John Hughes: 1950 - 2009

TMZ broke the news of Michael Jackson's death, so there's no reason to not believe them this time. Unfortunately. The website has reported that John Hughes, the writer-director best known for a string of comedies from the 1980s, passed away following a heart attack this morning. Hughes was apparently walking around New York City with his family when he suffered the fatal heart attack. He has 59. Hughes was an advertising copywriter who transitioned first to becoming a screenwriter then a double threat as a writer-director. He first found work in Hollywood writing for the Animal House TV spin-off, Delta House. But his first big break was probably National Lampoon's Vacation, based on an article he had written some years earlier in the National Lampoon magazine. From there, a host of memorable teen comedies followed - Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Pretty in Pink, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off were all released between 1984 and 1986. He didn't direct Pink, but made up for it in 1987 with Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, which has become one of the signature American holiday movies. He last directed a film in 1991 (Curly Sue), but he continued to write, often under his pseudonym Edmond Dantes, until last year.

Comments

[Bob]

My friend had a great take:

Name the 5 best John Hughes films (either as writer or director) and you will invariably miss at least 5 more that should be on that list.

It’s just too many to narrow down

For me, just based on their impact on my life growing up:

1. Weird Science
2. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
3.Sixteen Candles
4.Vacation
5.Christmas Vacation (if only for the Cousin Eddie lines)

Of course, then I miss Planes Trains and Automobiles and The Breakfast Club, not to mention The Great Outdoors. The man was prolific.

I’m having a mini-John Hughes film fest this weekend.