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This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.

KPCC Archive

Actress remembers late movie director/writer John Hughes

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Actress remembers late movie director/writer John Hughes

An actress who appeared in five of John Hughes’ films has fond memories of the late writer-director.

Edie McClurg played a high school secretary in one of Hughes’ most famous films, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. She told KPCC’s Larry Mantle that Hollywood hadn’t seen Hughes’ take on teenagers before.

Edie McClurg: “In many teenage films, going all the way back to Shirley Temple and Deanna Durbin, it was an adult’s view of what kids are like. And John had the ear to know what kids were really like. And I think that’s why it resonated.”

McClurg said she was shocked to learn of the director’s death Thursday. He died of a heart attack during a visit with family in New York. John Hughes, whose films included Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and the Home Alone series, was 59 years old.

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