Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 100th Anniversary 1980s Movies
by urbanemovies | created - 2 weeks ago | updated - 2 weeks ago | PublicIn 2024, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) celebrates the 100th anniversary of its founding on April 17, 1924. MGM was formed by combining three existing studios: Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures and Louis B. Mayer Pictures into one major studio. Louis B. Mayer was tapped to lead the newly formed MGM, with 24-year-old wunderkind Irving Thalberg appointed as its head of production. MGM quickly established itself as one of Hollywood's most prestigious studios, known for the quality of their film offerings, their commercial success and for having "more stars than there are in heaven."
Which of these select Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer* produced by and/or presented by films released between 1980 and 1989 is MGM's greatest accomplishment during this period?
* answer pool includes 1980s titles from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, aka MGM (1980-1989), United Artists, a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer subsidiary (1982-1989) and MGM/UA Classics, a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer subsidiary (1983-1989)
Discuss the topic here.
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1. Rocky IV (1985)
PG | 91 min | Drama, Sport
Rocky Balboa proudly holds the world heavyweight boxing championship, but a new challenger has stepped forward: Drago, a six-foot-four, 261-pound fighter who has the backing of the Soviet Union.
Director: Sylvester Stallone | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers
Votes: 226,529 | Gross: $127.87M
United Artists co-production
2. Rocky III (1982)
PG | 99 min | Drama, Sport
Rocky faces the ultimate challenge from a powerful new contender, and must turn to a former rival to help regain his throne as the undisputed fighting champion.
Director: Sylvester Stallone | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers
Votes: 211,319 | Gross: $125.05M
United Artists co-production
3. Spaceballs (1987)
PG | 96 min | Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
A star-pilot for hire and his trusty sidekick must come to the rescue of a princess and save Planet Druidia from the clutches of the evil Spaceballs.
Director: Mel Brooks | Stars: Mel Brooks, John Candy, Rick Moranis, Bill Pullman
Votes: 206,655 | Gross: $38.12M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) co-production
4. Poltergeist (1982)
PG | 114 min | Horror, Thriller
A family's home is haunted by a host of demonic ghosts.
Director: Tobe Hooper | Stars: JoBeth Williams, Heather O'Rourke, Craig T. Nelson, Beatrice Straight
Votes: 179,674 | Gross: $76.61M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) co-production
5. A Christmas Story (1983)
PG | 93 min | Comedy, Family
In the 1940s, a young boy named Ralphie Parker attempts to convince his parents, teacher, and Santa Claus that a Red Ryder Range 200 Shot BB gun really is the perfect Christmas gift.
Director: Bob Clark | Stars: Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin, Scott Schwartz
Votes: 168,641 | Gross: $20.61M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
6. A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
R | 108 min | Comedy, Crime
In London, four very different people team up on a jewel heist, then try to double-cross one another for the loot, complicated by their efforts to fool a very proper barrister.
Directors: Charles Crichton, John Cleese | Stars: John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin
Votes: 153,978 | Gross: $63.49M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) co-production
7. Octopussy (1983)
PG | 131 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
A fake Fabergé egg recovered from the body of a fellow agent leads James Bond to uncover a jewel smuggling operation led by the mysterious Octopussy, and a plot to blow up a NATO air base.
Director: John Glen | Stars: Roger Moore, Maud Adams, Louis Jourdan, Kristina Wayborn
Votes: 113,023 | Gross: $67.90M
United Artists co-production
8. WarGames (1983)
PG | 114 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
A young man finds a back door into a military central computer in which reality is confused with game-playing, possibly starting World War III.
Director: John Badham | Stars: Matthew Broderick, Ally Sheedy, John Wood, Dabney Coleman
Votes: 110,823 | Gross: $79.57M
United Artists co-production
9. A View to a Kill (1985)
PG | 131 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
The recovery of a microchip from the body of a fellow British secret agent leads James Bond to a mad industrialist scheming to cause massive destruction.
Director: John Glen | Stars: Roger Moore, Christopher Walken, Tanya Roberts, Grace Jones
Votes: 104,951 | Gross: $50.33M
United Artists co-production
10. Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982)
R | 95 min | Drama, Fantasy, Music
A confined but troubled rock star descends into madness in the midst of his physical and social isolation from everyone.
Director: Alan Parker | Stars: Bob Geldof, Christine Hargreaves, James Laurenson, Eleanor David
Votes: 85,410 | Gross: $22.24M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) co-production
11. Moonstruck (1987)
PG | 102 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Loretta Castorini, a bookkeeper from Brooklyn, New York, finds herself in a difficult situation when she falls for the brother of the man she has agreed to marry.
Director: Norman Jewison | Stars: Cher, Nicolas Cage, Olympia Dukakis, Danny Aiello
Votes: 68,577 | Gross: $80.64M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
12. Overboard (1987)
PG | 112 min | Comedy, Romance
A cruel but beautiful heiress mocks and cheats a hired carpenter. When she gets amnesia after an accident, he decides to introduce her to regular life by convincing her that they're husband and wife.
Director: Garry Marshall | Stars: Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, Edward Herrmann, Katherine Helmond
Votes: 67,922 | Gross: $26.71M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) co-production
13. Red Dawn (1984)
PG-13 | 114 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
It is the dawn of World War III. In the west mountains of America, a group of teenagers band together to defend their town, and their country, from invading Soviet forces.
Director: John Milius | Stars: Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson, Charlie Sheen
Votes: 63,128 | Gross: $38.38M
United Artists co-production
14. 2010 (1984)
PG | 116 min | Adventure, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A joint USA-Soviet expedition is sent to Jupiter to learn exactly what happened to the "Discovery" and its H.A.L. 9000 computer.
Director: Peter Hyams | Stars: Roy Scheider, John Lithgow, Helen Mirren, Bob Balaban
Votes: 57,299 | Gross: $40.20M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
15. Clash of the Titans (1981)
PG | 118 min | Action, Adventure, Family
Perseus must battle Medusa and the Kraken to save the Princess Andromeda.
Director: Desmond Davis | Stars: Laurence Olivier, Harry Hamlin, Claire Bloom, Maggie Smith
Votes: 47,789 | Gross: $41.09M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
16. All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)
G | 84 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A canine angel, Charlie, sneaks back to earth from heaven but ends up befriending an orphan girl who can speak to animals. In the process, Charlie learns that friendship is the most heavenly gift of all.
Directors: Don Bluth, Gary Goldman, Dan Kuenster | Stars: Dom DeLuise, Burt Reynolds, Loni Anderson, Judith Barsi
Votes: 46,143 | Gross: $27.10M
a United Artists and MGM/UA release
17. The Secret of NIMH (1982)
G | 82 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama
To save her ill son, a field mouse must seek the aid of a colony of rats, with whom she has a deeper link than she suspected.
Director: Don Bluth | Stars: Elizabeth Hartman, Derek Jacobi, Dom DeLuise, Arthur Malet
Votes: 45,200 | Gross: $10.14M
United Artists co-production
18. To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
R | 116 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A fearless Secret Service agent will stop at nothing to bring down the counterfeiter who killed his partner.
Director: William Friedkin | Stars: William Petersen, Willem Dafoe, Jane Leeves, Cherise Bates
Votes: 39,389 | Gross: $17.31M
United Artists production
19. The Hunger (1983)
R | 97 min | Drama, Horror
A love triangle develops between a beautiful yet dangerous vampire (Catherine Deneuve), her cellist companion (David Bowie), and a gerontologist (Susan Sarandon).
Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie, Susan Sarandon, Cliff De Young
Votes: 29,064 | Gross: $5.98M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
20. Fame (1980)
R | 134 min | Drama, Music, Musical
A chronicle of the lives of several teenagers who attend a New York high school for students gifted in the performing arts.
Director: Alan Parker | Stars: Eddie Barth, Irene Cara, Lee Curreri, Laura Dean
Votes: 24,713 | Gross: $0.12M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
21. Victor/Victoria (1982)
PG | 134 min | Comedy, Music, Romance
A struggling female soprano in 1934 Paris finally finds work after posing as a female impersonator, but it complicates her personal life when a visiting Chicago gangster finds himself inexplicably attracted to the seemingly male performer.
Director: Blake Edwards | Stars: Julie Andrews, James Garner, Robert Preston, Lesley Ann Warren
Votes: 23,688 | Gross: $21.93M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
22. The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)
PG | 115 min | Drama, Romance, War
A young Australian reporter tries to navigate the political turmoil of Indonesia during the rule of President Sukarno with the help of a diminutive photographer.
Director: Peter Weir | Stars: Mel Gibson, Sigourney Weaver, Linda Hunt, Bembol Roco
Votes: 22,899 | Gross: $10.28M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
23. Diner (1982)
R | 110 min | Comedy, Drama
A group of college-age buddies struggle with their imminent passage into adulthood in 1959 Baltimore.
Director: Barry Levinson | Stars: Steve Guttenberg, Mickey Rourke, Kevin Bacon, Daniel Stern
Votes: 22,837 | Gross: $14.10M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
24. Strange Brew (1983)
PG | 90 min | Comedy, Crime, Sci-Fi
Canada's most famous hosers, Bob and Doug McKenzie, get jobs at the Elsinore Brewery, only to learn that something is rotten with the state of it.
Directors: Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas | Stars: Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, Max von Sydow, Paul Dooley
Votes: 18,677
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
25. Youngblood (1986)
R | 110 min | Drama, Romance, Sport
A 17 year old farm boy is offered an ice hockey tryout. His brother drives him to Canada. He has fast legs, slow fists, but is chosen. Will he learn to use his fists and play ice hockey the Canuck way? Will he get the coach's cute daughter?
Director: Peter Markle | Stars: Rob Lowe, Cynthia Gibb, Patrick Swayze, Ed Lauter
Votes: 15,869 | Gross: $15.45M
United Artists co-production
26. Yentl (1983)
PG | 133 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
A Jewish girl disguises herself as a boy to enter religious training.
Director: Barbra Streisand | Stars: Barbra Streisand, Amy Irving, Mandy Patinkin, Nehemiah Persoff
Votes: 15,879 | Gross: $40.22M
United Artists co-production
27. Running Scared (1986)
R | 107 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Two street-wise Chicago cops have to shake off some rust after returning from a Key West vacation to pursue a drug dealer who nearly killed them in the past.
Director: Peter Hyams | Stars: Gregory Hines, Billy Crystal, Steven Bauer, Darlanne Fluegel
Votes: 15,017 | Gross: $38.50M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) co-production
28. I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988)
R | 88 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
In this parody of blaxploitation movies, a black hero wannabe reunites former black heroes from the 70s to help him get revenge on Mr. Big.
Director: Keenen Ivory Wayans | Stars: Keenen Ivory Wayans, Bernie Casey, Antonio Fargas, Steve James
Votes: 14,987 | Gross: $13.03M
United Artists co-production
29. My Favorite Year (1982)
PG | 92 min | Comedy, Drama
An aging, dissolute matinee idol is slated to appear on a live TV variety show in 1954, and a young comedy writer is tasked with the thankless job of keeping him ready and sober for the broadcast.
Director: Richard Benjamin | Stars: Peter O'Toole, Mark Linn-Baker, Jessica Harper, Joseph Bologna
Votes: 10,525 | Gross: $20.12M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) co-production
30. The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984)
R | 121 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Two cousins unknowingly rob the mob and face the dangerous consequences.
Director: Stuart Rosenberg | Stars: Eric Roberts, Mickey Rourke, Daryl Hannah, Geraldine Page
Votes: 9,826 | Gross: $6.14M
United Artists production
31. Pennies from Heaven (1981)
R | 108 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
During the Great Depression, a sheet-music salesman seeks to escape his dreary life through popular music and a love affair with an innocent schoolteacher.
Director: Herbert Ross | Stars: Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters, Jessica Harper, Vernel Bagneris
Votes: 6,231 | Gross: $9.18M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
32. A Dry White Season (1989)
R | 106 min | Drama, Thriller
A white middle class South African suburbanite with no interest in politics agrees to help his black gardener find his jailed son. His investigation opens his eyes to the horrors committed by the secret police and turns him into a target.
Director: Euzhan Palcy | Stars: Donald Sutherland, Janet Suzman, Zakes Mokae, Jürgen Prochnow
Votes: 6,201 | Gross: $3.77M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) co-production
33. Cannery Row (1982)
PG | 120 min | Drama, Romance
Monterey, California in the 1940's. Cannery Row - the section of town where the now closed fish canneries are located - is inhabited primarily by the down and out, although many would not ... See full summary »
Director: David S. Ward | Stars: Nick Nolte, Debra Winger, Audra Lindley, Frank McRae
Votes: 4,113 | Gross: $5.30M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
34. Whose Life Is It Anyway? (1981)
R | 119 min | Comedy, Drama
Ken Harrison is an artist who makes sculptures. One day he is involved in a car accident, and is paralyzed from his neck down. All he can do is talk, and he wants to die. In hospital he ... See full summary »
Director: John Badham | Stars: Richard Dreyfuss, John Cassavetes, Christine Lahti, Bob Balaban
Votes: 3,553 | Gross: $8.21M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
35. The Formula (1980)
R | 117 min | Crime, Thriller
The synthetic fuel production formula, invented by the Nazis at the end of World War II, is sought after by some who aim to sell it, and by others who wish to destroy it.
Director: John G. Avildsen | Stars: George C. Scott, Marlon Brando, Marthe Keller, John Gielgud
Votes: 2,907
Another 1980s Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Production Not Listed
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's (MGM) The Formula (as pictured example)
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