Notice one kid lives in a motel, the other kis are children of TV repairmen. There are no middle class children here; all are lower middle class.
Only 2 people of color. Why?
One has a pool, but you go straight into the livingroom, no hall,and everyone in Southern Ca. has a pool.
"He who swaps his liberty for the promise of 'security' deserves neither." Ben Franklin
Because these are real everyday people. Not the Hollywood fantasy that forgot them.
shareThough this is an iconic "80s movie," it was filmed in 1981, still during a crippling recession. The socioeconomics are similar to what you saw portrayed in other late-70s/early-80s TV and movies like "Alice," "One Day At A Time," etc. Small homes, blue-collar and service-industry jobs, divorced/absentee parents, people just barely getting by.
(And Damone lives in an apartment building, not a motel.)
I was in high school when this movie came out and I'd say from experience that this movie is a very accurate portrayal of the times. That's why I love watching it. It reminds me of the simpler times I grew up in.
The difference between high school students of today and then is we didn't LOOK for reasons to be offended. Races were still pretty much segregated in the early 80's. There were ZERO black kids in my high school. But that was normal back then.
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Mostly middle class.
shareNo middle class children? They were all middle class, except maybe Damone.
shareDamone wasn't living in a motel. That was an apartment complex.
It seemed Spicoli's family was struggling the most which isn't surprising considering what a stoner he was.
I like Stacy & Brad's house. That was a gorgeous pool complete with a changing room. Most front doors lead right into the living room. Not sure if that's an odd layout for a middle class home.
-Di
In the 80s being a TV repairman was not a horrible job. You could earn a living doing it.
Southern California used to be a lot cheaper back then. You could actually own a house in a *beep* area if you earned less than $40,000 a year.
And this is assumed to be in either San Diego or the San Fernando Valley which at the time was a lot more white than today.
You might as well being complaining about the lack of smartphones and computers while you are at it.
At least most of these characters had jobs unlike the rich snobby spoiled kids of American pie..
shareI always thought this movie took place in L.A. 1 of the burbs outside L.A. I know they said Jefferson drove there.
shareLower-Middle Class?! These kids look Upper-Middle Class! A pool. With all the accomodations. I thought their parents made them work 4 incentive. Or they just wanted "their own" money. Ridgemont looked very clean. Big. All the extra-curricular activities. With trimmings. There were no fights. No graffitti on the walls. The school in MY SECRET ADMIRER didn't look as nice.
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