Many actors spend decades building impressive careers, but all Maila Nurmi needed was one night to create a legend.

The 1980s gave audiences unforgettable movie surprises, from terrifying nightmares to mysterious disappearances and shocking family secrets. What makes some of these stories even more fascinating is that their strangest elements came from actual events, documented cases, or experiences described by real people. Hollywood often changed the details, but the original inspirations could be just as unsettling. Here are some remarkable examples, including a few where the truth behind the movie is still disputed.

Some of television’s most beloved shows were surprisingly close to disappearing before audiences discovered how good they were. Poor ratings, nervous executives, expensive productions, and questionable scheduling decisions nearly ended several future classics. Others were actually canceled before finding enormous success somewhere else. From legendary sitcoms to groundbreaking dramas, these television favorites prove that sometimes the difference between failure and a cultural phenomenon is simply getting another chance.

For baby boomers who grew up with country radio, some love songs were impossible to sing alone. One voice pleaded, the other answered.

Which is more legendary: Mariah Carey's voice or her ability to shade her rivals? As the top selling female artist of all time and one of the snarkiest entertainers in the world, Carey's persona lands somewhere between diva and troll. However, with the hotly anticipated release of her memoir, Carey is finally pulling back the curtain and revealing her true life story, and it's much more tragic than everyone expected.

You've most likely heard these songs many times in the 70s and in the decades since then. But can you remember who actually sang them?