John Hughes: The truth must be told

So yeah, RIP John Hughes, etc. He touched us all, of course. I am indeed a fan: I think Sixteen Candles is underrated, a grade-A Hollywood comedy, and criminally missing from AFI's "100 Years…100 Laughs" list (though yes, it could be construed as somewhat racist). The Breakfast Club is a perfect snapshot of its time, Vacation is easily Chevy Chase's greatest moment (perhaps not such an honor), and Ferris Bueller's Day Off was extremely educational. (And I had an oddly specific crush on this girl after seeing The Great Outdoors.)

But let's establish the facts here: John Hughes did not direct all of these films; in fact, most of the so-called "John Hughes movies" were directed by other people. He was, primarily, a screenwriter, and wrote all of the aforementioned films (and produced many as well). He was also the pen behind a lot films that people don't normally associated with him: the 1996 101 Dalmatians, Beethoven, Mr. Mom, lots more. He did some crap, too.

So I was annoyed—you know, 'cause I'm that kind of person—by the NY1 headline of "'Pretty in Pink' Director John Hughes Dead at 59." Lazy, and a little sad; Howard Deutch is alive and kicking.

Wikipedia has all the info you need, naturally, along with a neat chart showing you which actors appeared in which Hughes films (whoa—it's gone! I swear it was there yesterday). But let me spread the word: John Hughes directed only eight films: Sixteen Candles; The Breakfast Club; Weird Science (this one got old for me); Ferris Bueller's Day Off; Planes, Trains & Automobiles (a forerunner of cringe comedy); She's Having a Baby (never saw it); Uncle Buck (eh…); and Curly Sue (yeah, sure). He wrote and/or produced about a billion more, and presumably died with a corresponding amount of money in his bank account.

Now the '80s truly are dead. Whew…took only 19 years.

Before I go… never saw this trailer before. Awesome: