June 1985: Ferris Bueller Takes A Day Off

Ferris Bueller
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Ferris Bueller

It's been over 30 years since Ferris Bueller played hooky from the drudgery of school to partake in a day of outrageous fun.

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The John Hughes masterpiece, produced from a $5.8 million dollar budget, was one of the top-grossing films of the year, raking in over $70 million.

Starring Matthew Broderick, the 1986 movie has since become a cult classic in American comedy and a rite of passage for 80's teens. Here are 9 behind-the-scenes facts that you should know about the classic 80's flick. 

9. June, 5,1985 marked the day of Ferris' absence.

Internet sleuths looked into the matter and pinpointed the day Ferris skipped his classes as the day the Bears and the Chicago Cubs squared off in a baseball game, which Ferris, Cameron Frye and Sloane Peterson made sure to attend. 

8. Six days of scriptwriting

Apprehensive of an impending writers' strike, Hughes pulled together a script in just six days, after pitching the story to Paramount Studios executive Ned Tanen with just one-sentence: "I want to do this movie about a kid who takes a day off from school and...that's all I know so far."

7. The loaded license plates

It's the little details that attest to Hughes' legacy as a visionary. Every license plate in the film paid homage to one of Hughes' films, including Jeannie's that read "TBC" for The Breakfast Club, Principal Rooney's "4FBDO," and Mr. Spyde's foretelling "NRVOUS."

6. On-set romance

Broderick and Jennifer Grey (who played Ferris' sister, Jeanie) got engaged just before the movie released, but the two would eventually call off their engagement. Broderick ended up marrying actress Sarah Jessica Parker while Grey married actor Clark Gregg. 

5. On-set romance, continued

Cindy Pickett and Lyman Ward, who play Ferris' parents, continued their romance off-screen and married later in 1986. 

4. Paul McCartney's one complaint about the movie. 

The ex-Beatle shared in an interview that he wasn't a fan of the soundtracked version of "Twist and Shout," which Ferris lip-synchs above a parade float," as McCartney shared it sounded too brassy. 

However, Sir Paul didn't have too many complaints following the movie's release, as "Twist and Shout" was re-released as a single and scaled the charts once more on the Top 40. 

3. Hughes cemented his status as a local hero.

The smashing success of Ferris Bueller's Day Off would cement Hughes' status as a local hero, with the film's setting based in the fictional town of Shermer, Illinois, based on Hughes' own hometown of Northbrook. Also based in Shermer included the films The Breakfast ClubPlanes, Trains & Automobiles, the Home Alone films, and the National Lampoon’s Vacation films.

2. The Buellers actually lived in Long Beach, California.

Sorry, Bueller enthusiasts. The grand Bueller residence Ferris calls home was actually located in Long Beach, California. 

1. Mr. Frye's spotless Ferrari California Spyder was actually a fake.

"My father spent 3 years restoring this car. It is his love, it is his passion," Cameron drawls with a glaze over his face. 

"It is his fault he didn't lock the garage," Bueller asserts, before hopping into the driver's seat. 

The dream car - the one Cameron's father 'loves more than life itself' - was actually a replica of the dazzling '63 car. Hughes had an automaker design three special replicas of the car, with one replica costing $25,000 (in comparison to the real price tag of $300,000). The replica that didn't meet a tragic end eventually sold at an auction for $230,000. 

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