Pop Culture Retrospective Podcast #48 - John Hughes and his memorable teen movies of the 1980s

Episode #48 - John Hudges & his memorable teen movies of the 1980s 

2009 was a pretty memorable year.  For starters, US Airways Flight 1549 made an emergency landing on the Hudson river.  All 155 passengers on board were safely rescued.  Barack Obama became the first African American President of the United States.  Michael Jackson passed away.  His funeral would be viewed by over 2 billion people worldwide.  And finally, filmmaker and writer/director John Hughes died of a heart attack while out on a walk.  He was in New York at the time visiting with family.  He was only 59 years old.  

The following is an excerpt from an article in the LA times that ran after his passing.  It said quote:  “In a 1985 interview with Chicago Tribune movie critic Gene Siskel, Hughes said that many filmmakers “portray teenagers as immoral and ignorant with pursuits that are pretty base. They seem to think that teenagers aren’t very bright. But I haven’t found that to be the case. I listen to kids. I respect them. I don’t discount anything they have to say just because they’re only 16 years old.” Although Hughes’ films often played teenagers as both high drama and farce, his characters were emotionally honest and instantly recognizable to audiences.The young people in his movies were usually painfully self-aware, often sounding more like adults when discussing their social status and the hierarchies of high school, and his unique take on adolescence influenced a generation of writers and directors.”

Hughes had an incredible run of successful movies, ones that he often wrote the screenplay for or directed.  Some of these titles included:  Mr. Mom, National Lampoon’s Vacation, Pretty in Pink, Some Kind of Wonderful, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Planes, Trains and Automobiles and Home Alone, to name just a few.  On today’s show we will take a detailed look at a few of Hughe’s most well known films, those aimed at teenagers and young adults.  I will be highlighting a few that my sister and I watched growing up including:  The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles and Ferris Bueller’s day off.  This episode's topic was suggested by a friend and listener, Molly.  Since my sister and I stayed up many nights watching these movies, the suggestion was a perfect fit, so thank you for your submission! So grab your trapper keeper, your lace, fingerless gloves and some excessive costume jewelry, here we go.  

Hello and thank you so very much for tuning in to the Pop Culture Retrospective Podcast, a show inspired by, and in memory of, my big sister Rebecca and her love for all things pop-culture, especially the people, places and things of the 80s, 90s and early 00s.  My name is Amy Lewis and I am your captain aboard this pop culture time machine. You are tuning in to episode # 48 - John Hughes and some of his popular 1980s movies aimed at teenagers.  This episode has been put together for those listeners who have likely already seen these movies and are interested in learning more about them.  If you haven’t seen these movies you may want to hold off as there will be spoilers.  Before we get to the film overviews and behind the scenes details, let’s briefly discuss John Hughes, shall we?  Hughes was born in Lansing, MI on February 18, 1950. His father was a salesman in the Detroit area which is well-known for its association with automobile production.  His mother volunteered for a number of charity organizations.  He had 3 sisters and no brothers.  He apparently had a strained relationship with his parents as they were reportedly very critical of him.  He spent a lot of time alone as a kid and teeanger, and often found solace in movies.  It was sort of an escape for him. 

Eventually his family moved to the Chicago suburbs and if you look carefully, you’ll notice that many of his films are set in Chicago suburbs. After high school, Hughes enrolled in college at the University of Arizona but eventually dropped out.  He began his writing career by crafting jokes for the likes of Rodney Dangerfield and Joan Rivers.  Eventually he started writing screenplays for movies like National Lampoon’s vacation and Mr. Mom.  Both of these films would go on to be hits.  His directorial debut came with the production and subsequent release of Sixteen Candles in 1984.  

The main character’s name in 16 Candles is Samantha and she is played by Molly Ringwald.  It is Sam’s 16th birthday and her parents have forgotten her birthday. They seem too distracted by Sam’s older sister getting married and the arrival of Sam’s annoying and unfiltered grandparents.  Further, she has a crush on the most popular boy in school named Jake and likewise the school’s biggest nerd has a crush on her.  She often stares at Jake and feels like he will never notice her.  Or will he? After a crazy day filled with annoying classmates, a school dance and a wild party, Jake breaks up with his girlfriend and surprises Sam with a birthday cake, complete with 16 candles on it.  I think every teenage girl at the time wanted someone like Jake to be their boyfriend.  Sam’s parents also apologize to her for forgetting her birthday.  

As discussed, Molly Ringwald played the role of lead character Sam Baker, but Ally Sheedy almost got the role of Sam.  Ringwald and Sheedy would go on to star in the breakfast club together which we will discuss in a bit.  Anthony Michael Hall plays the role of “Geek” in the film.  Jim Carrey had also auditioned for this role.  Both Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall were 16 at the time the movie was made.  Justin Henry played the role of Mike Baker, Sam’s annoying little brother.  He rose to fame when he starred in Kramer vs. Kramer in 1979, a role he secured without any acting experience.  Michael Schoeffling played the role of Jake.  Blanche Baker plays the role of Ginny, Sam’s older sister.  Sam’s parents are played by Paul Dooley who you may remember from one of my favorite movies of all time, Breaking Away and Carlin Glynn played Brenda Baker.  Glynn is the mother of famed actress Mary Stuart Masterson who would later star in another John Hughes classic, Some Kind of Wonderful.  

The movie was a moderate success in the box office, but really made it big when it was released on VHS.  

Hughes was hoping that Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall would star in the future films Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Some Kind of Wonderful, but they didn’t want to keep being in love triangle movies or as Hall put it - “redundant characters” so they didn’t commit to these films.  That decision really put a rift between the two actors and Hughes, their once close relationship would never be the same again.  

Despite it’s cult following, some later criticism has plagued the film.  It has been criticized for its portrayal of Asian Americans, in particular the character of Long Duk Dong who has been touted as being the most stereotyped Asian character to ever be in a movie.  Many Asian Americans said after the film came out, they were poked fun at and referred to as Long Duk Dong.  The film has also been criticized for some of it’s sexual implications, ones that would likely not occur in films today.     

Following the film, Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall have continued to act which we will touch on momentarily.   Justin Henry has gone on to star in TV shows like ER and Brothers and Sisters, and the film Lost.  Michael Schoeffling would continue to act for just a few years following the film’s release in movies like “Mermaids” and “Wild Hearts Can’t be Broken.”  He apparently stepped away from acting and rumor has it he owns a furniture making company.  Paul Dooley, who is almost 94 years old at this point, continues to act in shows like Modern Family, Shameless and he provided the voice for Sarge in Cars 3.  Carlin Glynn has retired from acting, her most recent acting credit was an episode of Law and Order.  

In 1985, a film called the Breakfast Club was released, it was written and directed by John Hughes. ** He wrote the movie in about 2 days.  I believe this movie and Ferris Bueller’s Day off, which we will discuss later, are two of my Dad's all time favorite movies.  The entirety of the movie is set inside of a high school and focuses on the interactions of 5 students who find themselves with a saturday detention.  In addition to struggling with each other throughout the day, they also struggle with their Principal who apparently seems to hate teeangers.  This set of students sort of ebb and flow through the stages of group development which you likely learned about in your college psychology course - forming,  norming, storming, performing, and adjourning.  At first the group really sort of despises each other but as the movie progresses and the kids let their guards down, they find out they have a lot more in common than they had first realized. The group is grappling with acceptance, fitting into cliques and expectations. A lot of their common ground revolves around challenges with their parents - whether that be physical abuse, wanting to escape or having too much pressure put on them.  By the end of the film, romance is budding between a few of the students and they write a poignant essay to their Principal about who they are, per his request for a 1000 word essay from each of them.  And they, in fact, are the Breakfast Club.  

Molly Ringwald played the “Princess” Claire Standish, a well to-do student who dresses in Ralph Lauren and eats Sushi.  Anthony Michael Hall played “the brain” Brian Johnson who is on the nerdy side and a bit socially awkward.  Ally Sheedy played “The Basket Case” Allison Reynolds.  Allison’s character is a bit withdrawn and quiet, she is an observer and sort of an outcast.  Emilio Estevez played “The Athlete” Andrew Clark who is a wrestler.  And finally, Judd Nelson played John Bender, “the Criminal” who tries to push everyone’s buttons and often butts heads with the Principal.  

Originally the role of John Bender was going to go to John Cusack but Hughes felt he wasn’t threatening enough.  Hughes sort of regretted casting Judd Nelson though because he stayed in character a lot during filming.  He apparently was sort of a bully to Molly Ringwald and even went so far as to go to a laundromat in character and irritate the patrons.  Also, Emelio Estevez was originally going to play John Bender.  However, they couldn’t find the right actor to play Andrew so he agreed to it. Further, Robin Wright auditioned for Claire in the movie and Jodie Foster was also considered for that same role.  Also, Brook Shields was considered for the role of Allison.

The movie was filmed at Maine North High School which is in Des Plaines, IL.  The school had closed a few years earlier when the population of the town decreased.  Most of the film is set in the school’s library.  

The actual library at Maine North was deemed too small so they built a library set in the gymnasium.  The movie poster and VHS/DVD cover is an infamous photo taken by none other than famed photographer Annie Leibovitz.  

In one memorable scene, Sheedy’s character Allison, scratches her head to add some “snow like material” aka dandruff to her drawing.  It was actually parmesan cheese.

During filming, Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall dated for about a year. 

The Breakfast Club had an impressive soundtrack that included the song Don’t You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds.  The band didn’t really want to record the song but thankfully they did.  Recording took about 3 hours and the song eventually reached #1 in the United States. 

The film’s budget was about 1 million dollars and it grossed about 51 million dollars worldwide.  Although this movie is 35 years old and technology and fashions have changed, I think any young person who sees this movie can likely relate to one of the characters.  It really is a timeless movie.  

Since the movie’s release, the main actors have continued to have success both on the big and small screens.  Anthony Michael Hall - has starred in TV series like The Dead Zone and the Goldbergs.  Ally Sheedy has acted in TV series like Psych and CSI.  She also played one of the lead characters in the moving Film “High Art” where she plays a photographer who is struggling with drug addiction.  This is an older movie at this point but her acting in the film and her portrayal of this character is astonishing.  Emilio Estevez would go on to have a successful movie and tv career by starring in movies like Mighty Ducks, Young Guns and Men at Work.  Judd Nelson has also enjoyed success with roles in shows like Empire, Suddenly Susan and the Transformers TV series.  

Pretty in Pink arrived in theaters in 1986. ***  It tells the story of a girl named Andie, played by, you guessed it, Molly Ringwald, who lives with her single father Jack, played by Henry Dean Stanton.  Her family doesn’t have much money but she designs and creates her own clothing.  She typically hangs out with her friends Iona (played by Annie Potts) and Duckie, played by John Cryer.  Duckie has had a crush on Andie for a long time but sadly she does not reciprocate.  Duckie’s feelings and jealousy intensify when Andie falls for a rich boy at her school named Blaine.  Blaine’s best friend is another wealthy (but a total jerk) named Steff.  Steff is played brilliantly by James Spader.  Blaine takes a liking to Andie, they go out a few times and clearly they have chemistry, but he struggles with being judged by his friends by hanging out with a girl who is poor and from the wrong side of the tracks.  The film concludes at the prom - the all important rite of passage in high school.  Andie made her own dress of course, which apparently Molly Ringwald hated wearing.  Will Andie and Blaine get back together or will Blaine give in to the judgment.  It’s up to you to find out! 

Pretty in Pink was filmed at the same high school as Grease, which was released just a few years earlier.  James Spade was actually offered the role of Blaine but he decided he wanted to play Steff because he thought playing a villain would be fun.  Anthony Michael Hall turned down the role of Duckie, he didn’t want to play a similar character from the one in 16 Candles.  Lori Loughlin, Brooke Shields and Sarah Jessica Parker were all considered for the role of Andie. 

Jennifer “what a feelin’ Beals was also suggested for the role. Comedian Tracey Ullman was considered for the role of Iona but her accent was apparently too thick at the time.  

Allegedly the origin for this movie came from Molly Ringwald asking John Hughes to write a movie based off a song by the Psychedelic Furs which was appropriately titled, Pretty in Pink.  

Molly Ringwald has continued to act following her string of film hits in the 1980s.  She has starred in TV series like Riverdale, Raising Expectations, the Secret Life of the American Teenager and Doc McStuffins.  Jon Cryer who does an outstanding job in his role as Ducky, can’t imagine the role being AMH.  He has starred on TV shows like Hannah Montana and Two and Half Men.  Annie Potts starred in Designing Women following Pretty in Pink. She is also the voice of Bo-Peep in several of the Toy Story movies and more recently in Young Sheldon. Heartthrob Andrew McCarthy would go on to star in Mannequin, a movie that me and my sister loved and just epitomizes bad 80s movies, Weekend at Bernies, another horrible 80s movie and the recent television series “Good girls.”  James Spader has had many long term roles in shows like The Practice, Boston Legal and the Blacklist.  

In less than a week, John Hughes wrote the script for Ferris Bueller’s Day off ***.  Released in 1986, the film was looked at as sort of Hughes' love letter to the city of Chicago.  If you remember back to the introductory episode of the PCRP you’ll know that I referenced that in regards to my show being a love letter to my sister.  And that’s what it always has been and always will be.  Ferris Bueller’s day off is a story about a high school student named, well, Ferris Bueller who plans a pretty extensive scheme to get the day off from school. Bueller is played by Matthew Broderick who again, was cast perfectly.  Ferris convinces his parents, much to his sister’s Jeanie’s, played by Jennifer Grey, dismay, that he is sick and describes his process when he said quote:

The key to faking out the parents is the clammy hands. It's a good non-specific symptom; I'm a big believer in it. A lot of people will tell you that a good phony fever is a dead lock, but, uh... you get a nervous mother, you could wind up in a doctor's office. That's worse than school. You fake a stomach cramp, and when you're bent over, moaning and wailing, you lick your palms. It's a little childish and stupid, but then, so is high school.

After his parents leave for work, Ferris convinces his best friend, Cameron, played by Alan Ruck, to join him for his day off.  He also gets Cameron to prank call their school to dismiss his girlfriend, Sloane, played by Mia Sara.  Ferris is also able to get Cameron to borrow his stepdad's Ferrari which they drive to downtown Chicago where their adventure and shenanigans begin.  The trio ends up going to the Art Institute of Chicago which is a beautiful scene by the way, a Chicago cub’s game, a fancy restaurant and Ferris ends up on a float in a parade, and they are all home in time for dinner.  It’s a very fun and light-hearted movie, I highly recommend it.  

Cindy Pickett and Lyman Ward played Ferris’ parents in the movie.  They ended up together in real life for a time, they got married and had 2 children I believe before getting divorced in 1992.  In addition to this behind the scenes romance, Matthew Broderick and Jennifer Gray dated as well and they were once engaged.  I’m not sure what ultimately led to their break up, but it may have had something to do with a terrible accident they were in while visiting Ireland.  Their car crashed into another one, killing a mother and her daughter.  

The role of Cameron was originally offered to Emilio Estevez who turned it down.It was also offered to Anthony Michael Hall who we discussed earlier, who also turned it down.  Alan Ruck has said that he has been forever grateful to Estevez for passing on this role of a lifetime. 

Other actors were also in consideration for the role of Ferris Bueller including Michael J. Fox, Jim Carrey (his name just keeps popping up!), Tom Cruise and others. John Candy, the beloved comedian also auditioned for the role of Cameron, but he was turned down as producers felt he was too old for the role, he was in his mid 30s at the time. Alan Ruck coincidentally was in his late 20s when FBDO came out. 

John Hughes incorporated the art institute into the movie because he used to go there all of the time, roaming the exhibits as a means of escape.  

Charlie Scheen has a brief role in the film, playing a young man caught with drugs and taken to the police station where Jeanie also is.  Apparently he stayed up for 48 hours straight to look a bit strung out, if you will right before his scene was filmed.

Ben Stein plays a monotone history teacher who famously called out Ferris’s name in class while taking attendance.  When he said Ferris Bueller and there was no response, he repeated “Bueller, Bueller” a few times.  Stein actually has a degree in economics so when he is giving his lecture, it was all ad libbed.  Hughes told Stein to just present a lesson about economics and he ran with it.  Brilliant performance.

During the parade scene there are a bunch of construction workers and other city workers dancing to the music that is being played.  These were not actors or extras, they just happened to be in the area when the scene was filmed.  Hughes liked their dancing and energy so they filmed them dancing and included it in the movie.      

Matthew Broderick would go on to star in movies like the Cable Guy, Inspector Gadget and voiced Simba in the Lion King movies.  He has also appeared on Broadway.  He married actress Sarah Jessica Parker in 1997, they have 3 children together.  

Alan Ruck has also continued to act, in shows like Star Trek Generations and is probably best known for his role in Spin City which he starred in for 6 seasons.  He too has also appeared on Broadway.  

Mia Sara who played Sloane, decided to shift from acting to writing having her work showcased in several publications over the years like Superstition Review and the Write Room.  She is married to Brian Henson, son of genius Jim Henson.  At one point she was married to Jason Connery son of Sean Connery.  She has 2 children.

Jennifer Grey would go on to star as Baby Houseman in Dirty Dancing and voiced several characters in the animated TV show Phineas and Ferb.  She has also appeared on Dancing with the Stars.  She has 1 daughter that she shared with ex husband Clark Gregg. 

There have been discussions over the years about having a sequel to this infamous movie but Matthew Broderick has said that the original movie is sort of frozen in time and should stay there so we can revisit it.  

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off has many memorable quotes, but the one that I think most people can relate to is:  “Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”  I couldn’t agree more.   

I hope you have enjoyed this look back at 4 of John Hughes most memorable movies from the 1980s. His list of hit films is quite extensive and to get through them all would have taken several episodes.  The films we touched on today were a big part of me and my sister’s lives growing up and perhaps they were for you, too.  

And of course, some of what was depicted in these movies from decades ago would not fly today and that’s completely understandable.  However, there are a lot of themes from each of these movies that are timeless.  For many of us, we spent our adolescence feeling self-conscious, afraid of what was next, afraid of not fitting in, having feelings for someone that didn’t feel the same way and overall just feeling lost.  Hughes gave us characters that we could actually relate to. I think that’s why we go back and watch these classic films as adults, because we still have a little bit of Andie, Allison and Duckie in us even though we no longer roam the halls of our respective high schools.

If you are enjoying the PCRP please rate the show on iTunes or your favorite podcast app.  Please tell your family and friends about the show. 

I hope you will join me for my next show where we will be taking a look back at the GOAT himself, Michael Jordan.  His career, his life outside the spotlight and his role in a movie starring Warner Brothers Characters.  Until then, BK, BS and HOTYM.