Director John Hughes dead at 59 from cardiac arrest

John Hughes 1950 - 2009

Once popular writer, director and producer of comedy movies

Popular director John Hughes died August 6, 2009 in Manhattan of cardiac arrest at the age of 59.
Hughes produced and wrote “Home Alone” in 1990 which catapulted child-star Macaulay Culkin into the limelight. “Home Alone” was not popular with critics but fans loved it to the tune fo $476 million in world wide grosses, the third highest grossing movie of all time.

Home Alone 2 was almost as popular while Home Alone 3 was considered a flop, despite grossing $79 million.HA3 had none of the deft touch of the two earlier films and suffered from the replacement of director Chris Columbus.

The Home Alone series became Christmas time favorites with a mix of slapstick comedy and the sentimental loneliness of the holidays.

Hughes, from North Chicago, often depicted the upper middle class white neighborhoods he was raised in. His series of teen flicks including Pretty in Pink and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, were hits and continue to sell DVD’s to new generations of teens.

His wildly, funny adult comedies like Planes, Trains and Automobiles and Uncle Buck both which featured comedian John Candy showed a tender, sentimental side that struck a chord with audiences if not critics.

He often cast actors from the same group. John Candy starred in 8 movies by Hughes. The use of Tone Loc for music in Uncle Buck was an early introduction to rap music for mainstream audiences.

Most of Hughes movies have stood up well in the DVD purchase market since they are still funny after repeated viewings. Uncle Buck has be a favorite of ours for more than 20 years. It gets re-watched on more Friday night movie sessions than any other film.

After Home Alone 3, Hughes largely retired to live in Wisconsin and work on small projects.

The wikipedia reference is a good place to start down memory lane with director John Hughes.Bet yet, haul some of those DVD’s out and start a John Hughes Movie Festival.

For a retrospective on why Hughes stopped directing and writing, see John Hughes – a Teenager’s Favorite Film Director