John Hughes (filmmaker)
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| John Hughes | |
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| Born | John Wilden Hughes, Jr. February 18, 1950 Lansing, Michigan, United States |
| Died | August 6, 2009 (aged 59) New York City, New York, United States |
| Occupation | Director, producer, writer |
| Years active | 1979–2008 |
| Spouse(s) | Nancy Ludwig (1970–2009) (his death) |
John Wilden Hughes, Jr.[1] (February 18, 1950 – August 6, 2009) was an American film director, producer and writer. He scripted some of the most successful films of the 1980s and 1990s, including National Lampoon's Vacation; Ferris Bueller's Day Off; Weird Science; The Breakfast Club; Some Kind of Wonderful; Sixteen Candles; Pretty in Pink; Planes, Trains and Automobiles; Uncle Buck; Home Alone and its sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
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[edit] Personal life
Hughes was born in Lansing, Michigan, to a mother who volunteered in charity work and John Hughes, Sr., who worked in sales.[2] A 1968 graduate of Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook, Illinois, Hughes used Northbrook and the adjacent North Shore area for shooting locations and settings in many of his films, though he usually left the name of the town unsaid, or referred to it as "Shermer, Illinois", Shermerville being the original name of Northbrook. In high school, he met Nancy Ludwig, to whom he was married from 1970 until his death. They had two sons, John Hughes III, born in 1976, and James Hughes, born in 1979.
[edit] Career
Hughes began his career as an advertising copywriter in Chicago in 1970 after dropping out of the University of Arizona.[3] During this time, he created what became the famous Edge "Credit Card Shaving Test" ad campaign.
His first attempt at comedy writing was selling jokes to well-established performers such as Rodney Dangerfield and Joan Rivers. This led him to pen a story, inspired by his family trips as a child, that was to become his calling card and entry onto the staff of the National Lampoon Magazine. That story, "Vacation '58", became the basis for the film Vacation. Subsequent stories such as the April Fool's Day classics "My Vagina" and "My Penis" gave an early indication of Hughes' 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' next screenplay for the imprint, National Lampoon's Vacation (1983), however, that would prove to be a major hit, putting the Lampoon back on the map.
His first directorial effort, Sixteen Candles, won almost unanimous praise when it was released in 1984, due in no small part to its more realistic depiction of middle-class high school life, which stood in stark contrast to the Porky's-inspired comedies being made at the time. It was also the first in a string of efforts set in or around high school, including The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Weird Science and Ferris Bueller's Day Off (See also Brat Pack).
To avoid being pigeonholed as a maker of teen comedies, Hughes branched out in 1987, directing Planes, Trains & Automobiles starring Steve Martin and John Candy. His later output would not be so critically well received, though films like Uncle Buck (one of the first films to display the changeover in a suburban teen's choice of music from rock to rap) 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 has been noted as an inspiration for many in the film industry, including Kevin Smith and Wes Anderson.[citation needed] He also wrote screenplays using his pseudonym, Edmond Dantès (protagonist of Alexandre Dumas's novel The Count of Monte Cristo).
In 1994, Hughes retired from the public eye and moved back to the Chicago area, rarely granting or giving interviews or photographs to the media save a select few interviews in 1999 to promote the soundtrack album to Reach the Rock, an independent film he wrote.[4] The album was compiled by Hughes' son, John Hughes III, and released on his son's Chicago-based record label, Hefty Records.[5] He also recorded an audio commentary for the 1999 DVD release of Ferris Bueller's Day Off.[6] In the later years of his life, he was a farmer in Illinois. He became a voting Republican, after being disenchanted with the Hollywood left.[7][8]
[edit] Death
Hughes died suddenly of cardiac arrest on August 6, 2009, while walking in Manhattan, where he was visiting his family.[9][10] He was 59 years old. On that morning, Hughes was on West 55th Street in Manhattan when he was stricken with chest pains. At 8:55 a.m., 9-1-1 operators summoned medics to assist. Hughes was unconscious when they arrived 15 minutes later. Hughes was raced to Roosevelt Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.[11] Hughes's funeral took place on August 11 in Chicago.[12] In addition to his wife and two sons, Hughes is survived by four grandchildren.[13]
The pilot episode of the NBC Television half-hour comedy Community, broadcast on September 17, 2009, was dedicated to Hughes. The episode included several references to The Breakfast Club and ended with a portion of the song "Don't You (Forget About Me)."[14]
[edit] Filmography
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[edit] Unproduced screenplays
- The History of Ohio From The Beginning Of Time To The End Of The Universe (with P.J. O'Rourke)
- Jaws 3: People 0 – a parody sequel to the popular series.[15]
- Bartholomew Vs. Neff – a vehicle that was to star Sylvester Stallone and John Candy as feuding neighbors.[16]
- The Bee – a feature length Disney film.[17]
- The Grisbeys – a wealthy family loses their fortune, forcing them to move to the other side of the tracks during Christmas.[18]
- Tickets – a random group of teens wait overnight for free tickets to a farewell concert.[19]
