Tip: Try these movie and music hits from the '70s

In the 1970s, July may have been just as hot, but you were part of a cooler demographic. If your No. 1 spare-time plan for the rest of the month is staying on your couch, here are some viewing and listening ideas that will take you back as you recline. They are culled from "Book of Days, '70s: A Day-by-Day Look at the Pop Culture Moments That Made History."

Looking for a good summer movie? "Death Wish," the Charles Bronson revenge flick, was released July 24, 1974. If frat-boy humor is more your thing, try "Animal House." The iconic comedy hit theaters July 28, 1978.

As for tunes, it was exactly 40 years ago this week when "Close to You" by the Carpenters hit No. 1. Other late-July No. 1 hits worth a 2010 listen are James Taylor's "You've Got a Friend" (1971) and Jim Croce's "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" (1973).