The Frank Capra of Gen X Has Died
by Big HollywoodIconic filmmaker John Hughes is dead of a heart attack at 59.
Anyone who came of age in the 80s and early 90s can’t help but remember the John Hughes era thanks to the many, many hours of warm, hilarious and unforgettable memories that sprung from the great man’s Midwestern mind.
John Hughes: 1950-2009
As producer, writer and director, Hughes created timeless stories that teenagers and parents alike will continue to discover a hundred years from now. Rich in universal theme, populated with lovable, relatable outcasts, and told by a creative genius who understood us and never talked down to us, John Hughes enjoyed nearly two decades of Hollywood success before retiring to private life in Chicago sometime in the 90s.
Long before today, we were missing John Hughes.
Fifty-nine is young. Many of us hoped he would come back, but now we’ll have to settle for the rich legacy he left behind; a canon of classics that bring as much pleasure today as they did the first time we saw them.
Here are some Big Hollywood favorites:
1. Vacation (1983) — Funny when you’re a teen, funnier when you’re an adult. We all have more Clark Griswold in us than we care to admit to.
2. Sixteen Candles (1984) — Anthony Michael Hall’s mouthy, gutsy “Geek” won the hottest girl in school and gave hope to geeks everywhere. He still does.
3. The Breakfast Club (1985) — John Hughes was 35 and understood the world of high school better than any high schooler.
4. Pretty in Pink (1986) — Twenty-three years later you say “Duckie” and everyone smiles.
5. Some Kind of Wonderful (1987) – Touching, romantic, and underrated. NetFlix it now.
6. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) — On par with the Marx Brothers when it comes to building up rolling, convulsive laughter. Steve Martin’s blow up at the car rental counter is epic comedy.
7. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) — No explanation necessary.
8. Uncle Buck (1989) — If this was the only film Hughes or John Candy had ever made…
9. Christmas Vacation (1989) – Warm, funny and containing more quotable lines than any film in recent memory. Nothing since has ever topped, “Shitter’s full.”
10. Home Alone (1990) — Hollywood’s last Christmas perennial.
And there are many more…
Andrew Breitbart: ”During high school I regularly delivered pizza to John Hughes. He always over-tipped. This is a devastating loss. He was a man with immense talent and integrity who refused to allow his masterpieces to be remade and exploited by the studios. In this series of high-profile deaths over the last few months, this is the only one that truly, truly hurts. Talk about the end of an era.”
Rest in Peace, John Hughes… And thank you for standing up for gawky teens, social misfits, and life in the American suburbs.
Thank you most of all for laughing with us, not at us.
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74 Comments
[...] Big Hollywood’s Andrew Breitbart shares a personal remembrance of [...]
Rest in Peace John you will be missed. Thanks for the memories you left us.
This blows.
John Hughes' work rocked. Ferris Bueller was my personal favorite.
R.I.P.
I loved John Hughes for reminding Hollywood that "fly-over country" is the real world!
I'm truly saddened by this. R.I.P. John Hughes.
The first thing I did when I heard was listen to this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c08vQ-vUhWI&fm...
I had to go with the original, though, not the re-recorded movie version.
Isn't she?
"But thank you most of all for laughing with us, not at us."
That is so very true
RIP Mr. Hughes
/prayers for family
I'm sorry to hear the news. A unique voice and talent who has left this world much too soon. My condolences to his family.
Rest in peace John, thanks for sharing your gifts with us. God bless.
First thing I had to do was listen to "Don't You (Forget About Me)" and all I can say is that I won't. Hughes made some of the best movies of the 80s and I'm very saddened by his untimely passing.
I watch Christmas Vacation every year. Wouldn't be Christmas without it now. Puts a Nice Big Bow on it, LOL!
RIP John Hughes. Will not be forgotten.
Terrible terrible loss…iconic movies, one after another…I was an adult by the Eighties and enjoyed every single John Hughes movie I saw, and that was all of them…great loss…RIP Mr. Hughes
Ah, an Austin guy…that's great film community…I lived there for 14 great years, many working at Seton Medical Center and Covert Ford up on Research Blvd…I hope to return soon…I'm applying to U.T. for grad school, it's my first choice…
John Hughes is one of the main reasons I started writing screenplays in the first place. I will miss him. I know which movies I'll be watching this weekend.
I have to say that one of my favorite John Hughes movies is The Great Outdoors. Watching that movie (plus the Vacation series and Planes, Trains and Automobiles) made up a huge part of my movie watching childhood.
"Go find yourself a spin cycle" is still one of the funniest ways to tell someone to go f*@& themselves.
Talk about irony…. wow.
Just last night I was watching and 'E! True Hollywood Story' of 16 Candles. The memories were fond ones of that time of my life – and his movies were a huge part of that for me (I just turned 40 on Monday).
I was thinking to myself last night – 'Wow – where is he? It would be great if he were to do a new 'Teen Angst' type movie – I'd love to see what he could do with a 21st Century teen.
I'm sad today. I'm sorry you're gone John. Thanks for some wonderful, wondeful films.
Talk about irony…. wow.
Just last night I was watching an 'E! True Hollywood Story' of 16 Candles. The memories were fond ones of that time of my life – and his movies were a huge part of that for me (I just turned 40 on Monday).
I was thinking to myself last night – 'Wow – where is he? It would be great if he were to do a new 'Teen Angst' type movie – I'd love to see what he could do with a 21st Century teen.
I'm sad today. I'm sorry you're gone John. Thanks for some wonderful, wondeful films.
It begins (again) with Mr. Mom tonight. RIP, Mr. Hughes. Genius.
I must confess my total ignorance of who John hughes was, i guess i was too young to know better, but if this man made ferris bueller and the vacation movies, b-club, 16 can and pretty in pink he belongs on the mt rushmore of directors…. while i'm not hollywood wonk, i am appalled at my own ignorance. this man was genius, this man did get suburban America and more importantly from what AB says he was good dude….i have seen all these movies, most of them half a dozen times and i did not even know who he was…..
but it makes so much sense to me now that i loved them all, and think of them so highly that i have them on dvd– for me that's a big thing- to say amovie is so good that i'd want to buy it to watch whenever i want…. his humor- these movies- are a huge part of making the eighties the greatest decade ever… seriously, they were the best….- God, i miss those days and flicks like these… so superior to the movies, culture and politcal correctness of today. the 80 were the best, i hope my future children get a decade like that…. Thanks to this man for making my youth so much more fun. R.I.P. Mr. Hughes
What family didn't end up with Home Alone in their video library!! I think we wore out the tape. I bought John Hughes' movies when my kids were in high school. They thought they were hysterical. Favorites that we just recently watched…Sixteen Candles ("fresh breathe is a priority"), Breakfast Club, and Some Kind of Wonderful. Prayers for your family.
I hope his 39 year marriage stayed just like She's Having A Baby, what a rare little jewel that movie is. Now marriage is portrayed as a giant ugly horror.
So many comedies that already have become classics! You will be missed, Mr. Hughes.
A huge, huge loss. I loved his work. He was a national treasure. I'm going to rent all his films and have a JH film fest. RIP, John Hughes.
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Dammt. I was driving down the road when I heard this on Fox news and I felt like just pulling the car over for a while. Thank you God for a director like this, who gave me so many wonderful memories and insights to ponder and share with folks I'll never even meet around the world. This sucks. Ah well. Anyway, thanks for the report, the man was truly a giant.
Breit bart's comment was well put.
God Rest him, and peace to his family!
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You made me think about that, I found this:
"John Hughes, who wrote, directed and produced the film, shares similarities with Jake, the leading character. Both married young, to wives they met as teenagers, both dropped out of University before finishing, (Hughes at Arizona State University and Jake at a New Mexico University), both began their post University careers as advertising copywriters, and both come from Chicago. In several scenes Jake is wearing a 'University of Arizona' – shirt, which Hughes attended, and in the final credits the words 'Inspiration – Nancy Hughes' appear, Nancy being Hughes' wife."
Really a shame, and a loss. My heart goes out to his wife and family…
This is one I really can't believe. May he rest in peace and may Hollywood remember his ability and kindness.
Devastating. The movie industry has suffered a loss that can never be replaced. The '80s and early '90s were my favorite decade for movies, with Mr. Hughes' works prominent among them. It will be quite a while until another with his perception and wit can make them like he did.
Greatest city in America, so far as I can tell, despite the pervasive leftism.
Best of luck getting into grad school here! The film community seems to grow by the year. That won't help your studies, in all likelihood…
Huges and the *Brat Pack* were the eighties for many…like holding up a mirror, but in a funny, heartfelt way…this wasn't always a mean country, at least not everywhere, maybe the mean streets of the big cities…the middle of the country was a bit innocent pre computers and 24 hour news cycles and i-Pods stuck in every kids ears. There were bad people and bad things happening but it just didn't seem so "In your face"… I guess I'm showing my age, hindsight always remembers things as "being better"…
Everybody "knew" somebody that was in the "Breakfast Club"…
I loved his movies. How sad. My sincere condolences to his family.
Rest In Peace, John. As for many others, you were part of my growing years. And yes, Christmas Vacation is a perennial in my house. In fact, as Christmas gets closer, I get itching to see it and usually wind up watching it more than once.
And I do like the thought that he laughed WITH us, not AT us, like Hollywood usually does.
He will be sorely missed.
Thank you, and yes great city. I was shocked at how low the lake is…that's just terrible, I never saw it like that in all my years there. I used to keep my boat at Marshall's Ford at leave out straight across the lake usually. Not even "Sometimes Islands" to worry about some summers. My siblings all live there still so it's my "second home town"…other than the "Critical Mass" idiots I used to have a good time tweeking the lefties, just for fun…
I came of age in the 1880s, but I still enjoyed the John Hughes films.
My personal favorite being "Weird Science". Closely followed by just about anything else he did.
A great storyteller. He always seemed to me to be very affectionate towards his material.
I'm 26 and my brother is 23. Our dad bought our first camcorder (a VHS-C from JVC) in 1989 or 1990. By that time, we were already familiar with Hughes thanks to Home Alone, Christmas Vacation, and Planes, Trains & Automobiles (albeit edited for TV).
One of the very first home movies my dad shot was a scene re-enactment that my brother and I did: the "driving the wrong way" scene from Planes, Trains & Automobiles. I was Steve Martin and my brother (who was short enough to stand on the driver's seat!) was John Candy and we did that scene from memory. My mom scoffed when she heard me say, "You broke the damn seat!" And you haven't seen cute till you've seen my then 4-year old brother say, "How can you bweak a caw seat, it's impossible!"
Mr. Hughes, you will be missed. As someone who's tried writing his own teen comedy, you've set the bar quite high.
Rest in peace, sir.
I too hoped he would come out of hiding with a new classic. Sigh. No one will ever top him.
RIP to one of the last directors on hollywood that didn't turn out to be a piece of sh*t.
Reading that list of movies brought back a lot of great memories.
Rest in peace, Mr. Hughes.
When I was a kid, for some reason my favorite line was:
"Hey, that's a lamp!"
"Yeah, but it's loaded!"
Wow! John Hughes, that’s to bad, the cinematic world just got darker. 59 is way to young, God bless, to his family and friends.
It took some sort of genius to make me, at some point during the movie, start liking The Breakfast Club. I was at that guy age when very little was ever cool enough and Mr. Hughes played me like a top. I hope John read some of the past postings here and the nice comments from true fans and appreciated his influence on movie lovers.
—
I came of age in the 1880s
—
Wow. You saw the birth of cinema from the kinetoscopes to Méliès to Porter. And, yet, John Hughes still managed to make an impression on you.
One of the only people in Hollywood who didn't treat the suburbs with contempt it seemed.
[...] of the self-mutilated child molester that we had to be told was influential. Big Hollywood: “The Frank Capra of Generation X has Died“, a well-written tribute that puts my meager words to shame. Carl Kozlowski: [...]
Uncle Buck rocked my world. Planes, Trains & Automobiles and the Breakfast Club rocked, too. RIP, John Hughes. There's no director like him nowadays.
I got an unrelated story that indirectly involves John Hughes. My dad used to work at Paramount as a maintenance painter, and one day in November, he had to paint the walls of the office designated for John Hughes, but couldn't do it on this particular November day because something important had come up: my mom was about to go into labor with my sister. He made it to the hospital to be there for my sister's birth, and the painting job was done at a later time. That's the story.
RIP, Mr. Hughes
It's mixed bag for me. I liked some his movies like Weird Science, Planes and Trains, Christmas Vaction. Wasn't crazy about the rest, yes I wasn't a fan of Ferris Bueller he came off as smug and annoying but that's just me I guess. Other then that there is arguement that Hughes set the tone for 80s teen films, although I think the true iconic teen film of the 80s goes to Fast Times at Ridgemont High
"Rest in Peace, John Hughes… And thank you for standing up for gawky teens, social misfits, and life in the American suburbs.
Thank you most of all for laughing with us, not at us."
Amen!
Just watched Ferris Bueller with the kids — and remembered one other thing I'm grateful to John Hughes for: having sister Jennifer Grey tell the cute bad boy her name is Jean, but a lot of guys call her "Shauna." Suddenly, after that scene, my name went from unknown to hot — and that was a lovely surprise ending for a college sophomore. Thanks for the memories, John!
I'm 59 and I never realised that this guy was connected to so many of the films I really liked.Trains,Planes was/is one of the all time funniest movies.I would watch a lot of these movies and thought I stumbled into some teen movie but I stayed with it and got hooked.He mixed humor with deeper feelings,the end of Trains when Martin realises Candy has no where to go is killer.Anyway,I realise now that I'll miss this guy John Hughes who was always kind of….there.
My kids loved the Home Alone movies and still can re-call various parts with surprising vividness. Even getting the voices down to an almost dead-on re-creation. Stunning workmanship that creates that kind of memory in growing children, his talent is a very great loss for the art of film making.
Mr. Mom
Career Oppoutunities
Wierd Science
I'm shocked. Wow.
[...] the outsider heroes were in John Hughes movies like Judd Apatow, or even claim him as the Frank Capra of my generation, and I will always be wildly disappointed that not only do I not remember the first time I saw the [...]
Talk about irony…. wow.
Just last night I was watching an 'E! True Hollywood Story' of 16 Candles. The memories it brought back were fond ones for me, and of that time in my life. I just turned 40 on Monday… same age as a lot of the characters in those movies (Breakfast Club, 16 Candles, etc.)
I was thinking to myself last night – 'Wow – where is he? It would be great if he were to do a new 'Teen Angst' type movie – I'd love to see what he could do with a 21st Century teen'.
I'm sad today. I'm sorry you're gone John. Thanks for some wonderful, wonderful films.
I remember when it seemed like a Hughes film was coming out every other week. Sandler and Apatow went on to steal that distinction, but I don't think their legacy will come anything close to Hughes in the long run.
His better movies were real, down to earth and homey. They will be viewed for generations.
I'm 26 and my brother is 23. Our dad bought our first camcorder (a VHS-C from JVC) in 1989 or 1990. By that time, we were already familiar with Hughes thanks to Home Alone, Christmas Vacation, and Planes, Trains & Automobiles (albeit edited for TV).
One of the very first home movies my dad shot was a scene re-enactment that my brother and I did: the "driving the wrong way" scene from Planes, Trains & Automobiles. I was Steve Martin and my brother (who was short enough to stand on the driver's seat!) was John Candy and we did that scene from memory. My mom scoffed when she heard me say, "You broke the damn seat!" And you haven't seen cute till you've seen my then 4-year old brother say, "How can you bweak a caw seat, it's impossible!"
Mr. Hughes, you will be missed. As someone who's tried writing his own teen comedy, you've set the bar quite high for me.
Rest in peace, sir. And tell Mr. Candy we miss him too.
No movie ever portrayed an adult "reaching" an entirely disaffected teen girl better than Uncle Buck. The comedy stands on its own, but the realistic love and understanding, with a measure of toughness shown by Buck was tremendous. That girl was gone, but he created the space needed for her to come back. Brilliant.
He IS the 80's pop culture master,and it was real!I'm worried he's the last gasp from Hollywood Americana.
Sad news. I was in high school in the 80's, so "The Breakfast Club" was a movie I identified with. I was a wrestler (although, wrestlers don't eat like Emilio Estevez's character during the season, but that's alright we can let that slide) I was in advanced physics and calculus, so I understood Anthony Micheal Hall's character a bit (even had my own little business of writing programs for computer class for the classmates) and I was a bit of gear head and weekend partyer like Judd Nelson's character, just a little. In the end, when they say we are all a brain, athlete, basket case, a princess, a criminal, I think a lot of kids could relate.
Still, "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" my favorite. Proof you can make a clever and funny movie without it being over the top crude. That men can be sentimental without being feminine. And proved Steve Martin and John Candy are a really good actors as well as hilarious comedians. Wonderful development of their characters and their relationship.
Two final notes. One-"Chirstmas Vaction" is holiday viewing as sure as "It's a Wonderful Life" and reading "Twas The Night Before Christmas" Two-I now show how ignorant I am-I did not realize "Mr. Mom" was written by Mr Hughes until today. One of my favorites, funny, Micheal Keaton (a bit underrated in his dramatic roles in my humble opinion), Teri Garr, and Martin Mull.
"Beer, Ron"
"It's 7 in the morning"
"Scotch?"
Prayers for his family, God Bless.
Just so you know his movies also stood up for all the gawky teens and social misfits of the world.
Loved his movies, related well and I am feeling this way more then I did Michael Jackson's death.
I agree, it's on TV every year and I always seem to sit down and enjoy it every time.
[...] Noting Mr Hughes passing. [...]
[...] Noting Mr Hughes passing. [...]
I had so many bonding moments with my children watching the same John Hughes movies over and over.
I was alerted to his passing when my oldest daughter-now 29- wrote "long live Jake Ryan" on Facebook.
RIP and sincere thanks to Mr. Hughes.
I believe the first John Hughes film I saw was Some KInd of Wondeful. Great romantic film. Also, loved the version of Elivs's "Can't Help Falling in Love."
"God, i miss those days and flicks like these"
Amen.
that version is by Lick the Tins
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeuXpXLPOi8
I always laugh when I think of: "I have the whitest whites!"
[...] The Frank Capra of Gen X Has Died by Big Hollywood [...]
[...] watch and enjoy, the kind of filmmaking that is harder to find these days. He really was the Frank Capra (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, It’s a Wonderful Life) of his [...]
It is thoughtful news. More is HERE
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