25 Years Ago

Three days after the Oscars, President Reagan had recovered sufficiently to nominate former leading man John Gavin (Imitation of Life) as ambassador to Mexico.

THE ETERNAL 'FAME'

There was only one obstacle blocking Fame composer Michael Gore from his Oscar. Rather, two: Dolly Parton's breasts. After winning Best Original Song for the title tune, Gore leaped up to collect the statue. ''I started to move down the aisle to the left and Dolly (nominated for the title song from 9 to 5) was about four seats down from me. She stood up in the aisle, and threw her breasts out to block me, so I couldn't get out.''

Gore ended up squeezing past Parton on his way to the podium — twice actually — for both ''Fame'' and the original score for director Alan Parker's acclaimed musical. Attending the ceremony with his sister, '60s pop singer Lesley Gore (who wrote the lyrics for ''Out Here on My Own,'' Fame's other Best Song nominee), Gore managed to grab two statuettes for his first Hollywood gig and first musical ever. And it's even more surprising given the last-minute nature of the assignment. Hired by Parker just two months before shooting began in New York City, Gore was still writing songs mid-shoot. ''I remember that we finished recording the 'Hot Lunch Jam' on a Friday night at midnight and then started shooting Monday morning at 6:30,'' says Gore. As for the ballad ''Out Here on My Own,'' it was handed over to Lesley Gore — who had only one weekend to write the lyrics. ''It was one of those miraculous things,'' she says. ''The first time I heard the melody, I came up with a title and figured out where it needed to go.''

In fact, the famous dance sequence with students shimmying on taxis in the middle of 46th Street was filmed to Donna Summer's ''Hot Stuff'' because the theme song hadn't been written yet. Once Gore penned ''Fame,'' Parker didn't really like it. ''It took a bit of a leap of faith for him,'' says Gore. However, Irene Cara, who sang the track (and starred as Coco Hernandez), was won over immediately: ''The minute Michael and [co-writer] Dean Pitchford played it for me on the piano, I got goose bumps.'' — Michael Endelman