The movie Fame had its premiere on this day in 1980. The story of a group of students at New York’s School of the Performing Arts was a hit around the world, and its theme tune went to the top of the charts.
The film went on to inspire a television series that ran for six seasons and a 2009 remake that did not have the same impact as the original.
In 2023, the original film was selected for inclusion in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.
The film was directed by Alan Parker and written by Christopher Gore. Parker went on to direct many well-known movies including Evita, Angela’s Ashes, The Commitments and Mississippi Burning.
Fame focuses on the lives of students at the New York School of Performing Arts and presents memorable characters among both the student body and the faculty.
Based on a real-life school, now known as the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, the movie is filled with ambition, struggle and challenges in the worlds of acting, song and dance.
The gritty take on life in late 1970s New York City has a lot to say about class, sexuality, ethnicity and the American Dream. The film featured actor Paul McCrane as Montgomery MacNeil, a drama student struggling with his homosexuality.
McCrane later appeared in the long-running television series E.R. as Dr Robert ‘Rocket’ Romano and is currently appearing in TV drama All Rise. When the television series Fame was launched in 1982, P.R. Paul took over the role of Montgomery, but the character’s homosexuality was erased.
The film also made a star out dancer Gene Anthony Ray who played Leroy Johnson. Ray reprised the role in the subsequent TV series.
Ray was fired from the TV series in 1984 after he had missed work more than 100 times and his mother was arrested for involvement a drug ring. Previously, Ray’s mother was allegedly caught selling drugs on the set of the film in 1980.
Aside from his most famous role in Fame, Ray also appeared in the Weather Girls’ video for their mega-hit It’s Raining Men and played Man Friday in a Robinson Crusoe film opposite Michael York.
Later in life, Ray was at times reported to be living on the streets. He was diagnosed as HIV positive in 1995 and in 2003 suffered a stroke, passing away a few months later. Ray never discussed his sexuality and in his obituary it was noted that he “always flamboyantly brushed aside any questions”.
Irene Cara, who played singer Coco Hernandez, scored a massive hit singing the now iconic theme song, which featured students rushing out of school to dance in the streets. Erica Gimpel took over the role for the television series, while Cara went on to have further chart success.
Just a few years later, Cara scored a second iconic tune when she sang What a Feeling!, the lead song from the movie Flashdance. The song won her an Oscar for Best Original Song and a Grammy award. She scored more hits with Why Me and Breakdance. Irene Cara died in 2022 at the age of 63.
Director Alan Parker passed away in 2020 aged 76. Writer Christopher Gore sadly passed away in 1988 aged 43. At the time of his passing his death was attributed to cancer, but we now know he was one of the many people lost to HIV/AIDS.
Several notable people appear in the film including actor Boyd Gaines, Law and Order star Richard Belzer, actor Meg Tilly and fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi.
The TV version of Fame was not as successful in the USA but was very popular in other territories including Australia and the United Kingdom. A teenage Janet Jackson joined the cast for the show’s fourth season.
‘Six Degrees of Separation’ made its debut on stage in 1990
John Guare’s play Six Degrees of Separation made its Off-Broadway debut on this day in 1990, opening at the Lincoln Center in New York.
It transferred to Broadway in November and ran for 485 performances, closing on 5 January 1992.
The play tells the story of upper-class couple Fran and Ouisa Kittredge, art dealers living in an expensive apartment overlooking Central Park. One night, their dinner soiree is interrupted by a young Black man who arrives at their door.
Paul has a slight stab wound and says he was mugged in the park. He explains that he is a friend of their college-aged children and claims to be the son of actor Sidney Poitier. He says he is in town to meet his father the following day and that Poitier will be directing a film version of the musical Cats.
They insist the young man stay the night in their guest bedroom, but in the morning they discover a male sex worker Paul ventured out to meet after they went to bed is also in the house.
They call the police, but Paul and his companion quickly leave. The couple later learn that actor Sidney Poitier has only daughters, and their children have no idea who their mysterious overnight guest was.
The interaction sets off a series of events that leaves the couple questioning their lives and motivations, with themes of acceptance and sexuality running throughout the piece.
The role of Ouisa drew an acclaimed performance from Stockard Channing, who played the part on stage in New York and London, and in the subsequent film adaptation. She was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her film role.
The role of Paul was originally played by James McDaniel in the Off-Broadway production. He later went on to star in the television series NYPD Blue. When the show moved to Broadway, Courtney B. Vance took over the role, while Adrian Lester played it in the West End.
In the film adaptation, directed by Australian filmmaker Fred Schepisi, the role of Paul was played by Will Smith.
Taking on a gay role was considered a brave move in 1992 when the film was released, and many people advised the young actor against accepting the part. Smith’s performance was widely seen as a significant step in his career, allowing audiences to see him as a serious actor.
Also appearing in the film adaptation are Donald Sutherland, Ian McKellen, Mary Beth Hurt, Heather Graham, Bruce Davison, Richard Masur, Anthony Michael Hall and Anthony Rapp.
The play had a Broadway revival in 2017, with Alison Janney playing the role of Ouisa Kittredge. Janney had previously starred alongside Stockard Channing in seven seasons of television series The West Wing.
The story is based on a real-life event. In the late 1980s, conman David Hampton convinced many people he was the son of Sidney Poitier, including Inger McCabe Elliott and her husband Osborne Elliott, who allowed Hampton to stay the night at their apartment, only to discover him in bed with another man the following morning. They later told the story to their friend John Guare, inspiring the play.
This post was first published in 2021 and has been updated.
