A Fool's Utopia 8.13.09: Remembering John Hughes

Posted by Ron Martin on 08.13.2009

This week in one man's utopia we remember a man that ruled the 80s and influenced an entire generation. In tribute, we look at the Top 20 John Hughes characters. Also, we talk radio below the border, the forgotten Madball and take a look at what was popular 23 years ago.

I wore a bra on my head.

I don't even remember where I got the bra. It was probably someone's older sister's (I want to believe that against the alternative of it being someone's mother's), but there I was a preteen, having watched Weird Science about five times in as many days, trying to be cool with my friends by wearing bras on our heads, discussing whether or not it was possible to make such a hot chick with a computer and discussing plans with my future wife Kelly LeBrock.

Thank you, John Hughes.



Sometimes having a column that comes out on a Thursday sucks because it seems like all the good stories happen just before the weekend. By the time my next column comes out, in this twitter/facebook world, the story is old hat. I thought for sure that would be the case with the passing of John Hughes last Thursday. Great, I thought, one of the icons of 80s dies and I have a story up about how much I like iCarly. However, it didn't seem to happen that way. It was mentioned here and there on various shows, but then quickly forgotten. Maybe it was bigger to me because I'm fascinated by pop culture (especially from the era he was most influential). As a writer, and one who has taken a stab at a screenplay or two, if I could have half the success of John Hughes, and a quarter of the influence over an entire generation, I would consider it a life well lived.

From 1983 to 1990, John Hughes had a run like no other. Check out this resume.

1983 - Mr. Mom; Vacation
1984 - Sixteen Candles
1985 - The Breakfast Club; European Vacation; Weird Science
1986 - Ferris Bueller's Day Off; Pretty in Pink
1987 - Some Kind Of Wonderful; Planes, Trains and Automobiles
1988 - She's Having a Baby; The Great Outdoors
1989 - Uncle Buck; Christmas Vacation
1990 - Home Alone

As if by divine providence, everything he did in the 90s had varying levels of quality, mostly forgettable. It's as if fate had decreed he be frozen in time to forever be remembered side by side with New Wave, Reaganomics and Nintendo.



Starting with Sixteen Candles, John Hughes movies became a right of passage for teenagers. It's a passage still traveled by many a teen today. Very few could pen a teen persona whether it be a stereotype, or a stereotype that had a little more behind it, than John Hughes. Before the rush of Hughes 80s flicks, the teen world had been treated pretty poorly by Hollywood. No movie pre-Hughes had so perfectly re-created teen life. It didn't matter who you were, or where you fit in – John Hughes had a character just for you. Were you the skinny geek, the forgotten middle child, the introvert, the extrovert or the girl from the wrong side of the tracks? Doesn't matter. There's a character for you.

Not only did these films present us with character studies deep in a world most people stray away from – teendom, but it influenced a whole slew of writers from Kevin Smith to Judd Apatow. The influence in Hollywood is obvious. Hell, NBC is trying to sell it's new show, Community, on an Asian kid spouting off lines from The Breakfast Club. In case you haven't noticed, for the better part of two years, I've ended each of these columns with the last scene from that very movie.



Outside of Shakespeare, perhaps there is no man more quoted in the annals of writing than John Hughes. In my own daily life, at any given time, me or one of my friends can pop out; "Sorry, park's closed. Moose out front should of told you," "Give me the keys! He don't even have a license, Lisa," "Bear….big bear….big bear chase me….," or "Oh, look, she finally got her boobies." Those aren't even the most popular John Hughes quotes. They're just the ones we like.

When John decided he didn't want to be pegged a teen movie writer, he branched out. He had already written the definitive road trip movie (Vacation), so he decided to go ahead and one up that. He took a weekend (that's right – one weekend) and wrote the definitive Thanksgiving movie, Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

Chances are, most days of your life, you're coming across some sort of John Hughes reference, whether it's a parody, a quote or just Hollywood material he's influenced. The man took five kids, put them in a library on a sunny Saturday morning and turned it into what I believe to be the definitive 80s movie. Who doesn't want to be Ferris Bueller? The way an entire generation fell under his spell is worthy of a word with strong connotations – genius.

Though the man became a recluse in later years, he was never forgotten. He will never be forgotten. His legacy stretches so far and wide, that I don't even think he could have imagined it.

RIP, John Hughes.


-- I was going to make a list of the Top 6 John Hughes characters, but honestly, I couldn't narrow it to six. Then I tries ten with no go. Fifteen? Better make it twenty to have a nice round number and give me some stretch room. It was still hard to narrow it to twenty. Your welcome to post your "You forgot so and so" or "You're an idiot because of this person," but I didn't forget them – I just didn't have room to do a TOP 50. By the way, I took a few liberties. The top four were especially difficult.

The Top 20 John Hughes Characters

20. Harry/Marv, Home Alone



19. Iona, Pretty in Pink



Nothing says "experienced older New Wave woman of the early 80s" like Iona.

18. Edward R Rooney, Ferris Bueller's Day Off



Often times, a good protagonist needs an equally good antagonist. Ferris may be an exception, but it was nice to have Rooney to kick around.

17. Jack Butler, Mr. Mom -- Your every day sort of plot. Man takes over household duties and we watch the clueless man try to defeat the evil vacuum cleaner, stove and woobie. Especially the woobie.

16. Kevin McAllister, Home Alone -- Kevin caught the hearts and the imagination of everyone as he defended his hand against would be burglars while the rest of his huge family was traveling for the holidays. In the end, you almost felt bad for the burglars. Almost.

15. Long Duk Dong, Sixteen Candles