth Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA

Location: The Babysitting House

Address: 217 S. Plymouth Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA

Location: Janey's Apartment Building

Address: 511 S. Mariposa Avenue, Los Angeles, CA

Location: Dance Auditions

Address: 12621 Rye Street, Studio City, CA

Location: The Malene Residence

Address: 6511 Pollard Street, Los Angeles, CA

Locations Visited: October 2018, June 2021

Locations Master List

 

Night Court (1984-1992)

One of NBC's original powerhouse Thursday night lineup shows focused on the shenanigans at an urban night court with Judge Harry T. Stone presiding.  Bailiffs and public defenders came and went while narcissistic Dan Fielding did the prosecuting.  Night Court ran an impressive nine seasons, with John Larroquette winning an impressive four consecutive Emmy Awards before withdrawing his name from future ceremonies.  The series also had an impressive thirteen different timeslots during its eight and half year run.

Location: The Courthouse

Address: 60 Centre Street, New York, NY

New York County Courthouse

Wall Street (1987) and Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Want To Have Fun (1983) music video were also filmed here.

Location Visited: December 2020

Locations Master List

 

The Go-Go’s - Our Lips Are Sealed (1982)

Punk band The Go-Go's formed in Los Angeles during the late 1970s.  Shortly after landing a record deal in 1981, they released their debut album Beauty  And The Beat, which topped the Billboard 200 for six weeks.  The Go-Go's were groundbreaking as an all-female band who wrote their own songs and played their own instruments.  However, infighting, creative differences and drug problems plagued the group and they disbanded after their third album, Talk Show.  Rhythm guitarist Jane Wiedlin later had a top 10 hit with Rush Hour but lead singer Belinda Carlisle saw the greatest solo success with the hit single Mad About You and her Heaven On Earth album.

Our Lips Our Sealed was The Go-Go's debut single.  The song refer to Wiedlin's prior relationship with Terry Hall of The Specials, who had sent her the lyrics.  They were reworked to give the song an upbeat feel.  In the music video, the girls cruise around LA in a vintage Buick convertible, stopping by Trashy Lingerie before taking an impromptu dip in a fountain as the video filmed on a very hot day.

Our Lips Are Sealed was filmed in Los Angles, CA

Location: Trashy Lingerie

Address: 402 La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA

Location: The Fountain

Address: Wilshire Boulevard & Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA

This was also Cher's Epiphany Fountain in Clueless (1995).

Locations Visited: June 2021

Related Location:

The Go-Go's - Turn To You (1984)

Locations Master List