RIP John Hughes:  1950-2009

We’re taking a brief eco-break from promoting sustainable solutions to pay homage to the master of teenage angst, John Hughes, who died suddenly of a heart attack on August 6, 2009 at age 59.  Survived by Nancy, his wife of 39 years and his 2 sons, John and James, Hughes will be forever remembered for writing, directing and producing some of today’s classic films.

As a member of Generation X, I remember crushing on Michael Schoeffling’s Jake Ryan just like Molly Ringwald’s Samantha Baker did in Sixteen Candles.   And that was the just the beginning of his writing/directing/producing genius.  Hughes defined what it was like to be adolescent in the 80’s in all its awkward glory.  Please indulge me as I take a trip down memory lane with some of Hughes best work and some of my favorite clips:

Vacation (1983) – Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Randy Quaid, Anthony Michael Hall

Directed by Harold Ramis and a screenplay by Hughes, with Chevy Chase’s Clark Griswold taking his family on a hilarious road trip with his teenage kids to what ends up being a closed amusement park (insert scene stealer John Candy).

Classic clip:  Watch the YouTube video as Griswold eats the sandwich the dog peed on while trying to flirt with Christie Brinkley’s character.Please enter the url to a YouTube video.

Sixteen Candles (1984) – Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Michael Schoeffling, Gedde Watanabe

A forgotten birthday, a lovestruck girl, a geek, a hunky jock, plus a foreign exchange student, plenty of laughs and a John Cusack cameo, what more could you ask for?

Classic scene:  Sam can’t believe she gave her panties to a geek.  Check it out below:Please enter the url to a YouTube video.

The Breakfast Club (1985) – Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall

Labeled a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal, Hughes once again proves that looks can be deceiving and captures the struggles and identity crisis of a generation.

Notable fact:
When he first screened The Breakfast Club for Universal the studio executives hated it. “They said, ‘Kids won’t sit through it. There’s no action. There’s no party. There’s no nudity,’” Hughes later told Premiere magazine in 1999. “But they were missing the one really key element of teendom, and that is that it feels as good to feel bad as it does to feel good. At that age, I remember, many times, staring out the window and feeling sorry for myself. ‘The whole world is against me. Nobody understands me.’ It’s a lot of fun. One of the great wonders of that age is that your emotions are open and fresh and raw. That’s why I stuck around that genre for so long.”

With the final dialogue set to Don’t you (forget about me), Simple Minds finished it right.  Watch it on YouTube below Please enter the url to a YouTube video.

Pretty In Pink (1986) –Molly Ringwald, Andrew McCarthy, Jon Cryer, James Spader, Harry Dean Stanton, Annie Potts

Alas, the girl from the wrong side of the tracks love story with the rich preppie.  Combine it with a great soundtrack, James Spader as the rich jerk, sidekick and unrequited love victim Duckie, a great soundtrack, an over the top pink dress (which I didn’t love btw), and a brilliant Harry Dean Stanton as Andie’s Dad.

Classic Moment – Jon Cryer’s lovestruck Duckie lip synchs “Try A Little Tenderness” by Otis Redding before he gets his heart broken by Andie going on a date with Blane.  Watch it on YouTube below Please enter the url to a YouTube video.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) –Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jennifer Grey, Charlie Sheen, Jeffrey Jones

Matthew Broderick embodies teenage wise guy as John Hughes delivers the most adventurous way to cut classes and not get caught.

Memorable Quote – Ferris:  “Life moves pretty fast. You don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”Please enter the url to a YouTube video.

Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987) – Steve Martin.  John Candy.  Enough said.  It doesn’t get much funnier than this and I still watch it today and laugh like I did the first time I saw it.
Classic moment:  waking up after sharing the same bed in the motel, ‘those aren’t pillows’ – watch it on YouTube below
Please enter the url to a YouTube video.

Uncle Buck (1989) – John Candy, Amy Madigan, Jean Louisa Kelly, Macaulay Culkin

This gem is one of my favorite John Candy films.  It’s funny and heartwarming and anytime it’s replayed on TV, I tune in.
Classic Dialogue:  Uncle Buck getting grilled by his 6-year-old nephew (Macaulay Culkin), check out the YouTube video below Please enter the url to a YouTube video.

Yes, there were other beloved Hughes films like Weird Science, Some Kind of Wonderful (“you look good wearing my future”), Beethoven and many more.  Even as Hughes’ directing career diminished in the 1990s, his writing successes continued.  In 1990, he wrote a story about a boy who is accidentally left behind by his family – the result, the billion-dollar Home Alone franchise.

You can read some celebrity tributes to John Hughes here.

Hughes work symbolized the lives of many teenagers of the 80’s as well as future generations.  I will continue to watch his movies over and over and feel the déjà vu of that time in my life.  John, a part of my youth died with you, thanks for the great memories and valuable life lessons.