Book Vs. Movie "Valley Girl"

Book Vs. Movie: Valley Girls

The Frank & Moon Zappa Song Vs. the 1983 Classic Film

Just to start--we know that Frank Zappa did not authorize using the song Valley Girl (co-written with his 14-year-old daughter Moon Unit in 1982.) But we had to cover this movie because if there was ever a song that influenced the culture of the early 80s --this was it.

Moon Zappa is the oldest child of the late Frank Zappa, and after spending most of her childhood waiting for her dad to make time for her, she reached out to him with his favorite love language--snarky lyrics. Using expressions from her peers in the San Fernando Valley--the Zappas created a song that lampoons the white bread, snotty culture of “Vals.” The fact it became a hit song (and Frank’s only Top 40 single) shocked everyone involved.

The producers of the 1983 film tried to get Frank to sign the rights but only with the overall approval of the script and music. The film, directed by Martha Coolidge and starring Nicolas Cage and Deborah Foreman, became a classic teen film that must have stung Frank, who sued the producers as Valley 9000 and lost.

So what are the main differences between the song and the film? Which version did the Margos like better? Have a listen!

This episode is sponsored by Baker Publishing Group, With Every Memory by author Janine Rosche:

At its heart, With Every Memory is the story of what happens when an already-broken family loses the one person holding them together. Lori Mendenhall returns home to a family she barely recognizes after the same car accident that killed her son stole the last eight years of memories from her. Lori’s once-loving husband is a stoic workaholic with questionable intentions, and her teenage daughter has been chewed up and spit out by the world following the loss of her twin brother. As Lori’s good and bad memories resurface, she must decide whether the family she’s returned to is beyond hope.

In this ep the Margos discuss:

The effect Valley Girl (the song) had on teens at the time
The surprising old-fashioned love story (based lightly on Romeo & Juliet)
The outstanding soundtrack
The cast of the 1983 film: Nicolas Cage (Randy,) Deborah Foreman (Julie,) Elizabeth Daily (Loryn,) Michael Bowen (Tommy,) Cameron Dye (Fred,) Heid Holicker (Stacey,) Michelle Meyrink (Suzi,) Lee Purcell (Beth,) Richard Sanders (Driver’s Ed teacher,) Colleen Camp (Sarah Richman,) and Frederic Forrest as Steve Richman.

Clips used:

Valley Girl (Frank Zappa)
Good Morning America, September 12, 1982, Moon & Frank Zappa interview)
Nina Blackwood & Frank Zappa on MTV October 1981
Valley Girl 1983 trailer)
“I’m totally not in love with you!”
“Let’s get out of here”
Meeting Julie’s dad
Homecoming fight scene
Music: Melt With You by Modern English

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Book Vs. Movie: Rumble Fish

The 1975 Novel Vs. the 1983 Movie

Rusty James is a 14-year-old kid in Tulsa, Oklahoma, who lives a troubled life in 1975’s Rumble Fish, written by former teen sensation S.E. Hinton who published her first work (the YA classic The Outsiders while a freshman in college in 1967.

James spends his days getting into fights, hanging out with best friend Steve, trying to find time for his girlfriend Patty, and, most of all, idolizing his older brother, The Motorcycle Boy. The events leading up to his time in the reformatory make up for the main action, and the audience sympathizes with a kid who just can’t seem to catch a break.

The 1983 film was co-written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Simultaneously, he created The Outsiders adaptation, which would become a cult classic. With some of the same cast members (including Matt Dillon and Diane Lane) and the addition of Mickey Rourke, Nicolas Cage, and Dennis Hopper--Coppola aims for a French New Wave look and feel. Filmed on video and in black and white, the movie has been a mainstay at film festivals and retrospectives for decades.

With her flair for getting into the minds of her teen subjects and realistic portrayals of angst and loneliness--Hinton is a legend in the world of YA Fiction, and her films remain popular with her fans.

So what are the main differences between the book and the film? Which version did the Margos like better? Have a listen!

In this ep the Margos discuss:

The background of S.E. Hinton and her unusual career
The changes Coppola made with the original story.
The cast of the 1983 film: Matt Dillon (Rusty James,) Mickey Rourke (The Motorcycle Boy,) Diane Lane (Patty,) Dennis Hopper (Father,) Diana Scarwid (Cassandra,) Vincent Spano (Steve,) Nicolas Cage (Smokey,) Chris Penn (BJ Jackson,) Lawrence Fishburne (“Midget,”) William Smith (Officer Patterson,) Glenn Withrow (Biff,) Tom Waits (Benny, the Bartender,) Sofia Coppola (Donna,) and S.E. Hinton in a cameo performance.