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Welcome to another edition of Marquee History, the column that takes you back to a time when you - or your parents - were younger. Prepare to become nostalgic (and shocked) at how much time has passed when you recall what was new in theaters 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 years ago.

August's movie anniversaries include plenty of dogs in the dog days of summer, but we have the record-breaking Rush Hour 2 and some fun memories from 1986 in this edition.

Here are the movies that premiered on theater marquees in August...

10 years ago

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby - August 4, 2006
Two years after Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Will Ferrell and writer/director Adam McKay teamed up again for another outrageous comedy. This one is both a love letter and send up of NASCAR culture. Ferrell’s Ricky Bobby's 100% self-confident driver has the trophy wife, big house, and two sons named Walker and Texas Ranger. After losing his mojo due to competition with a French teammate, played by Sacha Baron Cohen, Ricky Bobby relearns how to drive with a live cougar as a distraction in his car. Together, he and friend Cal (John C. Reilly) share enthusiastic non-sensical phrases like “Shake and bake!”

Ferrell and Reilly teamed up together again with McKay in 2008 for Step Brothers. Talladega Nights took the #1 spot for the weekend with $47.0 million from 3,803 theaters, making it the third best August opening ever and the best opening weekend of Ferrell’s career. Other new films this weekend: the animated farm comedy Barnyard: The Original Party Animals (#2 with $15.8 million), spelunking/sci-fi horror The Descent (#5 with $8.9 million - worth watching if you haven’t seen it before), and the Robin Williams drama The Night Listener (#10 with $3.5 million). Talladega Nights held the #1 spot in its second weekend and went on to earn a total of $148 million.

Step Up - August 4, 2006
This weekend’s best performing opener was Channing Tatum’s step forward to stardom. He costars in this romance/dance drama with Jenna Dewan as a mismatched working class street dancer and upper class ballet dancer who compete in an arts school showcase, falling for each other in the process. Tatum and Dewan continued the romance and married in 2009. Step Up opened at #2 with $20.6 million from 2,467 theaters. This was slightly less than the 2001’s Save the Last Dance, but Step Up’s $65 million gross spawned a franchise with four sequels (each with diminishing totals) and eventual stardom for Tatum. Also new this weekend: Oliver Stone and Nicolas Cage’s World Trade Center (#3, $18.7 million), Wes Craven’s horror remake of Kairo, Pulse (#5, $8.2 million), and Tim Allen’s family friendly youth superhero adventure Zoom (#9, $4.5 million).

Snakes on a Plane - August 18, 2006
It doesn’t get much more on the nose than this - unless you’ve got a viper hanging off your face. In case you need a reminder why there are snakes on a plane: it’s a brilliant scheme to kill off a federal witness. Aside from all the ways in which the snakes go after the passengers, the most memorable scene of course is Samuel L. Jackson’s line: “Enough is enough! I have had it with these motherfucking snakes on this motherfucking plane! Everybody strap in - I’m about to open some fucking windows.” It’s the kind of line that gets audiences in seats, putting Snakes on a Plane at #1 for the weekend with $13.8 million from 3,555 theaters (just edging out Ricky Bobby in his third week). The buzz was short-lived, though, as Snakes only earned $34 million over its run.

Also new this weekend: Justin Long’s college comedy Accepted (#5, $10.0 million), Hilary Duff’s comedy Material Girls (#9, $4.6 million), and Neil Burger’s period drama with Edward Norton and Jessica Biel, The Illusionist (limited release). The Illusionist was later nominated for an Oscar in cinematography.

Invincible - August 25, 2006
Mark Wahlberg stars as Vince Papale, the real life working class Philadelphia guy who walked on for Eagles tryouts and became a local hero in their 1976 season. Greg Kinnear co-stars as coach Dick Vermeil. It’s hard to beat Rudy, but this is a solid football film. Invincible opened at #1 with $17.0 million from 2,917 sites and went on to gross $57 million. Also new this weekend: the Broken Lizard comedy Beerfest (#4, $7 million), Andre Benjamin’s musical drama Idlewild (#9, $5.7 million), and the kids comedy How to Eat Fried Worms (#11, $4.0 million).

Heading into Labor Day weekend, Jason Statham’s non-stop action flick Crank opened at #2 with $10 million from 2,515 theaters and went on to gross $27.8 million (well above its budget). Others: Neil LaBute’s remake of The Wicker Man (starring Nicolas Cage in one of his least impressive roles, running around in a bear suit punching witches and overreacting to bees - #3, $9.6 million), Anthony Mackie’s basketball drama Crossover (#12, $3.7 million), and Mike Judge’s future comedy Idiocracy (limited release).

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