. A very young Joan Cusack may not have been given an actual name for her Candles character, but that didn't stop Geek Girl #1 from stealing every scene she was in. Although it currently has an oldies format, in 1984, WLS was a top-40 station in Chicago, Illinois. Michael Schoeffling (Jake Ryan) was 24. Gedde Watanabe (Long Duk Dong) recounted numerous incidents in which people have publicly expressed their anger at him for playing a role that so widely disseminated negative stereotypes of Asian men. But Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall had other plans. [emailprotected], Release Date: It's an odd animal.". John Hughes called Dooley personally and told him that he wrote a scene with Dooley and Ringwald's character, which became an iconic moment in the film. Now 58, hes continued to make an impression in such recent films as Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Parental Guidance, and his most recent work, last years 47 Ronin. In this movie (Sixteen Candles), he portrayed Grandpa Fred Baker. It's missing a bunch of stuffIt's definitely not perfect, and I'm always working to improve the site. You know, the one in the back brace that can't get a drink of water at the dance. Sixteen Candles Ringwald Schoeffling with Birthday Cake - H 2013. After rejecting various pitches through the years, Ringwald said in 2005 that she read a 32 Candles script that she liked and had an interest in starring in. Watanabe claimed that the sound effect was added in post-production, and quipped that somebody mustve had a few beers. He was also surprised that his performance would be deemed racist by several Asian-American groups. It sounded and felt very real, thanks to John Hughes' ability to create believable teen talk and behavior patterns. February 27, 2023 alexandra bonefas scott No Comments . On the eve of her sister's wedding, suburban teenager Samantha ( Molly Ringwald) suffers silently as her family forgets her birthday. Her later films included Whos That Girl?, Gremlins 2: The New Batch (alongside Gedde Watanabe), Home Alone 3, and The Baxter. He also never really spoke to either one of them again either, up until the time he died, and never collaborated in any other films. Watch Sixteen Candles Online Full production credits: "What was he wearing? The gym in which the school dance was filmed didn't have air conditioning due to a lack of funds, so it was over 100 degrees during the filming. This was due to the fact that while filming, Gedde Watanabe was doing things off-camera while reading his lines. Geek Girl #1 in actionSixteen Candles 1984. Magazines, Or create a free account to access more articles. Hmm? John Paul Cusack (/ k ju s k /; born June 28, 1966) is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and political activist. Viggo Mortensen auditioned for the role of Jake Ryan. Included among the American Film Institute's 2000 list of the 500 movies nominated for the Top 100 Funniest American Movies. One scene, which was cut from the final theatrical version, but later shown in the television version, was shot in the cafeteria at one of Niles East's two sister schools, Niles North. Chicago sibling actors John and Joan Cusack appear in this together; as well as Say Anything and Broadcast News. He quit in 1991 to start a handcrafted furniture business. It's been 35 years since Sixteen Candles was released in theaters on May 4, 1984. Mom [1983], and National Lampoon's Vacation [1983], but the latter two comedies . What is this?ActorAgeCheck is a free service that allows you to quickly view the age of an actor/actress along with their age in a specific movie (it's important to note that the age of a person in a particular movie is based on the movies release date, and may not represent the actual filming date). was more commercial, and therefore should be made first. Unlike his co-stars, Schoeffling did not remain in the world of acting for long. Even a late-teen growth spurt that had him playing jocks in Johnny Be Good and Edward Scissorhands couldnt erase his geek cred. Anthony Michael Hall and Molly Ringwald initially disliked each other, so John Hughes took them to a record store and they bonded after they found out they like the same music. . The Reverend is played by Brian Doyle-Murray, Bill Murrays older brother. Filmed at Niles East High School. John Hughes wrote the role of Ted Farmer especially for Anthony Michael Hall, having worked with him on National Lampoon's Vacation (1983). Hall also starred on the USA Network's The Dead Zone as Johnny Smith from 2002 to 2007. Mom and National Lampoons Vacation, Hughes' agents at ICM gave him a stack of photos of young actors. Coincidentally, February 18th is also Molly Ringwald's birthday (in 1968). Additionally, she has acted in Broadway productions of Arcadia, Tartuffe: Born Again and Ring Round the Moon. He made me weak in the knees," she told Access Hollywood. Sixteen Candles (1984) directed by John Hughes. These scenes were later cut, but it explains why there is a tray on the side of grandpa's car. It would be impossible to overstate how large Sixteen Candles looms in the imaginations of three decades worth of moviegoers. John Cusack who played Bryce in the movie would appear with her in 2002s Adaptation. In the initial script, Sams father ends his heart-to-heart with his daughter by flat out asking what happened to her underwear (she gave it to Farmer Ted.) Ringwald's reign as the queen of 1980s teen flicks began with this film, which was Hughes's directorial debut and . She was salvaged in the 1950s, and is now displayed at the Vasa Museum. Samantha Baker (Molly Ringwald) is ready to make the most of her sweet sixteenth birthday if only someone in her family would remember it. Written and directed by John Hughes in his directorial debut, it was the first in a string of films Hughes would direct centering on teenage life. Now a music producer, the 48-year-old Curtis will be seen on screen in Body High, a comedy due for release this spring. But a bunch of her problems would be solved if she wished for what every sixteen-year-old needs: some self-confidence. The girl lead's name in this movie is Baker. Watch for the 57-year-old in August's action film Underdogs. When eating dinner with the family, Long Duk Dong is using the ends of a spoon and a fork as chopsticks. Cusack began working in the early 1980s as side characters in teen comedy films, the most notable of which being a small role in John Hughes' Sixteen Candles. Ringwald's and Hall's rejection of Hughes at this point hurt him deeply, and in fact led to end of his whole John Hughes teen movie genre. Chaos ensues when she gets her period on the day of the ceremony. Gedde Watanabe's accent isn't real. Sort: Relevant Newest # sixteen candles # 80s # sixteen candles # jake ryan # yeah you # sixteen candles # anthony michael hall # john hughes # filmin # cult movie # clasico # sixteen candles He moved to Newfoundland, Pa., married, raised a family, and worked as a carpenter building custom furniture. (Joan Cusack) Previous Next . Since her wedding day, Baker has appeared in the films Raw Deal, Shakedown, The Handmaid's Tale, Dead Funny, The Girl Next Door and Hypothermia. John Hughes agreed that it was creepy, and changed the line. Dooley said it's typical if you turn down a role, you get offered more money but turned it down again, due to the character's development. Do you get the sense that their parents either weren't too good at naming them or were trying to be cute? Morris portrayed Caroline, the most popular girl at school and Jake's girlfriend. While he was scared that he would be fired for the deception, Hughes simply laughed. Michael Schoeffling was 23 years old when the movie was made, Haviland Morris was 24, Gedde Watanabe was 28, and Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall were both 15. Interesting parallels with another Cusack related movie: John Cusack and Joan Cusack were in this and Grosse Pointe Blank (1997). Hall played Ted, also known as the school nerd and "Farmer Ted." But Hughes insisted there would be more layers to this character, at which point he wrote a scene which Jim apologizes to Sam for forgetting her birthday and also consoles her about the situation with Jake. Cusack was born in New York City and raised in Illinois in a family of performers - her father as well as her four siblings Ann, Bill, Susie, and John have all been actors, and Joan has. The film had a large cast . The best GIFs are on GIPHY. Check out our sixteen candles selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our container candles shops. On May 4, 1984 30 years ago yesterday, with the release of "Sixteen Candles," which made its baby-faced young stars, Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall, household names nearly overnight. Now 45, Ringwald has yet to announce any new projects since the five-year run of Secret Life ended in 2013. Samantha's dad's car has the license plate "V58", which stands for "Vacation '58", a story written by John Hughes for National Lampoon Magazine, which served as the basis of the screenplay for National Lampoon's Vacation (1983). Everyone thinks Molly Ringwald was Hughes' favorite young actor. With popular films like the Home Alone film series and 101 Dalmatians, we're celebrating his popular '80s classic, Sixteen Candles. He also voiced the character of Sarge in Cars, Cars 2 and Cars 3. In an op-ed piece Molly wrote after John Hughes died many years later, she compared this to Michael and Wendy Darling leaving Neverland, and Peter Pan shutting down Neverland out of spite forever as a result. Casie's look: I am Joan Cusack's character. 61 of 66 found this interesting | Share this The dress that Sam wears to the school dance was supposed to be worn by Liane Curtis (who played Randy). She died in 2002 at age 94. He really did.". She feels so uncomfortable in his presence that she starts crying and runs out of the gym. 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. Sixteen Candles marked Ringwald's first major role, though she went on to become one of the biggest stars of the '80s. The leading men in this movie are both named Michael: Anthony Michael Hall and Michael Schoeffling. Sixteen Candles was the first in John Hughes' series of iconic 1980s teen movies which depicted the unfairness of having to go through puberty while attempting to graduate high school with a. Jonathan Chapin plays Jimmy Montrose, a friend of Sam and Randi's that meets them at the dance. But many felt the magic was gone, that without his teen muses Hall and Ringwald, and without the comfort of the genre he created, Hughes' spirit and creativity sort of died, and the movies he made after were never quite the same. At the time of the release of Sixteen Candles, Roger Ebert defended Gedde Watanabe's performance as Long Duk Dong, writing that Gedde Watanabe "elevates his role from a potentially offensive stereotype to high comedy". He was 12 when he played Ringwalds bratty brother in Sixteen Candles. Inspired by Ringwald's appearance, he put it up over his desk and wrote the film just over a weekend, with her specifically in mind for the lead role. More on Sixteen Candles Navigation. Glynn (now 74) and Masterson are the parents of Mary Stuart Masterson, who starred in Hughes Some Kind of Wonderful. His character's name is "Ted Farmer", but due to some teacher's habits of doing role call by calling out the students' names as they are printed out, he probably earned the nickname of "Farmer Ted" because of his name being printed out as "Farmer, Ted", and subsequently called out that way. A successful college wrestler, Schoeffling made his film debut with Sixteen Candles, playing the heartthrob Jake Ryan. The two underage thespians had nothing to do when filming wrapped on weekends and some of their fellow castmates abandoned them to go to bars. The actors who played Samantha's two grandfathers both played the original father characters in two classic sitcoms before both roles were re-cast. In "Sixteen Candles", "The Breakfast Club" and "Weird Science" the Anthony Michael Hall character reveals that he is a virgin. The German title of the film, "Das darf man nur als Erwachsener", translates to "One may do that only as an adult". So we have a long way to go. Baker played Sam's older sister Ginny, who prepares for her wedding throughout the film. With John as Farmer Teds buddy Bryce and Joan as Geek Girl #1, a.k.a. It turns out Jake is a bit of a cheapskate. Tora! Schoeffling's final acting credit was as Al Carver in the 1991 film Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken. Write by: Not only did the film make stars of Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall and others, not only did it mark the directing debut of John Hughes, but it also became one of the signature movies of the 1980s and the template for most high school comedies of the last 30 years. Darren Harris and John Cusack would go on to appeared together in Better Off Dead (1985). The studio had to frantically edit out "F" bombs to avoid an R rating. All Rights Reserved. 32 is 16 doubled. In this movie, Kapelos appeared as Sam's future brother-in-law. Ironically a year later they would both be cast members on Saturday Night Live. Watanabe eventually admitted to Hughes at the table read that the accent wasnt real. Sixteen Candles wasnt the first film that 21-year-old Joan Cusack appeared in alongside her brother John (that would be 1983s Class), and it was far from the last. Pollack made her screen debut in Sixteen Candles as Marlene Lumberjack, an Amazon who takes an instant liking to Long Duk Dong. Robert Downey Jr. was on that season too, but none of them made the cut for the next season. If you see a bug, please email me below. According to Molly Ringwald, one of the things Gedde did was stick grapes up his nostrils. After the movie was released, teenage girls started wearing their hats tilted back like that. Filmed at Niles East High School. Now 54, Morris has a day job as a Manhattan realtor, but she continues to act; her next film, naval drama Burning Blue, is due in theaters next month. Michael Schoeffling was so shy during his audition, it almost cost him the job. He spoofed his own 80s teen stardom in 2010s Hot Tub Time Machine. Studies show that 60% of the time, our search works every time. Cusack had a brief appearance in the film as Bryce, a nerdy high school student who's friends with Ted. John is Bryce, one of Anthony Michael Hall's geeky friends. Other music posters in Samantha's house include: Culture Club, The Stray Cats (over her bed), and Sammy Hagar. And Hall and Ringwald genuinely liked him, he was like their crazy, funny older brother, who also happened to be a Hollywood power player who had vaunted them both to the top of the A-List. because an almost 24-year-old Justin Henry played Ringwald's love interest, which . Blanche Baker (born December 20, 1956) is an American actress and filmmaker. After his role in Sixteen Candles, Cusack starred in the films One Crazy Summer, Hot Pursuit, Tapeheads, Eight Men Out, Say Anything, Grosse Point Blank, Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity, Serendipity, Must Love Dogs, 1408, Igor, 2012andThe Raven. This was probably due to his popularity in Kramer vs. Kramer (1979). In an article published in Salon, Amy Benfer considers whether the film directly condones date rape. Even worse, some total dork ( Anthony Michael Hall) keeps propositioning her with sophomoric innuendo when she really craves romantic attention from high-school hunk Jake ( Michael Schoeffling ). The daughter of Oscar-nominated Baby Doll star Carroll Baker, Blanche Baker was already an Emmy-winning TV actress (Holocaust) when she landed at 27 the Sixteen Candles role of Ginny, Samanthas soon-to-be-married sister. Where: Hyatt Regency Orlando, 9801 International Drive, Orlando. The following year she began a short tenure as a cast member on Saturday Night Live ( SNL ) alongside the likes of Sixteen Candles co-star Anthony Michael Hall and Robert Downey Jr. No, he's not retarded." Dick Biondi: Chicago radio legend is heard on the radio (uncredited) in the opening bedroom scene where Molly Ringwald is looking in her mirror. So basically the scene with Jim/Sam and the scene with Brenda/Sam are the same scene; both invented by the writer/director at the last minute to convince actors Glynn and Dooley to stay with the movie even though they are playing what are otherwise teen movie parent stereotypes. Now 57, she stars as a vengeful housewife in the thriller Jersey Justice, debuting on DVD this month. Ringwald insisted. Hughes may have been a couple of decades past his high school years when he wrote the movie, but he managed to accurately capture the teen experience. Although it currently has an oldies format, in 1984, WLS was a top-40 station in Chicago, Illinois. John Paul Cusack was born on June 28, 1966, in Evanston, Illinois, United States, into a Catholic Irish-American family. The film has also been criticized for its racist portrayal of Long Duk Dong, a Chinese foreign exchange student who stays with the Bakers over the wedding weekend. In actuality, Haviland Morris was 25 years old during filming. Actor Age Check - How old was John Cusack in Sixteen Candles? the girl in the neck brace, Sixteen Candles was the second of (currently) 10 movies in which the siblings have appeared in together. But producer Michelle Manning said, "He was so stunning and dreamy that we cast him.". Included among the American Film Institute's 2004 list of 400 movies nominated for the top 100 America's Greatest Music in the Movies for the song "If You Were Here.". So for a year or two, 1984-1985, during the filming of Sixteen Candles , Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink and Weird Science, the three of them would hang out, go to restaurants and clubs and concerts and were friends. Ringwald starred as Anne Jurgens on ABC Family's The Secret Life of the American Teenager from 2008 to 2013 and currently plays the recurring role of Mary Andrews on The CW's Riverdale. During the dance scene, John Cusack is wearing a WLS t-shirt. After calling her "fully aged sophomore meat" and promising his friends that he'd sleep with her, Ted walks up to Samantha on the dance floor. The original school building has since been demolished, and is now the location of Oakton Community College. By the time 69-year-old Andrews appeared as Samanthas paternal grandfather, Howard, in Sixteen Candles, hed had a long and distinguished career as a film and TV character actor, with roles in such films as Tea and Sympathy, Elmer Gantry, The Absent-Minded Professor, Send Me No Flowers, and Tora! "It took me a while to understand that," he told NPR. Samantha's room was a set built inside the high school gym, where they filmed the dance. Now 53, hes been absent from the screen for 23 years, so we never had to watch Jake Ryan get old. . At the age of nine, he attended 'Piven Theatre Workshop.'. Hughes, a former gag writer for old-style stand-up comics and a contributor to National Lampoon, was a novice Hollywood screenwriter when he landed the opportunity to direct Sixteen Candles. Jake is always going to be hot. She graduated to more mature roles in The Pick-Up Artist, Fresh Horses, and Betsys Wedding, but her movie career never returned to its Hughes-era heights. Well, uh, let's see, he was wearing a red argyle sweater, and tan trousers, and red shoes. Amy Benfer writes "The scene only works because people were stupid about date rape at the time. Gedde Watanabe followed up Sixteen Candles with many films and TV roles. We've got Long Duk Dong. sixteen candles 64 GIFs. Hughes agreed that it was creepy and changed the line. One of the groups they liked was The Rave-Ups which Molly scribbled on Samantha's notebook. The turntable shown spinning with the pizza on top is a Denon DP-62L. During this period, the early and mid eighties, when John Hughes was at the height of his powers, Hughes, Hall and Ringwald were essentially in a clique together (strange as that was, since Hall and Ringwald were teenagers, and Hughes was in his 30s). Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for NEW--Sixteen Candles (DVD, 1984, Flashback Edition) JOHN HUGHES' at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products! All the others are essentially Hollywood extras. Despite not having a large role in the film, Justin Henry (Mike Baker) is second-billed in the end credits, and among one of the top-billed actors in advertisements and posters. She fared better on TV, in projects from the Stephen King mini-series The Stand to her mom/grandma role on ABC Familys The Secret Life of the American Teenager. The following year, she co-starred in The Trip to Bountiful, directed by her husband. Having made her film debut in John Sayles Baby, Its You (1983), Curtis was 18 when she played Ringwalds pal in Sixteen Candles. It was bracing a few years back, at least for those of us of a certain age, to see Molly Ringwald cast as a grandmother on TVs The Secret Life of the American Teenager. His next appearance was in the 1984 John Hughes classic, "Sixteen Candles," in which big sister Joan also had a part. They didn't have enough money to air condition the gym, so it was over one hundred degrees during filming. To fully appreciate Sixteen Candles, John Hughes's directorial debut, one must understand what films were like before the Hughes Revolution. Magazines, Digital The license plate number on Jake's car "21850" was John Hughes' birth date - February 18, 1950. Following his role as the nerd, Hall went on to collaborate with Hughes again in The Breakfast Club and Weird Science. This means that John Cusack owes a big debit of his career to Anthony Michael Hall! The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. She famously followed the film up with starring roles in Hughes The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink. At 15, Ringwald became Hughes muse on the strength of her headshot alone; he wrote the lead role in Sixteen Candles with the Tempest actress in mind. The Long Duk Dong character is suspiciously similar to another character in a story John Hughes wrote for National Lampoon Magazine, titled "Christmas '59". a car, and maybe some cake. 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Without his muses to inspire him, Hughes lost interest in the genre, and stopped making those movies; and in effect the genre he had invented died at that point. But when Molly Ringwald saw it, she asked to wear it. Dooley played Sam's kindhearted father Jim. (That's like 4 out of the six lead characters!). One of the most iconic teen comedies of the 1980s, Sixteen Candles, returns in an all-new Flashback Edition with never-before-seen bonus features! Michael Schoeffling (Jake) had a serious girlfriend at the time, Valerie C. Robinson. The next movie the Cusacks filmed together was Seattle's Say Anything in 1989. Exactly a couple years earlier in the May 1, 1982 Love Boat episode April In Boston/Saving Grace/Breaks of Life, he portrayed a character named Herman Baker. After rejecting various pitches through the years, Ringwald said, in 2005, that she read a "32 Candles" script that she liked, and had an interest in starring.