John Hughes Biography
Summary
"John Hughes, Jr." (February 18, 1950 - August 6, 2009) was an American film director, producer and writer. He made some of the most successful comedy films of the 1980s and 1990s, including "National Lampoon's Vacation"; "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"; "Weird Science"; "The Breakfast Club"; "Some Kind of Wonderful"; "Sixteen Candles"; "Pretty in Pink"; "Planes, Trains and Automobiles"; "Uncle Buck"; "Home Alone" and its sequel "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
Biography
Personal life
Hughes was born in Lansing, Michigan, to a mother who volunteered in charity work and John Hughes, Sr., who worked in sales. A 1968 graduate of Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook, Illinois, Hughes used Northbrook and the adjacent North Shore area for shooting locations and settings in many of his films, though he usually left the name of the town unsaid, or referred to it as 'Shermer, Illinois', Shermerville being the original name of Northbrook. In high school, he met Nancy Ludwig, to whom he was married from 1970 until his death. They had two sons, John Hughes III, born in 1976, and James Hughes, born in 1979.
Career
Hughes began his career as an advertising copywriter in Chicago in 1970 after dropping out of the University of Arizona. During this time, he created what became the famous Edge 'Credit Card Shaving Test' ad campaign.
His first attempt at comedy writing was selling jokes to well-established performers such as Rodney Dangerfield and Joan Rivers. This led him to pen a story, inspired by his family trips as a child, that was to become his calling card and entry onto the staff of the "National Lampoon Magazine". That story, 'Vacation '58', became the basis for the film "Vacation". Subsequent stories such as the April Fool's Day classics 'My Vagina' and 'My Penis' gave an early indication of Hughes' ear for the particular rhythm of teen speak, as well as the various indignities of teen life in general.
His first credited screenplay, "Class Reunion", was written while still on staff at the magazine. The resulting film became the second disastrous attempt by the flagship to duplicate the runaway success of "Animal House". It was Hughes' next screenplay for the imprint, "National Lampoon's Vacation" (1983), however, that would prove to be a major hit, putting the Lampoon back on the map.
His first directorial effort, "Sixteen Candles", won almost unanimous praise when it was released in 1984, due in no small part to its more realistic depiction of middle-class high school life, which stood in stark contrast to the "Porky's"-inspired comedies being made at the time. It was also the first in a string of efforts set in or around high school, including "The Breakfast Club", "Pretty in Pink", "Weird Science" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (See also Brat Pack).
To avoid being pigeonholed as a maker of teen comedies, Hughes branched out in 1987, directing "Planes, Trains & Automobiles" starring Steve Martin and John Candy. His later output would not be so critically well received, though films like "Uncle Buck" (one of the first films to display the changeover in a suburban teen's choice of music from rock to rap) proved popular. Hughes's greatest commercial success came with "Home Alone", a film he wrote and produced about a child accidentally left behind when his family goes away for Christmas, forcing him to protect himself and his house from a pair of inept burglars. "Home Alone" would be the top grossing film of 1990, and remains the most successful live-action comedy of all time. His last film as a director was 1991's "Curly Sue".
He has been noted as an inspiration for many in the film industry, including Kevin Smith and Wes Anderson. He also wrote screenplays using his pseudonym, Edmond Dantès (protagonist of Alexandre Dumas's novel "The Count of Monte Cristo").
In 1994, Hughes retired from the public eye and moved to Wisconsin, rarely granting or giving interviews or photographs to the media save a select few interviews in 1999 to promote the soundtrack album to "Reach the Rock", an independent film he wrote. The album was compiled by Hughes' son, John Hughes III, and released on his son's Chicago-based record label, Hefty Records. He also recorded an audio commentary for the 1999 DVD release of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". In the later years of his life, he was a farmer in Illinois.
Death
Hughes died suddenly of a heart attack on August 6, 2009, while walking in Manhattan, where he was visiting his family. In addition to his widow and two sons, Hughes is survived by four grandchildren.
Filmography
Writer
"Delta House " (1979) (TV Series)
"National Lampoon's Class Reunion" (1982)
"At Ease (TV Series)" (1983) (TV Series)
"Mr. Mom" (1983)
"National Lampoon's Vacation" (1983)
"Nate and Hayes" (1983) (with David Odell)
"Sixteen Candles" (1984)
"The Breakfast Club" (1985)
"Weird Science" (1985)
"Pretty in Pink" (1986)
"Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (1986)
"Some Kind of Wonderful" (1987)
"Planes, Trains & Automobiles" (1987)
"She's Having a Baby" (1988)
"The Great Outdoors" (1988)
"Uncle Buck" (1989)
"National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" (1989)
"Home Alone" (1990)
"Career Opportunities" (1991)
"Dutch" (1991)
"Curly Sue" (1991)
"Beethoven" (1992) (as Edmond Dantes)
"Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" (1992)
"Dennis the Menace" (1993)
"Baby's Day Out" (1994)
"Miracle on 34th Street" (1994)
"101 Dalmatians" (1996)
"Flubber" (1997)
"Home Alone 3" (1997)
"Reach The Rock" (1998)
"Just Visiting" (2001) (with Jean-Marie Poire & Christian Clavier)
"Maid in Manhattan" (2002; story) (originally titled The Chambermaid) (as Edmond Dantes)
"Drillbit Taylor" (2008; story) (as Edmond Dantes)
Director
"Sixteen Candles" (1984)
"The Breakfast Club" (1985)
"Weird Science" (1985)
"Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (1986)
"Planes, Trains & Automobiles" (1987)
"She's Having a Baby" (1988)
"Uncle Buck" (1989)
"Curly Sue" (1991)
Producer
"The Breakfast Club" (1985)
"Pretty in Pink" (1986; executive producer)
"Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (1986)
"Some Kind of Wonderful" (1987)
"Planes, Trains & Automobiles" (1987)
"She's Having a Baby" (1988)
"The Great Outdoors" (1988; executive producer)
"Uncle Buck" (1989)
"National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" (1989)
"Home Alone" (1990)
"Career Opportunities" (1991)
"Only the Lonely" (1991)
"Dutch" (1991)
"Curly Sue" (1991)
"Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" (1992)
"Dennis the Menace" (1993)
"Baby's Day Out" (1994)
"Miracle on 34th Street" (1994)
"101 Dalmatians" (1996)
"Flubber" (1997)
"Home Alone 3" (1997)
"Reach the Rock" (1998)
"New Port South" (2001; executive producer)
Unproduced screenplays
"The History of Ohio From The Beginning Of Time To The End Of The Universe" (with P.J. O'Rourke)
"Jaws 3: People 0" - a parody sequel to the popular series.
"Bartholomew Vs. Neff" - Sylvester Stallone and John Candy are pitted against each other as feuding neighbors.
"The Bee" - a feature length Disney film.
"The Grisbeys" - a wealthy family suddenly becomes destitute, forcing them to move to the other side of the tracks during Christmas.
Books
"The National Lampoon Sunday Newspaper Parody" (1978) (with P.J. O'Rourke)
External links
(John Hughes) collected coverage from "The Guardian"
(Times Topic: John Hughes) collected coverage from "The New York Times"
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about John Hughes.
