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==Career== === 1970β1981: Rise to prominence === After dropping out of the <!-- DO NOT CHANGE TO ASU. CONTRADICTS WP:RS -->[[University of Arizona]]<!-- DO NOT CHANGE TO ASU. CONTRADICTS WP:RS -->,<ref name="John Wilden Hughes, Jr">{{cite web |title=John Wilden Hughes, Jr. |url=http://www.biography.com/people/john-hughes-476258#death |website=Biography.com |publisher=A&E Television Networks |access-date=September 12, 2014}}</ref> Hughes began selling jokes to well-established performers such as [[Rodney Dangerfield]] and [[Joan Rivers]].<ref name="variety">{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2009/film/markets-festivals/director-john-hughes-dies-at-59-1118006975/ |work=Variety |first=Pat |last=Saperstein |title=Director John Hughes dies at 59 |date=August 6, 2009}}</ref> Hughes used his jokes to get an entry-level job at [[Needham, Harper & Steers]] as an advertising [[copywriter]] in Chicago in 1970<ref name="latimes">{{cite news |last=McLellan |first=Dennis |url=https://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-john-hughes7-2009aug07,0,6955065.story |title=John Hughes dies at 59; writer-director of '80s teen films |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=August 7, 2009 |access-date=July 26, 2011}}</ref> and later in 1974 at [[Leo Burnett Worldwide]]. During this period, he created what became the famous Edge "Credit Card Shaving Test" ad campaign. Hughes's work on the [[Virginia Slims]] account frequently took him to the [[Philip Morris USA|Philip Morris]] headquarters in New York City, which allowed him to visit the offices of ''[[National Lampoon (magazine)|National Lampoon]]'' magazine.<ref name="bardofyouth"/> Soon thereafter, Hughes became a regular contributor;<ref name=Salon2013>{{cite web|title=John Hughes: How National Lampoon led to 'The Breakfast Club' and 'Ferris Bueller': His '80s movies still define American teendom. It all began with the National Lampoon and Chevy Chase's 'Vacation'|work=[[Salon.com]]|first=ELLIN |last=STEIN|date=June 24, 2013 |url=https://www.salon.com/2013/06/24/john_hughes_how_national_lampoon_led_to_the_breakfast_club_and_ferris_bueller/}}</ref> editor [[P. J. O'Rourke]] recalled that "John wrote so fast and so well that it was hard for a monthly magazine to keep up with him."<ref name="orourke20150322">{{cite web |last=O'Rourke |first=P.J. |author-link=P. J. O'Rourke |title=Don't You Forget About Me: The John Hughes I Knew |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/03/22/how-john-hughes-made-conservatism-funny |website=The Daily Beast |date=March 22, 2015 |access-date=April 26, 2019}}</ref> One of Hughes's first stories, inspired by his family trips as a child,<ref name="variety" /> was "Vacation '58",<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Vacation '58|magazine=National Lampoon|date=Sep 1979|publisher=Twenty-First Century Communications|first=John|last=Hughes}}</ref> later to become the basis for the film ''[[National Lampoon's Vacation]]''.<ref name=Salon2013 /> Among his other contributions to the ''Lampoon'', the [[April Fools' Day]] stories "My Penis" and "My Vagina" gave an early indication of Hughes's ear for the particular rhythm of teenspeak, as well as for the various indignities of teenage life in general. === 1982β1986: Breakthrough and teen films === His first credited screenplay, ''[[National Lampoon's Class Reunion]]'', was written while he was still on staff at the magazine. The resulting film became the second disastrous attempt by the flagship to duplicate the runaway success of ''[[National Lampoon's Animal House]]''. Hughes's next screenplay for the imprint, however, ''[[National Lampoon's Vacation]]'',<ref name=Salon2013 /> would become a major hit in 1983. This, along with the success of another Hughes script that same year, ''[[Mr. Mom]]'', earned him a three-film deal with [[Universal Pictures]].<ref name="Spy article">{{cite magazine |last=Brady |first=Celia |title=Big Baby |magazine=[[Spy (magazine)|Spy]] |date=August 1990 |pages=66β77 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Oepe_lUpLWAC&pg=PA77 |access-date=September 3, 2012}}</ref> Hughes's directorial debut, ''[[Sixteen Candles]]'' (1984), won almost unanimous praise when it was released in 1984, due in no small part to its more honest depiction of navigating adolescence and the social dynamics of high school life in stark contrast to the ''[[Porky's]]''-inspired comedies made at the time. It was the first in a string of efforts about teenage life set in or around high school, including ''[[The Breakfast Club]]'' (1985), ''[[Weird Science (film)|Weird Science]]'' (1985), and ''[[Ferris Bueller's Day Off]]'' (1986), all of which he wrote and directed, and ''[[Pretty in Pink]]'' (1986) and ''[[Some Kind of Wonderful (film)|Some Kind of Wonderful]]'' (1987), which he wrote and produced. ===1987β2008: Beyond teen movies=== To avoid being pigeonholed as a maker of only teen movies, Hughes branched out in 1987 by writing, directing, and producing the hit comedy ''[[Planes, Trains and Automobiles]]'' starring [[Steve Martin]] and [[John Candy]]. His later output was not so well received critically, with films like ''[[Dutch (1991 film)|Dutch]]'' (1991), written and produced by Hughes, performing poorly at the box office. Films like ''[[Uncle Buck]]'' and ''[[National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation]]'', however, proved popular. His final film as a director was 1991's ''[[Curly Sue]]''. By that time, in 1991, his John Hughes Entertainment production company had signed various deals with [[20th Century Fox]] and [[Warner Bros.]]<ref>{{cite web |last=Cieply |first=Michael |date=February 14, 1991 |title=Fox Says 'Big Deal' to New Hollywood Frugality: Movies: Writer-director John Hughes reportedly will get more than $200 million from Fox. Included is a sequel to the box-office hit |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-02-14-fi-1646-story.html |access-date=January 6, 2022 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> Actor John Candy created many memorable roles in films written, directed or produced by Hughes, including ''National Lampoon's Vacation'' (1983), ''Planes, Trains and Automobiles'' (1987), ''[[The Great Outdoors (film)|The Great Outdoors]]'' (1988), ''Uncle Buck'' (1989), ''Home Alone'' (1990), ''[[Career Opportunities (film)|Career Opportunities]]'' and ''[[Only the Lonely (film)|Only the Lonely]]'' (both 1991). Over the years, Hughes and Candy developed a close friendship. Hughes was greatly shaken by Candy's sudden death from a heart attack in 1994. "He talked a lot about how much he loved Candyβif Candy had lived longer, I think John would have made more films as a director", says [[Vince Vaughn]], a friend of Hughes.<ref name="bardofyouth" /> Hughes's greatest commercial success came with ''[[Home Alone]]'' (1990), 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. Hughes completed the first draft of ''Home Alone'' in just nine days.<ref>{{cite web |title=Holy Cow, Home Alone Is 25! |url=https://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/December-2015/Home-Alone/ |access-date=August 3, 2022 |website=Chicago Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> ''Home Alone'' was the top-grossing film of 1990, and remains the most successful live-action family comedy of all time. He followed up with the sequels ''[[Home Alone 2: Lost in New York]]'' in 1992 and ''[[Home Alone 3]]'' in 1997. Some of the subsequent films he wrote and produced during this time also contained elements of the ''Home Alone'' formula, including the successful ''[[Dennis the Menace (1993 film)|Dennis the Menace]]'' (1993) and the box office flop ''[[Baby's Day Out]]'' (1994). He also wrote screenplays under the pseudonym [[Edmond Dantes]] (or DantΓ¨s), after the [[protagonist]] of [[Alexandre Dumas]]'s novel ''[[The Count of Monte Cristo]]''. Screenplays credited to the Dantes ''[[nom de plume]]'' include ''[[Maid in Manhattan]]'', ''[[Drillbit Taylor]]'' and ''[[Beethoven (film)|Beethoven]]''.<ref name="variety" /> ===Unproduced screenplays=== {{main|John Hughes's unrealized projects}} * ''National Lampoon's Jaws 3: People 0'' β a parody sequel to the [[Jaws (franchise)|popular film series]]<ref>{{cite web |title=More Than Meets the Mogwai: Jaws 3/People 0 β Script Review |publisher=Blogger.com |url=http://awcgfilmlog.blogspot.com/2006/02/jaws-3people-0-script-review.html |access-date=March 22, 2009}}</ref> (1979) * ''Motorheads vs. Sportos'', also known as ''Just Like Romeo and Juliet'' or ''Suburban Westside Story'' * ''The History of Ohio from the Beginning of Time to the End of the Universe'', also known as ''National Lampoon's Dacron, Ohio''<ref>{{cite web |title=National Lampoon's The History of Ohio from the Dawn of Time Until the End of the Universe a.k.a. National Lampoon's Dacron, OH (1980) |publisher=Prettyinpodcast.com |url=http://prettyinpodcast.com/2016/04/21/04-dacron-oh/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821030618/http://prettyinpodcast.com/2016/04/21/04-dacron-oh/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2016-08-21 |access-date=July 26, 2023}}</ref> (1980; with P. J. O'Rourke) * ''The Joy of Sex: A Dirty Love Story''<ref>{{cite web |title=National Lampoon's The Joy of Sex (Part Two 1981β1982) |publisher=Prettyinpodcast.com |url=http://prettyinpodcast.com/2016/05/31/nljoy/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180620205238/https://prettyinpodcast.com/2016/05/31/nljoy/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2018-06-20 |access-date=July 26, 2023}}</ref> (1982; some drafts with [[Dan Greenburg]]) * ''Debs'' β a satire on Texas debutantes<ref name="A Life in Film">{{cite book |last=Honeycutt |first=Kirk |title=John Hughes: A Life in Film |date=2015 |pages=41}}</ref> (1983; [[Aaron Spelling Productions]]) * ''The New Kid''<ref name="LostJH" /> (1986) * ''[[Oil and Vinegar (film)|Oil and Vinegar]]'' β a soon-to-be-married man and a hitchhiking girl end up talking about their lives during the length of the car ride<ref>{{cite web |title=Details About One of John Hughes Unproduced Screenplays |last=Sciretta |first=Peter |publisher=/Film |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/2010/02/18/details-about-one-of-john-hughes-unproduced-screenplays/ |date=February 18, 2010 |access-date=March 8, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100222201505/http://www.slashfilm.com/2010/02/18/details-about-one-of-john-hughes-unproduced-screenplays/ |archive-date=February 22, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> (1987) * ''Bartholomew Vs. Neff'' β a vehicle that would have starred [[Sylvester Stallone]] and John Candy as feuding neighbors<ref>{{cite news |title=Him Alone |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE6DC143AF937A3575BC0A967958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |access-date=March 3, 2009 |first=Bill |last=Carter |date=August 4, 1991}}</ref> (1991) * ''Black Cat Bone: The Return of Huckleberry Finn''<ref name="LostJH">{{cite web |title=The Lost Projects of John Hughes |last=Evans |first=Bradford |publisher=Splitsider |url=http://splitsider.com/2012/07/the-lost-projects-of-john-hughes/ |date=July 12, 2012 |access-date=October 6, 2014 |archive-date=May 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180520072857/http://splitsider.com/2012/07/the-lost-projects-of-john-hughes/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> (1991) * ''The Nanny''<ref name="20th Previews Foxy Lineup">{{cite magazine |title=20th Previews Foxy Lineup |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |url=https://variety.com/1991/film/features/20th-previews-foxy-lineup-99125620/ |date=February 10, 1991 |access-date=October 7, 2014}}</ref> (1991) * ''The Bugster''<ref name="20th Previews Foxy Lineup"/> (1991) * ''Ball 'n' Chain''<ref name="20th Previews Foxy Lineup"/> (1991) * Live-action ''[[Peanuts]]'' film β [[Warner Bros.]] acquired the film rights to make a live-action [[Charlie Brown]] film, with Hughes set to both produce and write<ref name="LostJH" /> (1993) * ''[[The Pajama Game (film)|The Pajama Game]]'' β planned [[Warner Bros.]] remake * ''[[Damn Yankees]]'' β another planned [[Warner Bros.]] remake * ''The Bee'' β a feature-length [[Disney]] film that actor [[Daniel Stern (actor)|Daniel Stern]] was attached to direct<ref>{{cite magazine |title=John Hughes' View from the Top |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |url=https://ew.com/article/1994/12/02/john-hughes-view-top/ |access-date=March 3, 2009 |first=Tim |last=Appelo |date=December 2, 1994 |archive-date=December 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205182647/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,304699,00.html |url-status=live}}</ref> (1994) * ''Tickets'' β about teens who wait overnight for free tickets to a farewell concert<ref>{{cite web |title=Film Projects 1999β2002 (haven't heard anything since) |publisher=The John Hughes Files |url=http://www.riverblue.com/hughes/oldnews.html |access-date=August 11, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100919165654/http://www.riverblue.com/hughes/oldnews.html |archive-date=September 19, 2010 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> (1996) * ''The Grigsbys Go Broke'' β about a wealthy family who loses their fortune, forcing them to move to the other side of the tracks<ref>{{cite web |title=John Hughes to do "The Grisbeys" |publisher=Screenwriters' Utopia |url=http://www.screenwritersutopia.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=557 |access-date=March 3, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526222511/http://www.screenwritersutopia.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=557 |archive-date=May 26, 2011 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> (2003)
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