RIP: John Hughes

Another screenwriter dies — and too young. The Huffington Post reports:

John Hughes, prolific director of such culturally significant films such as The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Planes, Trains and Automobiles and Home Alone has died suddenly of a heart attack while taking a morning walk during a trip to Manhattan to visit family.

From the Daily Variety:

John Wilden Hughes, Jr., born on Feb. 18, 1950 in Michigan, began as an advertising copywriter in Chicago.

In the last decade, he stepped back from the legacy he created to enjoy time with his family, maintain a functioning farm in northern Illinois and support independent arts. He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Nancy, two sons, John and James, and four grandchildren.

For about a decade, it’s arguable that John Hughes controlled Hwood.
Teen comedies like Ferris Beuller and 16 Candles.
Adult comedies like Planes, Trains, & Automobiles.
Children’s comedies like Home Alone.

And Hughes did it his own way…
Choosing to live and work in Chicago, rather than LA.

There’s a story in Hwood.
Hughes is in town pitching Ferris Beuller.
And the studio execs just weren’t quite seeing what he was pitching.
Angry at how dense they were…
he jumped up and yelled, “You’ll have the script on Monday morning!”
Then he stomped out of the office.

Hughes left town on a Thursday.
On Monday morning, the script arrived at the studio.
Supposedly — per the story — Hughes banged out Ferris Bueller over the weekend.

Believe it or not, tomorrow’s Great Scene is from Ferris Beuller.
I selected and wrote the post over a week ago.

Weird.

And now three screenwriters gone in a matter of days.
Blake Snyder
Budd Schulberg
John Hughes.

They say Hwood people go in threes.
Never seen that happens with three writers.

To honor Hughes, how about each of us post a great quote from one of his movies.

Here’s one to start:

“Not that I condone fascism, or any -ism for that matter. -Ism’s in my opinion are not good. A person should not believe in an -ism, he should believe in himself. I quote John Lennon, “I don’t believe in Beatles, I just believe in me.” Good point there. After all, he was the walrus. I could be the walrus. I’d still have to bum rides off people.”

 — Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick)

Godspeed, John Hughes.


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