John Wilden Hughes, Jr. was an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He directed or scripted some of the most successful films of the 1980s and 1990s, including National Lampoon's Vacation; Ferris Bueller's Day Off; Weird Science; The Breakfast Club; Some Kind ...
Often has a character use the pejorative term "four-flusher", a term originating in poker which means one who bluffs or boasts.
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Portrayal of Yuppie life
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Often cast members of the "Brat Pack"
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Often has a scene-stealing and usually dotty supporting character which serves little use for the actual plot (for example: Long Duk Dong in Sixteen Candles (1984) and Chet in Weird Science (1985)).
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Characters who are either stuck in one place or traveling somewhere
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Often has one character silently mimicking another character as the line is spoken, as if it's been said before.
Close-ups of two characters locking eyes with each other
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References to art - characters discussing art or posed to resemble works of art
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Most of his teen movies from the 1980s have a scene in the school lunchroom, school library, or both.
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Sets films in Chicago area
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Movies often take place in Shermer, Illinois
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Quote
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I don't think of kids as a lower form of the human species.
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I stumbled into this business, I didn't train for it. I yelled "Action!" on my first two movies before the camera was turned on.
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Fact
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Hughes died of a sudden heart attack while taking a morning stroll down West 55th Street in Manhattan. At the time he was visiting family in New York City.
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Two of Hughes' films have been selected for preservation by the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" was chosen in 2014, and "The Breakfast Club" in 2016.
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Chris Columbus was sent two scripts by Hughes while he was staying with his wife's parents in Chicago after the birth of their first child; one was for Home Alone (1990). Columbus fell in love with it, it really struck a chord with him and he felt he could make a really strong film out of it. He and Hughes hit it off instantly so Hughes gave him the job to direct.
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When casting the role of Kevin McCallister in Home Alone (1990), Chris Columbus had already seen Macaulay Culkin in Uncle Buck (1989) but he wanted to audition some other kids while Hughes had his heart set on Culkin. So Columbus met Culkin in New York and was very charmed by him and thought he was fantastic. Columbus auditioned five other kids and none of them shaped up to Culkin. Columbus went with Culkin because he was not as picture perfect and he had an instant relatability to the kids in the audience. Columbus knew the cameras would love him and he was immensely funny.
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Rarely gave interviews. By the 1990's, shunned publicity completely, withdrawing from public life.
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Attended Arizona State University.
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The premiere episode of Community (2009) ("Pilot") is dedicated to his memory.
Although he was offered the distinguished alumni award from Glenbrook North High School, he refused it in reflection of his not so great memories of the north shore and the school itself.
One reason that John Hughes films are set in Shermer, Illinois, is because Northbrook was once called Shermerville. Furthermore, Glenbrook North High School is located on Shermer Road.
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A number of his movies have a small scene after the credits.
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Started out in the 1970s as a writer for National Lampoon magazine.
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Graduated Glenbrook North High School, Northbrook, Illinois, USA. [1968]
$150 Million
