50 Fun Facts About Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Who directed Fast Times at Ridgemont High, in her feature-film debut?

She went on to direct Look Who's Talking and Clueless, and had only made student films before this.

Who wrote the screenplay, based on his own book about going undercover at a high school?

He later wrote and directed Say Anything..., Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous.

In which year was the film released?

It opened in August in fewer than 500 cinemas and only expanded after word of mouth took off.

Who plays the perpetually stoned surfer Jeff Spicoli?

Matthew Broderick had been offered the part first and turned it down.

What subject does Mr. Hand, Spicoli's nemesis, teach?

He gets his revenge on the night of the last dance, turning up at Spicoli's house to deliver a lengthy private lecture.

Who plays Mr. Hand?

Fred Gwynne was offered the role first but felt the script had 'too much nasty stuff'.

Who plays 15-year-old Stacy Hamilton?

She prepared by rereading her own high-school diaries and working three weeks at a real Perry's Pizza.

Which actress plays Linda Barrett, Stacy's worldly best friend?

Justine Bateman turned the role down to star in Family Ties.

Who plays Brad Hamilton, Stacy's older brother?

Both Tom Hanks and Nicolas Cage were considered for the part; Cage was passed over because of his age.

Who plays the smooth-talking ticket scalper Mike Damone?

In the 1986 TV spin-off the part was played by a young Patrick Dempsey.

Who plays Mark 'Rat' Ratner, the shy usher who falls for Stacy?

The character was modelled on a real Clairemont student, Andy Rathbone, whom Crowe befriended during his undercover year.

Where does Stacy work at the mall?

Rat works as an usher at the cinema directly across from it, which is how he keeps running into her.

Where is Brad working at the start of the film?

He is fired after arguing with a customer, and works his way through two more jobs before the credits roll.

Brad quits his second job because people keep mocking his uniform. What is he dressed as?

The uniform belongs to Captain Hook Fish & Chips, and Cameron Crowe's future wife Nancy Wilson has a cameo as the girl in a car who laughs at it.

Which real band did Nancy Wilson, who cameos as the 'Beautiful Girl in Car', belong to?

She married Cameron Crowe in 1986; the band even recorded a song called 'Fast Times' that went unused.

Under what name was the future Leaving Las Vegas star credited in his feature debut as Brad's co-worker?

He had auditioned for Brad Hamilton but was judged too young.

Which future Oscar winner plays star football player Charles Jefferson?

Spicoli wrecks his Camaro and blames Lincoln High, and Jefferson takes it out on Lincoln in a 42-0 rout.

What kind of car belonging to Charles Jefferson does Spicoli wreck?

He was driving Jefferson's younger brother to a party at the time and blames the damage on rival fans.

Which rival school does Ridgemont crush 42-0 after Spicoli pins the car wreck on its fans?

The film's real-life inspiration was Clairemont High School in San Diego, where Crowe spent his undercover year.

What is the name of the science teacher, played by Vincent Schiavelli, who swears off coffee?

The postscript notes he 'switched back to coffee'; Schiavelli reprised the role in the 1986 TV series.

Who is the 26-year-old stereo salesman Stacy lies about her age to date?

He sends flowers the next day and then vanishes; Doug is the college boyfriend Linda claims to be engaged to.

Where does Stacy lose her virginity to the stereo salesman?

The pool house is where she later sleeps with Damone, with far worse consequences.

What word does Linda spray-paint on Damone's car and locker after learning how he treated Stacy?

Rat then confronts Damone in the locker room, and the two best friends nearly come to blows.

Brad's final job, where he foils an armed robbery, is at which store?

Spicoli, wandering in at the wrong moment, inadvertently distracts the robber; the postscript says Brad was made manager.

According to the closing captions, whose concert tickets got Damone busted for scalping?

He ends up working at a 7-Eleven, while Van Halen turn up in Spicoli's postscript instead.

The postscript says Spicoli blows a reward on hiring which band to play his birthday party?

The reward money came from saving Brooke Shields from drowning.

Which celebrity does the postscript say Spicoli rescued from drowning?

An earlier version of Spicoli's dream scene had him on The Tonight Show, but Johnny Carson passed on the cameo.

Which Cars song plays over the famous pool fantasy scene despite being left off the soundtrack album?

'We Got the Beat', 'American Girl' and 'Kashmir' were also used in the film but left off the album.

Which Go-Go's song is the film's opening theme?

Heckerling fought to get newer bands like the Go-Go's and Oingo Boingo in over the Eagles-heavy choices the producers preferred.

Which Jackson Browne single from the soundtrack reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100?

It was the album's biggest hit; the soundtrack itself peaked at No. 54.

Which rock singer recorded the film's title track?

Jimmy Buffett contributed 'I Don't Know (Spicoli's Theme)' and Joe Walsh the 'Waffle Stomp'.

Producer Irving Azoff pushed 1970s acts onto the soundtrack; which band was he the personal manager of?

Four members contributed solo tracks, and the prom band plays 'Life in the Fast Lane' at the dance.

What rating did the MPAA initially give the film?

The pool-house sex scene was drastically shortened and a male frontal nude shot re-cropped to secure the R needed for release.

At which real San Diego school did the screenwriter go undercover as a student?

He enrolled under the name Dave Cameron and moved back in with his parents for the year.

Under what alias did Crowe enroll for his undercover senior year?

He was 22 at the time and had a book contract from Simon & Schuster.

How old was Crowe when he came up with the idea of posing as a high-school student?

He had been writing for Rolling Stone since he was a teenager and felt his career was losing its excitement.

Which director did Universal executives first recommend for the film, before he passed?

He met Crowe and liked the idea, but declined; producer Art Linson then took the script to Heckerling.

At which real shopping centre were the mall scenes filmed after hours?

Jennifer Jason Leigh worked three weeks at the real Perry's Pizza there before shooting.

Which real Los Angeles campus stood in for Ridgemont in the classroom scenes?

Principal photography began on November 2, 1981 and lasted eight weeks.

What was the film's approximate budget?

It earned about six times that in US cinemas and ranked 29th for the year.

In which year was the film added to the US National Film Registry?

The Library of Congress selects films it deems 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant'.

Which future star played Mike Damone in the short-lived 1986 TV series Fast Times?

Ray Walston and Vincent Schiavelli were the only film cast members to reprise their roles.

Which critic called the film a 'scuz-pit of a movie' on release, before later reassessing it?

He praised the young cast but objected to what Stacy was put through; he later became a champion of Crowe's directing career.

Which word did Spicoli help popularise, according to the biography of the actor who played him?

Penn stayed so deep in the role that the part launched him into stardom almost overnight.

Which label released the soundtrack album in July 1982?

It featured solo tracks from four Eagles and 'Goodbye Goodbye' by Danny Elfman's Oingo Boingo.

Which future Ferris Bueller star turned down the role of Jeff Spicoli?

Tom Hanks was considered for Brad Hamilton and Jodie Foster for Stacy; Fred Gwynne passed on Mr. Hand, citing 'too much nasty stuff'.

Which actress turned down the role of Linda Barrett to star in the sitcom Family Ties?

Sheedy and Tilly did audition for roles but were not cast, as did Ralph Macchio.

How did Jennifer Jason Leigh prepare to play mall employee Stacy Hamilton?

She also reread her own high-school diaries and letters to get back into a teenager's head.

Roughly how much did Fast Times at Ridgemont High earn in its 1982 US release, six times its budget?

It ranked only 29th among US releases that year, but grew into a classic through television and home video.

Which two actors made their feature-film debuts in Fast Times at Ridgemont High?

Cage had auditioned for Brad Hamilton but was passed over because of his age and ended up as Brad's unnamed burger co-worker.