One of the most beloved and famous comedies of the 1980s, it starred two famous actors and was directed by one of the most in-demand writers and directors of the decade. John Hughesclassical, Planes, trains and carsWith Steve Martin And John Candy, has been a must-see during the holidays for over 36 years and continues to make viewers laugh out loud today. Martin, known for his outrageous farce in films such as jerk And All mesurprised the audience by playing “straight” with Candy, the former SKTV an actor who was just beginning to build a successful film career, starring in films such as Summer rental And space balls.
With Hughes behind the camera, the Hollywood “it” guy who made gold with sixteen candles, Club BreakfastAnd Ferris Bueller’s day off, Planes, trains and cars was virtually guaranteed to be a critical and box office success. It became the 29th highest-grossing film of 1987 and earned Candy a nomination for “Funniest Movie Actor” at the 1988 American Comedy Awards. So why is it that a film written and directed by one of the industry’s most successful actors and directed by two strong comedians includes, seemingly out of nowhere, a 1-minute and 8-second dialogue-free cameo from another ’80s icon. Free star Kevin Bacon? It’s not that the movie needed a boost in star power to get past the finish line, and it certainly didn’t need stunt helmets to get noticed. What’s behind Bacon’s amazing and hilarious cameo?
The cameo was Kevin Bacon’s idea
Interestingly, Kevin Bacon himself gave Hughes the idea to cast him in the role. Planes, trains and cars. Hughes directed this film and She has a child, another picture starring Bacon, at the same time. Bacon enjoyed working with Hughes so much that he told the director that he would be available for a role in a Martin Candy film, even as an extra. Bacon was living in Manhattan at the time, so Hughes accepted the young actor’s offer when it came time to shoot on location, and the brilliance of Bacon’s cameo in the film is part of the brilliance of the film’s entire production. Steve Martin plays Neil Page, a button-up advertiser trying to get from New York to Chicago on the eve of Thanksgiving. When he crosses paths with shower curtain ring salesman Del Griffith (Candy), it’s one comedic disaster after another. But it is the appearance of Bacon at the beginning of the film that foreshadows the coming disasters for Neil.
Trying to get a cab to the airport so he won’t miss his flight home, Neal quickly leaves a meeting in midtown Manhattan. Anyone who has ever attempted to hail a taxi in New York during rush hour, let alone holiday rush hour, knows that it is a feat that requires the skill of superheroes, not to mention a colossal dose of luck. Desperately looking for that elusive yellow four-door Ford, Neil spots a cab with a lit “Available” sign. And this is where Bacon comes in. Bacon’s character, only named “Taxi Driver” in the film, is standing on the opposite side of 6th Avenue from Neil Martin, notices an empty cab, and then notices that Neil Martin is looking at the same car. The pair exchange looks that mean “let’s go” and a crazy dash begins. For 30 seconds, Neal and Taxi Driver race down crowded sidewalks, dodging passers-by, carts and other slowing obstacles as they race to be the first to get to the car that will take them out of the hell that is the New York holidays. season. Neil nearly outruns Taxi Driver at his destination until he trips and falls on a giant, gaudy chest belonging to the bumbling Del Griffith, left in the street. Taxi Racer emerges victorious, stopping to give Neal a mean smirk and say “See you sucker!” salute before jumping into the cab and driving away. This short scene is pivotal to the film because it is the moment that sets the tone, the first in a long line of very sad events that will befall Neil as he becomes entangled with the bumbling but good-natured Cause. Any random actor could have played Taxi Racer, but seeing Bacon in the role made audiences laugh even harder, and it’s not hard to believe director Hughes knew exactly what he was doing when he hired the new-faced guy. The entire scene is actually a nod to the beginning of Bacon’s 1986 film. Mercury, about a fallen stock trader forced to make a living as a bicycle messenger. At the beginning of this film, Bacon, as a taxi passenger, convinces his driver to race a bicycle delivery man through the streets of downtown Los Angeles. Bacon’s cab loses race to cyclistNelson Wales), which produces something like “bye, loser!” a farewell greeting to Bacon’s character as he leaves.
Bacon’s character could be a crossover from ‘She’s Gonna Have a Baby’
Although filmed around the same time, Planes, trains and cars was released three months before She will have a childon Thanksgiving Day 1987. However, when Bacon’s film was released in February 1988, about two newlyweds facing the difficulties of their first year of marriage, some viewers were convinced that Bacon’s “Taxi Racer” character was actually Bacon’s character Jake Briggs from ” She will have a child. In this film, Briggs is a promising advertising copywriter who regularly rides the train to Chicago every day with a newspaper under his arm. On planes, trains and cars, Bacon’s Taxi Racer is a passenger trying to get from point A to point B, also carrying a newspaper. Taxi Racer is even wearing the same clothes as Jake Briggs. It can be assumed that the Briggs character is on a business trip in the big city and, like Martin’s Neil Page, intends to return to Chicago to celebrate the holidays with his new bride Christy (Elizabeth McGovern). It is possible that director Hughes will find a way to combine the two films in this way. Hughes actually did tie both movies together in another scene in Planes, trains and cars, but the audience had to be especially skillful and have exceptionally good ears to pick it up. In one segment, Neil’s wife Susan (Leila Robins) lies alone in bed, watches TV and waits for her husband to return home. Although the screen is not shown, the couple can be heard on the TV arguing. Susan watches the scene from She will have a childin which the characters of Bacon and McGovern squabble over their overnight guests.
Hughes used several extras for his other films.
And the cuts don’t end there. During the closing credits She will have a childJohn Candy makes a brief appearance as his character Chet Ripley from Natural open spaces, a 1988 comedy film written by Hughes that lists possible names for a baby that has just been born to Jake and Christy. Candy’s is one of dozens of celebrity appearances in the final minutes of the film, some of them actors from previous Hughes films, including Matthew Broderick And Cindy Pickett (Ferris Bueller’s day off), Ellie Sheedy And Paul Gleason (Club Breakfast), And Edie McClurgknown for her abusive car rental scene with Martin in Planes, trains and cars. After Hughes’ untimely death in 2009 at the age of 59, those who worked with him frequently mentioned that Hughes considered the cast and crew of his films to be part of his extended family. The fact that Hughes often used the same performers in several films shows that he was a true actor’s director, and the fact that Bacon, already a money-making star, would have been content with a bit part in a Hughes film is a testament to the joy. which the actor experienced, being part of the family of a famous director from show business.
Source: Collider
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