On PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES (1987)

 A couple of days ago, in my MOVIES FOR THANKSGIVING DAY post, I gave you viewing recommendations for your holiday entertainment at home on turkey day. Another film that's popular on that holiday is the 1987 comedy PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES. It was produced, directed and written by John Hughes. He's the filmmaker who became revered by a certain generation for his 1980s teen comedies SIXTEEN CANDLES, THE BREAKFAST CLUB, PRETTY IN PINK and FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF.

His 1987 comedy, starring Steve Martin as a short-tempered, stranded traveler in New York City trying to get home to Chicago in time for Thanksgiving dinner with his family, showed that Hughes could do more than teen comedies. The lovable, late John Candy had one of the best roles of his movie career as the sweet, chatty guy who becomes an unlikely traveling companion to Martin's character. Both are headed for Chicago. The Steve Martin and John Candy road comedy takes us from New York City to Wichita to St. Louis and, finally, Chicago. I like both stars in the comedy. However, it does have a similar trait I noticed in the John Hughes teen comedies that take place in or around Chicago -- no Black actors have featured roles.

I worked on TV in Milwaukee and spent a lot of time in Chicago in the 80s. I love Chicago. I love its diversity. In the 80s, we saw racial diversity just about every weekday when we looked at the audiences on Oprah's daytime talk show in Chicago. During the press junket for 1984's SIXTEEN CANDLES, I interviewed Hughes and asked him if we'd be seeing Black kids in his future teen comedies. He sort of danced around the question in his answer. When I saw 1986's FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF, I felt that he should've just said "No."

TCM host Dave Karger, mentions in a TCM promo that he's a big fan of the filmmaker who seemed to capture the teen spirit of the 1980s. Karger is a dapper, knowledgeable young man. I'd like to ask him if he can name one Black character from a Hughes teen comedy starring Molly Ringwald or Matthew Broderick.

Here's something to do. If you watch PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES on Thanksgiving Day, keep a notepad nearby and make a mark for every time you see a Black actor in the film who has 5 or more lines. There are counter clerks, cab drivers, bus drivers, motorists...all sorts of other characters in the story that -- as I wrote -- goes from New York City to Wichita to St. Louis to Chicago.

That's what I noticed about movies from filmmaker John Hughes. And that's an aspect I never, ever heard brought up by the weekly movie critics -- predominantly white males -- on TV in those days. 

This is why I push for more representation for people of color not only in the arts, but in the criticism and conversation about the arts. Here's a clip from the 1987 John Hughes comedy.