Everything about John Hughes Film Director totally explained
John Hughes, Jr. (born
February 18 1950) is an
American film director,
producer and
writer, responsible for some of the most successful
comedy films of the
1980s and
1990s, including
National Lampoon's Vacation,
Ferris Bueller's Day Off,
Weird Science,
The Breakfast Club,
Sixteen Candles,
Pretty in Pink,
Planes, Trains & Automobiles,
Uncle Buck and
Home Alone.
Biography
Personal life
Hughes was born in
Lansing, Michigan to a mother who volunteered in charity work and John Hughes, Sr., who worked in sales. A 1968 graduate of
Glenbrook North High School in
Northbrook, Illinois, Hughes used Northbrook and the adjacent
North Shore area for shooting locations in many of his films, as well as using the original name of
Northbrook (once Shermerville, IL) as the setting of a number of films. Since 1994, Hughes has lived a reclusive life in
Wisconsin, not granting or giving interviews or photographs to the media. He however did record an
audio commentary for the 1999
DVD release of
Ferris Bueller's Day Off. A photograph of him visiting his son on the set of his son's film in 2001 was taken.
Career
Hughes began his career as an ad copywriter in Chicago. 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,
Vacation, however, that would prove to be a major hit, putting the Lampoon back on the map. Although Hughes had no involvement in
European Vacation (1985), he did return to write and co-produce
Christmas Vacation (1989) based on another of his Lampoon stories.
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 high school life that 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 wouldn't be so critically well received, though films like
Uncle Buck (the first film to display changing tastes in teen 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 would be the top grossing film of 1990, and remains the most successful live-action comedy of all time. Hughes hasn't directed a film since
1991's
Curly Sue.
He has been noted as an inspiration for many in the film industry, including
Kevin Smith. He has also written screenplays using his
pseudonym,
Edmond Dantès (protagonist of Alexandre Dumas' novel
The Count of Monte Cristo).
Trademarks and trivia
Casting
Hughes frequently casts actors he's worked with on previous movies, as shown below:
Several director's trademarks can be seen within Hughes' films:
- Set in the fictional Shermer, Illinois, North Shore suburbs or the Chicago metropolitan area.
- Characters breaking the fourth wall (acknowledging the audience)
- Additional scenes under and/or after the closing credits
- Non-linear montages, where characters' actions in preparing for an event are spliced together immediately before the event takes place.
- A strong emphasis on pop songs and music cues
Filmography
Writer
Delta House (1979) (TV Series)
National Lampoon's Class Reunion (1982)
At Ease (1983) (TV Series)
Mr. Mom (1983)
National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)
Nate and Hayes (1983) (with David Odell)
Sixteen Candles (1984)
The Breakfast Club (1985)
National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985; story)
Weird Science (1985)
Pretty in Pink (1986)
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)
Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)
She's Having a Baby (1988)
The Great Outdoors (1988)
Uncle Buck (1989)
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
Home Alone (1990)
Career Opportunities (1991)
Dutch (1991)
Curly Sue (1991)
Beethoven (1992) (as Edmund Dantes)
(1992)
Dennis the Menace (1993)
Baby's Day Out (1994)
Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
101 Dalmatians (1996)
Flubber (1997)
Home Alone 3 (1997)
Reach The Rock (1998)
Just Visiting (2001) (with Jean-Marie Poire & Christian Clavier)
Maid in Manhattan (2002; story) (originally titled The Chambermaid) (as Edmond Dantes)
Drillbit Taylor (2008; story) (as Edmond Dantes)
Director
Sixteen Candles (1984)
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Weird Science (1985)
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)
She's Having a Baby (1988)
Uncle Buck (1989)
Curly Sue (1991)
Producer
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Pretty in Pink (1986; executive producer)
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)
Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)
She's Having a Baby (1988)
The Great Outdoors (1988; executive producer)
Uncle Buck (1989)
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
Home Alone (1990)
Career Opportunities (1991)
Only the Lonely (1991)
Dutch (1991)
Curly Sue (1991)
(1992)
Dennis the Menace (1993)
Baby's Day Out (1994)
Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
101 Dalmatians (1996)
Flubber (1997)
Home Alone 3 (1997)
Reach the Rock (1998)
New Port South (2001; executive producer)
Unproduced screenplays
The History of Ohio From The Beginning Of Time To The End Of The Universe (with PJ O'Rourke)
Bartholomew Vs. Neff
The Bee
The Grisbeys
Books
The National Lampoon Sunday Newspaper Parody (1978) (with PJ O'Rourke)Further Information
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