TV in the Movies – Remembering John Hughes

Last Thursday, ’80s filmmaking icon John Hughes suffered a fatal heart attack. He was only 59 years old. As far as teen comedies are concerned, Hughes ruled the genre from 1983-1990. He only directed eight films during his ephemeral career, but wrote close to forty screenplays.

The list of movies bearing his signature is impressive: Mr. Mom, National Lampoon’s Vacation, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Pretty in Pink, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Some Kind of Wonderful, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Uncle Buck, and Home Alone are most of the big ones. For a guy who stopped directing in 1991, Hughes compiled a catalog of work that has stood the test of time.

Everyone has a favorite John Hughes flick. Actually, I’m willing to wager most people have two or three. For me, personally, the one that stands out the most is Planes, Trains and Automobiles. John Candy and Steve Martin are a perfect comedy pairing. The dialogue is smart and funny, and the story is both madcap and poignant. I watch it every Thanksgiving without fail and still laugh out loud at the same scenes (doesn’t get any better than Martin’s tirade at the car rental agency).

I could wax poetic for paragraphs on the films of John Hughes, but I’ll spare you the sappy adoration. Since I’m contractually obligated to spin this column to the TV side of pop culture, I will do just that. Did you know that three of Hughes’ seminal works were adapted for the small screen? Honestly, I’m surprised TV producers didn’t pluck more from his resume. Then again, the fact that the first two were miserable failures was likely a factor. For those who don’t recall, here are the three adaptations:

Ferris Bueller (1990) – It debuted in August of 1990 and was supposed to follow the “real” Ferris Bueller. Charlie Schlatter attempted to portray Ferris, but filling the shoes of Matthew Broderick proved impossible. NBC dumped Bueller after only 13 episodes. The series is noteworthy due to the presence of a young Jennifer Aniston, who played Jeannie the bitchy sister. It was rumored Hughes tried to prevent this tripe from seeing the light of day. Too bad the foolish creators didn’t listen.

Uncle Buck (1990) – Without the great John Candy, this misfire was destined to suck. Comedian Kevin Meaney was pegged to play everyone’s number one slovenly uncle. In order to make it plausible, the writers killed off the parents. Now that’s what I call funny! The show was an appalling mound of elephant dung. CBS mercifully pulled the plug after 17 horrid episodes.

Weird Science (1994-1998) – Finally, a success. Much of that success can be attributed to the casting of Vanessa Angel as Lisa, the ultimate fembot. It even kept the classic Oingo Boingo song “Weird Science” as theme music. I watched the first two seasons while attending college, and counted myself as a fan. It was appropriately silly, just like the movie. The series would prove to be one of the early hits for the fledgling USA Network. It aired for a total of 88 episodes.

It goes without saying that John Hughes left his mark on movie history. No, he didn’t win any Oscars, but for my money, truly great filmmakers are the ones who create pictures (old school term) that last. John Hughes is a member of this distinguished class. Suddenly, I’m feeling nostalgic. I think I’ll dust off my copy of Some Kind of Wonderful.

Clacked by Scott Tunstall
on Aug 11, 2009 @ 09:00 EST5EDT