Jesse Singer articles

At one point, these bands weren’t just big—they were inescapable. Radio, MTV, malls, your friend’s older sibling’s car…you didn’t have a choice. The kind of fame where you assume (or at least they probably did) it just carries forward forever. Fast forward to now, and ask someone born after 2000…nothing.

Frank Sinatra ran the Rat Pack. That part isn’t up for debate. You played by his rules—or you didn’t play at all. Unless you were Dean Martin. And that’s where the story gets interesting.

The 1970s gave us Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd—and we could go on and on with all the iconic bands from the decade. But the 70s also gave us a whole lot that time, and most of us, just…forgot. Some had hits. Some had hype. And some? You’re about to swear we made them up (we didn’t).

Hollywood has never had a shortage of “tough guys.” They throw punches, walk away from explosions, and deliver one-liners like they’ve never lost a fight in their lives. But here’s the thing…some of them were just really good at pretending. And some of them absolutely weren’t.

Robert Blake was best known for Baretta and a long film career dating back to childhood roles. By the early 2000s, he was a recognizable but quieter presence in Hollywood until his name became tied to one of the most talked-about and controversial cases in the history of Hollywood.

There was a time when these people were television. You didn’t just know them—you saw them constantly. Prime time, commercials, magazine covers. It felt permanent. Like they’d always be famous. Well, they weren't. So much so that there is a whole generation that have pretty much zero name recognition with these past stars.

It was a regular day on a busy Los Angeles freeway in 1977. But at some point along the Ventura Freeway, things got out of control between two drivers (one of them Jack Nicholson) and before you could say “here’s Johnny,” Nicholson reacted in a way that would change him forever.

Freddie Prinze went from unknown comic to one of the biggest stars on television almost overnight. By 21, he had fame, money, and a hit show watched by millions. And then, just as quickly, something shifted…in a way almost no one saw coming.

The 80s gave us some of the biggest shows ever—but the decade also gave us a ton of shows that basically vanished from memory. Not bad…just forgotten (okay, some of them were just bad). Let’s see how many of these you actually remember. Because getting to five might be a lot harder than you think.