Flashback
Greenville High School Class of 1981 was special and the years we spent at school were a unique time in history.
This page is dedicated to popular culture of the time.
Our Senior Year had a wonderful soundtrack filled with talented artists. That music stood the test of time.
The Rolling Hills Twin Cinema on Greenville's Wesley Street was the place to see movies. From a place to take a date to going with a mob for midnight movies, the Twin Cinema was a popular hangout.
It was the first theater that some of us saw Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Heavy Metal and other popular films of the time.
It was also a place of employment for some of us.
Later it became the Rolling Hills Cinema 4.
1981 had it's share of fantastic movies. We spent lots of time at the theater and with the advent of VHS and Betamax, lots of time at home watching them.
Movies released in 1981 include An American Warewolf in London, Arthur, Das Boot, On Golden Pond, Raider of the Lost Ark, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, Quest for Fire, The Evil Dead, Body Heat, Stripes, Endless Love, Porky's, Halloween II, Friday the 13th, Part 2, TAPS, Hard Country, Happy Birthday to Me, My Bloody Valentine, Graduation Day, Cheech and Chong's Nice Dreams, Neighbors, Escape from New York, Scanners, Outland, Heavy Metal, The Incredible Shrinking Woman, Excalibur, Time Bandits, Clash of the Titans, Dragonslayer, Disney's The Fox and The Hound, The Postman Always Rings Rwice, Absence of Malice, Reds, Eye of the Needle, Cutter's Way, The Fan, Thief, The Howling, The Devil and Max Devling, Cannonball Run, For Your Eyes Only, The Possesion, Mommy Dearest, The Burning, Blow Out, Demonoid, Lady Chatterley's Lover, Chariots of Fire, History of the World, Part 1, Nighthawks, The Legend of the Lone Ranger, Victory, Ragtime and Galaxy of Terror.
01-19-1981: The Iran hostages are released ending a tense season of political turmoil between the United States and Iran. The next day Ronald Reagan is sworn in as President of the United States of American having been elected in 1980.
01-25-1981: Quarterback Jim Plunkett leads the Oakland Raiders to a 27-10 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles at the NFL Super Bowl XV at the Superdome in New Orleans, LA.
04-12-1981: The Space Shuttle Columbia launches, orbits Earth, and returns two days later becoming the first successful reusable space craft and beginning the space shuttle era for NASA. The Columbia Space Shuttle would be used until 2003 when it disintegrated reentering the atmosphere killing all on board.
05-13-1981: There is an assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in Vatican City by a Turkish gunman. The Pope recovers from the shooting.
07-09-1981: Donkey Kong, an arcade game, is released. It is the first of many video games to feature the character of Mario.
07-29-1981: The wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana is seen by around 700 million people world wide on television.
08-01-1981: MTV (Music Television) is launched.
09-17-1981: Ric Flair wins his first of around 20 World heavyweight championships in pro wrestling by defeating Dusty Rhodes for the NWA World heavyweight title in Kansas City, MO. Check out our full history of the year 1981 in pro wrestling in the DragonKingKarl Ultimate History of Pro Wrestling Zone - 1981.
One of the biggest country music stars of 1981 was blind singer-songwriter Ronnie Milsap who released several big hits that year including: Am I Losing You, There’s No Getting Over Me, and more.
The first DeLorean DMC-12 futuristic sports cars were produced
Air traffic controllers strike causing chaos in the US and The US President Ronald Reagan Fires Them
IBM in US launches it's first PC which uses Microsoft Software MS DOS
On June 12, MLB players began a 50-day strike that ended on July 31. During that time, a total of 713 games were lost.
The FDA approved the artificial sweetener aspartame for tabletop use.
In 1981, white potatoes cost $1.25 for a ten-pound bag, bread was 59 cents for a 16-ounce loaf, and eggs were 95 cents a dozen. Kraft mayonnaise cost $1.39 for a 32-ounce jar, Pillsbury flour was 89 cents for a five-pound bag, and bananas were three pounds for $1.00.
Ordinary People won an Academy Award for Best Picture, and Taxi (ABC) won an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series.
Popular soaps from the 1981-82 TV season were The Doctors, General Hospital, Another World, As the World Turns, Guiding Light, Search for Tomorrow, The Edge of Night, The Young and the Restless, Days of Our Lives, One Life to Live, All My Children, and Ryan’s Hope.
In 1981, must-have back-to-school supplies included Casio wrist calculators, pencil cases, up-to-the-knee gym socks, manual pencil sharpeners, square metal lunch boxes, and Mead Composition notebooks.
| Rank | Program | Network | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dallas | CBS | 28.4 |
| 2 | 60 Minutes | 27.7 | |
| 3 | The Jeffersons | 23.4 | |
| 4 | Three's Company | ABC | 23.3 |
| 5 | Alice | CBS | 22.7 |
| 6 | The Dukes of Hazzard | 22.6 | |
| Too Close for Comfort | ABC | ||
| 8 | ABC Monday Night Movie | 22.5 | |
| 9 | M*A*S*H | CBS | 22.3 |
| 10 | One Day at a Time | 22.0 | |
| 11 | Monday Night Football | ABC | 21.8 |
| 12 | Archie Bunker's Place | CBS | 21.6 |
| 13 | Falcon Crest | 21.4 | |
| 14 | The Love Boat | ABC | 21.2 |
| 15 | Hart to Hart | 21.1 | |
| Trapper John, M.D. | CBS | ||
| 17 | Magnum, P.I. | 20.9 | |
| 18 | Happy Days | ABC | 20.6 |
| 19 | Dynasty | 20.2 | |
| 20 | Laverne & Shirley | 19.9 | |
| 21 | Real People | NBC | 19.7 |
| 22 | ABC Sunday Night Movie | ABC | 19.5 |
| 23 | House Calls | CBS | 19.2 |
| 24 | The Facts of Life | NBC | 19.1 |
| Little House on the Prairie | |||
| 26 | The Fall Guy | ABC | 19.0 |
| 27 | Hill Street Blues | NBC | 18.6 |
| 28 | That's Incredible! | ABC | 18.4 |
| T.J. Hooker | |||
| 30 | Fantasy Island | 18.3 |
Taco Villa on Wesley Street was a staple for lunch goers, after game meetings and Wesley Street Cruisers. Many plans were made in the seats and parking lot of this favorite resturaunt.