Video: 'Platoon' trailer
(Friday, December 19, 1986, 12:00 p.m. EST) — Platoon, an American war film about a young recruit in Vietnam who faces a moral crisis when confronted with the horrors of war and the duality of man, opened today in U.S. theaters, including the Loews New York Twin and Astor Plaza in New York City.
Directed by Oliver Stone, the film starred Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe and Charlie Sheen.
(Saturday, December 6, 1986) — “Wild Wild Life” by Talking Heads peaked at #25 on today’s Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for one week.
Video: 'Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home' trailer
(Wednesday, November 26, 1986, 10:00 a.m. EST) — To save Earth from an alien probe, Admiral James T. Kirk and his fugitive crew go back in time to retrieve the only beings who can communicate with it: humpback whales as Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, the fourth feature film based on Star Trek, was released today in U.S. theaters, including Loew’s State 1 theater in New York City.
Directed by Leonard Nimoy, the film starred William Shatner, Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei, Walter Koenig and Nichelle Nichols.
Video: 'Hoosiers' trailer
(Monday, November 10, 1986, 8:00 p.m. EST) — Hoosiers, a sports film about a troubled coach who enlists the town drunk to turn a high school basketball team into winners, premiered tonight at the Circle Theatre in Indianapolis, Indiana. Continue reading ‘Hoosiers’ premieres in Indianapolis 30 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Nov 10 1986)
(Saturday, September 27, 1986) — “Twist and Shout” by The Beatles peaked at #23 on today’s Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for one week, fueled by an appearance in the film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (the same version peaked at #2 in 1964).
Video: 'Blue Velvet' trailer
(Friday, September 19, 1986, noon EDT) — Blue Velvet, a mystery crime film about a small-town boy who unearths a world of corruption when he stumbles upon a severed ear, opened today at the Baronet Bay Cinema theaters in New York City (three weeks after premiering at the Montréal World Film Festival on Aug. 30, 1986).
Directed by David Lynch, the film starred Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern, Hope Lange, George Dickerson and Dean Stockwell.
(Saturday, September 13, 1986) — “Take My Breath Away” by Berlin peaked at #1 on today’s Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for one week.
(Saturday, August 30, 1986) — “Sweet Freedom” by Michael McDonald peaked at #7 on today’s Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for three weeks.
Video: 'Stand by Me' trailer
(Friday, August 8, 1986, Noon EDT) — Stand by Me, a coming-of-age comedy-drama adventure film about four friends who share a rite of passage on a long walk to view a dead body, was released today in U.S. theaters, including this hour at The Coronet theater in Manhattan.
Directed by Rob Reiner, the film starred Wil Wheaton River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell and Kiefer Sutherland.
Video: 'Castle in the Sky' trailer
(Saturday, August 2 1986) — Castle in the Sky, a Japanese animated adventure film about a young boy and a girl who, with a magic crystal, must race against pirates and foreign agents in a search for a legendary floating castle, was released today in Japan.
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki, the film starred Keiko Yokozawa, Mayumi Tanaka, Kotoe Hatsui and Minori Terada.
