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Filmmaker
John Hughes , who made some of the most memorable
teen comedies of the 1980s and turned Macaulay Culkin into a major
star, died suddenly of a heart attack in New York on Friday.
He was 59.
Hughes, who had largely turned his back on Hollywood in the past
decade to become a farmer in the Midwestern state of Illinois,
collapsed while strolling in Manhattan, where he was visiting
friends.
His films, such as Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club and Ferris
Bueller's Day Off, are considered standard-bearers of the teen
genre, exploring American adolescent behavior with warmth and
affection. He supplied his awkward characters with natural
dialogue, allowing audiences to empathise with their
travails.
Hughes worked with Molly Ringwald on both Sixteen Candles and The
Breakfast Club, as well as 1986's Pretty in Pink, which he wrote
and produced. He also made a star out of Matthew Broderick, the
fearless hero of Ferris Bueller's Day Off who makes good on his
determination to miss a day of school.
"Many filmmakers portray teenagers as immoral and ignorant with
pursuits that are pretty base," Hughes told the Chicago Tribune in
1985 as he was about to release The Breakfast Club, his second
directing effort.
"They seem to think that teenagers aren't very bright. But I
haven't found that to be the case. I listen to kids. I respect
them. I don't discount anything they have to say just because
they're only 16 years-old."
'Home Alone' saved studio
In 1990, Hughes struck gold by writing and producing Home Alone, in
which Culkin played an 8-year-old left to fend for himself against
hapless burglars. The film grossed almost $US500 million worldwide,
a timely savior for 20th Century Fox's owner, News Corp, which was
strapped for cash and struggling to pay its creditors at the time.
Chris Columbus directed the film and its 1992 sequel.
The Breakfast Club, a rare drama in the Hughes canon, helped give
birth to the term "brat pack," which described the fresh-faced
attractive stars cropping up in a rash of coming-of-age
movies.
Ringwald and fellow Sixteen Candles alumnus Anthony Michael Hall
starred with Ally Sheedy, Emilio Estevez and Judd Nelson in the
film, which depicted five, troubled high school youths confronting
one another and their deepest secrets during one long day at a high
school detention hall.
In all, Hughes wrote, produced and directed eight films through his
last effort, Curly Sue, in 1991. He worked with the late John Candy
on two hits, 1987's Planes, Trains & Automobiles and 1989's
Uncle Buck.|
In the 1990s, he focused on writing largely family-friendly fare,
such as the Beethoven canine franchise and the remake of 101
Dalmatians.
"I am truly shocked and saddened by the news about my old
friend John Hughes," Broderick said in a statement following the
director's death. "He was a wonderful, very talented guy and my
heart goes out to his family."
His publicist said Hughes withdrew from Hollywood in the past
decade, in part to maintain a farm in northern Illinois and to
support independent arts.
John Wilden Hughes, Jr, was born on February 18, 1950, in
Michigan, and based himself in the Chicago suburbs throughout his
career, where many of his films were based. He started out as an
advertising copywriter before trying his hand at script
writing.
He recalled that his early efforts were inspired by the teenage
children of his older colleagues. One such youngster warmed to his
idea for Sixteen Candles and encouraged him to write it, while her
brother came up with the title of The Breakfast Club.
Hughes is survived by his wife of 39 years, Nancy, two sons, John
and James, and four grandchildren.
Brat Pack movies or cutesy Macaulay Culkin? What's your favourite John Hughes film? Have your say on our message board below
Add a Comment:
Post new commentlemur said on 2009-08-07 @ 12:42 NZDT: Report abusive post
The Breakfast Club was seminal, but I've always had a fondness for 16 Candles. Maybe it's the Cusacks.
j-dub said on 2009-08-07 @ 12:26 NZDT: Report abusive post
Home Alone of course. It managed to turn something as lame as parental irresponsibility into pure comedy. High-larious!! Caulkin was my idol back then, i wish i could come up with that many ingenous burglar-halting ideas at my house
The Slickster said on 2009-08-07 @ 12:25 NZDT: Report abusive post
Yeah he was behind some classics alright! But Breakfast Club has to top the lot!
hola said on 2009-08-07 @ 12:07 NZDT: Report abusive post
Breakfast Club of course! oh and Ferris was awesome and Trains, Planes - too hard to choose. Never really rated 16 candles