The Los Angeles Times tackles the mystery of what happened to 80s icon John Hughes. He made some pretty good commercial films that evidently inspired some pretty good present-day commercial filmmakers before disappearing somewhere north of Chicago sometime around 1990. He is missed.
Recently he briefly resurfaced as the source of the original story for Drillbit Taylor. But other than that he is a total recluse. Could a maverick such as Hughes even survive in the business today? Would it be at all recognizable to him? It’s impossible to know because he’s impossible to talk to. If you really need him, you can call Tom Jacobson.
THIS JUST IN:
While I haven’t spotted John Hughes personally, I have managed to confirm several sightings since the creative heights of Planes, Trains & Automobiles. It seems that John Hughes, a formerly somewhat gifted filmmaker who at least made a good faith effort with each outing, gleefully sold out and became a family friendly factory, shitting out a string of movies including Home Alone, Beethoven, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Dennis the Menace, Beethoven’s 2nd, Baby’s Day Out, Miracle on 34th Street, 101 Dalmations, Flubber, Home Alone 3, Beethoven’s 3rd, Beethoven’s 4th, Home Alone 4, and Beethoven’s 5th.
It’s a wonder he even has time to be a hermit.
Jack Silbert, curator