Jump to content

John Hughes (filmmaker): Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
completed info box
Rescuing 1 sources and tagging 0 as dead. #IABot (v1.3beta8)
Line 339: Line 339:
''[[Don't You Forget About Me (film)|Don't You Forget About Me]]'' is a documentary about four Canadian filmmakers who go in search of Hughes after his drop out of the spotlight in 1994, featuring interviews with actors from preceding Hughes films, notably missing Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, and Matthew Broderick. The film is distributed by Alliance Films.<ref>
''[[Don't You Forget About Me (film)|Don't You Forget About Me]]'' is a documentary about four Canadian filmmakers who go in search of Hughes after his drop out of the spotlight in 1994, featuring interviews with actors from preceding Hughes films, notably missing Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, and Matthew Broderick. The film is distributed by Alliance Films.<ref>
{{cite news
{{cite news
|title=Hughes Doc Finds Distributor
|title=Hughes Doc Finds Distributor
|date=August 11, 2009
|date=August 11, 2009
|accessdate=August 11, 2009
|accessdate=August 11, 2009
|publisher=The Film Stage
|publisher=The Film Stage
|url=http://thefilmstage.com/2009/08/11/hughes-doc-finds-distributor/}}</ref> The movie is named after the [[Simple Minds]] [[Don't You (Forget About Me)|song of the same name]], which was the theme song for the film ''[[The Breakfast Club]]'' which Hughes produced, wrote, and directed.
|url=http://thefilmstage.com/2009/08/11/hughes-doc-finds-distributor/
|deadurl=yes
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090813122541/http://thefilmstage.com/2009/08/11/hughes-doc-finds-distributor/
|archivedate=August 13, 2009
|df=
}}</ref> The movie is named after the [[Simple Minds]] [[Don't You (Forget About Me)|song of the same name]], which was the theme song for the film ''[[The Breakfast Club]]'' which Hughes produced, wrote, and directed.


''Don't You Forget About Me'' is also the name of an anthology of contemporary writers writing about the films of John Hughes, edited by [[Jaime Clarke]], with a foreword by [[Ally Sheedy]], published by Simon Spotlight Entertainment. Writers include [[Steve Almond]], Julianna Baggott, Lisa Borders<!-- DO NOT LINK TO THE ARTICLE "LISA BORDERS" AS THAT IS A DIFFERENT PERSON -->, Ryan Boudinot, [[T Cooper]], Quinn Dalton, Emily Franklin, [[Lisa Gabriele]], [[Tod Goldberg]], Nina de Gramont, [[Tara Ison]], [[Allison Lynn]], John McNally, Dan Pope, [[Lewis Robinson]], Ben Schrank, [[Elizabeth Searle]], Mary Sullivan, [[Rebecca Wolff]], and [[Moon Unit Zappa]].
''Don't You Forget About Me'' is also the name of an anthology of contemporary writers writing about the films of John Hughes, edited by [[Jaime Clarke]], with a foreword by [[Ally Sheedy]], published by Simon Spotlight Entertainment. Writers include [[Steve Almond]], Julianna Baggott, Lisa Borders<!-- DO NOT LINK TO THE ARTICLE "LISA BORDERS" AS THAT IS A DIFFERENT PERSON -->, Ryan Boudinot, [[T Cooper]], Quinn Dalton, Emily Franklin, [[Lisa Gabriele]], [[Tod Goldberg]], Nina de Gramont, [[Tara Ison]], [[Allison Lynn]], John McNally, Dan Pope, [[Lewis Robinson]], Ben Schrank, [[Elizabeth Searle]], Mary Sullivan, [[Rebecca Wolff]], and [[Moon Unit Zappa]].

Revision as of 01:58, 25 April 2017

John Hughes
File:JohnHughes.jpg
Born
John Wilden Hughes, Jr.

(1950-02-18)February 18, 1950
Lansing, Michigan, United States
DiedAugust 6, 2009(2009-08-06) (aged 59)
New York City, New York, United States
Cause of deathHeart attack
Resting placeLake Forest Cemetery
NationalityAmerican
Other namesEdmond Dantes
Alma materUniversity of Arizona
(dropped out)
Occupation(s)Director, producer, writer
Years active1970–2009
Spouse
Nancy Ludwig
​
(m. 1970⁠–⁠2009)​
[1]
ChildrenJohn III and James[1]

John Wilden Hughes, Jr.[2] (February 18, 1950 – August 6, 2009) was an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He directed and/or scripted some of the most successful comedy films of the 1980s and early 1990s including the comedy National Lampoon's Vacation (1983), the coming-of-age comedy Sixteen Candles (1984), the teen sci-fi comedy Weird Science (1985), the coming-of-age comedy-drama The Breakfast Club (1985), the coming-of-age comedy Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), the romantic comedy-drama Pretty in Pink (1986), the romance Some Kind of Wonderful (1987), the comedies Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) and Uncle Buck (1989), the Christmas family comedy Home Alone (1990) and its sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992).

Hughes was known for his work on teen movies and for helping launch the careers of numerous actors including Michael Keaton, Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Bill Paxton, Matthew Broderick, Macaulay Culkin, and the Brat Pack group.

Early life

Hughes was born in Lansing, Michigan, to a mother who volunteered in charity work and John Hughes, Sr., who worked in sales.[3] He spent the first twelve years of his life in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.[1] Hughes described himself as "kind of quiet" as a kid.[4]

"I grew up in a neighborhood that was mostly girls and old people. There weren't any boys my age, so I spent a lot of time by myself, imagining things. And every time we would get established somewhere, we would move. Life just started to get good in seventh grade, and then we moved to Chicago. I ended up in a really big high school, and I didn't know anybody. But then The Beatles came along (and) changed my whole life. And then Bob Dylan's Bringing It All Back Home came out and really changed me. Thursday I was one person, and Friday I was another. My heroes were Dylan, John Lennon and Picasso, because they each moved their particular medium forward, and when they got to the point where they were comfortable, they always moved on."

In 1963, Hughes's family moved to Northbrook, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, which changed its name from Shermerville in 1923. This is where Hughes's father found work selling roofing materials.[1] There Hughes attended Glenbrook North High School, which gave him inspiration for the films that made his reputation in later years.[5]

Career

After dropping out of the University of Arizona,[6][7] Hughes began selling jokes to well-established performers such as Rodney Dangerfield and Joan Rivers.[8] Hughes used his jokes to get an entry-level job at Needham, Harper & Steers as an advertising copywriter in Chicago in 1970[9] and later in 1974 at Leo Burnett Worldwide. During this time, he created what became the famous Edge "Credit Card Shaving Test" ad campaign.

Hughes' work on the Virginia Slims account frequently took him to the Philip Morris headquarters in New York City. This gave him the opportunity to hang around the offices of the National Lampoon magazine.[1] Hughes subsequently penned a story, inspired by his family trips as a child, that was to become his calling card and entry onto the staff of the magazine.[8] That piece, "Vacation '58", later became the basis for the film National Lampoon's Vacation. Among his other contributions to the Lampoon, the April Fools' Day stories "My Penis" and "My Vagina" gave an early indication of Hughes's ear for the particular rhythm of teen speak, as well as the various indignities of teen life in general.

His first credited screenplay, Class Reunion, was written while still on staff at the magazine. The resulting film became the second disastrous attempt by the flagship to duplicate the runaway success of Animal House. It was Hughes's next screenplay for the imprint, National Lampoon's Vacation (1983), that would prove to be a major hit, putting the Lampoon back on the map. That film's success, along with the success of another of Hughes' scripts, Mr. Mom, earned Hughes a three-movie deal with Universal Studios.[10]

Hughes's directorial debut, Sixteen Candles, won almost unanimous praise when it was released in 1984, due in no small part to its more honest depiction of upper middle class high school life, in stark contrast to the Porky's-inspired comedies made at the time. It was the first in a string of efforts set in or around high school, including The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Weird Science, Ferris Bueller's Day Off (see also Brat Pack) and Some Kind of Wonderful.

To avoid being pigeonholed as a maker of teen comedies, Hughes branched out in 1987, directing the smash hit Planes, Trains and Automobiles starring Steve Martin and John Candy. His later output would not be so critically well received, though films like Uncle Buck proved popular. Hughes's greatest commercial success came with Home Alone, a film he wrote and produced about a child accidentally left behind when his family goes away for Christmas, forcing him to protect himself and his house from a pair of inept burglars. Home Alone was the top-grossing film of 1990, and remains the most successful live-action comedy of all time. His last film as a director was 1991's Curly Sue.

He also wrote screenplays under the pseudonym Edmond Dantes (or Dantès), after the protagonist of Alexandre Dumas's novel The Count of Monte Cristo. Screenplays submitted under this pseudonym were Maid in Manhattan, Drillbit Taylor, and the Beethoven franchise.[8][11]

In 1994, Hughes retired from the public eye and moved back to the Chicago area. Hughes was considerably shaken by John Candy's sudden death of a heart attack that same year. "He talked a lot about how much he loved Candy—if Candy had lived longer, I think John would have made more films as a director," says Vince Vaughn, a friend of Hughes.[1] In the years following, Hughes rarely granted interviews to the media save a select few in 1999 to promote the soundtrack album to Reach the Rock, an independent film he wrote.[12] The album was compiled by Hughes's son, John Hughes III, and released on his son's Chicago-based record label, Hefty Records.[13] He also recorded an audio commentary for the 1999 DVD release of Ferris Bueller's Day Off.[14]

Death

On the morning of August 6, 2009, Hughes suffered a severe heart attack while walking on West 55th Street in Manhattan. He was rushed to Roosevelt Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. He was 59 years old.[15] Hughes's funeral took place on August 11 in Chicago.[16] In addition to his wife Nancy and two sons, Hughes was survived by four grandchildren, his three sisters and his mother and father.[2] He was buried at Lake Forest Cemetery in Illinois.[17]

Legacy

The pilot episode of the NBC comedy Community, broadcast on September 17, 2009, was dedicated to Hughes.[18] The episode included several references to The Breakfast Club and ended with a cover of "Don't You (Forget About Me)".[19] The One Tree Hill episode titled "Don't You Forget About Me", broadcast on February 1, 2010, ended with a scene similar to the ending scene of Sixteen Candles and included some other references to his movies such as Home Alone. The 2011 Bob's Burgers episode "Sheesh! Cab, Bob?" also paid homage to Sixteen Candles.

After Hughes' death, many of those who knew him commented on the impact Hughes had on them and on the film industry. Judd Apatow said "Basically, my stuff is just John Hughes films with four-letter words. I feel like a part of my childhood has died. Nobody made me laugh harder or more often than John Hughes."[8] Molly Ringwald said, "I was stunned and incredibly sad to hear about the death of John Hughes. He was and will always be such an important part of my life.... He will be missed – by me and by everyone that he has touched. My heart and all my thoughts are with his family now."[20] Matthew Broderick also released his own statement, saying, "I am truly shocked and saddened by the news about my old friend John Hughes. He was a wonderful, very talented guy and my heart goes out to his family."[20]

The 82nd Academy Awards (2010) included a tribute to Hughes' work. A retrospective of clips from Hughes' films was followed by cast members from several of them, including Molly Ringwald, Matthew Broderick, Macaulay Culkin, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Anthony Michael Hall and Jon Cryer,[21] gathering on stage to commemorate the man and his contributions to the film industry.[22]

Movies with scenes taking place in fictional high schools named after Hughes include: the 2001 satire Not Another Teen Movie, the 2010–2013 Disney Channel sitcom Shake It Up, and the 2016 Hallmark movie Date With Love.

Hughes' work has also influenced a new generation of millennial filmmakers,[23] including M. H. Murray of Teenagers fame, who has cited Hughes as one of his main influences in interviews,[24][25] once stating: “I loved how John Hughes wrote teens ... They were flawed in this genuine sort of way.”[26] Kelly Fremon Craig, who wrote and directed The Edge of Seventeen, also cited Hughes as an influence.[27][28]

Filmography

Year Title Director (Executive)
Producer 		Writer Note
1979 Delta House (TV show)
☒N
1982 National Lampoon's Class Reunion
☒N
1983 At Ease (TV show)
☒N
Mr. Mom
☒N
National Lampoon's Vacation
☒N
Nate and Hayes
☒N
1984 Sixteen Candles
☒N
☒N
1985 The Breakfast Club
☒N
☒N
☒N
European Vacation
☒N
Weird Science
☒N
☒N
1986 Pretty in Pink
☒N
☒N
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
☒N
☒N
☒N
1987 Some Kind of Wonderful
☒N
☒N
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
☒N
☒N
☒N
1988 She's Having a Baby
☒N
☒N
☒N
The Great Outdoors
☒N
☒N
1989 Uncle Buck
☒N
☒N
☒N
Christmas Vacation
☒N
☒N
1990 Home Alone
☒N
☒N
1991 Career Opportunities
☒N
☒N
Only the Lonely
☒N
Dutch
☒N
Curly Sue
☒N
☒N
☒N
1992 Beethoven
☒N
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
☒N
☒N
1993 Dennis the Menace
☒N
☒N
1994 Baby's Day Out
☒N
☒N
Miracle on 34th Street
☒N
☒N
1996 101 Dalmatians
☒N
☒N
1997 Flubber
☒N
☒N
Home Alone 3
☒N
☒N
1998 Reach the Rock
☒N
☒N
2001 Just Visiting
☒N
New Port South
☒N
2002 Maid in Manhattan
☒N
2008 Drillbit Taylor
☒N
2015 Vacation
☒N
 Based on characters created by Hughes

Unproduced screenplays

  • Jaws 3: People 0 – a parody sequel to the popular series.[29] 1979
  • The History of Ohio From The Beginning of Time to the End of the Universe a.k.a. National Lampoon's Dacron, Ohio (with P. J. O'Rourke)[30] 1980
  • The Joy of Sex: A Dirty Love Story (some drafts with Dan Greenburg)[31] 1982
  • Debs – a satire on Texas debutantes (Aaron Spelling Productions) 1983[32]
  • The New Kid 1986
  • Bartholomew Vs. Neff – a vehicle that would have starred Sylvester Stallone and John Candy as feuding neighbors.[33] 1991
  • Oil and Vinegar – A soon-to-be-married man and a hitchhiking girl end up talking about their lives during the length of the car ride.[34] 1987
  • Black Cat Bone: The Return of Huckleberry Finn[35] 1991
  • The Nanny[36] 1991
  • The Bugster[36] 1991
  • Ball 'n' Chain[36] 1991
  • Live-action Peanuts Movie – Warner Bros. Pictures acquired a film rights to make a live-action Charlie Brown movie, with Hughes production as writing. 1993
  • The Bee – a feature length Disney film.[37] 1994
  • Tickets – Teens wait overnight for free tickets to a farewell concert.[38] 1996
  • Grisbys Go Broke – a wealthy family loses their fortune, forcing them to move to the other side of the tracks during Christmas.[39] 2003

Don't You Forget About Me

Don't You Forget About Me is a documentary about four Canadian filmmakers who go in search of Hughes after his drop out of the spotlight in 1994, featuring interviews with actors from preceding Hughes films, notably missing Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, and Matthew Broderick. The film is distributed by Alliance Films.[40] The movie is named after the Simple Minds song of the same name, which was the theme song for the film The Breakfast Club which Hughes produced, wrote, and directed.

Don't You Forget About Me is also the name of an anthology of contemporary writers writing about the films of John Hughes, edited by Jaime Clarke, with a foreword by Ally Sheedy, published by Simon Spotlight Entertainment. Writers include Steve Almond, Julianna Baggott, Lisa Borders, Ryan Boudinot, T Cooper, Quinn Dalton, Emily Franklin, Lisa Gabriele, Tod Goldberg, Nina de Gramont, Tara Ison, Allison Lynn, John McNally, Dan Pope, Lewis Robinson, Ben Schrank, Elizabeth Searle, Mary Sullivan, Rebecca Wolff, and Moon Unit Zappa.

Books

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Kamp, David (March 2010). "Sweet Bard of Youth". Vanity Fair. Retrieved February 20, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Goodman, Dean (August 6, 2009). ""Brat Pack" Director John Hughes Dies of Heart Attack". Reuters. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  3. ^ "John Hughes Biography (1950–)". Filmreference.com.
  4. ^ "Molly Ringwald Interviews John Hughes". Seventeen Magazine. Spring 1986. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
  5. ^ Michael Joseph Gross (May 9, 2004). "When the Losers Ruled in Teenage Movies". The New York Times. p. 4. Retrieved July 21, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ "John Wilden Hughes, Jr". Biography.com. A&E Television Networks. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  7. ^ "John Hughes - Biography". Internet Movie Database. imdb.com, inc. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  8. ^ a b c d Saperstein, Pat (August 6, 2009). "Director John Hughes dies at 59". Variety.
  9. ^ McLellan, Dennis (August 7, 2009). "John Hughes dies at 59; writer-director of '80s teen films". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  10. ^ Brady, Celia (August 1990). "Big Baby". Spy: 66–77. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
  11. ^ "John Hughes". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved May 11, 2013.
  12. ^ Diaz, Julio (March 1999). "1999 interview with Hughes". Ink 19.
  13. ^ Goldstein, Patrick (March 24, 2008). "John Hughes's imprint remains. He's still revered in Hollywood, but whatever happened to the king of the teens?". Los Angeles Times.
  14. ^ "DVD details for Ferris Bueller's Day Off". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
  15. ^ "Tracking down the place where we lost John Hughes". movieline.com. August 13, 2009. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
  16. ^ Mark Caro (August 12, 2009). "John Hughes's low profile funeral is in keeping with his life". Los Angeles Times.
  17. ^ "John Hughes (1950 - 2009) - Find A Grave Memorial". www.findagrave.com. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  18. ^ "NBC's 'Community' dedicates its pilot to the late John Hughes". Tampa Bay Times.
  19. ^ "NBC web site for ''Community''". Nbc.com. July 18, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2011.[not specific enough to verify]
  20. ^ a b "Eighties Stars Speak About John Hughes". PerezHilton.com. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  21. ^ BuzzSugar (March 7, 2010). "Video Tribute to John Hughes at the 2010 Oscars". Popsugar.com. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  22. ^ "Oscars 2010: John Hughes Remembered at Academy Awards". Retrieved March 7, 2010.
  23. ^ "How 80's Filmmaker, John Hughes Changed the World | Talent Monthly Magazine". www.talentmonthly.com. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  24. ^ "Teenagers - The Canadian Skins - The Daily Spectacle". dailyspectacle.co.uk. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  25. ^ "Exclusive Interview with Teenagers Creator Mathew Murray". TalkNerdyWithUs. April 29, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  26. ^ News, Mississauga. "Mississauga director's web series a raw take on teenage life". www.mississauga.com. Retrieved November 4, 2016. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  27. ^ "Hailee Steinfeld Talks Making Coming-of-Age Film 'Edge of Seventeen' at TIFF". www.msn.com. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  28. ^ "Review: The Edge of Seventeen is a Modern Day Tribute to John Hughes". We Live Entertainment. September 25, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  29. ^ "More Than Meets the Mogwai: Jaws 3/People 0 – Script Review". Blogger.com. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
  30. ^ "National Lampoon's The History of Ohio from the Dawn of Time Until the End of the Universe a.k.a. National Lampoon's Dacron, OH (1980)". Prettyinpodcast.com. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  31. ^ "06 – NATIONAL LAMPOON'S THE JOY OF SEX (PART TWO 1981–1982)". Prettyinpodcast.com. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  32. ^ Honeycutt, Kirk (2015). John Hughes: A Life in Film. p. 41.
  33. ^ Carter, Bill (August 4, 1991). "Him Alone". New York Times. Retrieved March 3, 2009.
  34. ^ Sciretta, Peter (February 18, 2010). "Details About One of John Hughes Unproduced Screenplays". /Film. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
  35. ^ Evans, Bradford (July 12, 2012). "The Lost Projects of John Hughes". Splitsider. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  36. ^ a b c "20th Previews Foxy Lineup". Variety. February 10, 1991. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
  37. ^ Appelo, Tim (December 2, 1994). "John Hughes' View from the Top". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 3, 2009.
  38. ^ "Film Projects 1999–2002 (haven't heard anything since):". The John Hughes Files. Retrieved August 11, 2009.
  39. ^ "John Hughes to do "The Grisbeys"". Screenwriters' Utopia. Retrieved March 3, 2009.
  40. ^ "Hughes Doc Finds Distributor". The Film Stage. August 11, 2009. Archived from the original on August 13, 2009. Retrieved August 11, 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
Wikinews has related news:
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Hughes_(filmmaker)&oldid=777071440"