John Hughes’ seminal teen dramedy "The Breakfast Club" stands the test of time because it swam upstream against the tide that carried its conventional counterparts. Here, finally, was a tightly-scripted comedy with a tremendous ear for actual teen dialogue and five expertly crafted personalities to which millions of audience members could relate.
So it’s funny to learn, 30 years after its release, that Hughes almost bowed to cultural influence and included a scene in "The Breakfast Club" that would have fit better in, say, Porky’s or one of its forgettable sequels.
Vanity Fair has a fantastic excerpt from Kirk Honeycutt’s upcoming book "John Hughes: A Life In Film," during which he recounts how Hughes initially had a gratuitous nudity scene in the middle of his detention-day comedy.
At the time of production, "teen comedies" in the defined genre usually included wild party scenes and shameless breast shots. Hughes wasn’t immune. His screenplay from "National Lampoon’s Vacation" had Beverly D’Angelo in the shower. His directorial debut, "Sixteen Candles," had a surprising shower scene. And "The Breakfast Club" was going to fall on the nudity line.
But according to the excerpt, "The Breakfast Club" co-stars Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy – joined by co-producer Michelle Manning – ganged up on Hughes. They questioned the validity of the scene, calling it sexist and misogynistic.
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