TheArchive: Reviewing the Rare, Retro, and Restored

It's hard not to admire  Michael J. Fox known for his iconic roles in "Back to the Future" and the TV series "Family Ties." Also well known for his battle with and embrace of Parkinson's, he relentlessly shines and has been quoted as saying it has been a "gift." Fox is a prominent advocate for research and awareness of the disease and continues to work in the entertainment industry making a positive impact on the lives of others through his foundation and his art. With his most recent star turn in documentary "Still," about his life, Fox is as feisty as ever saying,  “I’ve got shit going on. I’m a tough son of a bitch.”  Indeed he  hasn't lost his spark getting feisty on talk shows and commenting on career choices like passing on "Ghost," a choice that has him refer to himself as a "fucking idiot." Well, one movie he did not pass on was  High School USA  from 1983. In fact, an entertainment news magazine of some re

Fresh off binging last year’s Peacock reboot of “Saved by the Bell,” we decided to jump into TheArchive and see what old gems with the original cast we could find. And we did one better. We found Zack Morris from Saved by the Bell trying to revive Punky Brewster in a coma! This is not a Peacock marketing stunt gone wrong, but we’ll get back to that in a moment. If you thought the only time Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Soleil Moon Frye (honestly, typing those names is a nightmare) appeared in the same rarified air was in the revered episode of  Saved by the Bell , “Screech’s Spaghetti Sauce” circa 1992, guess again. Don’t mind if we do. Mark-Paul appeared  before  that in  Punky Brewster  as Punky’s tutor for whom she had a mad crush! Well the “chemistry,” was undeniable so they came together once more and we’ve got that only reunion on cel luloid, 1994’s  The St. Tammany Miracle . Directed by Joy Newton Houck Jr., best known for directing  Creature from the Black Lake  and being the son o

Actor, author, and activist Michael J. Fox spent the 1980s playing a teen protagonist in massive TV series and movies, but he had a string of early roles that helped shape his future, including the role of Jay-Jay in the movie High School USA (1983).   This zany NBC pilot turned back-door M-O-W, is now on TheArchive , and features a who’s-who of TV stars like Todd Bridges, Dana Plato, Tony Dow, Ken Osmond, Bob Denver, and Dawn Wells, who unfortunately just passed away from Covid, to name a few; let’s just say the creators loved Gilligan’s Island, Diff’rent Strokes and Leave it to Beaver.  Other well-known actors rounded off this cast, including an uncredited Brad Pitt as a bumbling library nerd, but the highlights of this lovable American school title are the scenes with Crispin Glover, Nancy Mckeon and Anthony Edwards, with Edwards flexing his nerd-to-cool acting range just before starring in Revenge of the Nerds, Gotcha!, Top Gun and many other huge films and series like ER.    Whic