The early 80s represented the golden age of youthploitation films, and those films produced some of the most memorable nudity in screen history. It was in the 1982-1983 period that all hell broke loose:
Phoebe Cates in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
Phoebe Cates in Paradise (1982)
Diane Franklin in The Last American Virgin (1982)
Porky’s (1982) and Porky’s Revenge (1983)
Leah Thompson in All the Right Moves (1983)
Rebecca De Mornay in Risky Business (1983)
Virginia Madsen in Class (1983)
Caren Kaye in My Tutor (1983)
Betsy Russell in Private School (1983)
At least three of those are sure Hall of Fame performances (Leah and the two Phoebes).
—–
Also from that era, although not in the youthploitation genre:
Morgan Fairchild in The Seduction (1982)
Barbara Carrera in I, the Jury (1982)
Barbara Hershey in The Entity (1982)
Pia Zadora in Butterfly (1982)
Nastassia Kinski in Cat People (1982)
Mariel Hemingway and others in Personal Best (1982)
Pia Zadora in The Lonely Lady (1983)
Theresa Russell in Eureka (1983)
Catherine Deneuve and Susan Sarandon in The Hunger (1983)
Mariel Hemingway in Star 80 (1983)
Jamie Lee Curtis in Trading Places (1983)
Kinski’s performance is a sure Hall of Fame entry, and others on the list are strong possibilities
While technically not ’82 or ’83, I would also put Michelle Johnson in the classic Blame It On Rio on the list. It came out in early ’84 and was part of the same group. Demi Moore helps out as well in that, but Michelle Johnson stole the show. As for the older actresses, Kathleen Turner in Body Heat and The Man with Two Brains was also big at the time.
We can mainly thank Porky’s for these youthploitation films as the little Canadian production grossed over 100 million at the box office placing it firmly into the top 10 box office for the year. This moved the Hollywood studios to do everything to match it. By mid-80s this was ended as huge companies like GE started buying up most of the media and switched their attention to maximizing income from cable tv from then on. They were successful in increasing cable tv revenues for about 30 years straight and no longer worried much about the box office.
Cat People also featured an excellent topless scene from Annette O’Toole.
The thing about the early 80’s being “the golden age of youthploitation films” is that I was very much in the target demographic in that I was 14 in 1982. A few of those movies (like Cat People) I wasn’t able to see until I was an adult. I forget if my Dad took me to see Porky’s or if I went to see it by myself. My Dad took me to many inappropriate movies when I was far too young. But sometimes he or (more likely) my mother put their foot down about me being allowed to see a movie. But I can’t recall ever being turned away from a theater because I was under 17. The only time that was ever a problem was when I was living in Albany, NY and my 16-year-old brother was visiting me. We went to the mall to see the Lou Diamond Phillips movie The First Power and the woman at the ticket counter asked my brother how old he was. Not thinking it would be an issue he told the truth and she said he couldn’t see it because it was R rated. I argued that since he was visiting me, I was his guardian and thus he could see it with me. She let him in. I believe that was the only time he had an issue either.
I really fell for Annette O’Toole in that movie. I’ve wondered about her scene early in 48 Hours too as she appears to get totally nude, but nothing was shown in the film. I hope they come out with a Director’s cut someday.
I also saw many R rated movies underage and never once did I have any issue whether I was with an adult or not. And adults often brought us to R-rated films. I don’t remember anyone ever having any issue with any of these things back then. I think most teens can handle most of these films just fine and adults understand that. The media started making a much bigger deal about these things as the 80s wore on and more parents started worrying about it. I think the idea of treating young people as little kids until they’re 17 or 18 is ridiculous.
I don’t have any kids of my own, but I have spoken with my sister about whether she would let her daughters see the movies our Dad let us see at those ages and she just laughed. The example I like to use for just how inappropriate some of the movies I saw as a kid were is the Kentucky Fried Movie. I was 9 years old when my Dad too me to see it. My favorite part was (and still is actually) the porn parody segment Teenage Catholic High School Girls in Trouble. I was far too young, not that I thought so at the time. He took me to see Richard Pryor Live on the Sunset Strip when I was 14 and I think I was old enough to see it. But he also took along my 11 and 8-year-old brothers as well. My youngest brother was laughing all the way through, but afterwards said “He wasn’t actually funny, but people laughed because he said Fuck a lot.” I was 7 when he took me to see One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. I hated that movie so much I have never watched it again. Considering how well regarded the movie is I understand intellectually that I would feel differently if I saw it now, but I have a negative emotional reaction whenever I think about watching it.
Your sister’s kids can watch hard core porn 24/7 on the net, their phones or at their friends homes.
Remember looking at Playboy at the corner drug store about a gazillion yrs ago.
Things change …
Don’t forget to include Zapped! (1983) among the youthploitation flicks.
Can you imagine if you’d been doing Top Nude Scene of the Year in ’82 or ’83?
Maybe we’ll get back that far some day. I feel that we need to resume the retro polls, but I keep procrastinating.