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30 years ago

Back to School - June 13, 1986
Rodney Dangerfield stars in this Harold Ramis comedy as Thornton Melon, a self-made millionaire who never got a proper school education and decides to attend the same college as his son Jason, played by Keith Gordon. Burt Young plays Dangerfield’s bodyguard, Robert Downey Jr. plays Jason’s friend, and William Zabka of course plays the college baddie. Dangerfield’s fun, irreverent style of comedy led the film to success both with critics and audiences. Back to School opened at #1 with $8.8 million from 1,605 theaters and went on to gross an impressive $91 million, the sixth highest of the year.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off - June 11, 1986
In hindsight it seems remarkable that Ferris would be beat out by Back to School at the box office (both weekend and total gross), given the cherished position among 1980s comedies that Ferris Bueller’s Day Off has enjoyed ever since. Maybe it’s a victory that a movie about attending school beat one about skipping school. What made and makes Ferris Bueller stand out among other high school comedies of the era is the sincere attitude of joie de vivre. The tone is not raunchy or destructive. Ferris isn’t a rebel without a cause; he has loving parents, is a hero among his classmates, and isn’t out to tear anyone down. He just wants to have fun.

About the only people who don’t like him are his sister Jeannie, played by Jennifer Grey (a year before Dirty Dancing), and the school’s Principal Rooney (Jeffrey Jones), who isn’t quite the intimidating force of Assistant Principal Vernon in The Breakfast Club. Matthew Broderick had been known for a few years due to his roles in WarGames and Ladyhawke, and John Hughes had written National Lampoon’s Vacation, and wrote and directed The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, and Pretty In Pink. This was the second film role for Mia Sara, playing Ferris’s girlfriend, who had starred in Legend with Tom Cruise earlier in the year.

In addition to the story tone, Hughes took the unconventional approach of having his main character talk directly to the audience and explain his plans. His direction also makes the story feel like an actual day out because of all the places in Chicago it visits, including a real baseball game at Wrigley Field and an actual parade with floats, where Ferris sings “Danke Schoen” and “Twist and Shout.” Hughes also doesn’t just give us the upside of life; Ferris’s best friend Cameron (Alan Ruck) is dealing with an identity crisis and serious issues with his father, all while suffering a cold and Ferris’s effortless hijinks.

Two of the film’s best scenes are the more introspectives ones, as Cameron loses himself in a painting at the Art Institute of Chicago, and later (accidentally) kills his father’s 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder in a fit of frustration. Featuring that car put Ferris Bueller’s Day Off among the iconic car movies in its era. The film also remains quotable through various scenes, such as the one with Ben Stein droning on in front of a bored class, prompting “Anyone?...Anyone?” or Charlie Sheen’s brief police station scene near the end.

You could go on and on about what a classic this is, and still debate whether it’s John Hughes’ best film. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off opened at #2 with $6.2 million from 1,330 theaters. It went on to gross $70 million on a budget under $6 million, the highest gross of Hughes-directed films (beat out by Christmas Vacation and of course Home Alone of films written by Hughes).

The Manhattan Project - June 13, 1986
Highlighting the nuclear fears of the era, this drama tells the story of a high school kid who decides to expose a secret military program by stealing plutonium and constructing a nuclear bomb for his school science fair. Christopher Collet stars, with John Lithgow, John Mahoney, Jill Eikenberry, and Cynthia Nixon. Richard Jenkins appears in one of his early film roles. The Manhattan Project opened at #9 with $1.5 million from 827 theaters and ended up with $3.9 million.

Come back next week for another installment of Marquee History!

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