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Pretty In Pink @ 40: Ten Things You Didn’t Know About The John Hughes Classic

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Probably John Hughes’s most fondly-remembered teen-rom-com and a defining movie of the 1980s, ‘Pretty In Pink’ was released worldwide on 28 February 1986 and quickly made a sweet $40 million from a $9 million budget.

A timeless tale about a young woman from (literally) the wrong side of the tracks falling for a ‘richie’, it’s endlessly rewatchable and arguably the best-written of Hughes’ movies, even it lacks the visual pizzazz of his directorial work.

Its memorable characters and touching themes reverberate through the years – this is the one that put Molly Ringwald on the cover of ‘Time’ magazine, even if its plot is very similar to ‘Sixteen Candles’. It also features an excellent theme song by the Psychedelic Furs and engagingly off-beat performances.

But what were the what-ifs, weird studio notes and strange/risky decisions that accompanied the making of ‘Pretty In Pink’?

10. It was Howard Deutch’s directorial debut
But he had made his name cutting trailers for Woody Allen, Warren Beatty, Sydney Pollack and Francis Coppola movies, as well as Hughes’ ‘Sixteen Candles’ and ‘The Breakfast Club’. He also directed videos for Stewart Copeland (‘Don’t Box Me In’) and Billys Idol and Joel. He was headhunted by Hughes and mentored throughout. He went on to direct ‘Some Kind Of Wonderful’ from another Hughes script.

9. Molly Ringwald almost didn’t play Andie Walsh
Though Hughes wrote the part with Ringwald in mind (and she had suggested to him both the theme song and title), Paramount wanted Jennifer Beals after she had fronted the enormously successful ‘Flashdance’. Tatum O’Neil and Jodie Foster were reportedly also considered. Hughes fought hard for Ringwald, though she almost turned it down because he wasn’t directing it. As it turned out, she almost played herself in the movie – her mother even features in the photograph which makes her cry.

8. Andrew McCarthy only read the completed script whilst on the plane to start shooting
He auditioned with Ringwald with excerpts of the script. She got him the part – neither Deutch nor Hughes were sure, wondering if Charlie Sheen would be better. Later, when reading the whole thing on his flight to Los Angeles, he reportedly hated the script (there are also reports that Ringwald had an unrequited crush on McCarthy throughout the shoot).

7. McCarthy was 22 years old during filming – playing a 17-year-old – and was having major problems with alcohol
He has admitted being wretchedly hungover during the first record store meeting with Molly Ringwald’s character. In this podcast, McCarthy even goes as far as to say that alcohol ruined his acting career in the late ‘80s.

6. The part of Phil ‘Duckie’ Dale was written for Anthony Michael Hall
But the ‘Breakfast Club’, ‘Sixteen Candles’ and ‘Weird Science’ star turned it down, saying that the plot of the movie was too close to ‘Sixteen Candles’. Robert Downey Jr. and Michael J Fox were also close to getting the part. Jon Cryer got the gig – interestingly he had also recently replaced Matthew Broderick in stage productions of both ‘Brighton Beach Memoirs’ and ‘Torch Song Trilogy’.

5. James Spader was 25 years old during filming – playing a 17-year-old
A very experienced performer before shooting ‘Pretty In Pink’, Spader apparently amazed Hughes and Deutch at his audition with an incredibly obnoxious performance, oozing attitude and stubbing out his cigarette with his foot as he left the room.

4. Duckie’s famous ‘Try A Little Tenderness’ lip-sync nearly didn’t happen
Hughes had written the scene into the script but hadn’t stipulated which track to use. Firstly, Cryer wanted to lip-sync to Michael Jackson/Mick Jagger’s ‘State Of Shock’, but the song was too expensive. The Otis Redding tune was Deutch’s idea. Kenny Ortega choreographed the scene with Cryer.

3. ‘Pretty In Pink’ was the last collaboration between Molly Ringwald and John Hughes
Sadly it seems Hughes never quite forgave Ringwald for refusing to appear in ‘Some Kind Of Wonderful’…and they seldom spoke again before Hughes’ death in 2009.

2. The ending was reshot months after the original wrap – check out Andrew McCarthy’s wig…
The ending was originally supposed to feature Duckie and Andie dancing ecstatically at the prom to Bowie’s ‘Heroes’ in an ‘us against the world’ kind of way, and sticking it to the richies – let’s face it, that sounds fantastic. But a preview audience hated this ending, as did Ringwald. A rethink/reshoot was ordered. Hughes racked his brain for months, trying to work out how Andie could get together with Blaine at the prom. Finally he worked it out – Blaine arrives alone, just like Andie and Duckie. So Ringwald, Cryer and McCarthy were summoned for a one-day reshoot. Only problem was McCarthy was appearing on Broadway in ‘Boys Of Winter’ opposite Matt Dillon and Wesley Snipes and had had his head shaved for the part. So a really terrible wig was found for him. But the now-famous, reshot ending speaks volumes about Hughes’s quality as a screenwriter – both endings would have worked great. OMD’s ‘If You Leave’ was also summoned to soundtrack the finale in just three days, including writing/mixing/recording…

1. Fee Waybill of The Tubes presented the premiere on MTV…
It took place at Mann’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood on 28 January 1986, also attended by Hughes, a very drunk Spader and McCarthy (check out the footage), Cryer, Jon Anderson, Dweezil Zappa, Michael J Fox, Andy Summers, New Order, OMD, George Michael and the Psychedelic Furs.

Further reading: the excellent ‘You Couldn’t Ignore Me If You Tried’ by Susannah Gora

The Breakfast Club @ 40: 17 Things You Didn’t Know About The Classic Teen Movie

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Despite a few bum notes, ‘The Breakfast Club’ – which premiered 40 years ago this month – remains one of the essential 1980s movies, a must-see for generation after generation of teenagers.

Like or loathe it (some contemporary critics such as Pauline Kael lamented its whinier aspects, while others such as Roger Ebert were surprisingly sympathetic), its superb cast act as if their lives depended on it, and writer/director John Hughes’s attention to detail and comic timing are as spot-on today as they must have seemed in 1985.

But what was going on behind the scenes? Where was the film shot? Which famous actors nearly got cast? Which actors didn’t get along? Movingtheriver has done some digging (with spoilers)…

17. The film was edited by Hollywood royalty Dede Allen, who had worked on ‘The Hustler’, ‘Bonnie & Clyde’, ‘Serpico’, ‘Dog Day Afternoon’ and ‘Reds’ (apparently she was put to work on John Hughes’ original three-hour cut…).

16. Theme song ‘Don’t You Forget About Me’ was written by Keith Forsey after witnessing the scene where Brian (Anthony Michael Hall) asks his fellow detention attendees if they’ll still be friends the next day. Simple Minds turned it into a US #1 but Bryan Ferry was Forsey and Hughes’ first choice – he turned it down, busy mixing Boys & Girls.

15. Hughes wrote the first draft of the film over one weekend.

14. Universal weren’t behind the film, wanting more teenage hi-jinks and nudity a la ‘Porky’s’. They weren’t even sure Hughes should direct.

13. Anthony Michael Hall and Molly Ringwald were just 16 years old during filming – all the other ‘schoolkids’ were well into their 20s.

12. Jodie Foster, Laura Dern and Robin Wright all auditioned for the part of Claire, the prom queen. Molly Ringwald got the role despite initially being cast as Alison, the misfit. Emilio Estevez was initially cast as the ‘bully’ John Bender until Judd Nelson came in at the last minute (Nicolas Cage, John Cusack and Jim Carrey all almost played Bender too). Rick Moranis was due to play Carl the janitor but left the film just before shooting.

11. It was shot between March-May 1984 at Maine North High School in Des Plaines, Illinois, the same abandoned school used for ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’. Most of the film takes place in a library – this was actually a set built in the school gymnasium.

10. The cast rehearsed for three weeks before the cameras rolled. They were running lines and bonding even as sets were being built around them. The film was also shot in sequence, a rarity.

9. Researching his role as Bender, Judd Nelson went ‘undercover’ at a nearby high school with fake ID and formed a real clique of naughty teens.

8. The cast didn’t smoke real pot in the famous ‘truth-telling’ scene – it was oregano.

7. Anthony Michael Hall’s real life mother and sister talk to him in the car at the beginning (and Hughes has a cameo as his dad).

6. Ringwald tried to get Hughes to remove the scene where Bender hides under the desk and looks between her legs, but he refused.

5. Bender’s famous, defiant/celebratory fist-raise at the end was improvised by Judd Nelson.

4. The scene where the characters sit around and explain why they are in detention was all improvised.

3. The original cut was 150 minutes long – they had to lose 53 minutes, including a long dream sequence and a whole character (a sexy gym teacher). Some deleted scenes have appeared on DVDs and on YouTube but many outtakes have never been seen.

2. The iconic poster photo was taken by Annie Leibovitz and later satirised by ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2’.

1. The budget was just under $1 million! The film made over $51 million during its initial run…