Fast Times

1 9 8 6 (USA)
7 x 30 minute episode

This high-school comedy was centred around the lives of the students and faculty at Ridgemont High in Los Angeles’s San Fernando Valley.

Linda Barrett (Claudia Wells) and Stacey Hamilton (Courtney Thorne-Smith) are friends at school and also work together as waitresses at Cattle Burger, a fast food store in the Ridgemont Mall.

Stacey, who has been called ‘Spacey Stacey,’ likes classical music and mocha almond crunch ice cream. She lives at 100 Ellen Drive and her brother, Brad (James Nardini), is the popular ‘big shot’ high school senior. Beautiful, popular cheerleader Linda, who loves music, lives at 97 Wrightson Place.

Spaced-out Jeff Spicoli (Dean Cameron, pictured below left) has a hard time accepting rules and regulations and would rather go surfing than waste his time in school.

Mike Damone (Patrick Dempsey) is the school’s resident con man and hustler who can source anything from a phoney ID to tickets for a sold-out rock concert. Ratner (Wallace Langham) is a shy guy who works as a ticket-taker at the cinema in the mall.

Arnold Hand (Ray Walston, pictured above right) is the stern history teacher frustrated by the casual attitude of so many of his students. He locks the door when the third bell rings and gives a 20 question quiz every Friday.

Hector Vargas (Vincent Schiavelli) is an unorthodox and somewhat eccentric science teacher. Walston and Schiavelli re-created their roles in the 1982 film, Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

Leslie Melon (Kit McDonough) is the Life Studies teacher with a penchant for getting personally involved in the personal lives of her students.

Frank Zappa‘s daughter, Moon Unit Zappa, appears in the series as Barbara De Vilbiss. The TV theme was performed by Oingo Boingo.

Linda Barrett
Claudia Wells
Stacey Hamilton
Courtney Thorne-Smith
Brad Hamilton
James Nardini
Jeff Spicoli
Dean Cameron
Mike Damone
Patrick Dempsey
Ms Leslie Melon
Kit McDonough
Mr Hector Vargas
Vincent Schiavelli
Mr Arnold Hand
Ray Walston
Mark Ratner
Wallace Langham
Barbara De Vilbiss
Moon Unit Zappa
Curtis Spicoli
Jason Hervey